Later this month both the State Board of Education and the Senate Education Committee will be holding hearings in Austin. Additionally on Nov. 12 – 13, the Sunset Advisory Commission will hear staff reports and public testimony regarding several agencies including the Texas Education Agency.
The November meeting is when the State Board of Education usually approves the recommendations from the State Instructional Materials Review Panels and this year is no exception. The SBOE will consider the recommendations for materials called for in Proclamation 2015: High School Math, K-12 Social Studies, and K-12 Fine Arts. Local school districts and state charter schools may select from the SBOE approved materials, with classroom implementation scheduled for the 2015-16 school year.
Among the other items on the four day agenda are the Legislative Recommendations and final approval of the percentage distribution of the Permanent School Fund for the 2016-2017 fiscal years.
The November meeting will be the final one for Mavis Knight (D-Dallas) who is retiring after serving twelve years on the SBOE.
The November 18-21, 2014 official agenda is now available online.
On November 17, the Senate Education Committee will hear invited testimony followed by public testimony on the following interim charges:
Senate Interim Charge #3:
Conduct a comprehensive review of school choice programs in other states. Examine the impact of education tax credits and taxpayer savings grants on the state budget. Review the state's parent trigger and Public Education Grant program statutes and identify any potential improvements.
Senate Interim Charge #4:
Monitor the implementation of SB 2, relating to certain charter schools.
In addition, the Senate Committee on Education will discuss facility demand issues on school districts across the state, with attention on state and local efforts to fund facilities, current regulatory/statutory guidance and best practice models for cost efficiency in school facility design/build.