The budget will dominate much of the discussion in education.
State Board of Education (SBOE)
Lawmakers may consider several proposals concerning the authority of the State Board of Education (SBOE). They may discuss proposals to change the SBOE from an elected body to one whose members are appointed by the governor. Proposals may emerge to transfer the SBOE’s education policymaking authority to another entity, either elected or appointed, that is composed of elected officials and educators. Other proposals may seek to transfer the SBOE’s education policymaking authority to the commissioner of education and the Texas Education Agency. Some may propose enacting a constitutional amendment to abolish the SBOE and transfer its authority to manage the Permanent School Fund to another entity. Lawmakers also may consider proposals to place the SBOE under Sunset review at the same time as the Texas Education Agency.
Charters
Charter schools legislation that addresses several aspects of charter operations and policies is expected in the 82nd Session:
- Lifting the current cap on open-enrollment charters (currently the cap is 215) to meet the growing demand for high quality charter schools.
- Adjusting the funding structure for charter public schools so that charters would be eligible for the same size adjustments that Independent School Districts (ISDs) receive.
- Providing facilities funding for charter schools through access to the bond guarantees of the Permanent School Fund (PSF) as well as greater access to existing public school facilities, particularly in school districts with vacant schools or unused property.
- Creating new designations of charter schools for alternative education campuses that operate dropout reduction charter high schools as well as charter schools for Autistic students.
Bullying
Lawmakers may consider proposals to prevent students from harassing one another and to increase the consequences faced by those who do. One proposal would increase student access to mental health services. Others may address prevention of cyberbullying and inappropriate interactions between teachers and students, including on social networking sites and through text messages.
Spotlight on bills filed:
HB 24 – Guillen, Ryan – Relating to placement of a student in a disciplinary alternative education program for bullying or cyber-bullying.
HB 130 – Alvarado, Carol – Relating to the creation of an anti-bullying hotline.
HB 170 – Raymond, Richard – Relating to bullying as a ground for removing a public school student from class and placing the student in a disciplinary alternative education program.
HB 224 – Strama, Mark – Relating to bullying, including cyberbullying, in public schools.
SB 42 – Zaffirini, Judith – Relating to bullying through electronic means in public schools.
SB 205 – Whitmire, John – Relating to school district policies to prohibit bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, and intimidation.
SB 242 – Davis, Wendy – Identical to HB 224.
SB 245 – Davis, Wendy – Relating to bullying, including cyberbullying, in public schools.
Class size requirements
The Education Code limits class sizes in grades K-4 schools by requiring a classroom to have one certified teacher for every 22 students. Lawmakers may consider increasing or eliminating the current teacher-to-student ratio requirement or allowing more ways for school districts to obtain waivers.
Accountability
Legislators may revisit the state’s public school accountability system. Proposals may include ending the state’s reliance on a single test to measure student success, prohibiting use of the value added statistical model for teacher evaluation, ending punitive sanctions, and implementing supportive interventions for schools whose students fail to meet the state’s performance expectations.
The Texas Senate Education Committee, in an interim report to the 2011 legislature, issues several recommendations including some on accountability. One significant recommendation called on the legislature to “ensure there is no delay or modification in implementing the assessments and accountability provisions in HB 3 as postsecondary readiness remains the highest priority of Texas’ education system.”
However, the report also identified several issues with implementation and noted many of the complexities of switching from the current TAKS accountability system to the new STAAR system (STAAR standing for State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness). Lawmakers may find themselves in a long debate over the implementation of assessments and accountability provisions in HB 3.