Education news

May 17, 2013

TSTA: Budget agreement is welcome news

TSTA issued the following news release today: The Texas State Teachers Association said the agreement crafted by legislative budget-writers to restore $3.93 billion to public schools is welcome news.

“This budget virtually restores the $4 billion that was cut from school district formula funding two years ago,” said TSTA President Rita Haecker. “TSTA applauds the legislators who worked with us this session to make education funding a top budget priority.”

The $5.4 billion in public education cuts in 2011 also included $1.4 billion in grants to school districts, distributed through the Texas Education Agency.

Even better TRS bill passes House 138-0

SB1458 passed the House today with amendments by Rep. Callegari and Rep. Walle making it possible that an excellent bill could be fashioned in a conference committee should the final state budget provide sufficient funding for TRS. TSTA commends the Senators and House members who worked with us and those stakeholders who insisted that we could fashion a better bill, and we did. As it passed the House, SB1458 would:

keep active employee contributions lower than the state’s contributions through the next two years;
provide the first COLA for retirees since 2001 – for employees who retired before 2004 (10 years), which will provide a COLA for a majority of retirees;
provide a supplemental “13th check” to retirees, contingent upon actuarial soundness; and
“grandfather” all current employees under the rules in place when they originally enrolled in TRS to make sure no one would lose benefits they have already earned.

One of the last two provisions above could be removed in conference committee if the final state budget does not provide sufficient funding.

State budget deal reported: $3.93 billion more for education
The Associate Press is reporting a deal on a two-year spending plan that would restore $3.93 billion to public schools and clear the way for taking $2 billion from the state’s rainy day fund for water projects. Democrats insisted on at least $4 billion to fully restore Foundation School Program cuts enacted in 2011 - the other $1.4 billion cut came from TEA grants – accounting for the $5.4 billion the legislative majority cut from schools in 2011.

The reported deal would place all $3.93 billion in the Foundation School Program, which exempts those funds from a line item veto by Governor Perry; $530 million of that money would be dedicated to helping local schools pay the new 1.5% TRS contribution required by SB1458.

On Feb. 1, 2012, TSTA launched our Stop the Cuts program, and if this budget deal holds, each one of you who circulated petitions, marched, and contacted your representatives had a role in restoring almost $4 billion of those cuts. THANK YOU.

Updates on parent trigger, TASD, evaluation, vouchers dead
The parent trigger bill, SB1263, appears to be dead unless it is added as an amendment to another bill. The bill has not been considered by the House Public Education Committee, and today is the deadline for passing a Senate bill out of a House committee.

The Texas Achievement School District bill, SB1718, was approved by the House Public Education Committee. The House version is somewhat better than the Senate version because the number of campuses that could be transferred to the district is limited, but TSTA still opposes it. The bill would create a special statewide open enrollment charter district to manage and operate schools rated unacceptable for two consecutive years.

Teacher evaluation, SB1403, was approved with no changes by the House Public Education Committee. TSTA will work to get the Senate-passed version adopted with no changes to avoid a conference committee, which could present the opportunity to undo the progress we made on this bill. As originally filed by Sen. Patrick, this bill would have eliminated the salary schedule and based a certain percentage of teacher evaluation on standardized test scores. Our allies in the Senate amended the bill to remove those provisions.

The virtual school network bill, HB1926, was voted out favorably by the Senate Education Committee today, but there will probably be enough votes in the Senate to keep it off the Senate floor to prevent a conference committee where the virtual voucher provision could be inserted in the bill.
SB23 and SB115, two voucher bills, are dead, and it is unlikely they could emerge as amendments to other bills.

May 16, 2013

SB2, charter expansion, passes House

Today, the House passed Senate Bill 2, a charter expansion bill, on second reading. We expected the House to pass the House version of SB 2 because the House committee did remove some of the most objectionable sections of the Senate-passed bill.

The House reduced the number of additional charters that would be allowed. The House removed the “district charter” home rule provision that would have allowed an entire school district to opt out of state standards for teacher qualifications, accountability, class sizes and employee contracts.

Yet, even though we expected the bill to pass, TSTA opposed the bill because we believe charter expansion is not necessary.

Several charters are closed each year, which already allows new charters to be created.
Current charter holders can operate multiple campuses.
A higher percentage of charter campuses are low-performing than traditional neighborhood schools.
The Texas Education Agency doesn’t have sufficient resources to adequately regulate the charter schools we already have.

Here is what the House version of SB 2 would do:

The cap on the number of open-enrollment charter schools would increase by 10 each fiscal year beginning Sept.1, 2014, reaching a total of 275 by Sept. 1, 2019.
The House adopted a floor amendment that would allow an additional five charters to be created for special education students.
An amendment by Rep. Chris Turner would require a charter school teacher to have a bachelor’s degree.
The bill would prohibit nepotism in the operation of new charters, but existing nepotism practices were grandfathered.
The initial term for a new charter would be set at five years. Charters could be renewed every 10 years. The SBOE would have to give priority to applications for locating charters in the attendance zones of schools that have had an unacceptable performance rating for the preceding two years.
The commissioner of education would have veto authority within 90 days over any charter the SBOE granted.
The SBOE would be prohibited from granting more than one charter to a holder but could consolidate multiple charters with the written consent of current charter holders.
The bill would codify expedited rules allowing expansion campuses for high-performing charters that had at least half of their students in grades 3-11.
The highest performing charters would be granted an expedited renewal process allowing automatic renewal within 30 days after written notice.
The commissioner would be required to let a charter expire if a charter had low academic ratings or unsatisfactory financial accountability ratings for any three of the preceding five years.
The bill would require the commissioner to revoke a charter or reconstitute the governing body if the insolvency of a charter holder was imminent. Revocation also would be required for the charter’s failure to: comply with fiscal management requirements; protect the health and safety of students; or meet accountability or performance standards.
The commissioner would be required to revoke a charter if the charter holder: received an unacceptable performance rating for the three preceding school years; received an unsatisfactory financial accountability performance rating for the three preceding school years; or any combination of the above ratings for the three preceding school years.
The bill would require an annual report from the commissioner comparing the performance of charters to traditional public schools.

TRS Bill, SB1458, gets better

Call this number, and we will connect you to your state representative: 1-800-260-5444.

SB1458 has been set for House floor debate tomorrow. TSTA is proud of the work our friends in the Senate did to negotiate a better bill that brings additional state funding into the TRS Fund and TRS Care in order to keep active employee contributions lower than the state’s contributions through the next two years; and provide the first COLA for retirees since 2001 – for the 30% of retirees who have been retired for 15 years.

Today, we learned that the House plans to extend the COLA to employees who retired before 2004 (10 years), which will provide a COLA for as many as 50,000 – 100,000 more retirees. These improvements are the reason TSTA continued working for a better bill throughout the process. TSTA supports SB1458, and we will also support amendments that would:

provide a supplemental “13th check” to retirees, providing that can be done while maintaining actuarial soundness; and
“grandfather” all current employees under the rules in place when they originally enrolled in TRS to make sure no one would lose benefits they have already earned - the Senate bill only grandfathered those who will have vested with five years by 9–1-14).

State Budget Update
A conference committee agreement on education and water funding has not been reached yet. Rumors abound, but definitive answers are elusive. Some say the Governor wants to cut back on education to pay for roads and threaten Democrats with even worse should a special session be required. Another source said the two sides were only $90 million apart on education funding – between $3.81 billion and $3.9 billion. These stories change hourly. Don’t believe everything you read until the deal is done, or not. Stay tuned.

House Watch List Update: parent trigger, achievement school district
Charter Expansion, SB2: Passed House today. Will go to a conference committee.

Parent Trigger, SB1263: Has not been considered by the House Public Education Committee. Deadline for passing a Senate bill from House committee is tomorrow.

Achievement School District, SB1718 – Approved by House Public Education Committee last night. The bill was changed substantially from the Senate version and improved somewhat, but TSTA still opposes it. The Texas Achievement School District (TASD) would be created as a special statewide open enrollment charter district to manage and operate schools rated unacceptable for two consecutive years.

The new district would be operated by a superintendent appointed by the state education commissioner. The number of campuses that could be absorbed by the TASD would be five during this biennium and five the following biennium. Any absorbed campus must come from a school district with at least 20,000 students.

The TASD would be entitled to Foundation School Program funding as if it were a district without a Tier 1 local share. The Foundation School Program entitlement for the school district or charter holder from which a campus is removed would be reduced by the amount received by the Texas Achievement School District, including the Tier 1 local share. TEA estimates the fiscal impact to the FSP to be neutral.

TASD teachers would have to be certified to teach in the appropriate subject area. The bill attempted to extend contract protections to teachers but those requirements are only permissive and not mandatory.

Teacher Evaluation, SB1403–The House Public Education Committee approved this bill last night. It's identical to the Senate bill. TSTA will work to get the Senate-passed version adopted with no changes to avoid a conference committee that present the opportunity to undo the progress we made on this bill. As originally filed by Senator Patrick, this bill would have eliminated the salary schedule and based a certain % of teacher evaluation on standardized test scored. Our allies in the Senate amended the bill to remove those provisions.

Virtual School Network, HB1926: Remains stalled in Senate. Was not voted out of the Senate Education Committee today. TSTA did not support the bill that passed the House, but we were successful in removing a “virtual voucher” provision that would have required the state to pay for online courses for students who are not enrolled in public schools – which would have allowed a private vendor to set up a statewide “virtual charter school” that has virtually no accountability. As soon as the bill went to the Senate, the Senate sponsor put this “virtual voucher” provision back into the bill. We are working with Senators to make sure the bill, if passed, would be identical to the House bill to eliminate the “virtual voucher” and avoid a conference committee.

SBs 23 and 115 Voucher bills: Votes still there to block these bills at this time. Would have to pass out of House committee tomorrow and not yet out of the Senate, meaning this version of vouchers appears dead.

House Floor report
SB 123 by Jose Rodriguez, passed - states that the commissioner may issue a subpoena to compel the attendance of a relevant witness or the production, for inspection or copying, of relevant evidence that is located in this state during an accreditation investigation. The bill also states that the commissioner shall authorize special accreditation investigations to be conducted in response to a complaint submitted to the agency with respect to alleged inaccurate data that is reported through the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) or through other reports required by state or federal law or rule or court order and that is used by the agency to make a determination relating to public school accountability, including accreditation.

HB 617 by Rep. Eddie Rodriguez - The House concurred in Senate Amendments and sent the bill to the Governor. HB617 improves transition services for students with disabilities by requiring school districts to assign at least one employee to serve as the special education transition and employment services designee. This employee would provide information about resources and transition planning and coordinate with school staff and other appropriate state agencies. The bill also increases information available to parents and students by requiring schools to make a comprehensive manual of statewide transition and employment information available on the district's website, and update the guide every two years.

House Public Education Committee Report
In addition to SB1718 and SB1403, the committee approved:

SB1406 by Dan Patrick, which would require the State Board of Education to review and adopt curriculum materials developed by regional education service centers. This is the second time this bill was approved by the Public Education Committee. It had been recommitted to the committee by the full House.
SB1380 by Dan Patrick, which would allow school districts to put video monitoring cameras in self-contained classrooms in which students receive special services.
SB39 by Judith Zaffirini, relating to the evaluation and instruction of public school students with visual impairments.
SB306 by Joan Huffman, which would exclude students receiving treatment in a residential treatment facility from being consider students – for accountability purposes – of a district in which the treatment facility is located.
SB418 by Rodney Ellis, which would require schools to notify parents of the status of full-time campus nurses.
SB453 by Bob Deuell, dealing with tuition for students holding U.S. student visas.
SB460 by Bob Deuell, which would require educator training programs to include instruction in the detection and education of students with mental or emotional disorders.
SB547 by Kelly Hancock, which would allow open-enrollment charter schools to participate in Texas political subdivisions' uniform group benefit plan and provide self-insurance as a governmental unit. An open-enrollment charter school also would be able to extend workers' compensation benefits to employees by any method available to a political subdivision.
SB832 by Wendy Davis, dealing with enrollment and transfers of students who are in state conservatorship.
SB906 by Bob Deuell, dealing with student performance standards on alternate assessments.
SB1178 by Bob Deuell, which would require school districts to provide early mental health intervention and suicide prevention training for teachers, counselors, principals, and other appropriate staff.
SB1308 by Wendy Davis, which would require the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to develop a comprehensive methodology for auditing and monitoring the performance of contractors providing assessment services.
SB1309 by Wendy Davis, dealing with alternative assessment instruments.
SB1352 by Leticia Van de Putte, which would require the inclusion of mental health concerns in state and local coordinated school health efforts.
SB1404 by Dan Patrick, dealing with high school attendance and completion by students who are in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services.
SB1555 by Eddie Lucio, which would require an educator to perform satisfactorily on each section of an examination in order to get credit for performing satisfactorily on the examination as a whole.
SB1658 by Ken Paxton, dealing with equalized wealth under the school finance system.
SB1720 by Dan Patrick, which would create the Math and Science Scholars Loan Repayment Program for teachers who agree to teach mathematics or science in certain school districts.

Senate Education Committee Report
The Senate Education committee met today but did not approve any bills.

May 14, 2013

TRS update –SB1458 scheduled for House debate Friday

SB1458 has been set for House floor debate on Friday, May 17. As we mentioned last Friday, TSTA is proud of the work our friends in the Senate did to negotiate a better bill that: brings additional state funding into the TRS Fund and TRS Care; keeps active employee contributions lower than the state’s contributions through the next two years; and provides the first COLA for retirees since 2001 – for the 30% of retirees who have been retired for 15 years.

Although TSTA was and is supportive of the Senate-passed version of SB1458, proposed amendments and state budget deliberations could provide additional opportunities to improve the bill in the House to provide a supplemental “13th check” to all retirees and “grandfather” all current employees under the rules in place when they originally enrolled in TRS to make sure no one would lose benefits they have already earned -- the Senate bill only grandfathered those who will have vested (with five years in the system) by 9-1-14.

Those proposed amendments are being analyzed now by TRS to determine their possible impact on the TRS Fund, so look for an alert as soon as we can inform you about the specific amendments that might be filed.

State Budget Update
A conference committee agreement on education and water funding could be announced as early as tomorrow. Any conference committee agreement would have to be approved by the House and Senate, and Rainy Day Fund expenditures would have to be approved by a two-thirds vote. The possible agreement would include:

a restoration of $3.2 billion of the $5.4 billion cut from public education in 2011, funded in the Senate Bill 1 budget bill;
possible additional funding for the TRS Fund and/or TRS Care, plus funding for enrollment growth; and
$2 billion from the Rainy Day Fund to establish a fund for water projects, to be funded in HB1025, the supplemental appropriations bill (separate from the education funding), and authorized by a constitutional amendment in SJR1 that would require voter approval to establish the water fund; Stay tuned.

House Watch List Update
Charter Expansion, SB2: The House will vote on SB2 Thursday, and we hope to defeat bad amendments to the less onerous House committee version of the charter bill that removes the “Home Rule” charter and cuts the number of additional charters from the Senate-passed version of the bill. Although TSTA does not support this bill, we prefer the House version, and the differences will likely be resolved in a conference committee.

Parent Trigger, SB1263: Consideration of this bill was postponed today in the House Public Education Committee, and it should not come up for a vote until Thursday. TSTA opposes this bill because it gives parents and teachers no voice in repurposing and improving a campus that has been rated unacceptable. At this time, we do not believe the votes are there to get SB1263 out of committee.

Achievement School District, SB1718 (Sen. West and Rep. Dutton) would establish the statewide Texas Achievement School District (ASD) as an open enrollment charter for low-performing campuses. Schools that are academically unacceptable for two consecutive years could be assigned to this district, which would be under the jurisdiction of a superintendent appointed by the state education commissioner. The bill was postponed today in the House Public Education Committee while negotiations are under way to limit the number of campuses that could be added to the ASD, extend contract protections to teachers, require certified teachers, and provide a method to return campuses to local school districts.

Teacher Evaluation, SB1403 was considered by the House Public Education Committee today. TSTA is working to get the Senate-passed version adopted with no changes (to avoid a conference committee that could present the opportunity to undo the progress we made on this bill). As originally filed by Sen. Patrick, this bill would have eliminated the salary schedule and based a certain percentage of teacher evaluation on standardized test scores. Our allies in the Senate amended the bill to remove those provisions. A House committee vote could occur tomorrow or Thursday.

Senate Watch List Update
Virtual School Network, HB1926: TSTA did not support the bill that passed the House, but we were successful in removing a “virtual voucher” provision that would have required the state to pay for online courses for students who are not enrolled in public schools – which would have allowed a private vendor to set up a statewide “virtual charter school” that has virtually no accountability. As soon as the bill went to the Senate, the Senate sponsor put this “virtual voucher” provision back into the bill. We are working with senators to make sure the bill, if passed, would be identical to the House bill to eliminate the “virtual voucher” and avoid a conference committee.

SBs 23 and 115, voucher bills: Votes are there to block these bills at this time.

House Floor Report
Today, the House passed SB 260 by Wendy Davis (D) states that a school district shall excuse for a maximum of 10 days a student whose parent or legal guardian is an active duty member of the uniformed services as defined by Section 162.002 and has been called to duty for, is on leave from, or immediately returned from continuous deployment of at least six months outside the locality where the parent or guardian regularly resides, to visit with the student's parent or guardian.

House Public Education Committee Report
As mentioned above, the House Public Education Committee heard SB1403 by Sen. Patrick, dealing with educator preparation prerequisites and salary reporting requirements. As initially filed, the bill would have repealed the minimum salary schedule and tied student test scores to teacher appraisals, but those provisions – which TSTA opposed – were removed on the Senate floor. TSTA now supports SB1403 and will continue to do so, provided the House makes no revisions to the bill. We will update you when the bill is reported out of committee!

The committee approved SB 1509 by Sen. Seliger, which would add college readiness standards to the definition of "applied STEM courses." It adds the phrase "or identify" programs as part of implementing the college readiness and success strategic action plan. The bill also modifies statute as it relates to applying credit earned by a student at a general academic teaching institution to an associate's degree at a lower-division institution of higher education previously attended by the student.

The House Public Education Committee also heard the following bills:

SB1308 by Wendy Davis, which would require the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to develop a comprehensive methodology for auditing and monitoring state contracts with companies providing standardized tests. The bill would require TEA to ensure that all such new and renewed contracts for services related to assessment instruments include provisions for compliance reviews to monitor vendor performance.
SB1178 by Bob Deuell, which would provide for training public school educators to identify mental health issues and suicide risks among students.
SB460 by Bob Deuell, which would include instruction in the detection and education of students with mental or emotional disorders in the requirements for educator training programs.
SB1720 by Dan Patrick, dealing with the Texas Teach Corps Loan Repayment Assistance Program for undergraduate students who agree to teach in school districts that have shortages of math or science teachers.
HB760 by Steve Toth, which would prohibit a regional education service center from developing, administering or providing or authorizing any service or product related to curriculum without the approval of the State Board of Education. TSTA opposes this bill.
SB39 by Judith Zaffirini, relating to the evaluation and instruction of public school students with visual impairments.
SB306 by Joan Huffman, which would provide that any student receiving treatment in a residential treatment facility is not considered being a student – for accountability purposes -- of the school district in which the facility is located.
SB453 by Bob Deuell, dealing with tuition for students in public schools who hold student visas.
SB657 by Ken Paxton, which would require a school district budget to be adopted by a record vote.
SB906 by Bob Deuell, dealing with adoption of performance standards for students.
SB1309 by Wendy Davis, dealing with modifications to assessment instruments.
SB1352 by Leticia Van de Putte, which would require the inclusion of mental health concerns in state and local coordinated school health efforts.
SB1404 by Dan Patrick, dealing with high school attendance and completion by students who are in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services.
SB1555 by Eddie Lucio, which would require an educator to perform satisfactorily on each section of a SBEC examination to be considered to have performed satisfactorily on the examination as a whole. It also would establish a rigorous minimum score for each examination.
SB1658 by Ken Paxton, dealing with equalized wealth under the school finance system.

Senate Education Committee Report
Today, the Senate Education Committee approved the following bills:

HB308 by Rep. Bohac, which would allow the use of Merry Christmas and other traditional phrases in school winter celebrations.
HB343 by Rep. Marquez, which would require El Paso ISD trustees to file public financial disclosure statements.
HB642 by Rep. Diane Patrick, relating to continuing education requirements for educators.
HB753 by Rep. Villarreal, dealing with information to be provided by school districts to parents concerning supplemental educational services.
HB842 by Rep. Bell, which would require school districts to provide opportunities to career and technical students under the college credit program.
HB885 by Rep. Murphy, which would allow open-enrollment charter school bonds to be guaranteed by the Permanent School Fund.
HB897 by Rep. Zerwas, relating to instruction in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of automated external defibrillators in secondary education curriculum.
HB1122 by Rep. Johnson, which would allow Dallas ISD to establish a pilot program for a three-year high school diploma plan and cost-neutral expansion of full-day prekindergarten.
HB2318 by Rep. Aycock, relating to public school educator preparation and alternative certification programs.
HB2549 by Rep. Diane Patrick, relating to the periodic review and revision of college and career readiness standards in public education.
HB2610 by Rep. Pitts, relating to the issuance of interest-bearing time warrants and certain notes by school districts.
HB2662 by Rep. Farney, which would add a personal financial literacy credit for high school programs.
HB2694 by Rep. Villarreal, dealing with provision of credit by examination for public school students.
HCR104 by Rep. Button, a resolution that would encourage school districts to adopt policies that promote the use of technology and technological devices in classrooms.

Budget deal imminent
As reported in the Austin American Statesman. http://www.mystatesman.com/news/news/house-leader-budget-deal-imminent/nXq2R/?icmp=statesman_internallink_textlink_apr2013_statesmanstubtomystatesman_launch

May 13, 2013

TSTA president in Fort Worth Star Telegram

"Water and education are both valid uses of the Texas rainy-day fund," TSTA President Rita Haecker says in an op-ed in the Fort Worth Star Telegram. http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/05/11/4842101/water-and-education-are-both-valid.html

May 10, 2013

The week ahead: TRS, charters and more

With just two weeks remaining in the session, and less time than that to pass bills on the House and Senate floor, we expect critical votes to be cast during the next ten days. Please be prepared to respond to legislative alerts to call and email your legislators. The major bills and issues yet to be resolved in the House include the following.
• TRS, SB1458: The TRS bill – identical to the bill that passed the Senate - was reported out of the House Pensions Committee today and should be on the House floor for a vote next week.
• Charter Expansion, SB2: The House will likely vote on a much less onerous charter bill than the Senate passed next week, probably Wednesday. Although TSTA does not support this bill, we would prefer the House version to Senator Patrick’s Senate version, and the differences will likely be resolved in a conference committee
• Parent Trigger, SB1263: TSTA opposes this bill because it gives parents and teachers no voice in repurposing and improving a campus that has been rated unacceptable. We expect a vote in the House Public Education Committee Tuesday.
• Teacher Evaluation, SB1403: As originally filed by Senator Patrick, this bill would have eliminated the salary schedule and based a certain % of teacher evaluation on standardized test scored. Our allies in the Senate amended the bill to remove those provisions. A House committee vote is expected Tuesday and we are working to get the identical Senate bill passed to avoid a conference committee would give Senator Patrick the opportunity to undo the progress we made on this bill.

The major bills and issues yet to be resolved in the Senate include the following.
• Virtual School Network, HB1926: TSTA did not support the bill that passed the House, but we were successful in removing a “virtual voucher” provision that would have required the state to pay for online courses for students who are not enrolled in public schools – which would have allowed a private vendor to set up a statewide “virtual charter school” that has virtually no accountability. As soon as the bill went to the Senate, the Senate sponsor put this “virtual voucher” provision back in the bill, even though his Senate Bill 1298 has been blocked by 12 Senators from being considered on the Senate floor because it has that same provision. We believe those Senators will block any version of HB1926 from coming up in the Senate unless it is identical to the House bill.
• Voucher Bills, SB12 and 115: These bills are still blocked and we believe we can hold our votes.

State budget – is a special session coming?

The House and Senate conferees on Senate Bill 1, the budget bill, remain far apart and are not negotiating at this time. The Governor has threatened to call a special session unless $2 billion is appropriated for water projects and $1.8 billion in tax relief (almost all to businesses, money that would not available to restore education cuts) is granted. Both the House and Senate have ideas about how to do that and restore roughly as little as $1.5 billion or as much as $3.7 billion in education funding, but they are far apart on where that money should come from, which has raised a real possibility of a special session.

House names HB5 (testing bill) conferees

As anticipated, House Bill 5, which would reduce the number of end-of-course exams for high school students from 15 to 5 and make curriculum changes, is headed for a House-Senate conference committee. House Public Education Chairman Jimmie Don Aycock today refused to accept Senate amendments to the bill, and Speaker Joe Straus appointed House conferees. They are: Chair Jimmie Don Aycock, Dan Huberty, Joe Deshotel, Larry Gonzales and Eddie Rodriguez.

Senate Education Committee report

Thursday, the Senate Education Committee heard testimony on HB1926 by Rep. Ken King, which would expand the Virtual School Network and allow for-profit vendors to offer online education courses to public school students. The proposed committee substitute for the bill would be even worse: providing for the creation of a “virtual voucher” with no accountability for these vendors, and it would provide no assessment of course rigor or curriculum. TSTA and the Coalition for Public Schools opposed the bill, and it was left pending.

The Committee approved the following bills:
• HB455 by Rep. Dukes, dealing with excused absences from public schools.
• HB617 by Rep. Rodriguez, relating to transition and employment services for public school students enrolled in special education programs.
• HB773 by Rep. Farney, which would require students at open-enrollment charter schools to recite the pledges of allegiance to the United States flag and the state flag.
• HB2961 by Rep. Huberty, which would seek to protect the Social Security numbers of school employees and former school employees from public disclosure.

House floor report

The House approved the following bills on Thursday:
• SB376 by Eddie Lucio, which would require schools where 80 percent of more of students receive free or reduced-price breakfasts to provide free breakfasts to all the students.
• HB628 by Tony Dale, which would give school board members access to their districts’ records without having to submit public information requests.
• HB2952 by Justin Rodriguez, which would give the education commissioner 240 days to decide appeals of employee grievances from the district level.
• HB2201 by Marsha Farney, which would require the State Board of Education to double the number of available career and technology courses.
• HB2872 by Mike Villarreal, which would change the number of excused absences to five days every semester.
• HB1021 by Joe Moody, which would allow for the creation of justice courts specifically to hear truancy cases.
• HB1022 by Joe Moody, which would require venue for truancy cases to be in a justice court in the precinct where the parent resides or where the school is located.
• HB2824 by Bennett Ratliff, which would allow participating districts to add additional campuses to the Texas High Performing Schools Consortium. It also would require districts to hold public hearings at least annually to discuss goals and provide for parental and community input.
• HB742 by Mark Strama, which would create a summer grant program for districts with high enrollments of educationally disadvantaged students. It would be limited to 10 school districts and focus on pre-K through eighth grades. It would provide for additional compensation for teachers working during the summer.

Today (Friday), the House approved the following bills:
• HB2367 by Alma Allen, which would give drivers the authority to discipline students on a school bus.
• HB3809 by Marsha Farney, which would clarify the use of the term "school counselor."
• HB217 by Carol Alvarado, which would allow for the sale of healthier drinks to students on school campuses.
• HB1174 by Pat Fallon, which would increase the fine for passing a stopped school bus to $500 and add an additional fine of $1,000 to $2,000 for a second offense within five years.
• HB741 by Amando Walle, which would allow a public employee to breast-feed, or to express breast milk for, the employee's child in the workplace.
• SB377 by Eddie Lucio, which would prohibit the education commissioner from lowering a school’s performance rating based on the performance of a student of limited English proficiency who has been in the United States three years or less.
• SB1142 by Robert Duncan, which would require the education commissioner to establish an adult high school diploma and industry certification charter school pilot program.
• SB914 by Eddie Lucio, which would include a behavior improvement plan as part of the individualized education program for some students.

House Public Education Committee report

The House Public Education Committee approved the following bills late Thursday:
• SB119 by Jose Rodriguez, which would require El Paso ISD to operate a special student recovery program to help students who were harmed because of the cheating scandal orchestrated by the former superintendent.
• SB122 by Jose Rodriguez, which would give a district judge the authority to remove a school board member from office.
• SB172 by John Carona, which would require the education commissioner to include at least two multidimensional assessment tools for use in diagnosing the reading development and comprehension of kindergarten students.
• SB503 by Royce West, which would establish an Expanded Learning Opportunities Council to study issues concerning expanded learning opportunities for public school students.
• SB504 by Bob Deuell, which would allow each public school to either participate in a spinal screening program for children in grades 6 and 9 or to provide information developed by the Department of State Health Services to parents and guardians.
• SB684 by Bob Deuell, which would change the requirement that a school district annually assess the physical fitness of students in grades 3 and higher. Instead, physical fitness assessments would be required annually in grades 3 through 5 and once in grades 6 through 12.
• SB816 by Glenn Hegar, which would require written evaluations of students for special education services – except for kindergartners -- to be completed by the 60th calendar day of the school year, instead of the 45th school day.
• SB833 by Wendy Davis, which would require the Texas Education Agency to aggregate data on students in foster care in the PEIMS system.
• SB1474 by Robert Duncan, which would require school districts to receive input from employees and the public before adopting major curriculum initiatives. Districts would have to make public the cost of an initiative and any alternatives that were considered.
• SB1799 by Kirk Watson, which would require appeals regarding most school district employee grievances to be decided by the education commissioner within 240 days.

May 9, 2013

He's here!

President Obama is in Austin and on his way to visit New Tech High School in Manor.

May 8, 2013

TSTA: Senate TRS bill is significantly improved

TSTA issued this news release today: The Texas State Teachers Association said the teacher retirement bill approved by the Senate today is significantly improved over previous versions.

“This TRS bill passed today provides a much better balance of contributions from the state and educational employees than previous versions of the bill,” said TSTA President Rita Haecker. “We will keep working to ensure all school employees and retirees are treated fairly in the TRS system.”

Under the version of SB1458 approved by the Senate, over the next two years active employees participating in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas will pay less in contributions than the state. During the two years following that, they will pay less in contributions than the combined contributions of the state and school districts.

The increase in the employee contribution rate will be phased in and set at 6.4 percent in FY2014 and 6.7 percent in FY2015, instead of the 7.7 percent rate that would have taken effect in FY2015 in the previous version of the bill.

The employee contribution rate would increase to 7.2 percent and 7.7 percent in FY2016 and 2017 but could not exceed the combined state and school district contribution.

May 7, 2013

TRS bill, SB1458, could be debated tomorrow

At this time, we have no news about an agreement on a “better” TRS bill that would not require a 1.3% contribution increase be taken from the paychecks of active teachers for the TRS Fund - or leave 70% of retired teachers out of any meager benefit increase. That’s what the latest version of SB1458 would do, and its sponsors insist the state can do no more to fund TRS, even as the legislature considers hundreds of millions of dollars additional tax breaks for business interests – tax breaks that take money out of state funds used for education. We are hopeful changes might be agreed to that would make SB1458 a “better” bill before it would come before the Senate for floor debate.

In the meantime, contact your state senators and urge them to amend the SB1458; call 1-800-260-5444, and we will connect you.

Voucher and virtual voucher bills still lack votes in the Senate

Three bills -- SB23, the “Tax Credit Scholarship” voucher bill; SB115, the Special Education voucher bill; and SB1298, the “Virtual Voucher” bill -- each lack sufficient votes in the Senate at this time. Thanks for your efforts to defeat vouchers.

State Funding Update

The House-Senate conference committee on SB1, the proposed state budget, has begun meeting in work groups. The House version “restored” $2.5 billion of the $5.4 billion cut from Public Education (a separate bill, HB1025, “restored” $500 million). The Senate version “restored” only $1.5 billion, but during debate on SJR1, a Senate proposal to use the Rainy Day Fund for water, roads and education, Senate Finance Chairman Tommy Williams pledged to add another $1.4 billion to education from funds generated by local property tax wealth increases. The House has not committed to using that $4.4 billion for education Bottom line: Best case scenario for fund restoration from SB1 appears to be around $3 billion.
The House approved another $500 million restoration of education cuts in HB1025, a supplemental Appropriations Bill that the Senate has not yet considered. Those funds would flow to schools in the current budget year.

The Senate approved a proposed Constitutional Amendment, SJR1, which subject to voter approval, would fund water and road projects and provide another $800 million for education. The House has not approved Rainy Day funding at this time

House debates tax cut bill, HB500, which reduces revenue available for schools

Today, the House is debating HB500, a bill that, before amendments were offered, would cut the state business (“margins tax”) tax by roughly $400 million. Margins tax proceeds go into the fund that supports public education, and the Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Sylvester Turner, has argued that HB500 would reduce the funding available to public schools. The bill is expected to pass unless it is derailed by a procedural point.

House Public Education Committee Stops Home Rule, Evaluation Bills

Perhaps the biggest news from the House Public Education Committee meeting Monday night was what the committee didn’t do. It didn’t take action on several bad bills, including: HB2977, which could have linked high-stakes test results to teacher evaluations; and HB3611, which could have made it easier to create home rule school districts and give those local districts the authority to ignore standards in the state education code governing class size limits, teacher contracts and other teacher protections. Since Monday was the last day the committee could approve a House bill, the House versions of those bills are dead for the session. However, we must remain vigilant lest these ideas pop up in the form of amendments to other bills.

In other action, the House committee approved the following Senate bills:

SB1538 by Leticia Van de Putte, which would allow public schools designated as dropout recovery schools to be more accurately evaluated under the accountability system. The dropout recovery designation would allow schools to continue to serve students who have, at first, not succeeded for one reason or another, and it would give those students a chance to continue and graduate ready for postsecondary education and/or the workforce.
SB123 by Jose Rodríguez, which would allow the education commissioner to investigate a school district for allegations of inaccurate data reported through PEIMS or other reports required by state or federal law. This would include data used by the Texas Education Agency to make decisions on school accreditation. The bill also would allow the commissioner to issue subpoenas during investigations initiated for these purposes.
SB376 by Eddie Lucio, which would require schools with 80 percent or more of their students qualifying for a free or reduced-price breakfast to offer a free breakfast to each student.
SB1365 by Robert Duncan, which would increase opportunities for good students to obtain course credits and promotions by examinations.
SB1142 by Robert Duncan, which would create an adult charter high school diploma and industry certification pilot program for approximately 150 adults, aged 19 to 50.

House Floor Report

Thursday is the last day for the House to approve House bills on 2nd reading. After that, only Senate Bills, conference committee reports and Senate amendments to House bills can be considered in the House. A number of Senate bills, including SB2, the charter expansion bill, will be debated in the House during the next two weeks.

Today, the House approved the following bills:

HB2694 by Mike Villarreal, which would require a school district to select, if available, at least four examinations approved by the State Board of Education (SBOE) for each subject for advanced student placement or for credit for secondary school subjects.
HB3327 by Garnet Coleman, which would require the list of recommended best practice-based health programs provided to public schools to include programs in mental health promotion and positive youth development, substance abuse prevention, and substance abuse intervention, as well as programs in early mental health intervention and suicide prevention.
HB462 by Dan Huberty, which would prohibit the State Board of Education or any school district from adopting Common Core standards for instruction in essential knowledge and skills. It also would prohibit the education commissioner from adopting a recommended teacher appraisal system based on any national appraisal criteria. The Texas Education Agency also would be prohibited from adopting or developing a statewide standardized test based on Common Core state standards.

Senate Education Committee Report

Today, the Senate Education Committee approved the following bills:

SB1304 by Sen. Davis, relating to a requirement for school districts to report disciplinary actions to the commissioner of education.
SB1310 by Sen. Davis, relating to standards for school district, public school campus and open-enrollment charter school performance ratings.
HB525 by Rep. Aycock, dealing with collecting data on military-connected students through the Public Education Information Management System.
HB1264 by Rep. Huberty, relating to information regarding the number of public school students with dyslexia.
HB2016 by Rep. Keffer, dealing with a school board’s consideration of a detachment or annexation petition.
HB2058 by Rep. Allen, relating to the administration of a high school equivalency examination.
HB2137 by Rep. Fletcher, relating to summer school enrollment eligibility.
HB1952 by Rep. Thompson - relating to professional development training for certain public school personnel regarding student disciplinary procedures.

House Public Education Committee to Hear Senate Bills Tonight

Later today and tonight, the House Public Education Committee will hear the following bills. We will let you know which polls are approved by the committee in our next report.

SB119 by Jose Rodriguez, which would require El Paso ISD to operate a special program to help students recover from the recent cheating scandal in which the former superintendent was sentenced to federal prison. TSTA supports this bill.
SB122 by Jose Rodriguez, which would give a district judge the authority to remove a school board member from office. TSTA supports this bill.
HB760 by Steve Toth, which would require a regional service center to get SBOE approval of services or products related to student curriculum.
SB172 by John Carona, which would require the education commissioner to include at least two multidimensional assessment tools for use in diagnosing the reading development and comprehension of kindergarten students.
SB503 by Royce West, would allow for expanded learning opportunities during an extended school day, an extended school year, or structured learning programs outside of the regular school day. Establishes an Expanded Learning Opportunities Council to study issues concerning expanded learning opportunities for this state's public school students.
SB504 by Bob Deuell, which would allow each public school the choice of participating in the spinal screening program for children in grades 6 and 9 or of providing information developed by the Department of State Health Services on abnormal spinal curvature to parents or guardians of the children.
SB547 by Kelly Hancock, which would authorize an open-enrollment charter school to be considered as a local government and political subdivision for the purposes of participating in interlocal cooperation contracts, participating in Texas political subdivisions' uniform group benefit plan, and providing self-insurance as a governmental unit. An open-enrollment charter school also would be able to extend workers' compensation benefits to employees of the school by any method available to a political subdivision.
SB684 by Bob Deuell, which would remove the requirement that a school district annually assess the physical fitness of students enrolled in grades 3 and higher. Instead, it would require annual physical fitness assessments in grades 3-5; once in grades 6-8; and once in grades 9-12.
SB816 by Glenn Hegar, which would require a written report and initial evaluation of a student for purposes of special education services to be completed by the 45th school day, rather than the 60th calendar day, except for a kindergartner.
SB833 by Wendy Davis, which would require TEA to aggregate data on students in foster care in the PEIMS system.
SB1142 by Robert Duncan, which would require the commissioner to establish an adult high school diploma and industry certification charter school pilot program.
SB1365 by Robert Duncan, which would allow good students to receive credit by exam for some courses and bypass EOC requirements.
SB1380 Dan Patrick, which would require school districts to place video monitoring cameras in self-contained classrooms in which students receive special services.
SB1474 by Robert Duncan, which would require school districts to give employees and members of the public the opportunity to comment before adopting major curriculum initiatives. The board also would have to provide information on the cost of an initiative and any alternatives that were considered.
SB1509 by Kel Seliger, which would include college readiness standards in applied STEM courses defined in the Education Code and include courses offered for dual credit purposes.

Ector County president dies

TSTA has suffered a great loss. Sharyn Smith, the local president of Ector County, passed away yesterday. Her obituary is found at http://www.sunsetodessa.com/services.asp?page=odetail&locid=37&id=28614.

TSTA poll: Hispanics take school cuts personally

Hispanic Texans in the three major border population centers have a strong, personal connection to their public schools and believe they and their children were personally hurt by the $5.4 billion in state budget cuts two years ago. These are among the findings of a new Latino Decisions survey commissioned by the Texas State Teachers Association. The poll also shows it is unlikely that Hispanics, who have watched enrollment in their local schools grow rapidly since the cuts, will give lawmakers credit for only partially restoring the funding, as provided so far in both the House and Senate versions of the new state budget.

Some 75 percent of respondents favor tapping the Rainy Day Fund to increase school funding. “The importance of public education to border area Texans should not be underestimated,” said poll director Sylvia Manzano. “Our findings demonstrate education policy commands significant attention and concern.”

She noted that three incumbent Republican legislators who voted for the school cuts in 2011 were unseated by Latino Democratic challengers in 2012 after the specific, negative results of the cuts became defining campaign issues.

Some 67 percent of border Hispanics, according to the poll, knew about the budget cuts and cited specific negative consequences for their children, including fewer teachers, crowded schools and cuts to after-school and extracurricular programs. More than 90 percent of Hispanic parents want to see their children at least graduate from college, and more than 60 percent want their children to attend graduate school or obtain a professional degree. The education funding cuts, Manzano said, “are seen as an obstacle to the high aspirations they hold for their children.”

Some 77 percent of border Hispanics, according to the survey, have children currently or previously enrolled in local public schools. Nearly 40 percent have close family members or friends who work for their local school district. Most volunteer and raise funds for their schools, and 82 percent attend school-sponsored events, making public schools the heart of their communities.

Latino Decisions – a respected, national Hispanic research firm – interviewed 400 Latino adults in El Paso, Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley. The poll was conducted March 14-24 with respondents selected at random in both landline and cell-phone only households. Interviews were conducted in Spanish and English at the subject’s discretion.

The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 4.9 percent. For more on the poll, see Latino Decisions blog at:
http://www.latinodecisions.com/blog/2013/05/06/for-hispanics-in-texas-border-communities-politics-isnt-just-local-its-personal

May 6, 2013

Now or never: House bills could be voted on late tonight

Today, Monday, is the deadline for House bills to be reported from committee in the House. If a House bill has not been approved by a House committee today, it is dead. The rule, however, does not apply to Senate bills. The House Public Education will meet later tonight and could vote out House bills before the deadline. Two bills that TSTA has opposed are eligible for a vote, but have not yet been announced as bills to be considered.

HB 3611 is a “Home Rule” that would set lower standards for converting to a home-rule school district charter, requiring only a majority vote of the school board, instead of the 2/3rd requirement in statute now. Home-rule school districts, if approved, would allow the district to operate outside required state standards and provisions of the Texas Education Code, such as class size limits, employment contracts, certification standards, etc. We are hopeful than this bill can be defeated.

HB2977 is a “teacher evaluation” bill that was potentially more harmful when filed, but is now limited to a local option “pilot program.”

We will update you on committee action in the morning.

Senate okays its version of HB5 Testing/Accountability Reform Bill

Today, the Texas Senate adopted House Bill 5, a bill that would reduce the number of high stakes, standardized End of Course exams (EOC’s) from 15 to 5, the same number of EOC’s that were approved by the House when it approved HB5. The Senate made changes to the House-passed version regarding curriculum and diploma paths and campus ratings, differences that will likely be worked out by a House-Senate conference committee. TSTA supports HB5.

Key provisions of the Senate version of HB5 include:

Reduces the number of End of Course from 15 to 5, with a limit of two benchmark tests for each EOC exam – students would be required to pass. EOC’s would be required in Algebra I, Biology, English I, English II, and U.S. History;
Adopts a “4x4 Flex” curriculum in an effort to maintain rigor while providing flexibility to students to fit their career plans;
Guarantees that all high school graduates will have access to TEXAS Grants and post-secondary education; and
Preserves the current campus rating system (exemplary, recognized, acceptable, and unacceptable) and, unlike the House version, limits the new “A-F” rating system to districts and not campuses out of a concern that the A-F rating could attract a stigma to an individual campus.

The basic thrust of the HB5 remained intact, although Senators offered and adopted numerous floor amendments. One amendment, supported by Lt. Governor Dewhurst and offered by Senator Williams, would apparently allow a local district to require two additional “diagnostic” tests. We will provide you additional details when we have had the opportunity to analyze the amendments adopted today. Again, all these issues will ultimately be resolved in a House-Senate conference committee.

TRS Update: Negotiations Continue in Senate

A number of Senators are still working to reduce the financial burden SB1458 would place on active teachers and provide a benefit for the 70% of retirees who would get nothing from Senator Duncan’s latest version of SB1458. TSTA believes there are sufficient state funds available to allow the state to contribute to TRS at a higher rate, which could take some of the burden off active members and could make a broader benefit possible, but working to achieve that outcome would require a united effort from all stakeholders.

House Floor Report

Today and over the weekend, the Texas House approved bills expanding the Virtual School Network to for-profit vendors and authorizing school districts to select a teacher or other employee at each campus for specialized firearms training.

TSTA opposed the Virtual School Network (VSN) bill, HB1926, by Ken King because it is a vendor bill that would increase profits for some private companies without necessarily improving learning opportunities for public school students. The bill would allow a student to take as many as three online courses a year to be paid for by the school district. A district would be able to deny a request only if the district offered a substantially similar course as part of its regular curriculum. For the first time, TEA would be able to contract with for-profit companies for the VSN courses. Our efforts did prevent the inclusion of a “virtual voucher” provision in HB1926 similar to the one in the companion Senate bill that would have allowed home school and private school students to take online courses paid for with state funds.

HB1009 by Jason Villalba, the so-called “school marshal” bill, would allow a school district to designate a teacher or other employee at each campus to receive 80 hours of firearms training and to have a loaded firearm on campus, ostensibly to improve campus safety in the event an armed intruder attacked the school. The training would be longer and more intensive than the eight hours of training now required for someone to receive a concealed handgun license. The decision to hire or designate a “school marshal” would be optional with each school district, and training costs would be borne by the district. TSTA didn’t take an official position on this bill, although we believe that arming teachers or other school employees is not the most effective way to protect students and school employees from armed campus assaults.

The House also approved:
HB1751 by Diane Patrick, which would replace the educator excellence awards program with the educator excellence innovation program. The new program would be designed to improve educator quality and effectiveness through improved and innovative school district-level recruitment, preparation, hiring, induction, evaluation, professional development, strategic compensation, career pathways, and retention. The bill would authorize a district to seek waivers from the commissioner exempting some campuses from statutory provisions relating to educator appraisals and incentives, staff development, and the minimum salary schedule for certain professional staff. But waivers could be sought only to carry out improvements in accordance with the district's local educator excellence innovation plan.

HB801 by Sergio Munoz, which would allow school districts to request the Texas Department of Transportation to place signs warning hunters to be careful near schools. The districts would have to pay for the signs. The bill also would require the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to include awareness of school property in any hunting safety instruction it provides. The bill was prompted by a recent incident in which students at a middle school reportedly were injured by stray bullets from an individual engaging in target practice near the school.

On the border, education cuts are personal

What happens under the pink dome in Texas doesn’t stay under the dome, according to a new Latino Decisions/TSTA survey conducted among Hispanics in the state’s three largest border communities (El Paso, Laredo, and the Rio Grande Valley). See these links for more information about the poll:

http://www.latinodecisions.com/files/4613/6780/9077/TSTA_Toplines_May_2013_Post.pdf

http://nbclatino.com/2013/05/07/poll-for-latinos-in-texas-schools-are-the-heart-of-the-community/

It's Teacher Appreciation Week

Teacher Appreciation Week (May 6-10) and National Teacher Day (Tuesday, May 7) provide a chance to spread the word about great teachers and the outstanding work they do each day. A Teacher Day poster, web banners, buttons, videos, infographics, and social media tools (avatar, profile image, etc.) are available for downloading at www.nea.org/teacherday.

May 3, 2013

Legislative Action Alert: Keep calling to demand changes in TRS Bill

Senate Bill 1458, a bill that would make major changes in the TRS retirement plan by taking more money out of the paychecks of active members and providing no benefit increase for the vast majority of retirees, is still pending before the state Senate. A vote could come as early as Monday, and it is important that you call your state senators and tell them to vote AGAINST Senate Bill 1458, unless it is amended to be fairer to TRS participants. To contact your state senator, call 1-800-260-5444, and we will connect you. You can call anytime TODAY, TONIGHT, OR TOMORROW. Leaving a voice message is just as good as talking to your senator or a staff member. Be sure to tell them you are a TSTA member, that you live and vote in their district and that you OPPOSE Senate Bill 1458 unless changes are made. This will take only a few minutes of your time, and it will be time well spent. Your state senator needs to hear from you NOW! For more information about SB1458, go the link at: http://tsta.org/news-center/education-news#NOW

May 2, 2013

TRS Bill: contact your senator NOW

TSTA opposes the latest version of the TRS Bill , SB1458. Make your voices heard! Encourage your senator to OPPOSE SB 1458 unless significant changes are made.

NOBODY WINS - SB1458 asks too much of active employees and does too little for retirees.

Over two-thirds of retirees would not qualify for a COLA, leaving 200,000 retirees without a COLA for 12 years and counting. This bill would hit Texas teachers in the pocketbook, when they already feel disrespected by the state after enduring budget cuts, layoffs and classroom time lost to high stakes standardized tests.
This proposal could drive more good teachers from the profession - simply because the state will not step up and do its part.

Asks Too Much

SB1458 proposes an increase in the employee contribution – from 6.4% next year to 7.7% in the following year – coupled with an increase for local ISD’s to a 1.5% contribution. The combination would amount to a take home pay cut for current employees, especially if local districts were having to kick in more to the TRS fund and were unable to provide a pay increase to cover the drain on teachers’ paychecks. The bill only grandfathers only those teachers vested for five years instead of all teachers, which unfairly impacts 190,000 active employees who would have the rules changed on them in the middle of the game.

Does Too Little

The nominal COLA (3%, capped at $100) for employees who have been retired for 15 years would cover less than one third – only about 30% - of all retirees. The COLA is not guaranteed – COLA depends on how these changes would impact soundness

We Can Do Better – The Legislature Should:

Enact active employee contributions in steps over 3 years to cushion the impact of moving from 6.4 percent to 7.7 percent in one year. If this is about long term actuarial soundness, a phased in step increase would meet that goal, and the state should match such increases; DO WHAT TRS ACTUARIES RECOMMENDED - provide for a higher state contribution by adding the provisions of HB1383 by Rep. Jim Keffer, raising the state contribution rate to 6.9 percent in fiscal 2014 and 7.4 percent in fiscal 2015 and then maintaining that 7.4 percent rate; and include the provisions of SB643 (Duell) and HB103 (Larry Gonzalez) to provide a benefit for all retirees in the form of a 13th check during the upcoming biennium.

House Floor Report – Testing Bill Among Those Approved

Today, the House approved the following education bills:
HB866 by Dan Huberty, which would reduce STAAR testing requirements for students in grades 3-8 who met certain performance thresholds. It would eliminate the requirement that students in grades 4, 6, and 7 be assessed in mathematics and reading. It also would eliminate the writing exams in grades 4 and 7 and the grade 8 social studies exam. Third graders would continue to take mathematics and reading exams. Fifth graders and eighth graders would continue to take mathematics, reading, and science exams. Students who did not achieve a minimum performance threshold on any of their grade 3 or grade 5 STAAR tests would be required to take the same subject-area tests in grades 4 and 6. Students who failed in grade 6 to meet a performance threshold would be retested in the same subject in grade 7. TEA would be required to develop new science tests to be administered in grades 6 and 7 to students who failed to meet performance thresholds in grades 5 and 6, respectively. The bill also would give school districts and open-enrollment charter schools discretion to administer the appropriate grade-level tests to any student in order to determine whether students who were not required to test were performing at a satisfactory level. These optional tests would be administered in the same manner and at the same cost as tests administered to students who were required to test. TEA could not count the scores of students administered optional tests for campus or district accountability ratings. If any portion of the bill were to violate federal testing requirements, the education commissioner would be required to seek waivers from the federal requirements. TSTA supports this bill.

HB590 by Elliott Naishtat, dealing with how to diagnose and evaluate children with visual impairments for special education programs. TSTA supports this bill.

HB274 by Carol Alvarado, which would require a school district granted waivers from the 22-1 class size cap for K-4 because of financial hardship to report to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) the number of students in the largest class for each affected grade level at that campus and to include this information in the required content of TEA's regional and district level report. TSTA supports this bill.

HB842 by Cecil Bell, dealing with college credit programs for career and technical students.

HB1018 by Diane Patrick, which would require the local school health advisory council of each school district to establish a physical activity and fitness planning subcommittee to make policy recommendations to increase physical activity and improve fitness among students.

HB1454 by Naomi Gonzalez, which would require El Paso ISD to hold an event once each school year in which local nonprofit diabetes prevention organizations visit each school campus to educate students in the third through 12th grades about Type 2 diabetes prevention and awareness.

HB1781 by Ken King, dealing with food sales for student fund-raisers.

HB2318 by Jimmie Don Aycock, which would require the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) to require an educator preparation program to provide candidates for teacher certification with information concerning skills and responsibilities required of teachers, expectations for student performance based on state standards, the current supply of and demand for teachers in Texas, the importance of developing classroom management skills, and the state's framework for appraisal of teachers and principals.

HB2549 by Diane Patrick, dealing with periodic review of college and career readiness standards in public education.

HB3357 by Bill Callegari, which would make a number of changes to the administration of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. Among other things, it would make employees of charter schools and regional service centers eligible for appointment to the TRS board by the governor. It also would require the board to adopt a code of ethics applicable to trustees, employees, and contractors.

On tap tomorrow in the House
HB1926, by Rep. Ken King, a Virtual School Network bill, will be considered on the House floor. The bill opens the door for more private online vendors to offer courses with less stringent accountability than is required for traditional public schools. TSTA opposes this bill

Senate Floor Report
In addition to spending a great deal of time preventing a floor vote on SB1458, the TRS bill, until the issues mentioned above could be addressed, the Senate passed SB 1775, by Senator Royce West, which would require more detailed posting of information about the availability of student transfer opportunities at public and charter schools

Teacher Appreciation Week: social and online media

Teacher Appreciation Week on May 6-10, and National Teacher Day on Tuesday, May 7, provide a chance to spread the word about great teachers and the outstanding work they do each day. NEA’s 2013 Teacher Day poster, web banners, buttons, videos, infographics, and social media tools (avatar, profile image, etc.) are available for downloading at www.nea.org/teacherday.

May 1, 2013

Senate approves SB1718, Achievement School District bill

On a 26-5 vote, the Senate adopted SB1718, which would create a statewide “Achievement School District” run by an appointed superintendent who would be named by the appointed Education Commissioner. The district could operate campuses that have been rated low-performing for two consecutive years, removing them from local accountability to parents and taxpayers. The Commissioner would have the authority to remove the campuses from the jurisdiction of their local school districts, although that option would not be mandatory.

TSTA attempted to get Senator West to make major changes to SB1718, and although the bill did include provisions that attempt to provide protection for employees at those campuses and a requirement that allows local input, the bill still would allow charters to operate these campuses. This would effectively remove them from state requirements and protections regarding employment protections, discipline and other state standards that apply to neighborhood schools. The bottom line: ultimately, the appointed Commissioner and superintendent would have the discretion to run these campuses from Austin, as they see fit. As many as 38 low performing campuses could be subject to ASD takeover immediately, and another 492 could be eligible if they are low performing for another year.

TSTA will work to defeat this bill in the House because: it removes campus governance from the community, leaving parents and local taxpayers with no decision-making authority about the way the campus would be reconstituted and run; it leaves too much discretion to the appointed superintendent and Commissioner, who would be empowered to replace staff or contract with a charter or other “alternative management group.”

We will issue you timely alerts before House action is taken, and we encourage you to contact your state representative now to express your opposition to SB1718.

TRS Update

In an effort to secure the votes needed to bring SB1458 to the Senate floor, Senator Duncan has suggested some possible changes to the bill, including grandfathering all current employees so only new employees would be subject to the age 62 retirement provision. However, that would come with a price: an increase in the employee contribution – from 6.4% next year to 8% in the following year – coupled with an increase for local ISD’s to a 2% contribution. That combination would amount to a take home pay cut for current employees, especially if local districts were having to kick in more to the TRS fund at the same time.

We have responded by suggesting that the bill should be changed as follows:

amend the bill to guarantee that the employee contribution rate could never exceed the state-local contribution rate (Duncan is OK with this);
include the provisions of SB643 and HB103 to provide a benefit for all retirees in the form of a 13th check during the upcoming biennium;
provide for the higher state contribution recommended by the TRS actuaries by adding the provisions of HB1383 by Rep. Jim Keffer, raising the state contribution rate to 6.9 percent in fiscal 2014 and 7.4 percent in fiscal 2015 and then maintaining that 7.4 percent rate (which would allow the local contribution to be reduced to 1%); and
enact active employee contributions in steps to cushion the impact of moving from 6.4 percent to 8 percent in one year.

Please encourage your Senator to oppose SB1458 until such changes are addressed!

House Public Education Committee approves charter expansion bill

Late Tuesday, the House Public Education Committee approved a version of SB2, the charter expansion bill, that is “less-offensive” than the version previously approved by the Senate. But TSTA still opposes the bill because: it would increase the number of charter schools while leaving neighborhood public schools under-funded ; and expansion would hamper TEA’s already inadequate ability to effectively regulate academically unacceptable charters, which are more common than academically unacceptable traditional neighborhood schools.

The bill, which could be considered soon by the full House, would:

remove the home rule “district charter” provision approved by the Senate;
gradually raise the cap – now at 215 -- on the number of open-enrollment charter schools that can operate in Texas;
beginning with the 2014-15 school year the cap would increase by 10 new charter operators in the first two years plus an additional 10 charters a year after that to a maximum of 275 (the original Senate bill would have eliminated the cap and the Senate-passed bill would allow for a maximum of 305 new charters);
give the education commissioner greater authority to revoke the charters of academically unacceptable schools;
provide that charters be reviewed only once every 10 years by TEA; and
require charter schools designed for at-risk students to remain under the state’s accountability system and be rated each year like traditional public schools (the Senate version of SB2 does not include this requirement).

The Public Education committee also approved the following bills:

HB1775 by Ed Thompson, relating to the authority of the University Interscholastic League over activities involving sports officials.
HB1122 by Eric Johnson, which would allow Dallas ISD to establish a pilot program for high school students who wish to graduate in three, instead of the traditional four, years. The district would set curriculum for the program with review by SBOE and approval by the education commissioner. State funding saved from the shorter graduation period would be allocated toward pre-kindergarten.
HB2483 by Carol Alvarado, which would add oral diseases to the list of coordinated health programs from TEA.
HB2542 by Roland Gutierrez, which would direct TEA to study the cost benefit or efficiency of consolidating school districts in Bexar County.

House Floor Action

Today, the House passed.

HB642 by Diane Patrick, which would require up to 25 percent of educators’ continuing education include instruction on improving effectiveness in the classroom, recognizing early warning indicators that a student may be at risk of dropping out of school, integrating technology in classroom instruction, educating diverse student populations and increasing knowledge of the subject area taught by the educator. TSTA worked with Rep. Patrick and Rep. Alma Allen to win approval of a floor amendment removing a requirement for annual training. This would give educators more freedom to focus on professional development subject areas.
HB697 by Drew Springer, which would provide a sales tax exemption for certain items sold by school booster clubs and support organizations.
HB2961 by Dan Huberty, which would prohibit school districts from requiring employees or former employees to allow public access to their social security numbers.
HB580 by Donna Howard, dealing with funding for child care services and transportation for students at risk of dropping out of school.

April 30, 2013

HB11 blocked: would have funded water, not education

House Bill 11, which would have scooped up $2 billion of the Rainy Day Fund for water projects but not a cent for public schools, was torpedoed on a procedural point in the Texas House Monday night, following several hours of debate. TSTA is not opposed to funding for Texas water needs, but we opposed HB 11 unless there was also an agreement to use the Fund to restore education funding cuts, and here’s why:

Water is an important issue for Texas, but so are public schools.
There is enough money in the $12 billion Rainy Day Fund to begin paying for future reservoirs AND finish restoring the $5.4 billion cut from public schools two years ago.
Two-thirds of Texas voters, according to a bipartisan poll commissioned by TSTA, want legislators to spend part of the Rainy Day Fund to restore the school cuts. By a large margin, voters favor using Rainy Day money for schools over water or highways.

HB11 was blocked on a point of order by Rep. Sylvester Turner of Houston, who also wants to use the fund to pay for schools as well as water. Before Turner stepped in, some Tea Partiers in the House tried to amend the bill to make it even worse. Their amendment would have forced the Legislature to cut $2 billion from other programs, including education, if the Rainy Day bill failed to receive the necessary two-thirds vote. Had that amendment become law, it could have been crippling for public schools. But Turner’s blow defeated that effort, at least for now.

TSTA thanks all our members who called their state representatives to urge votes against HB11 unless education money was also addressed. Your calls made a difference, but the fight over the Rainy Day Fund isn’t over. So, please watch for future legislative alerts on this issue during the upcoming days and weeks.

Education cut restoration update

The House has voted to restore $3 billion of the $5.4 billion cut two years ago. The Senate has voted to restore $1.5 billion from general revenue, plus another $800 million from the Rainy Day Fund, should a constitutional amendment – SJR1, be adopted by the legislature and the voters.

Senate Finance Chairman Tommy Williams has pledged to add another $1.4 billion made possible because of increasing property wealth. Should that $1.4 billion be added to the education budget, the House would have restored $4.4 billion and the Senate $2.9 billion plus a potential $800 million from the Rainy Day Fund.

A conference committee writing the final state budget will seek a compromise on those figures, but – without some Rainy Day funding – the effort will fall short of restoring the entire $5.4 billion.

House approves reducing number of STAAR tests for 7th and 8th

Today, the House approved:

HB2836 by Bennett Ratliff, which would eliminate the grade 7 writing and grade 8 social studies STAAR tests, beginning with the 2013-14 school year. It also would require STAAR tests to be designed so that 85 percent of students in grades 3 through 5 could finish in two hours and 85 percent of students in grades 6 through 8 could finish in three hours. The bill also would prohibit the education commissioner from including scores on test questions that assess support knowledge or skills from being used to help determine state accountability ratings.
HB671 by Ratliff, which would make it easier for some school districts to reduce their property tax rates.
HB885 by Jim Murphy, which would allow charter school applications for bonds, including refunding and refinanced bonds, to be guaranteed by the Permanent School Fund.
HB1231 by Helen Giddings, which would exempt students younger than 12 from being charged with criminal offenses for disrupting public school classes or transportation.

TRS: no news

TSTA has been engaged in discussions about possible changes that might improve SB1458 and HB1884. We will let you know as soon as we get any indication that the bill sponsors are willing to make substantive changes.

Senate update: no action on voucher bills

Your calls and emails make a difference. Voucher supporters apparently still lack the votes to bring up voucher legislation on the Senate floor.

Senate Education Committee report

The Senate Education Committee approved two bills today.

SB681 by Sen. West, which would allow Dallas ISD to establish a pilot program allowing students to obtain a high school diploma in three, instead of the traditional four, years. DISD would be required to establish curriculum for the program with SBOE review and commissioner approval. In addition, the WADA the district would have received if the students had stayed for a fourth high school year would be given to the district for use in its Pre-K program.

SB 1555 by Sen. Lucio, which require each educator to perform satisfactorily on each section of a generalist examination or each section of a multiple component examination in order to be considered to have performed satisfactorily on the examination as a whole. This is the same language as in Sen. Dan Patrick’s SB1403.

House Public Ed meeting now: could vote on revised charter bill tonight

The House Public Education committee has started another long hearing, which will include some legislation that TSTA considers harmful to public education, including HB 300 (Home Rule and more) and HB 2976 (“parent trigger”), which are listed below.

We will report tomorrow on House committee action. A new Committee Substitute for SB2, the charter expansion bill has been prepared, and it includes two major changes.

Section 2 of the bill, that would have allowed 15% of a school district – or an entire high school feeder patter – to be converted to charter schools that are not subject to numerous legal and employee protections and standards.

The number of new charters available each year would be 10, reducing the potential “expanded” number of charters from 305 to 275 by 2019.

Bills being heard tonight include:

HB300 by Jason Isaac, which would allow school districts to be exempted from many state standards and regulations -- including important rules governing instruction and employee pay and work conditions -- and turn campuses over to privately run enterprises with little or no public accountability. TSTA opposes this bill.
HB2976 by Naomi Gonzalez, which would allow for a so-called parent trigger giving parents the authority to petition for a failing school to be reconstituted – but give parents no say in what happens to that campus when it is reconstituted, a process subject to abuse by private interests. TSTA opposes this bill.
SB1406 by Dan Patrick/HB760 by Steve Toth, companion bills that would require a regional service center to get approval from SBOE of any service or product related to student curriculum.
HB1201 by Tan Parker, which would require districts to post on their websites information about any local programs and services available to assist homeless students.
HB1775 by Ed Thompson, relating to the authority of the University Interscholastic League over activities involving sports officials.
HB2716 by Craig Eiland, relating to the investment authority of some school districts.
HB3224 by Garnet Coleman, which would require educator training programs to include instruction in the detection and education of students with mental or emotional disorders.
HB3816 by Nicole Collie, which would create a task force to study the referral and evaluation methods for special education services.
HB3841 by Eddie Lucio III, which would provide for additional services to districts receiving title 1 funds.

April 26, 2013

House restores another $500 million in public education funds

Today, the Texas House passed a supplemental Appropriations Bill, HB1025, which would restore $500 million to the Foundation School Program to distribute to local school districts for the current fiscal year. Coupled with the $2.5 million the House added to the Foundation School Program in Senate Bill 1, the House budget writers have now restored $3 billion of the $5.4 billion cut in 2011, and there is still the additional $1.4 billion in funds from increased local property wealth that has not yet been put into the education budget.

Your continued efforts, starting with last year’s “Stop the Cuts” campaign, have played a big role in what we’ve been able to do thus far, and we are not done yet.

The House also passed the following education legislation:

HB 2058 by Rep Allen, Alma. Relating to the administration of a high school equivalency examination.

HB 897 by Rep. Zerwas. Relating to instruction in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of automated external defibrillators in secondary education curriculum.

HB 773 by Rep. Farney. Relating to a requirement that students at an open-enrollment charter school recite the pledges of allegiance to the United States flag and the state flag.

HB 2137 by Rep. Fletcher. Relating to eligibility of certain persons for enrollment in school district summer school courses.

Late Thursday, the House Public Education Committee approved the following bills:

HB462 by Dan Huberty, which would allow the state to continue using its own curriculum standards and would direct the SBOE and school districts not to adopt the national curriculum, Common Core. AP and IB would not be included in this prohibition. It also would prohibit teacher appraisals from being based on national assessments.

HB1057 by Jeff Leach, which would prohibit any entity or individual who performs abortions from providing information about abortions in human sexuality or family planning instruction in public schools.

HB1415 by Matt Schaefer, which would allow districts to issue "teaching permits" allowing for CTE teachers to receive district permits with commissioner standards in place. To the extent possible, the commissioner would have to adopt criteria for granting and rejecting a school district teaching permit for career and technical teachers.

HB1853 by Bennett Ratliff, relating to a behavior improvement plan adopted for certain students with an IEP.

HB2450 by Richard Raymond, which would allow principals to search students and their belongings if they had reasonable suspicion of a problem and parental permission. With parental permission, the principal along with a peace officer or a campus police person would conduct the search.

HB2756 by Dan Branch, which would allow for two additional golden pennies- 6 cents above a district's compressed rate -- to be voted at the local level.

HB2872 by Mike Villarreal, which would change the number of allowed student absences to 5 days per semester.

HB2952 by Justin Rodriguez, which would give the commissioner of education 240 days to decide an appeal from the district level and an additional 60 days extension if the involved parties agree.

Test-happy commissioner doesn’t wait for Legislature

Also this week, Texas’ test-happy education commissioner, Michael Williams, didn’t wait for the Legislature to complete work on a new accountability system and issued his own. And, despite the widespread parental anger over excessive, high-stakes testing and legislative efforts to curb testing, Williams’ accountability plan would be heavily weighted by testing results.

His plan includes four categories – student achievement, student progress, closing performance gaps and postsecondary readiness. The commissioner says his plan would attempt to improve performances of minority and disadvantaged students and attack the dropout rate. But each category would be heavily dependent on STAAR test scores, which means teachers would be forced to continue teaching to the test, robbing students – especially struggling students -- of critical instruction time essential to their success. TEA plans to issues the first accountability ratings using the new system on Aug. 8.

The commissioner clearly is out of step with most parents and educators, and TSTA will continue to work with the Legislature to reduce the number of high-stakes tests and enact a fairer, more meaningful accountability system that will override the commissioner’s.

Final legislative decisions on testing, accountability and other critical educational issues, including funding and vouchers, will be made within the next few weeks as the legislative session rushes to a Memorial Day adjournment. And, some decisions will be made with little notice. So, keep reading our Legislative Updates and watch out for Legislative Alerts to contact your state senators and representatives when critical votes are scheduled.

To learn who your state senator and state representative are and how to contact them, click on the following link and type in your address: http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/Home.aspx

April 26, 2013

NEA applauds President's Blueprint for RESPECT

Yesterday the U.S. Department of Education released the Obama Administration's blueprint for elevating and transforming the teaching profession, also known as the Blueprint for RESPECT (Recognizing Educational Success, Professional Excellence, and Collaborative Teaching). Below is a statement from NEA President Dennis Van Roekel:

“The National Education Association applauds the Administration for stepping up and offering an agenda for change. By focusing on teacher quality at the front door of the profession, increasing professional development and keeping student learning central to all that we do, we can implement great change for our students. We believe that the approach outlined in RESPECT represents the kind of thinking that’s going to improve our public schools, making them all exceptional institutions of learning for all students.

“Recruiting talented candidates and providing substantive, high-quality preparation is essential in ensuring quality schools. The department’s blueprint represents a critical first-step in ensuring that all students have access to a range of high-quality resources, including qualified and licensed teachers who are empowered to innovate and inspired to take on ever-growing challenges.

“The RESPECT plan and NEA’s Three-Point Plan both call for more rigorous standards for entry into the profession, as well as for developing systems that help ensure that those who are in the classroom maintain a high standard of practice. Together they set the stage for establishing a world-class teaching force that puts student learning at its core and is focused on helping students acquire the knowledge and skills they will need to thrive as 21st century citizens. It takes more than teachers to support students, including strong instructional school leaders and qualified and committed educational support professionals.

“We look forward to working with the Administration, lawmakers, parents and anyone else who is ready, willing and able to start working now to do what it takes to ensure success for all students.”

April 25, 2013

Senate passes 'teacher bill' with TSTA amendments

Today, the Senate passed Senate Bill 1403 by Sen. Patrick. As originally filed, SB 1403 would have eliminated the minimum salary schedule and set up a teacher appraisal system in which STAAR results would have been used to evaluate a teacher’s performance, and ultimately used in employment and salary decisions. TSTA worked vigorously to get the objectionable parts of the bill. As a result of that work…the minimum salary schedule remains on the books...the appraisal/employment language tied to the STAAR exam was deleted by an amendment sponsored by Sen. Wendy Davis...and, in its final form the bill addressed educator prep and mentoring programs, professional development, and certification examinations.

TRS Update

The authors of the TRS legislation (SB1458 by Sen. Duncan and HB1884 by Rep. Caligari) have offered no changes since our Tuesday report. TSTA has discussed the bills with a number of members and it appears that the bills’ fate is in jeopardy unless changes are made. We will continue meeting with legislators who seek changes that would improve the actuarial soundness of the TRS Fund in a way that, unlike these bills, would not place an undue burden on TRS members.

House Public Education Committee Hears Charter Bill, Approves Amended Virtual School Network Bill

During another marathon Tuesday night hearing, TSTA testified against SB2 before the House Public Education Committee. The bill by Sen. Dan Patrick, which already has been approved by the Senate, would allow districts to grant charter status to campuses serving up to 15 percent of a district’s students and/or an entire high school feeder pattern, which could include an entire small school district.

Charters lack important legal protections for educators, parents and students. They are not required to have teacher contracts, certified teachers in the classroom and class size limits, and SB2 could open numerous campuses to such circumstances.

TSTA also objects to the following provisions in SB2.

The bill would grant the Commissioner authority to approve 90 NEW charters from now until 2020 in increments each year. These would be in addition to those charters that can be created by colleges or universities or are eligible for self-replication. TEA has repeatedly indicated that it doesn’t have the personnel to adequately oversee existing charters, much less this kind of expansion.

The bill would allow charters that quality as special education charters, at-risk charters or out-of-state high-performing charters to not count against the charter cap, making charter expansion basically unlimited.

The bill would grant automatic renewal of charters after 60 days from submission of a renewal request for both expedited and discretionary renewals. This practice would practically guarantee that no substantive review of a charter’s performance would occur before extending a charter.

The bill would grant 10-year terms for charter renewals. In addition to our above concern, this means the process by which charters should be critically examined would happen only once a decade, if at all. Locking in a charter holder’s property interest for a decade at a time all but ensures costly litigation in the event that a charter should need to be terminated.

Charter schools under the Alternative Education Accountability System (AEA) – which requires lower student performance for a satisfactory rating, though this is not apparent to parents – should be subject to mandatory revocation procedures for poor performance. SB2 would not provide for mandatory revocation of AEA charters.

SB2 was left pending in committee. To view a copy of TSTA’s written testimony, click on this link:
http://tsta.org/issues-and-action/take-action-state-level#testify

The Committee also approved a committee substitute for the Virtual School Network bill, HB 1926 by Ken King, after a week of work by TSTA and the Coalition for Public Schools to amend the bill to prevent it from becoming, in effect, a “virtual voucher” bill, as related to the following issues.

Issue No. 1: To ensure students are receiving quality instruction from online providers (which includes public, non-profit, or private entities). School districts must retain the ability to oversee the quality of courses students take which are not substantially similar to courses the district offers. This amendment allows for districts to consider the informed choice reports and other variables in determining whether or not a course meets the standards needed to ensure student success. While courses may not be required for the foundation diploma, districts are still responsible for a student’s overall success in online courses, and are still subject to federal and state accountability measures, graduation and drop-out rates, etc.

Issue No. 2: To ensure students cannot enroll as a full-time student in a virtual campus operated by a non-profit or private entity funded with tax dollars. The current substitute language creates the potential for a virtual school voucher program that would siphon state and local tax dollars to a private entity. The language in this amendment would prevent the commissioner from authorizing a statewide virtual voucher school.

TSTA supported two other bills heard by the Public Education Committee:

HB2012 by Mike Villarreal, which would require TEA to collect salary information across the state for the PEIMS system. Results would be posted on the TEA website in a manner indicating each district’s average salary by subject and grade level. TEA also would have to conduct a cost of living and salary comparability analysis in each region of the state to compare salaries in similar professions. TEA also would be required to develop an online survey for certificate holders to assess working conditions, retention, school leadership, and other relevant matters from district to district.

HB2952 by Justin Rodriguez, which would give the Commissioner 240 days to decide an appeal from the district level.

House Floor Report

Today, the House approved the following education-related bills:

HB480 by Carol Alvarado, which would allow state employees to use as many as eight hours of sick leave each fiscal year to attend any of their children’s educational activities, including tutoring, field trips, classroom activities, athletic events and music or theater programs. Currently, state employees can use the sick leave only to attend parent-teacher conferences.

HB1952 by Senfronia Thompson, which would require principals and other administrators overseeing student discipline to attend professional development training relating to disciplinary procedures at least once every three years.

HB2318 by Jimmie Don Aycock, which would require the State Board for Educator Certification to review and, as necessary, update standards and requirements for educator preparation and alternative certification programs. It also would require educator preparation programs to provide certain information to certification candidates

Senate Education Committee Report

After the Senate adjourned today, the Senate Education Committee approved the following bills:

SB38 by Sen. Zaffirini, relating to determining a child's eligibility for a school district's special education program on the basis of a visual impairment.

SB39 by Sen. Zaffirini, - relating to the evaluation and instruction of public school students with visual impairments.

SB783 by Sen. Hinojosa, which would include policies to prevent dating violence in school district improvement plans.

Late Tuesday, the Senate Education Committee approved the following bills:

SB377 by Sen. Lucio, which would provide that the standardized test score of a student of limited English proficiency who has been in school in the United States for less than three years not count toward a district’s or school’s performance rating on the state evaluation system.

SB925 by Sen. Lucio, which would make it clear that a school counselor has to hold a certificate from SBEC. It would allow school districts to hire other professional counselors provided they were licensed by their respective regulatory boards.

SB1308 by Sen. Davis, which would encourage TEA to audit a testing contractor’s compliance with state requirements and develop criteria for audits of future assessment contractors.

SB1384 by Sen. Hancock, relating to the authority of an independent school district to invest in local water projects.

SB1725 by Sen. Deuell, which would prohibit a former member of the State Board of Education from being hired by an open-enrollment charter school within the first two years after leaving the board.

SB1799 by Sen. Watson, relating to the time allowed for the education commissioner to decide certain appeals against school districts.

Additional House Public Education Committee Action

This week, the House Public Education Committee approved the following bills.

HB1926 by Ken King, which would expand the Virtual School Network to allow private providers to offer courses through the network to public school students. TSTA and the Coalition for Public Schools succeeded in winning approval of an amendment that removed a provision that also would have allowed for a statewide virtual voucher to be utilized through a statewide charter. Rep. Dan Huberty sponsored the amendment removing the virtual voucher language.

HB308 by Dwayne Bohac, relating to a school district's recognition of traditional winter celebrations.

HB1501 by Richard Raymond, relating to the commemoration of September 11, 2001, the day of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., at public schools and institutions of higher education.

HB1568 by Drew Springer, which would revoke accreditation and close a school district if the attorney general were to determine that the district knowingly violated a provision of the Texas Constitution. This bill is directly targeted at school districts voting to approve same sex benefits for domestic partners.

HB1751 by Diane Patrick, which would change the Educator Excellence Awards Program to the Educator Excellence Innovation Program and take other steps to change the way teachers are recruited, hired, trained, compensated and retained. Among other things, it would allow for districts under some circumstances to let teachers vote whether to waive the minimum salary schedule.

HB2057 by Alma Allen, dealing with an alternative dispute resolution method for a school district and a parent of a student with a disability.

HB2662 by Marsha Farney, which would require the curriculum to include at least half a credit in personal financial literacy.

HB2694 by Mike Villerreal, which would require the commissioner to establish a state level program for secondary school students to receive credit by examination for any course required or offered by Texas public high schools.

HB3809 by Marsha Farney, clarifying the use of the term, "school counselor."

HB3907 by Linda Harper-Brown, which would prohibit a student who drops out, reenrolls and drops out again from repeatedly being counted as a dropout in computation of dropout and completion rates.

The Committee also heard the following bills Tuesday and let them pending.

HB980 by Patricia Harless, which would revise the parental involvement requirements of campus improvement plans to include materials for training parents in how to instill self-confidence in children. It also would allow for plans to deter dropouts and bullying and promote academic improvement.

HB1190 by Dan Flynn, which would repeal the minimum $25 fee for driving safety courses.

HB1853 by Bennett Ratliff, dealing with behavior improvement plans for students.

HB2056 by Alma Allen, which would allow an attorney or someone with special knowledge or training to appear in due process hearings for children with disabilities.

HB2483 by Carol Alvarado, which would add oral diseases to the list of coordinated health programs from TEA.

HB2697 by Susan King, which would allow students attending an approved career tech night or summer program to be counted under a district's average daily attendance.

HB2756 by Dan Branch, which would increase from 6 to 8 cents the guaranteed yield that districts can raise under the school finance system without being subject to recapture.

HB2872 by Mike Villarreal, which would change the number of allowed absences to 5 days each semester.

HB2980 by Eddie Rodriguez, which would require regional service centers and districts to display on their websites how a student can transfer to another campus outside his or her attendance zone.

HB3003 by Alma Allen, which would require districts to provide a structure to help students make the transition back to regular public school after being in a JJAEP/DAEP or other program.

HB3374 by Four Price, relating to consideration of travel distances in assigning a school to a University Interscholastic League classification.

April 24, 2013

Texas educator to tour Brazilian schools

Loryn Windwehen is one of 36 Global Learning Fellows who will have a unique opportunity to tour Brazilian schools in June, the NEA Foundation announced today. A teacher in North East ISD (San Antonio), she was featured in the summer 2012 Advocate magazine when she won TSTA’s Ermalee Boice Instructional Advocacy Award.

The fellowship expands on the NEA Foundation’s mission to advance student achievement by investing in public education that will prepare all students to learn and thrive in a rapidly changing world. The June 19-27 tour includes visits to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro to observe classroom instruction and interact with Brazilian teachers and administrators.

In preparation, the fellows will take an online course on the impact of historical and cultural legacies on contemporary Brazilian society and education, and they will learn basic Portuguese through an NEA Foundation partnership with Rosetta Stone. At the conclusion of the Fellowship, they will create a lesson plan, unit plan, or full curriculum, integrated with global competency skills, and share it with educators around the world via an open source platform. http://www.neafoundation.org/pages/nea-pearson-foundation-global-learning-fellowship

Grants are available

Every year, the NEA Foundation awards more than 150 grants to support public school educators’ innovative ideas. The next deadline to apply for a grant is June 1. http://www.neafoundation.org/pages/grant-resources-featured-grantees

Yep, he's a member

President Obama honored National Teacher of the Year Jeff Charbonneau at the White House yesterday. Charbonneau is an NEA member and STEM teacher in Washington state. Read more about the White House event at http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/04/23/president-obama-honors-2013-national-teacher-year. Read NEA's story about Jeff at: http://neatoday.org/2013/04/22/stem-teacher-and-wea-member-is-the-2013-national-teacher-of-the-year

April 23, 2013

TRS update – proposed bills still inadequate, contact your legislators

On Monday, the Senate State Affairs and House Pensions Committees approved SB1458 by Sen. Duncan and HB1884 by Rep. Caligari. These are identical bills, filed with the stated purpose of starting an effort to bring the TRS fund up to the statutory definition of actuarial soundness.

However, these bills would take only a small step toward soundness while making major changes in retirement provisions at a cost to many teachers and retirees. In short, the bills ask too much of TRS members for too little in return.

After the committee meetings, TSTA met with Sen. Duncan, Rep. Caligari and TRS staff to discuss the possibility of amending the bills to increase the number of teachers who would be protected from changes by grandfathering clauses. But the legislators refused to negotiate and said the only parts subject to change are the contribution rates that will be set in the final version of the new state budget.

Neither of these bills is favorable to active teachers. They would strip away benefits that have been earned, and they would change the system in mid-stream for those teachers who will not be included in the grandfathering clauses. TSTA opposes both of these bills because of their punitive effect on active teachers.

The only change offered in the bills from the original version was lowering the benefit reduction for teachers who retire before age 62 from 5% per year to 2% per year.

Moreover, Sen. Duncan said that the legislature would do nothing during this session to address the imminent shortfall for TRS-Care. Without legislative action now, that fund will be facing a $1 billion shortfall next session.

Your state senators and state representatives need to keep hearing from you. There still is time to get these bills amended, but only if active and retired TSTA members flood their legislators’ offices with phone calls and emails before these bills are debated by the full House and the full Senate. If you don’t know who your state representative or state senator is, click on the following link, type in your address to learn who they are and how to contact them: http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/Home.aspx

If passed in their current form, the TRS bills would:

raise the minimum age of retirement to 62, with a grandfather clause that would include those eligible for retirement under the current system within the next five years;

impose a benefit reduction for those who retire before age 62 of 2 percent per year;

impose a 1 percent charge to ISDs not currently paying into Social Security – a cost to ISDs of about $220 million a year;

reduce the amount of interest paid on idle accounts from 5 percent to 2 percent;

set a minimum age of 62 to enter TRS-Care, with the same grandfathering provision set out for retirement;

eliminate TRS ActiveCare III; and

propose a COLA of 3 percent to those retirees who have been retired for 20 years or more when the Fund becomes actuarially sound.

Senate approves additional education funding

After hours of negotiation, the Senate approved Senate Joint Resolution 1, which, if approved by the voters next November, would provide Rainy Day Funding for roads, water and education funding. The original SJR1 did not include funding for education. SJR1 provisions include $4.9 billion for roads and water funds, and an additional $800 million for public education - $500 million for formula funding and $300 million for the DATE program (merit pay).

TSTA opposed diverting of $300 million to merit pay and several amendments were offered to the bill, including:

Senator Wendy Davis offered amendments that would have put all $800 million into formula funding;

Senator Kirk Watson offered an amendment that would have “evened out” the funding at $2 billion each for water, roads and education.

The Davis and Watson amendments were not approved.

Senator Royce West offered a successful amendment that targeted the DATE funding for educators working at low performing, hard to staff campuses.

Perhaps most importantly, Senator Williams indicated that increasing property wealth would result in another $1.4 billion in state education funding in addition to the $800 million from SJR1 and the $1.5 billion from SB1.

TSTA will monitor legislative action to make sure that money is added to SB1 funding and not substituted for it. If all this funding goes as discussed today, Senate action could restore: $3.7 billion of education funds if the $300 million in DATE funding is included.

Of that total, $3.275 billion would be restored directly to districts from formula funding of the $1.4 billion were restored to formula funding, $125 million would be added to TEA grants (some pre-K and SSI)

Finally, if the $1.4 billion were added to current House funding levels for HB1, which go entirely to formula funding, the House could restore $4.4 billion without Rainy Day Fund money ($2.5 billion in SB1, $500 million in a pending supplemental appropriations bill and $1.4 billion from property wealth increases).

The differences in House and Senate budget bills will be worked out in a conference committee.

Thanks to your efforts, no voucher votes in Senate

Neither SB23 nor SB115 have come up for a vote in the Senate, an indication that the authors do not have the votes for those bills at this time. Thanks for your efforts and keep the pressure on.

Watch for Senate and House Committee Reports tomorrow

Both the House Public Education Committee and Senate Education Committee are meeting this evening. The House committee is considering Charter Expansion and Virtual School Network legislation, along with a dozen other bills. We will provide you a complete report tomorrow.

UPDATE: House defeats, then approves, lottery commission sunset (and education $)

Today, the full House considered HB2197, the Lottery Commission Sunset bill. The bill was initially defeated, which could have eliminated the lottery and the $2.2 billion the lottery generates for a public education budget of roughly $43 billion in state funding in the two year budget.

TSTA acted immediately, urging the House to reconsider the vote. The vote was reconsidered and the Lottery Commission Sunset bill was approved with 101 votes in favor, securing the $2.2 billion for public education generated by the lottery.

TSTA put out this call to action earlier today: This afternoon, the Texas House of Representatives may be deciding the future of the Texas Lottery and, with it, $2.2 billion in funding for public schools in the new state budget. It is important that you call your state representatives and urge them to vote for House Bill 2197, the Texas Lottery Commission sunset bill. This bill must pass, or public schools will lose another $2.2 billion.

To find out who your state representative is and how to contact them, click on the following link and type in your address: http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/Home.aspx.

Please call THIS AFTERNOON. Leaving a voice message is just as good as talking to your representative or a staff member. Be sure to tell them you are a TSTA member, that you live and vote in their district and that you want them to vote FOR House Bill 2197. Public schools cannot afford a $2.2 billion loss.

This will take only a few minutes of your time, and it will be time well spent. Your state representative needs to hear from you NOW!

2013 accountability system unveiled

Commissioner of Education Michael Williams today announced the four components that will be part of the new 2013 state accountability system for school districts, campuses, and charters in Texas. The first ratings under this system will be issued by the Texas Education Agency on August 8, 2013.

“The new system makes use of multiple indicators to provide parents and taxpayers a more detailed overview of the successes, as well as areas of necessary improvement, for each school district, charter, and campus,” Williams says.

2013 will be a transition year: accountability advisory groups will reconvene later this year to finalize recommendations for accountability ratings criteria for 2014 and beyond. In addition, work will continue on the conversion of this new system into an A-F rating system for 2014. Any changes passed during the current legislative session also will be incorporated.

For a detailed overview of the state accountability system, visit http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2013/index.html.

Brownsville teacher featured in TV spot

The Rio Grande Valley is the face of the emerging Texas, and Celia Saiz-Guerrero is preparing the emerging Texas for the future. As a first grade teacher at Skinner Elementary School in Brownsville ISD, Saiz-Guerrero plays a critical role in giving Hispanic children the strong foundation they will need to succeed in school and, in the not-too-distant future, receive the college education that was out of reach for many of their parents.

“You see the twinkle in their eyes when I talk about college. And, the majority of them want to be teachers,” she said.

Twice a year, Brownsville ISD sponsors college awareness days, when teachers wear shirts with the names and logos of the colleges they attended and explain to their young students what college is and why it is so important.

Saiz-Guerrero became a teacher because she knows that education is essential to improving the lives of the next generation and assuring a strong future for the generations that will follow. That is why parents work tirelessly to make higher education possible for their children.

And, that is why Saiz-Guerrero was happy to be featured in a Spanish-language TV spot now airing in the Rio Grande Valley. The ad, sponsored by the Texas State Teachers Association, emphasizes the partnership and hard work shared by parents and teachers and the eventual rewards for their children and students.

The parents of many of Saiz-Guerrero’s students didn’t attend college, but they are doing what they can to help the teacher prepare their children for that goal.

“They look forward to their kids going to college,” she said.

The mother of three sons, Saiz-Guerrero, 43, grew up in Brownsville. She worked in retail for several years while working as a volunteer at her children’s schools. Encouraged by her husband, she decided to become a teacher and obtained a degree from the University of Texas at Brownsville. She has been teaching for six years and loves her work.

April 22, 2013

West students are back in school

Classes are underway again for West students, some in West and others in neighboring communities.

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/4-more-1st-responders-identified-in-west?ref=scroller&categoryId=20045&status=true
http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/West-students-to-be-welcomed-by-Waco-school-204019071.html

Voucher bills: call now!

This week, the state Senate could vote on Senate Bills 23 and 115, two voucher bills that would use state tax dollars to pay tuition for students who attend private schools. Please call your senator now with this message: Vote No on Vouchers! Call 800-260-5444 to receive a specific message before transferring to your senator.

April 19, 2013

TRS legislation discussed at quarterly meeting

The Teacher Retirement System Board of Trustees met April 18 - 19 for their quarterly meeting. The meeting was largely uneventful, but there were two noteworthy items.

TRS reported that the Trust Fund reached its highest point ever earlier in the week, coming in at just over $117.5 billion.

Executive Director Brian Guthrie then discussed the provisions of Senate Bill 1458 and House Bill 1884, identical bills being considered to start a slow process to bring the fund up to actuarial soundness. If passed, those bills would:

raise the minimum age of retirement to 62, with a grandfather clause that would include those eligible for retirement under the current system within the next five years;

impose a benefit deduction for those who retire before age 62 of 5% per year;

a 1% charge to ISDs not currently paying into Social Security – a cost to local ISD’s of about $220 million/year;

a reduction in the rate of interest paid on idle accounts from 5% to 2%;

a minimum age of 62 to enter TRS-Care, with the same grandfathering provision set out for retirement;

eliminate TRS ActiveCare III; and

propose a COLA of 3% to those retirees who have been retired for 20 years or more when the Fund becomes actuarially sound.

Guthrie stated that if these proposed changes go into effect, the earliest the COLA could go into effect would be sometime in the fall.

Committee votes are expected on this bills Monday. TSTA is prepared to work with the authors of those bills (Sen. Duncan & Rep. Caligari) to alter provisions of the bills that would place an undue burden on active teachers without providing any definite benefit for retirees. Please be on the lookout for updates and alerts during the final weeks of the session. You may be called upon to contact your Representative and Senator to let them know where you stand on these bills.

TSTA supports a benefit increase for retirees. The question is: what is the best way to get there? In testimony on these bills, TSTA stated that the bills should benefit more retirees, more active members should be grandfathered and additional options should be considered to achieve actuarial soundness.

For example, the state could show good faith by passing and funding HB1383, and increasing the state contribution significantly more than it will in the current state budget proposal. The state has the money to do that, but this legislation places an undue burden on active TRS members who, upon retirement, could actually be denied some of the money they have contributed to the system.

SBOE goes on record against vouchers

The State Board of Education on April 19 adopted a resolution rejecting all attempts to divert public dollars away from public schools: “RESOLVED, That the Texas State Board of Education calls on the Texas Legislature to reject all attempts to divert public dollars away from public schools in the form of vouchers, taxpayer savings grants, tax credits, or any other mechanisms that have the effect of reducing funding to public schools.”

Voting in favor: Allen (Houston), Cortez (Brownsville), Dominguez (El Paso), Hardy (Fort Worth), Melton (Waco), Knight (Dallas), Perez (San Antonio), Ratliff (Mount Pleasant), and Rowley (Amarillo)

Voting against: Bahorich (Houston), Bradley (Beaumont), Cargill (The Woodlands), Mercer (San Antonio), and Miller (Dallas)

TSTA applauds State Board of Education for anti-voucher stand

In a news release, the Texas State Teachers Association applauded the State Board of Education’s adoption of a resolution urging the Legislature to reject “all attempts” to divert tax dollars from public to private schools.

“TSTA is happy to welcome the State Board of Education to a long list of voucher opponents,” said TSTA President Rita Haecker. “TSTA also will continue its fight against diverting tax dollars from public schools to vouchers and voucher-like programs that would benefit private school operators while harming the vast majority of Texas school children.”

In its resolution, adopted today, the board called on the Legislature to “reject all attempts to divert public dollars away from public schools in the form of vouchers, taxpayer savings grants, tax credits, or any other mechanisms that have the effect of reducing funding to public schools.”
The full Senate may face a vote on vouchers next week.

Sen. Kirk Watson addresses SBOE

Sen. Kirk Watson addressed the board on two matters:
• the need to clarify the definition of an expert as SBOE looks at curricular revisions by developing a more rigorous definition than the one currently in rule; and
• the filing of legislation that would allow SBOE more time to review proposed revisions to TEKS and more time for public review as well.

How many TEKS could a teacher teach if a teacher could just teach?

That’s the question being put to the SBOE Committee on Instruction. Despite the interest this has generated, only six testifiers registered to give testimony – and they were unanimous in their assertion that there are just too many TEKS and the quantity has produced a curriculum a mile-wide and an inch deep. Students are expected to know a little about everything but not a lot about anything, which is counter to what is happening in high-performing nations.

At issue is the sheer number of TEKS. TEKS are not teacher objectives like the Essential Elements were but student outcomes. (For most, this is probably a semantic exercise.) Randy Willis, Superintendent of Granger, shared data that pretty much summed it up – high school teachers have an average 59 TEKS for students to master over the course of the school year, meaning that 2.3 days is allocated for students to master a specific standard. This is in an ideal world. When you factor in student absences, UIL, field trips, pep rallies, and other activities that pull students from the classroom it leaves (maybe) 1.2 days per year. There is no way to gauge the impact student mobility has on this as well.

It was recommended that the TEKS be revised and only include the readiness standards (those used to determine whether or not a student is ready for the next grade level) since 75% of the STAAR is based on these standards. This would afford more time instruction to provide deep learning and understanding for students. Another suggestion was to prioritize the TEKS – what is most important for students to know, i.e., the date of the Declaration of Independence was signed or the “why” it was signed.
The one conflict among the testifiers was on the concept of “rigor.” Education officials applauded TEKS for its rigor whereas parents who testified pointed out that the sheer number of TEKS actually narrowed the curriculum and minimized any rigor it may have.

Down CSCOPE?

The review process of CSCOPE appointed by SBOE Chair Cargill at the request of Sen. Patrick to take a hard look at CSCOPE has started. Chaired by SBOE member Marty Rowley (R-Amarillo), SBOE members appointed to the committee are: Pat Hardy (R-Fort Worth), Tom Maynard (R-Florence), and Mavis Knight (D-Dallas). Three members on the committee represent the Education Services Centers: John Bass (ESC 16-Amarillo), Clyde Steelman (ESC 11-Fort Worth), and Elizabeth Abernathy (ESC 7-Kilgore). The committee will be charged with establish 14 review panels consisting of nine to 12 people (educators, parents, etc.). The Texas Education Service Center Curriculum Collaborative (TESCCC) will pay the cost of the review process.

Tincy Miller (R-Dallas) was concerned about the impropriety of this whole process. Chief among her concerns were (1) the absence of a law authorizing the board to do this; (2) the conflict of interest relative to the whole process being paid by the very organization that is under scrutiny; and (3) the inclusion of ESC personnel, who created CSCOPE, on the Ad Hoc and Review panels.

Other SBOE members expressed concern about the “bullying” tactics Sen. Patrick used to get the TESCCC engaged, telling them that if they didn’t he would pass legislation to make sure they did – even though it “volunteered” to be a part of this process. Still others raised concerns about the effort to review a curriculum management program that impacts no more than 34% of the students in Texas (even though 831 school districts use it). SBOE member Ratliff expressed concern of school districts that do not use CSCOPE, such as Dallas, requesting that SBOE review their curriculum management systems as well. He believes that this process may open the door to something unwieldy.

The issue of transparency was the major contention in the consideration of a resolution about the CSCOPE review process. Board members were concerned that inserting the word “transparency” in the resolution may convey that similar processes (review of instructional materials/textbooks, etc.) are not transparent. Currently, only the names of members of TEKS review committees are published. Names of those on committees that review instructional materials/textbooks are available on request.

The major stumbling block in this is that there is no legislative statute or legal guidance on how to do this so they seem to be making it up as they go along.

Chair Cargill reminded everyone that it was her committee and she would make sure everything was done legally and with transparency – since it was her name on the report. This did little to soothe queasiness with the process.

The Graduate in Bizarro World

SBOE approved for first-reading and filing authorization the addition of math and science courses to satisfy the fourth credit in each of those content areas for the Recommended High School Program (RHSP) and the Distinguished Achievement Program (DAP). This is being done as the legislature is considering legislation that would change the high school graduation requirements altogether and eliminate the RHSP and DAP.

A total of seven courses are being considered and there was much discussion about the certification of the teachers teaching the courses. This is compounded by the Highly Qualified (HQ) requirements of NCLB (yes, they’re still around). Some of the courses could be taught by CTE teachers, who do not have to be highly qualified; however, if a student uses that class to meet a graduation requirement as a part of the 4X4 for the RHSP or DAP, then the teacher DOES have to meet the HQ standard.

Hardy also raised the issue (as she has before) of the need to move away from the “Generalist” certification to more content-specific certifications, especially as the TEKS become more and more rigorous (or not, depending on your thinking).

Between a rock and hard place

School districts are faced with having to renew/non-renew teacher contracts prior to the end of the legislative session. As it relates to high school teachers, they may find themselves with more teachers in the 4X4 content areas than they need if the legislature changes from the current graduation programs in place (MHSP, RHSP, and DAP) to the program proposed in HB 5. If fewer math courses are required for graduation, then a high school may need fewer math teachers but may need more CTE teachers if the graduation requirements include a career readiness component as well.

Where’s the problem?

SBOE engaged in a rhetorical debate re: legislation that would shift the authorization to grant charter applications to the Commissioner. While they applauded the expanded capacity the Commissioner would have to close low-performing charter schools, they questioned the wisdom of legislation that would not allow them, on a statewide level, to have the same authority that a local school board would have in granting a home-rule charter application. Commissioner Williams did assure SBOE members that it was his intent to keep the SBOE fully-engaged in the process to the extent he can pursuant to any legislation that is passed. The application process of charter schools is a concern as well with many applicants using vendors who “cut-n-paste” application responses from one application to another.

Action taken:
• Approved Proposed New 19 TAC Chapter 117, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Fine Arts, Subchapter D, Elementary, Subchapter E, Middle School, and Subchapter F, High School
(Second Reading and Final Adoption)
• Approved Proposed Amendments to 19 TAC Chapter 74, Curriculum Requirements, Subchapter F, Graduation Requirements, Beginning with School Year 2007-2008, and Subchapter G, Graduation Requirements, Beginning with School Year 2012-2013
(First Reading and Filing Authorization)
• Approved Proposed Revisions to 19 TAC Chapter 130, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Career and Technical Education, Subchapter A, Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, Subchapter H, Health Science, and Subchapter O, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
(First Reading and Filing Authorization)
• Approved Proposed New 19 TAC Chapter 111, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Mathematics, Subchapter C, High School, §111.46, Discrete Mathematics, Adopted 2013 (One-Half to One Credit)
(First Reading and Filing Authorization)
• Approved Proposed Revisions to 19 TAC Chapter 126, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Technology Applications, Subchapter C, High School
(First Reading and Filing Authorization)
• Approved Proclamation 2015 of the State Board of Education Advertising for Bids on Instructional Materials
• Approved Proposed Amendments to 19 TAC Chapter 115, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Health Education, Subchapter A, Elementary, §§115.2-115.7, and Subchapter B, Middle School, §115.22 and §115.23 (Second Reading and Final Adoption)
• Adopted the review of 19 TAC Chapter 101, Assessment, Subchapter A General Provisions, Subchapter B Implementation of Assessments, and Subchapter C Local Option
• Ratified the purchases and sales of the investment portfolio of the PSF for December 2012, January 2013, and February 2013
• Authorized the issuance of a RFQ to investment management services for real estate
• Authorized the issuance of an RFP for real estate consultant services for the PSF

TSTA: Ysleta teacher featured in TV spot

El Paso is the face of the emerging Texas, and Arisa Carr is helping prepare the emerging Texas for the future. As a first grade teacher at Pebble Hills Elementary School in Ysleta ISD, Carr plays a critical role in giving Hispanic children the strong foundation they will need to succeed in school and, in the not-too-distant future, receive the college education that was out of reach for many of their parents.
“I tell them that they can do it, as long as they try and work as hard as they can,” she said. “They are very interested, very excited.”

Carr became a teacher because she knows that education is essential to improving the lives of the next generation and assuring a strong future for the generations that will follow. That is why parents work tirelessly to make higher education possible for their children.

And, that is why Carr was happy to be featured in a Spanish-language TV spot now airing in the El Paso area. The ad, sponsored by the Texas State Teachers Association, emphasizes the partnership and hard work shared by parents and teachers and the eventual rewards for their children and students.

Many of Carr’s students would be the first in their families to graduate from college, and Carr enjoys working with their parents to prepare their children to reach that goal.

“It’s a joint effort. It does take work from the parents, as well as the teachers and the school,” she said. Carr, 31, moved to El Paso as a child, attended school in Ysleta ISD -- where she now teaches -- and graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso. She has been teaching for six years, helping to prepare her students for “life’s journeys.”

TSTA: Laredo teacher featured in TV spot

Laredo is the face of the emerging Texas, and Stacy Rogerio is helping prepare the emerging Texas for the future.As a second grade teacher at Don Jose Gallego Elementary School in Laredo ISD, Rogerio feels fortunate to be teaching in the same school she attended as a second-grader.

Now, she plays a critical role in giving Hispanic children the strong foundation they will need to succeed in school, and, in the not-too-distant future, receive the college education that was out of reach for many of their parents.

Their minds are just like sponges. You can make a big difference early in their lives," she said.

Rogerio chose to become a teacher because she knows that education is essential to improving the lives of the next generation and assuring a strong future for the generations that will follow. That is why parents work tirelessly to make higher education possible for their children.

And, that is why Rogerio was happy to be featured in a Spanish-language TV spot now airing in the Laredo area. The ad, sponsored by the Texas State Teachers Association, emphasizes the partnership and hard work shared by parents and teachers and the eventual rewards for their children and students.

Rogerio, 33, a native of Laredo and a graduate of Texas A&M International University in her hometown, makes it clear to her young students that higher education also can be within their grasp.

"I am happy to give back to my community and let my students see that you can be successful, even if you come from a poor family," she said. "I let them understand they can get to college. You have to believe in yourself and pursue your dreams. There’s no limit to what you can do."

April 17, 2013

SJR1 – demand Rainy Day funding to restore education cuts

SJR1 would ask Texas voters to approve $6 billion from the $12 billion Rainy Day Fund to establish water and road-building funds. Contact your senator with this message:

SJR1 should also use the Rainy Day Fund to restore public educations made in 2011.

Polls show that 66% of Texas voters believe the RDF should be used to fully restore the education cuts, twice as many as support using the Fund for water and roads.

The Senate version of SB1, the state budget bill, restored $1.5 billion of the cuts, $2.5 billion short of restoring the education formula cuts and $3.9 billion short of fully restoring all education cuts. Should the Senate fail to use the RDF for education while putting $6 billion into water and roads, the Senate’s priorities will be at odds with those of Texas voters.

The state has the money to provide adequate funding for our schools and the infrastructure needs addressed in SJR1. For too long, students and teachers have been asked to do more with less. Texas must do more to provide the resources needed to educate a growing student population.

To find your Senator, go this website, type in your name and address, and you will be given the Senator’s contact information: ttp://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/Home.aspx

Senate passes parent trigger bill

SB1263 passed today on a 26-5 vote. TSTA opposed the bill. We will oppose the bill in the House because of the following concerns.

None of the options available in response to a parent trigger petition – repurposing the campus, alternative management, or closure - has been consistently successful in improving school or student performance.

The parent trigger allows parents to voice discontent with a school, but it provides no way for them to choose the kind of positive reforms that might promote the best practices for parent involvement from the ground up.

Texas has a better option available in Sec. 12.052 of the Education Code, which allows a substantial majority of parents and teachers at a campus to develop a campus charter within the school district, an option that provides genuine parental involvement in a school-community partnership.

By contrast, the parent trigger process can pit parents against teachers and undermine home-school partnerships, which are critical to student success

SB1263 also creates a potential for abuse, disruption and divisiveness to school communities when “outside” interests provide support for petitioners in an attempt to get a campus converted and turned over to a private or charter contractor.

Bad bills could hit Senate floor soon

A number of major bills – many of which could have a harmful impact – could be considered on the Senate floor within the next week to 10 days, including virtual vouchers, A-F ratings, Achievement School District, tax credit scholarship voucher, and testing bills. Be on the lookout for Legislative Alerts on these bills and please contact your Senator about these bills and contact TSTA if you want more information on these bills.

SB1298 – Virtual Voucher/Vendor Bill – would open the door for private online learning companies to pop up, potentially costing teacher jobs as private companies enroll more students on line, outside the traditional classroom. Online learning has value, but it should not become a welcome wagon for profiteering.

SB1408 – A-F Accountability Ratings - SB1408 provides the Commissioner complete discretion to set the A-F school rating criteria without any guidelines set by the Legislature. A similar A-F regime is also provided in HB5 (the testing/accountability bill), but it links the ratings to curriculum and accountability criteria. Grading schools with an A-F designation could attach a stigma to schools that could benefit private school operators seeking to take over campuses.

SB23 – Tax Credit Voucher Scholarships – this is Senator Patrick’s voucher bill that we have described in detail before. We believe we have the votes to block this bill but please keep up the pressure.

SB1403 – Teacher Evaluation – this bill originally eliminated the salary schedule and could have mandated the use of test scores for a % of teacher evaluation. Those provisions were eliminated and weakened, but could be added back onto the bill by amendment.

SB1718 – (see more detailed description below) Senator West has modified his “Achievement School District” bill substantially to try to provide protections, but it still would set up a statewide school district, run by a superintendent appointed by the Commissioner, that would govern campuses deemed low-performing for two consecutive years.

SB218 – (see description below) the TEA Sunset bill is an all-encompassing bill that could be loaded up with any of the bills listed above, and more, by amendment.

Senate Education Committee approves testing/accountability bill

Yesterday, the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday approved a revised version of HB5, a bill already approved by the House to make significant changes in testing, curriculum and accountability. Committee Chairman Dan Patrick substituted the bill passed by the House with a committee substitute that includes portions of his own SB3 and SB1724. The revised HB5 would:
Reduce the number of end-of-course (EOC) exams for high school graduation from 15 to five, including English I and English II, Algebra I, biology and U.S. history. The House version of HB5 did not include an English I test but would divide English II into separate reading and writing exams.
Require high school juniors to take the ACT or SAT college entrance exam at state expense.
The committee also added amendments that would address the issues of tracking, diploma requirements, and comp ed funds used for remediation purposes.
Neither the committee substitute nor the amendments were immediately made available for analysis.

TSTA supported HB5, specifically provisions that would reduce the number of EOC tests, eliminate the requirement that EOC scores count toward 15 percent of course grades and eliminate the cumulative score requirement.

The Education Committee also approved:

SB218 by Sen. Patrick, the TEA sunset bill, would abolish the State Board for Educator Certification and move all responsibilities of the board to the Commissioner of Education with an appointed advisory committee. The bill also would give TEA broad and sweeping subpoena power in its investigations of certified personnel. TSTA opposed the bill because these proposed changes would remove teachers from their own governing board and would give TEA subpoena power that would be broader than what any other agency or court currently can exercise.

SB1718 by Sen. West, which would establish a statewide Achievement School District. The ASD would be overseen by a single superintendent, appointed by the Commissioner (with no accountability to local taxpayers). Hundreds of campuses could be transferred to the ASD, which could decide to turn them over to charter management, after the next academic ratings are released. The ASD could require any school rated academically unacceptable for two consecutive years to be transferred to its jurisdiction. Despite attempts to remedy this problem, the bill fails to allow for campus-based parent-teacher charters under Sec. 12.052 as currently established, leaving that decision up to the Commissioner instead of the local school board. Sen. West introduced a committee substitute that would prohibit private educational management organizations from managing any of the schools in the ASD and would require community consultation before the Commissioner could consider transferring a school to the ASD. However, employees and students of this district could lose a number of legal protections unless additional changes are made. Finally, the bill does not specify how a school may gain an acceptable level of performance and be released from the ASD.

The Senate Education Committee also approved the following bills:

SB1309 by Sen. Davis, dealing with assessment alternatives or accommodations for public school students in special education programs.

SB1557 by Sen. Lucio, relating to business participation in supporting early college high schools.

SB376 by Sen. Lucio, relating to breakfast for certain public school students.

SB1243 by Sen. Hegar, dealing with the issuance of interest-bearing time warrants and certain notes by school districts.

Marathon House Public Education Committee meeting report

During a 14 hour meeting that lasted until the early morning hours Wednesday, the House Public Education Committee heard about 20 bills, some favorable and some that are part of the “Texans for Education reform” privatization agenda.

The good…
HB3495 by Rep. Joe Moody of El Paso, is a TSTA-supported bill that would take steps to head off another test-driven cheating scandal (like the recent El Paso ISD scandal) by prohibiting a school district from offering any employee a financial incentive based on student performance on assessment tests, such as STAAR. To boost his paycheck with a $56,000 bonus, EPISD’s former superintendent manipulated the administration of standardized tests. He ended up in federal prison, and many students suffered disruption in their educations or dropped out as a result of his greed. EPISD now operates under the control of a board appointed by the state education commissioner, and TSTA – through the El Paso Teachers Association -- is supporting three candidates who are committed to teaching, not testing, in the May 11 school board elections.

The bad…
TSTA testified against HB2977 by Rep. Jason Villalba, which would require the education commissioner to link teacher evaluations – and pay – to student scores on standardized tests. TSTA supports meaningful teacher evaluations, which should be fair, include trained evaluators and be properly funded. The bill was left pending.

TSTA also opposed:

HB1926 by Rep. Ken King, which would expand the Virtual School Network to include non-profit, private or corporate providers and allow students to take an unlimited number of electronic courses with no district intervention. It was left pending.

HB3611 by Rep. Gary Elkins, which would lower the vote threshold for a district to become a home rule school district and remove certified teachers and Chapter 21 requirements from home rule provisions. It also was left pending.

TSTA supported the following bills, which the committee left pending:

HB462 by Rep. Dan Huberty, which would prohibit the commissioner from incorporating the results of student test scores when adopting or recommending a new appraisal process.

HB742 by Mark Strama, which would create a summer grant program for districts with high enrollments of educationally disadvantaged students. It would be limited to 10 school districts, focus on pre-K through eighth grade and provide additional compensation for teachers working during the summer.

HB1319 by Sylvester Turner, relating to cardiac assessments of participants in extracurricular athletic activities sponsored or sanctioned by the University Interscholastic League.

HB2607 by Dan Huberty, which would provide for telephone conference calls in grievance proceedings.

HB3809 by Marsha Farney, which would clarify the use of the term, "school counselor."

HCR68 by Marsha Farney, a resolution that would designate first full week of May as Texas Teacher Appreciation Week.

The committee also heard the following bills, and all were left pending:

HB296 by Eddie Rodriguez, which would require a school to provide a free breakfast to each student if more than 80 percent of the school’s students qualify for free or reduced-price breakfasts.

HB945 by Debbie Riddle, which would abolish the county board of education and office of county school superintendent in Harris County.

HB1122 by Eric Johnson, which would allow Dallas ISD to create a pilot program under which some students could obtain a high school diploma in three, instead of four, years.

HB1751 by Diane Patrick, which would change the Educator Excellence Awards Program to the Educator Excellence Innovation Program.

HB1899 by Craig Eiland, which would allow a school district that contracts for windstorm and hail insurance to receive an allotment equal to the required premium for the insurance, not to exceed an amount specified by commissioner rule.

HB2057 by Alma Allen, dealing with information provided to parents in disputes over individualized education programs for students with disabilities.

HB2450 by Richard Raymond, relating to school searches of students with parental consent and disciplinary measures that may arise from such searches.

HB2594 by Mark Strama, dealing with academic or fine arts competitions among high schools that take place on Sundays.

HB3776 by Jason Isaac, relating to payments made in lieu of ad valorem taxes.

HB3802 by Dwayne Bohac, dealing with parental requests for transfers from one campus to another.

HB3907 by Linda Harper-Brown, which would prohibit students who drop out of school, re-enroll and then drop out again from being counted in dropout and completion rates, regardless of how often they repeat the cycle.

The Committee also approved the following bills, which had been heard and left pending in previous meetings: HB343, HB1230, HB274, HB284, HB647, HB946, HB1831, HB2004, HB3573, HB2367, HB2610, and HB2824.

April 12, 2013

Van Roekel, Haecker challenge delegates to save local schools

National Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel and TSTA President Rita Haecker on Friday challenged leaders attending TSTA’s House of Delegates meeting in Houston to lead the way for educators to save their local public schools from privatization “reformers.”

Educators, Van Roekel pointed out, want public schools to “make a difference and make the lives of their students better.” But, he said, public school educators are under attack from privatization advocates who want to “de-professionalize” the education profession through high-stakes standardized testing and replace effective classroom experience with untried technology.

“I am sick and tired of people on the outside telling us what he ought to do,” he said.

Van Roekel cautioned that it wasn’t enough for educators to simply try to play defense against such intrusions.

“I want us to take charge of our profession,” he said, urging teachers to step up and take charge of the debate over what works and what doesn’t in the classroom.
He said teachers should no longer tolerate an educational system that was designed to graduate only about 70 percent of the students and should demand that administrators and policymakers fix the problem – and listen to teachers tell them how to do it.
The NEA president challenged educators to “have the courage to do whatever is necessary to change that system and deliver.”
“Don’t you ever shy away from the word, ‘power,’” he said.

Haecker reminded delegates that TSTA’s power starts “from the ground up” – in locals throughout the state. And, she added, the “compelling reason to organize is our students,” 5 million of whom walk into Texas classrooms every day.

She recounted TSTA’s campaign against the school budget cuts and urged delegates to continue the fight, demanding that the Legislature restore all of the $5.4 billion slashed from public schools two years ago.

Haecker warned that the opposition in Austin – the special interests that would rather privatize schools than adequately pay for them – was well-funded. But building on an effective organization – beginning at the campus level – TSTA will continue to make itself heard, she added.

To illustrate the fight – and TSTA’s determination to carry it through – Haecker donned a pair of boxing gloves and urged delegates, united, to punch their way to success – for public schools and public school students.

“There’s more power in we than there is in me,” she said.

School Bell Award winners

This year's winners of TSTA School Bell Awards were:

OUTSTANDING CONTINUOUS COVERAGE
Terrence Stutz, The Dallas Morning News
Marlisa Goldsmith, KRBC-TV

OUTSTANDING STORY COLLECTION
Zahira Torres, El Paso Times
Hayley Kappes, El Paso Times

OUTSTANDING EDITORIAL COLLECTION
Robert Moore, El Paso Times

OUTSTANDING POLITICAL CARTOONS
Nacho Garcia, Jr., El Paso Times

OUTSTANDING TELEVISION SERIES
Adrienne Alvarez, KTSM-TV

OUTSTANDING SINGLE PROGRAM
Erin Cargile, KXAN-TV
Bob Phillips, Texas Country Reporter
Mike Snyder, Texas Country Reporter
Dan Stricklin, Texas Country Reporter

OUTSTANDING FEATURE STORY
Morgan Smith, The Texas Tribune
Francisco Vara-Orta, San Antonio Express-News
Joe Gulick, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

OUTSTANDING COLUMN
O. Ricardo Pimentel, San Antonio Express-News
Patricia Kilday Hart, Houston Chronicle
Lisa Falkenberg, Houston Chronicle

Senate Finance okays Rainy Day for water, roads – not education

Thursday morning, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Tommy Williams laid out SJR1, a proposal to ask Texas voters to approve $6 billion of the $12 billion to start two funds, one to support water projects and the other to support roads and highways. Williams initially hinted that he might consider adding funds to restore education cuts in response to questioning from Senator Wendy Davis, and Senator Royce West offered an amendment that would have added $2.4 billion for public education, but he withdrew the amendment and the committee approved Williams’ proposal.

Williams also made a misleading claim that education was cut by only $800 million in 2011, although it official state documents cite the $5.4 billion cut in state funds. Williams’ proposal will need 21 votes to pass the Senate and 11 Senators could block the bill until education funding is included. Yesterday, TSTA issued a press release that cited our TSTA poll data that indicates Texas voters’ top priority for the Rainy Day Fund is using it to restore the 2011 education cuts.

Be on the lookout for Legislative Alerts, and call your senator now to demand that they include education funding before voting for the Rainy Day Fund proposal.

Senate approves charter expansion bill

The Senate approved a charter expansion bill, Senate Bill 2 by Sen. Patrick that now goes to the House. Although Patrick accepted enough amendments that “improved” some of the worst provisions of the bill and secured its passage, SB2 would raise the cap that allows no more than 215 open-enrollment charter schools and replace that with a rolling cap on charters as follows: the cap would increase by 10 in 2014-15; 15 in 2015-2017; 20 in 2017-20; 15 in 2020-21; and 10 per year thereafter.

Sen. Patrick claims the bill would make it easier to shut down bad charters, but that is unlikely, given that TEA does not have enough personnel to currently keep up with shutting down bad charters under the lower cap and there are no additional funds in the budget for TEA enforcement. Instead, the bill could end up inviting more bad charter operators to Texas. TEA General Counsel David Anderson said during a committee hearing on the bill that, under the current cap, 10 to 15 new charters are available each year to replace closed charters. The bill was amended by the committee to remove Patrick’s original unlimited cap, but the measure is still potentially harmful for Texas school children and taxpayers.
TSTA opposes SB2.

Senate Ed approves voucher bill, moves teacher evaluation to floor

The Senate Education Committee on Thursday approved two private voucher bills and a teacher appraisal bill, all opposed by TSTA.

• Senate Bill 23 by Senate Education Chairman Dan Patrick would give businesses tax credits for money they would contribute to scholarships to help a small number of students attend religious or other private schools. Supporters of the bill call them “tax credit scholarships,” but don’t be misled. They would take tax money that would be spent on public schools and divert it to private schools. An overwhelming House majority has already rejected vouchers, and we believe there are enough votes on the Senate floor to block its passage, but we need you to contact Senators to make sure the bill is defeated.
• The other voucher measure is Senate Bill 115 by Sen. Williams, which would spend tax dollars on private school vouchers for special education students. This also would take tax dollars from public schools, which is where most special education students will continue to be educated.
• The committee also approved an objectionable teacher appraisal bill, Senate Bill 1403 by Sen. Patrick, which could allow STAAR results to be used to evaluate a teacher’s performance. Sen. Patrick removed other language from the bill that would have deleted the minimum salary schedule. But the measure is still bad news for teachers.

The Education Committee also heard the TEA sunset bill, Senate Bill 218 by Sen. Patrick, which would abolish the State Board for Educator Certification and move all responsibilities of the Board to the Commissioner of Education with an appointed advisory committee. The bill would also give TEA broad and sweeping subpoena power to use in its investigations of certified personnel. TSTA opposed the bill on the basis that these proposed changes would remove teachers from their own governing board and that the broad subpoena power is something that no other agency or court currently has the authority to exercise. The bill was left pending.

The Education Committee also approved the following bills for consideration by the full Senate:

• Senate Bill 906 by Sen. Deuel, relating to developmentally appropriate assessment of special education students.
• Senate Bill 542 by Sen. Watson, relating to alternative dispute resolution methods for students with disabilities.
• Senate Bill 1658 by Sen. Paxton, relating to the effect of certain state aid on school districts required to take action to equalize wealth under the school finance system.

House approves two education bills

In other legislative action on Thursday, the House approved the following bills and sent them to the Senate for further consideration:
• HB 525 by Jimmie Don Aycock, which would direct TEA to collect data on military connected students through PEIMS. The data could not be used to determine performance ratings. TSTA supports this bill.
• HB 753 by Mike Villarreal, relating to supplemental education services. TSTA supports this bill.

April 11, 2013

TSTA: Most voters want to use Rainy Day money to restore school funding

Texas State Teachers Association President Rita Haecker today called on the Senate Finance Committee to use part of the Rainy Day Fund to complete the job of restoring all the $5.4 billion cut from public school budgets two years ago.

The Finance Committee is meeting today to consider SJR1, a constitutional amendment that would dip into the $12 billion Rainy Day Fund to pay for water and transportation projects.

“Texas’ water and transportation needs are important. But most Texans agree that nothing is more important than a first-class education for insuring Texas’ future prosperity,” Haecker said. “You cannot design, build and operate effective water systems and transportation networks without a well-educated workforce.”

That is why Texas voters, according to a bipartisan poll commissioned by TSTA this session, favored spending the Rainy Day Fund to restore the education cuts by a two-to-one margin over Rainy Day spending on water and roads.

Two-thirds of voters (66 percent) said the Rainy Day Fund should be used to restore all the public school funding. This includes 39 percent who chose education funding over roads (4 percent) and water (5 percent) plus 27 percent who would spend Rainy Day money on all three needs. Only 22 percent would save the entire Rainy Day balance for future needs.

The Senate has approved a budget that would restore only about one-fourth of the education cuts, and the House has approved a plan that would restore about half. There is enough money in the Rainy Day Fund to restore the remainder of the public school money and address other important needs, such as water and transportation, Haecker said.

TSTA also supports SJR63 by Sen. Wendy Davis, a constitutional amendment that would let voters endorse spending $4 billion from the Rainy Day Fund for public schools. The poll indicates the amendment, if put on the ballot this November, would win overwhelming voter approval.

April 10, 2013

SB 2: charter expansion awaits Senate floor action

TSTA and all Texas teacher organizations oppose Senate Bill 2 and we are working together to prevent it from being considered on the Senate floor. Contact your Senator to express your opposition to Senate Bill 2. A copy of the letter sent to Senators expressing our reasons for opposing SB2 can be found here: http://www.tsta.org/sites/default/files/SenateBill2.pdf

TSTA Strongly Opposes Voucher Proposals at Senate hearing

Despite the House’s overwhelming rejection of vouchers last week, on Tuesday, the Senate Education Committee Chair plowed ahead and his committee heard two private school vouchers bills – Senate Bills 23 and 1575. Both were strongly opposed by TSTA because it is bad public policy and just flat wrong to divert tax dollars from public schools – which is where the vast majority of Texas school children will continue to be educated -- to pay for unproven privatization schemes. It would be particularly wrong to do so following the $5.4 billion in education budget cuts two years ago, which the Legislature has not yet agreed to fully restore. Advocates of vouchers misleadingly call their bills “choice” legislation, when, in fact, they would offer no choice to most Texas children and their parents. The committee delayed action on both bills.

SB23 by Education Chairman Dan Patrick would allow businesses to receive tax credits for contributing up to 15% of their state tax bill, money that would otherwise go to public schools, toward scholarships for students to attend private and parochial schools. This plan would cost the state, and public education, $100 million per year. Make no mistake, these tax-credit scholarships would nothing but a new way to pay for private school vouchers.

SB1575 by Sen. Donna Campbell would establish a more direct voucher program. It would give a small number of parents direct grants of state aid that could be used to pay partial tuition at private schools. Sen. Campbell declared vouchers to be the “civil rights issue of our time,” when, in truth, they would steal money from public schools and public school students to enrich private school operators.

Education Committee Approves “Virtual Voucher” bill – contact your Senator NOW!

The Senate Education Committee, over TSTA’s objections, advanced another privatization scheme. It approved Senate Bill 1298 by Sen. Hegar, which would provide for a massive expansion of the Virtual School Network and online education courses. The bill would offer private vendors an immeasurable amount of public education dollars that would be siphoned from public schools, to the detriment of the traditional classroom. A committee substitute to the bill was adopted, but its language has still not been made available. TSTA opposed this bill, along with the Coalition for Public Schools. Please contact your Senator to express your opposition to SB1298 before it comes to the floor for a vote.

The committee also approved the following bills:

Senate Bill 709 by Sen. Lucio, which would allow lay advocates, rather than just attorneys, to represent parents in special education disputes with school districts.

Senate Bill 914 by Sen. Lucio, which would clarify that a behavior improvement plan for a student with a disability must be provided to a teacher as part of the student’s individualized education program.

Senate Bill 1556 by Sen. Seliger, relating to the establishment of the School Safety Advisory Council and School Safety Certification Program.

Senate Bill 1062 by Sen. West, relating to the transportation of a student entitled to a public education grant.

Senate Bill 1775 by Sen. West, relating to student eligibility to attend public school districts and charter schools, student transfers and the Public Education Grant Program.

TSTA Opposes Achievement School District Bill and the TEA Sunset Bill in House Public Education Committee

The House Public Education Committee met Tuesday to heard numerous bills, including two significant measures, the so-called Achievement School District Bill and the TEA Sunset Bill. TSTA testified against both bills, and both bills were left pending in committee.

The Achievement School District would be created by HB 1957 by Rep. Harold Dutton. The statewide district, which would be run by a superintendent appointed by the state education commissioner, would remove control of failing campuses from local, elected school boards and be run appointed officials, the commissioner and a superintendent he would appoint.

The statewide district would manage a failing campus for at least three years with a goal of improving performance to acceptable levels. TSTA testified that this arrangement could require teachers and parents to take their concerns about campus management to Austin, which, in the case of many schools, would be hundreds of miles away. We also questioned how failing schools would be administered day-to-day at the local level. Would they be managed by for-profit or non-profit operators? If for-profit operators were allowed to contract with TEA to manage troubled campuses, that would put Texas farther down the road to school privatization, which TSTA opposes. You can read TSTA’s written testimony, which also was submitted to the Committee at: http://www.tsta.org/sites/default/files/TSTAcommentsCSHB1957.pdf

HB 2983 by Dutton, the TEA Sunset Bill, would abolish the State Board for Educator Certification and move all responsibilities of the Board to the Commissioner of Education with an appointed advisory committee. The bill also would give TEA broad and sweeping subpoena power to use in its investigations of certified personnel. TSTA testified against both these provisions, pointing out that every other profession, even cosmetology, has a governing board that includes professionals from the industry. And sweeping subpoena power would be an over-reach of authority.

The Committee approved the following bills for consideration by the full House:

HB 101 by Kolkhorst, relating to the use of radio frequency identification technology to transmit information about public school students.

HB 202 by Stickland, which would allow extra unexcused absences for students to visit with parents or guardians who will be or have been deployed on military duty.

HB 343 by Marquez, which would require the filing of financial disclosure statements by trustees of an independent school district with the Texas Ethics Commission.

HB 628 by Dale, relating to the right of a school trustee to obtain information, documents, and records from the district.

HB 773 by Farney, which would require students at open-enrollment charter schools to recite the pledges of allegiance to the United States flag and the state flag.

HB 885 by Murphy, relating to the guarantee of refinanced open-enrollment charter school bonds by the Permanent School Fund.

HB 887 by Rep. Lucio, which would limit the number of full-contact practices that may be held by a high school or middle school football team.

HB 897 by Zerwas, relating to instruction in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of automated external defibrillators in secondary education curriculum.

HB 1231 by Giddings, relating to the application of the offenses of disrupting public school classes or transportation to persons younger than 12.

HB 1328 by Villarreal, relating to public school accountability for bilingual education, English as a Second Language and other special language programs.

HB 1952 by Senfronia Thompson, relating to professional development training for certain public school personnel on student disciplinary procedures.

HB 2137 by Fletcher, relating to eligibility for enrollment in school district summer school courses.

HB 2318 by Aycock, relating to public school educator preparation and alternative certification programs.

HB 2836 by Ratliff, relating to state assessment instruments administered in grades 3 through 8.

TSTA opposed the following bills heard by the committee and left pending:

HB 1415 by Rep. Matt Schaefer, which would allow districts to issue district teacher permits to people teaching career and technology education classes. Such permits wouldn’t require any TEA oversight.

HB 1568 by Rep. Drew Springer, which would financially penalize districts for offering benefits to same-sex partners.

TSTA supported the following bills, which were left pending:

HB 2824 by Rep. Bennett Ratliff, which would allow additional campuses to be added to the Texas High Performance Schools Consortium with TEA’s consent.

HB 274 by Rep. Carol Alvarado, which would require districts granted class size waivers to report the number of students added to each affected class and the resulting total number of students in each affected class.

HB 904 by Rep. Mary Gonzalez, which would require districts to report to TEA the number of students enrolled in each class of each grade level from K through 12 on Oct. 1 of each school year.

HB 921 by Rep. Roberto Alonzo, which would provide for a seal to be affixed on diplomas for students satisfying requirements for bilingualism and biliteracy.

HB 2004 by Rep. Mary Gonzalez, which would prohibit an unsatisfactory assessment for a student of limited English proficiency during the student’s first three years of enrollment in the U.S.

The following bills also were heard by the Committee and left pending:

HB 44 by Rep. Dan Flynn, would impose a temporary moratorium on administering student tests through Sept. 1, 2015.

HB 599 Rep. Jose Lozano, would require the commissioner to establish an educator recruitment and retention program through which districts could receive grants for stipends to recruit and retain successful classroom teachers and principals.

HB 1374 by Rep. Harold Dutton, which would allow home-schooled students to participate in UIL activities in the districts where they live.

HB 1525 by Rep. Matt Krause, which would allow use of school premises for religious purposes if they also are used by non-curricular organizations.

HB 2076 by Rep. Dan Flynn, which would allow school districts to assess students in grades 3 through 8 by an alternative system to STAAR, if the commissioner approves.

HB 2104 by Rep. Harold Dutton, which would allow a charter to be considered an open enrollment charter high school and assessed as a Dropout Prevention and Recovery Charter High School if certain conditions are met.

HB 2182 by Rep. Dan Flynn, would change the deadline for special education services from the 60th calendar day to the 60th school day.

HB 2542 by Rep. Roland Gutierrez, would direct TEA to study the cost benefits or efficiency of consolidating districts in Bexar County.

HB 2610 by Rep. Jim Pitts, dealing with the issuance of interest-bearing time warrants and certain notes by school districts.

HB 2662 by Marsha Farney, which would require the curriculum to include at least half a credit in personal financial literacy.

HB 2666 by Rep. Van Taylor, which would repeal the mandatory school start date and set the tax-free weekend for back-to-school clothes and supplies on the third Friday in August.

HB 3573 by Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock, would add certification for a health science technology education course.

A note of thanks

I want to take a moment to express my appreciation to Government Relations Specialists Portia Bosse and John Grey, who cover the House and Senate respectively for TSTA. They work long hours during session analyzing legislation, attending hearings and testifying on your behalf, and they do a great job. -- Ed Martin, TSTA Public Affairs Director

NEA: cuts to Social Security, healthcare in Obama budget ‘a disappointment’

President Barack Obama sent his annual budget plan to Capitol Hill today. The proposal would cut Medicare and other health programs by $400 billion, and lead to benefit cuts to Social Security by converting the current cost-of-living payments to a new inflation formula known as chained C.P.I.

“Right now the focus should be on protecting and increasing benefits for our seniors, not pulling the rug out from under them as seniors and families are working so hard to make ends meet,” said National Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel. “Social Security belongs to the people who have worked hard all their lives, contributed to the program, and relied on the promise that they and their family will be able to collect benefits that accurately reflect the cost of living when they retire.

“Any budget proposal must be balanced and fair by demanding more of the wealthiest and corporations while staying true to our nation’s commitment to seniors and those most in need,” said Van Roekel.

On education, President Obama’s budget proposal includes a new $75 billion investment to fund pre-school for all 4-year-olds from low- and moderate-income families. Research shows that investing in early education pays long-term dividends to families and communities.

“NEA members commend President Obama for his commitment to bring quality early childhood education to all children,” Van Roekel continued. “There are far too many kids without access to a full range of crucial programs like Head Start, pre–K, and full-day kindergarten that lead to long-term student success.”

The budget plan includes billions in mandatory funding for education jobs and would also retroactively replace the devastating across-the-board cuts triggered last month and the remaining years of the sequester, though some cuts to non-defense discretionary are still on the table.

NEA is pleased that the President’s budget again makes education a major priority, but yet again much of this funding relies on competitive grants that states have to apply for. “This is disappointing,” said Van Roekel, “because competitive grants leave too many students behind.”

NEA continues to advocate for more funding investments in major programs such as, Title I and IDEA that are so important to addressing inequities nationwide.

NEA at today's Rally for Citizenship

Congress is close to unveiling its immigration reform plan. NEA members, including NEA Vice President Lily Eskelsen, are in Washington today for the Rally for Citizenship. How can you participate?

watch the rally live at http://www.ustream.tv/seiu

sign the Education Votes petition to make immigration reform a reality at http://educationvotes.nea.org/2013/02/13/students-and-their-families-deserve-fair-immigration-reform-now

text DREAM to 90975 and demand that Congress pass common-sense immigration reform now

April 8, 2013

TRS bills heard in committee, left pending; TSTA raises concerns

The Senate Committee on State Affairs and the House Committee on Pensions met today to hear testimony on the TRS Omnibus bills, Senate Bill 1458 and House Bill 1884. Committee substitutes were offered for both bills, which would substantially alter retirement eligibility requirements and benefits. Notwithstanding these bills, the TRS defined benefit plan does appear to be secure at this time.

No action was taken on the bills today as TSTA, committee members and numerous witnesses from other educational organizations raised a number of concerns.

As the bills relate to active teachers, the bills would attempt to make the Trust Fund actuarially sound, while increasing the burden on active teacher.

The bills would raise the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62, while grandfathering in some, but not all, current members.

The retirement age change would essentially strip away benefits from many TSTA members who have earned them and are relying on them.

TRS members who would retire before 62 and would not be grandfathered in would have their annuity reduced by 5 percent per year.

ISDs that do not pay into Social Security to pay an additional 1 percent into the Trust Fund, which could affect a District’s ability to properly fund teacher salaries.

As the bills relate to retiree benefits, some retirees could see a COLA at some point in the future, but there is no guarantee when or if that would happen.
The bills propose a cost of living adjustment (COLA) to those retirees who have been retired for at least 20 years, but the COLA is not guaranteed and is capped at $100 per month. In order for TRS to implement a COLA, the Trust Fund would have to be actuarially sound after the disbursement of the COLA in order to allow the Fund to take on the liability of the COLA. TRS testified that these changes may not make the fund “actuarially sound” (under the current statutory definition) for at least six or seven years, a long time to wait for a potential benefit increase.

TSTA appeared and laid out the above-listed problems with the bill and asked the committees to: expand the retirement grandfathering clause to all current active members; expand the eligibility requirements of the COLA; and guarantee the COLA.

A number of controversial bills will be considered in House and Senate Committees tomorrow, including “tax credit scholarship” voucher bills, virtual schools legislation and a statewide “Achievement District” proposal.

April 5, 2013

Input needed: significant TRS changes considered Monday

On Monday, both the Senate State Affairs and House Pensions Committees will hold hearings on a Teacher Retirement System omnibus bill. Senator Duncan and Representative Callegari, the respective committee chairs, are expected to introduce committee substitutes proposing major changes to the TRS Trust Fund and health care plans. TSTA received a list of the proposed changes late yesterday. These changes are significant, and are being done to bring TRS closer to actuarial soundness and financial stability in the longterm. Please give us feedback on the proposed changes before the committees meet on Monday. Please read them carefully:

• Set the state’s contribution rate at 6.4% for 2014 and 6.7 for 2015
• Set the active member rate at a minimum of 6.4% or a percentage equal to the state rate, not to exceed 6.9%
• Beginning in 2015, require ISDs to pay 1% of the minimum salary on any TRS participating employee for whom the ISD does not contribute to Social Security
• Change the minimum retirement age to 62, grandfathering those who as of 8/31/14 will be 50 years old and have achieved the Rule of 70 or have 25 years of service
• Authorize a 3% COLA for those who have been retired for 20 years or more
• COLA only to be paid once the fund could support the additional liability and still have a funding period below 31 years
• Cap the monthly COLA payment at not more than $100
• For TRS-Care – Rule of 80 with a minimum age of 62 to qualify for TRS-Care II or III (grandfathering those who, as of 8/31/14, have achieved the Rule of 70 or 25 years of service)
• For TRS Active-Care – eliminate the requirement that TRS offer a plan substantially equal to the plan offered by ERS

Handgun training discussed in Senate Education

The Senate Education Committee on Thursday approved several bills, including SB 17 by Chairman Dan Patrick, which would provide crisis training for school employees who are authorized to carry concealed handguns on campus. Limited funding -- $1 million statewide – would be available for training to any public school, including charters, without its own police or security officers; Patrick said he believed schools would be able to raise additional money through community contributions.

The committee will meet on Tuesday to discuss several voucher and “tax credit scholarship” bills. Please be on the lookout for Legislative Alerts to call your senator should any of those bills reach the Senate floor.

TSTA: House budget shortchanges school children

Although the House approved a better public education budget than the Senate, the House version of Senate Bill 1 still would not come close to fully repairing the damage from last session’s education budget cuts.

“The House budget would restore less than half of the $5.4 billion — about $500 per year per student — cut from our public schools two years ago. That is an improvement over the Senate’s budget, but it still shortchanges Texas’ school children,” said Texas State Teachers Association President Rita Haecker.

“The Legislature must use all available funds, including part of the $12 billion Rainy Day Fund, to restore all of the school funding, and that can be done without raising anyone’s taxes. Most Texans expect their lawmakers to do the right thing, and that is to give our students and teachers the resources they need to succeed,” Haecker added.

Haecker applauded House members who voted 103-43 for an amendment by Rep. Abel Herrero, D-Robstown, to prohibit spending tax dollars on private school vouchers. That amendment was added to Senate Bill 1 with strong support from both Republicans and Democrats.

“Legislators need to fully fund our public schools, not divert tax dollars to unproven privatization schemes,” she said.

A recent bipartisan poll commissioned by TSTA showed that two-thirds of Texas voters believe that restoring the school funding cuts should be a top priority for using the Rainy Day Fund. The support was strong among Republicans, Democrats and independents.

The House budget would restore $2.5 billion — or 46 percent — of the education cuts. Appropriations Chairman Jim Pitts plans to add another $500 million in a supplemental appropriations bill, but that would still fall short of restoring school budgets. The Senate budget would restore only $1.5 billion — about 28 percent — of the cuts.

April 4, 2013

TSTA applauds House members who voted against vouchers

The Texas State Teachers Association applauds the members of the Texas House who stood up for public education by approving an amendment to Senate Bill 1, the House appropriations bill, to prohibit the diversion of tax dollars for private school vouchers. The amendment by Rep. Abel Herrero, D-Robstown, was adopted with more than 100 votes and strong support from both Democrats and Republicans.

“This amendment was particularly important since the budget doesn’t fully restore the $5.4 billion cut from public schools two years ago. Legislators need to fully fund our public schools, not divert tax dollars to unproven privatization schemes,” said TSTA President Rita Haecker.

Former TSTA leader dies

Yesterday, Connie DeLuna, former president of North East Teachers Association, died. She was a teacher in North East ISD for many years. "When I was a teacher in San Antonio many years ago, I remember her being very active in TSTA," staff person Susan Salinas said. "She was one of those leaders who spoke up for those who could not. As a new TSTA member attending meetings, I was impressed with her passion. Many years later, I was transferred to San Antonio as the new staff person. She was there to assist me with NETA and made the transition easier. At that time, Connie was retired and working as the office manger for NETA. She is the single person who kept NETA functioning. She assisted members with grievances, ran the office and made sure NETA was doing the right thing for members. She was respected and feared by NEISD administration and was the glue that kept NETA active.

"Those who knew Connie were keenly aware of her political bent: she was a yellow dog Democrat. She was active in every political race and had many political connections. She was active with the San Antonio Democratic Party and was at their office many a day. She worked every campaign and was respected."

Friday rosary, 7 p.m., Mission-Alamo Funeral Chapel, 624 N Alamo St, San Antonio 78215; Saturday mass, 11 a.m., St. Peter Prince of Apostle, 112 Marcia Pl, San Antonio 78209. The family has asked for donations to the San Antonio Catholic Charities in lieu of flowers.

April 3, 2013

State budget debate in Texas House tomorrow

On Thursday, the Texas House will debate its version of Senate Bill 1, a budget plan that would restore less than half (only 46%, or $2.5 billion) of the $5.4 billion cut from public schools two years ago. This is an improvement over the Senate plan, which restored only $1.5 billion (28%) of the cuts. It is important that you call your state representatives and urge them to vote to restore the entire $5.4 billion, either in Senate Bill 1 or in a Rainy Day Fund or supplemental budget bill to be debated later.

To contact your state representative, call 1-800-260-5444, and we will connect you. You can call anytime TODAY, TONIGHT OR TOMORROW. Leaving a voice message is just as good as talking to your representative or a staff member. Be sure to tell them you are a TSTA member, that you live and vote in their district, that the funding cuts have hurt the quality of education for your students and they must vote to restore ALL of the education cuts.

This will take only a few minutes of your time, and it will be time well spent. Your state representative needs to hear from you NOW!

Senate Education Committee Discusses School Ratings, Teacher Evaluation

In an appearance before the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday, Education Commissioner Michael Williams announced that he intended to change the current accountability rating system, switching to an A-F system from the current Exemplary to Academically Unacceptable system. The Commissioner announced that he would make the change beginning in 2014 -- without the approval of the Legislature.

TSTA Opposes Senator Patrick’s Anti-Teacher Bill

The committee also considered but left pending several major bills, including Chairman Dan Patrick’s SB1403, which would make major changes to teacher salaries and evaluations. TSTA testified against the measure.

SB1403 would:

Eliminate the minimum salary schedule and place the annual salary floor at $41,000, with no guarantee of step increases, and allow for salary reductions for teachers who make more than the minimum.
Require multiple measures for evaluations, but STAAR results would account for 25 to 50 percent of a teacher’s overall evaluation.
Seek to implement incentive pay for teachers, which would be tied to STAAR results.

In testimony against SB1403, TSTA focused on the bill’s provisions that would tie a proposed evaluation system to student performance on standardized tests and the elimination of the salary schedule.

The committee also heard testimony on and discussed other bills without taking action. Two bills require close attention.

SB1718 by Sen. West, which would establish the Achievement School District. The ASD would be overseen by a single superintendent, appointed by the Commissioner. The Commissioner would be able to require any school that has received an academically unacceptable rating for two consecutive years to be transferred to the jurisdiction of the ASD. Sen. West introduced a committee substitute that eliminated several objectionable portions of the bill. The substitute would prohibit private educational management organizations from managing any of the schools in the ASD. The substitute also would require community consultation before the Commissioner could consider transferring a school to the ASD, and it would protect the jobs of teachers who would be affected by a transfer of their school to the ASD.

TSTA testified and expressed several concerns with the bill. For one, the ASD could potentially have as many as 530 schools after the next academic ratings are released, and all of these schools would be overseen by one superintendent – an extremely ambitious and difficult undertaking. Also, the bill doesn’t say how a school could gain an acceptable level of performance and be released from the ASD. In short, this model poses a number of serious concerns.

Sen. West invited TSTA and other stakeholders to work with him on language that would address problems with the bill.

SB 1298 by Sen. Hegar, which would create a massive expansion of the Virtual School Network and online education courses. The bill would offer private vendors an immeasurable amount of public education dollars that would be siphoned from public schools -- to the detriment of the traditional classroom. TSTA and the Coalition for Public Schools opposed this bill. Be prepared for Legislative Alerts should this bill reach the Senate floor.

Other legislation considered included:

SB503 by Sen. West, which would establish the Expanded Learning Opportunities Council to study and make recommendations for expanded learning opportunities for public school students.

SB1062 by Sen. West, dealing with the transportation of a student entitled to a public education grant.

SB1406 by Sen. Patrick, dealing with the State Board of Education’s oversight of regional education service center services and student curriculum products.

SB1474 by Sen. Duncan, relating to the adoption of major curriculum initiatives by a school district.

SB1775 by Sen. West, dealing with student eligibility to attend public school districts and charter schools, student transfers and the Public Education Grant Program.

SB929 by Sen. Paxton, relating to equal opportunity access by home-schooled students to University Interscholastic League sponsored activities.

House Approves School Transfer Bill

The full House on Wednesday approved HB222 by Rep. Huberty, which would allow a student to transfer to another public school in the same or a different district if 50 percent or more of the students at the student’s current school fail to perform satisfactorily on state assessments for two consecutive years. Current law sets a failure requirement of two of the preceding three years.

House Public Education Committee Holds Marathon Tuesday-Wednesday Meeting

Meeting until the early morning hours on Wednesday, the House Public Education Committee heard about two dozen bills, including measures dealing with discipline, charters and sex education curriculum. All were left pending.

The bills were:

HB284 by Rep. Zedler would require a school district to maintain the transaction register for its checking accounts in a searchable electronic spreadsheet with check information on the district’s website.

HB308 by Rep. Bohac would allow for the use of the greetings -- Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Holidays -- for educational purposes in public schools. It also would allow for displays of winter celebrations to include religious symbols as long as more than one religion is displayed or one religion and at least one secular scene or symbol is displayed.

HB343 by Rep. Marquez would require school trustees to file financial statements required of other state officers with the local board of trustees and the Texas Ethics Commission. Failure to file would be a Class B misdemeanor. TSTA supported this bill.

HB344 by Marquez would require an exit interview questionnaire for a superintendent leaving a district and require TEA to conduct an exit audit upon receipt of the questionnaire. TEA also would be required to assess the condition of the district once the superintendent leaves and review any complaints made against the superintendent relating to equal opportunity for persons of all ethnic groups, women or persons with disabilities. TSTA supported this bill.

HB504 by Rep. Hernandez Luna would prohibits TEA, SBOE or any school district from requiring administration of a standardized criterion-referenced or norm-referenced assessment instrument, including an achievement test, to students in pre-kindergarten or kindergarten. TSTA supported this bill.

HB853 by Rep. Susan King would allow for a student with limited English proficiency to be granted an exemption from or postponement of a STAAR assessment for up to three years after initial enrollment in a school in the US. A student would be granted another two-year exemption if he or she was an unschooled asylee or refugee. TEA would be required to seek a waiver from the federal government, if necessary. TSTA supported this bill.

HB866 by Rep. Huberty would amend testing requirements for mathematics in grades three and five; reading in grades three, five and eight; writing in grades five and eight; social studies in grade eight; and science in grades five and eight. TEA would determine the minimum satisfactory adjusted score. Students not performing satisfactorily at those grade levels would have to be retested at the next grade level. The commissioner would have to seek a waiver from any conflict with federal law. TSTA supported this bill.

HB887 by Rep. Lucio would limit high school and middle school football teams to one full contact practice per week.

HB918 by Rep. Walle would require districts to report yearly to TEA all data describing the total number of citations issued to and arrests made of students for the preceding school year, organized by campus.

HB946 by Rep. Giddings would require districts to report annually to the commissioner information about each offense not involving the use of a weapon committed on school property by students younger than 12.

HB1057 by Rep. Leach would prohibit any person or entity that performs abortions from providing human sexuality or family planning instruction or instructional materials in public schools. TSTA opposed this bill.

HB1230 by Rep. Giddings would prohibit districts from assigning a teacher in grades K through 6 who does not hold the appropriate certificate for two consecutive school years. It would apply to grades 7 through 12 for courses tested in STAAR. TSTA supported this bill.

HB1231 by Rep. Giddings would exempt students younger than 12 from being charged with the offense of disrupting public school classes or transportation.

HB1501 by Rep. Raymond would require a minute of silence at public schools every year on Sept. 11.

HB1952 by Rep. Senfronia Thompson would require principals and other administrators overseeing student discipline to attend professional development training at least once every three years. TSTA supported this bill.

HB2040 by Rep. Giddings would prohibit districts from issuing citations against students younger than 17 for alleged criminal actions on school property. Districts instead would have to file complaints with a criminal court.

HB2318 by Chairman Aycock would require educator preparation programs to provide candidates for teacher certification with information concerning the following: (1) skills and responsibilities required of teachers; (2) expectations for student performance based on state standards; (3) the current supply of and demand for teachers in this state; (4) the importance of developing classroom management skills; and (5) the state's framework for appraisal of teachers and principals. The bill also would require periodic review of educator prep and alternative cert programs. TSTA supported this bill.

HB2367 by Rep. Alma Allen would give bus drivers the authority to discipline students on school buses.

HB2582 by Rep. Linda Harper-Brown would allow renewal of a charter upon expiration of a term unless the commissioner decides not to renew based on listed statutory guidelines. TSTA opposed this bill.

HB2694 by Rep. Mike Villarreal would require the commissioner to establish a state level program for students in public secondary education to receive credit by examination for any course required or offered by Texas public high schools.

HB2836 by Rep. Ratliff would require development of criterion referenced assessment instruments. TSTA supported this bill.

HB3319 by Rep. Crownover would expand the charter cap to 10 additional new charters each year. It also would allow for streamlining the expansion process for existing charters, allow out of state charters easier access to Texas and provide for a revocation process. TSTA opposed this bill.

HB3808 by Rep. Farney would require the commissioner to evaluate the student population when assigning a performance rating to a dropout recovery school or a campus or open-enrollment charter school that is a residential facility. TSTA supported this bill.

HB3810 by Rep. Farney would require all disciplinary actions resulting in the removal of student from any part of the regular school program to be reported to TEA.

Call your state representatives for full school funding!

On Thursday, the Texas House will debate its version of Senate Bill 1, a budget plan that would restore less than half of the $5.4 billion cut from public schools two years ago. It is important that you call your state representatives and urge them to vote to restore the entire $5.4 billion, either in Senate Bill 1 or in a Rainy Day Fund budget bill, which will be debated later. To contact your state representative, call 1-800-260-5444, and we will connect you.

You can call anytime TODAY, TONIGHT OR TOMORROW. Leaving a voice message is just as good as talking to your representative or a staff member. Be sure to tell them you are a TSTA member, that you live and vote in their district, that the funding cuts have hurt the quality of education for your students and they must vote to restore ALL of the education cuts.

This will take only a few minutes of your time, and it will be time well spent. Your state representative needs to hear from you NOW!

April 2, 2013

NEA in the news

NEA President Dennis Van Roekel will be on both CBS and NBC tonight, reacting to the NRA’s School Shield program. These interviews were taped earlier this afternoon; check your local listings for station information.

Watch NEA Vice President Lily Eskelsen LIVE today at 3 p.m. on CNN with Fredricka Whitfield. the topic is the NRA’s School Shield program. Also on the program is John Lott, author of More Guns, Less Crime. Check your local listings for station information; you can follow @NEAMedia and join the conversation by using handles and hashtags @FWhitfield @cnn #safeschools #kidsnotguns.

Lily will also appear tonight on MSNBC’s The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell to discuss the NRA’s School Shield program. She will be on live with NRA School Shield Program Chief Asa Hutchinson. Join the conversation by using handles and hashtags @lawrence @msnbc #safeschools #kidsnotguns.

Forget to set your DVR for DVR last night? NEA President Dennis Van Roekel was interviewed on PBS Newshour yesterday on vouchers and the use of public funds to pay for private schools. If you missed it, here’s the link: bit.ly/16sHfrh. Tweet using #vouchers #edchat and @newshour.

March 27, 2013

Senate confirms nomination of education commissioner

The Texas Senate today voted unanimously to formally confirm the nomination of Michael L. Williams as the state’s Commissioner of Education. Named to the position by Governor Rick Perry in September 2012, Commissioner Williams’ appointment required
Senate confirmation.

March 26, 2013

House passes House Bill 5

After over nine hours of debate, the House passed HB 5 -- the bill that changes testing, accountability, and curriculum requirements -- by a vote of 145-2. A number of amendments were adopted, but none that significantly altered the course of the bill that, before amendments were adopted, would:

reduce standardized testing to evaluate student performance by reducing the

number of end-of-course assessments from 15 to only five;

provide flexibility for students by creating one diploma that affords all students a variety of postsecondary opportunities;

allow students to earn an additional endorsement in one of four areas: STEM, Business and Industry, Public Services, and Arts and Humanities;

expand course options and eliminates the requirement that all students must pass Algebra II and ELA III to receive a high school diploma;

allow all high school graduates to be eligible for automatic admission to Texas public four-year universities because all student graduate under the same diploma;

allow students to meet their graduation assessment requirement by passing ELA II (reading and writing), Algebra I, biology and US History;

eliminates the mandatory requirement that the end-of-course assessments determine fifteen percent of a student's course grade and eliminates the cumulative score requirement;

encourage college readiness by allowing satisfactory performance on Advanced Placement exams, SAT exams and the ACT to satisfy graduation requirements;

evaluate schools on more measures than state standardized assessments by establishing a new three category rating system that evaluates schools on academic performance, financial performance and community and student engagement employing labels of A, B, C, D and F.

TSTA will provide a final, comprehensive summary of HB5 tomorrow after amendments that were adopted have been analyzed.

Senate Education Committee passes scaled back charter bill, other bills

After trying for weeks, a scaled back version of Senate Bill 2 by Sen. Patrick was passed to the Senate for floor consideration. As originally filed, a very “bad’ SB 2 would have:

allowed charter schools to lease or buy school district facilities that are unused or underutilized for $1;

established a new appointed Charter School Authorizing Authority to oversee the operation of charter schools, including granting, revoking, and supervising charter schools;

eliminated the 215 charter max for open-enrollment charter schools;

set the initial term of a charter for 5 years, with the renewal lasting 20 years;

entitled charter holders to an instructional facilities allotment for each student that could have been used to construct a facility; purchase, lease, construct, expand, or renovate facilities; pay related debt service; or maintain facilities;

provided for the automatic renewal of charters. After the first 5 years, the Authority would have been able to deny renewal based on: 1) unacceptable performance for 3 of 5 preceding years; or 2) lower than satisfactory financial accountability performance for 3 of 5 preceding years.

TSTA opposed SB2 as filed, and a majority of the committee was clearly not willing to vote for it, prompting Senator Patrick to make enough changes to get the bill out of committee.

The committee substitute Sen. Patrick laid out included the following amendments;

deleted the facilities funding portion of the bill;

changed the lease/buy provision to fair market value and gave charters the first right of refusal;

deleted the home-rule charter portion of the bill that would have eliminated state standards and opened the door to private operators;

deleted the language creating an appointed charter authorizing authority, leaving oversight with TEA and the SBOE;

adopted an amendment by Senator Duncan that kept a rolling cap on charter expansion that would cap new charters at 10 in 2014-15, 15 in 2015-2017, 20 in 2017-20, 15 in 2020-21, and 10 per year thereafter.

These amendments were adopted and rolled into a committee substitute which was passed out to the full Senate.

Parent Trigger Bill Left Pending

Another privatization bill in sheep’s clothing, Senate Bill 1263 by Sen. Taylor, was heard in the committee today. Under the guise of a “parent trigger,” this bill would allow parents to petition for repurposing, alternative management by a private contractor, or closure of a campus that is assigned an unacceptable performance rating for two consecutive school years. TSTA opposed this bill because Texas already has a version of a “parent trigger” law that provides a meaningful way to involve parents in repurposing a public school campus. By contrast, the provisions of SB1263 mirror those in other states that have been used by private interests to invest in organizing parents for schools that can later be taken over by private interests that are not even accountable to parents.

Other legislation was heard and passed to the Senate for consideration.

Senate Bill 119 by Sen. Rodriguez applies to El Paso only. The bill states that the commissioner shall require a school district to which this section applies to operate a special student recovery program if the superintendent or assistant superintendent of the district or a principal or assistant principal of a campus in the district is convicted of or receives a grant of deferred adjudication community supervision for certain offenses. The bill was passed to the full Senate and sent to the Local & Uncontested Calendar. TSTA supported this bill.

Senate Bill 122 by Sen. Rodriguez would give a district judge the authority to remove from office a member of the board of trustees of an independent school district. The bill was passed to the full Senate. TSTA supported this bill.

Senate Bill 123 by Sen. Rodriguez states that the commissioner may issue a subpoena to compel the attendance of a relevant witness or the production, for inspection or copying, of relevant evidence that is located in this state during an accreditation investigation. The bill also states that the commissioner shall authorize special accreditation investigations to be conducted in response to a complaint submitted to the agency with respect to alleged inaccurate data that is reported through the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) or through other reports required by state or federal law or rule or court order and that is used by the agency to make a determination relating to public school accountability, including accreditation. The bill was passed to the full Senate. TSTA supported this bill.

Senate Bill 124 by Sen. Rodriguez would create an offense for tampering with certain governmental records based on certain reporting (submitted through PEIMS) for school districts and open-enrollment charter schools. The bill was passed to the full Senate. TSTA supported this bill.

Senate Bill 1109 by Sen. Deuell would require the commissioner to suspend accountability performance ratings for the 2012-13 school year. The bill was passed to the full Senate and sent to the Local & Uncontested Calendar.

Senate Bill 1115 by Sen. Whitmire would require schools to report the ethnicity of a child being disciplined. The bill was passed to the full Senate and sent to the Local & Uncontested Calendar. TSTA supported this bill.

Senate Bill 1141 by Sen. Duncan would require the commissioner to establish an adult high school diploma and industry certification pilot program to enhance economic opportunities for eligible adults 19 to 50 years of age.

Senate Bill 1142 by Sen. Duncan would require the commissioner to establish an adult high school diploma and industry certification charter school pilot program as a strategy for meeting industry needs for a sufficiently trained workforce within the state. The bill was passed to the full Senate and sent to the Local & Uncontested Calendar.

Senate Bill 1365 by Sen. Duncan would allow students to receive credit by exam on certain instruments and allow them to bypass EOC instruments. The bill was passed to the full Senate.

Senate Bill 1404 by Sen. Patrick. SB 1404 deals with attendance at and completion of high school by students who are in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services. The bill was passed to the full Senate and sent to the Local & Uncontested Calendar.

Senate Bill 1538 by Sen. Van de Putte states that, in evaluating performance of a dropout recovery school or a campus or open-enrollment charter school that is a residential facility, the commissioner shall adjust the criteria on which performance is evaluated to appropriately evaluate the student population served by the dropout recovery school or residential facility, so as to not downgrade a school that does not fit into traditional public school parameters. The bill was passed to the full Senate.

Other legislation was considered and left pending

Senate Bill 542 by Sen. Watson would require TEA to provide information to parents regarding individualized education program facilitation as an alternative dispute resolution method that may be used to avoid a potential dispute between a school district and a parent of a student with a disability. The bill was left pending.

Senate Bill 816 by Sen. Hegar would require the report of an initial evaluation of a student for special education services to be completed by the 60th day of attendance, except for Pre-K students. The bill was left pending.

Senate Bill 929 by Sen. Paxton would require a public school that participates in an activity sponsored by the University Interscholastic League to provide a home-schooled student who resides in the school's attendance area with the opportunity to participate in the activity on behalf of the school in the same manner that the school provides the opportunity to participate to students enrolled in the school. The bill was left pending.

House Public Education Committee to Consider Charter Legislation Tonight

We will provide an update on the House Committee action along with an additional report on HB2 tomorrow.

Earlier today -- 8 a.m. report: House Bill 5 is up for a House vote today. TSTA is across the street at the Capitol this morning with flyers that say, "Vote for HB 5: Vote for teaching, not testing."

The content of the flyers:

HB 5 will:

scale back the number of end of course exams to five while maintaining rigor

provide a wider range of curriculum opportunities for students interested in STEM, fine arts, career tech, etc.

establish three performance indicators in addition to standardized testing

TSTA also encourages House members to consider supporting amendments that would:

improve reporting and parental notification

enhance remediation opportunities

strengthen requirements for using multiple measures for rating performance

replace the A-F letter grade rating labels

prohibit educator compensation based on test scores

extend these same accountability measures to all schools and students that receive or benefit from state funds

completely eliminate the 15% EOC requirement for course grade

Education requires more than learning to take a test...vote for HB 5

March 25, 2013

Help correct Social Security injustice

NEA is partnering with California Retired Teachers Association for a GPO-WEP lobbying day April 3. You can participate by sending an email urging your senators and representatives to repeal the GPO and WEP and by utilizing NEA's resources. http://educationvotes.nea.org/2013/03/20/support-retired-educators-lobby-congress-on-social-security-offsets-gpo-and-wep

March 21, 2013

Sen. Davis to hold two education town halls on April 6

Sen. Wendy Davis, a strong supporter of public education, is holding two town halls on Saturday, April 6 to hear your views on the state of public and higher education in Tarrant County and discuss current proposals in the Legislature. The first town hall is in Arlington at the Mac Bernd Professional Development Center (Arlington ISD), beginning at 9:30 a.m., and the second is in Fort Worth at Martin Hall on the campus of Texas Wesleyan University, beginning at 2 p.m.

House Appropriations Committee approves plans to restore $3 billion of education funding cuts

The House Appropriations Committee approved its version of the new 2014-15 state budget today, by voting on two bills that would restore $3 billion of the $5.4 billion cut from public schools two years ago. That would be twice the amount that the Senate voted to restore in its version of the budget approved on Wednesday.

The full House is expected to debate the budget, SB1, on April 4.

The House version of SB1 would restore $2.5 billion of the money cut in 2011. In addition to the $1.5 billion the Senate approved yesterday, the committee added another $1 billion in an amendment offered by Chairman Pitts. The committee also approved an additional $500 million for public schools in a separate, supplemental appropriations bill that would cover needs in the current fiscal biennium.

TSTA considers the House committee version of SB1 a significant improvement over the Senate-passed budget, and we will continue working to secure full restoration of the education funds cut in 2011.

The House version of SB1 also would increase the state contribution rate for TRS to 6.6 percent.

Chairman Patrick changes, delays vote on charter expansion bill

Also today, Senate Education Chairman Dan Patrick postponed a committee vote on his SB2, which would lift the cap on the number of charter schools in Texas. Patrick said he would take a vote during next Tuesday’s committee meeting and laid out a committee substitute designed to overcome continuing opposition to the bill.

Patrick’s committee substitute would delete a provision in the original bill that would:

replace a provision to require school districts to let charters buy or lease their unused facilities for $1 a year and establish instead a lease/buy provision at fair market value with charters having the first right of refusal;

institute a “rolling cap” for the number charters;

provide that three members of a new seven-member Charter School Authorizing Authority be members of the State Board of Education; and

change the term of charter renewal from 20 years to 10 years and make closure of a charter mandatory after three years of poor performance.

Patrick also laid out an amendment that he said would keep historically bad charter operators from opening schools.

In other action, the Senate Education Committee approved:

SB547 by Sen. Hancock, which would provide immunity to open-enrollment charter schools in the same manner as ISDs and would classify open-enrollment charters as governmental units under the Civil Practices & Remedies Code. The bill also would allow charter schools to pool for insurance purposes.

SB832 by Sen. Davis, which would require each school district to appoint at least one employee to act as liaison officer to facilitate the enrollment or transfer of a child in the conservatorship of the state. The bill also would require TEA to maintain a list of district liaisons and provide training. The bill was sent to the Local & Uncontested Calendar.

SB833 by Sen. Davis, which would require TEA to aggregate data on students in foster care in the PEIMS system. This bill also was recommended for the Local & Uncontested Calendar.

The Committee also heard SB1538 by Sen. Van de Putte, dealing with the performance evaluation of a dropout recovery school or a campus or open-enrollment charter school that is a residential facility. In such cases, the commissioner would be required to adjust the criteria on which performance is evaluated to appropriately evaluate the student population, so as to not downgrade a school that does not fit into traditional public school parameters. This bill was left pending.

March 20, 2013

Senate budget adopted, senators file Rainy Day Fund amendment

Today, the full Senate approved Senate Bill 1, a budget plan that would restore only about one-fourth of the $5.4 billion cut from public schools two years ago. The 2011 cuts reduced funding by $1,062 per pupil, dropping Texas to 49th in the country in what we spend for each child the state educates. SB1 would increase funding by only $1.5 billion, which would cause a per pupil increase of only $4 to $200 per pupil, depending on how funding formulas distribute funds among local school districts.

Senator Wendy Davis did an excellent job in pointing out the deficiencies proposed education funding in Senate Bill 1, pointing out very clearly the Senate’s failure to use a variety of available resources to fully restore education funding. You can watch video of Senator Davis’ comments by going to: http://www.senate.state.tx.us/avarchive/ and going to the March 20 Senate Session. Senator Davis’ questions and remarks begin at the 3:28 and 3:44 marks of the video.

The bill was passed by a 29-2 vote, with Senator Davis and Senator Sylvia Garcia voting no. Several other Senators voted for the budget for other reasons but spoke of the need to restore additional public education funding before the session ends, either by using the Rainy Day Fund or changes in the budget as the process moves to the House and Conference Committee.

Thanks to all who called their Senator’s office. As we move forward, TSTA locals will be encouraged to contact your legislators and work with TSTA Public Affairs to develop local press stories and events that illustrate in real terms the harm the cuts have done and the need to restore funding. Be on the lookout for more Legislative Alerts as more critical issues are considered in the House and Senate.

TSTA President Rita Haecker released the following statement regarding the Senate Budget

Texas State Teachers Association President Rita Haecker said today that she hopes the House does a better job than the Senate in addressing the needs of Texas public schools, educators and students. “Our state senators should not be congratulating themselves for neglecting the school children of Texas. The budget plan they approved doesn’t come close to restoring the $1,062 that the Legislature cut from each student two years ago,” Haecker said.

“Legislators must use all available funds, including the $12 billion Rainy Day Fund, to finish repairing the damage inflicted on the schools in 2011. This money belongs to the taxpayers, and most taxpayers expect lawmakers to spend part of it on their local public schools. There is enough money in the Rainy Day Fund to restore all the education cuts and meet other important state needs without raising another dime from Texas taxpayers,” Haecker added.

A recent bipartisan poll commissioned by TSTA showed that two-thirds of Texas voters believe that restoring the school funding cuts should be a top priority for using the Rainy Day Fund. The support was strong among Republicans, Democrats and independents.

The Senate budget plan would restore only $1.5 billion, about one-fourth, of the $5.4 billion slashed from public school budgets two years ago.

Senators file SJR 63, a constitutional amendment to Let Texans Vote to use the Rainy Day Fund to restore education cuts

Today, Senator Wendy Davis, along with Senators John Whitmire, Rodney Ellis, Eddie Lucio, Royce West, Jose Rodriguez, and Sylvia Garcia, filed a proposed constitutional amendment, which if passed and approved by the voters, would return $4 billion to their school districts over the next two years from an estimated $12 billion in the Rainy Day Fund.

"The people of Texas have borne the cost of $5.4 billion in budget cuts to their schools. And, the Rainy Day Fund belongs to the people," said Davis. "They have the right decide if they want to use a portion of the estimated $12 billion in the Fund to hire teachers, acquire technology or lower their property taxes."

SJR 63 would make a one-time appropriation to school districts to help them to restore part of the $5.4 billion in budget cuts made by the state in the last session. If approved by two-thirds of the Legislature and passed by voters, the proposal would send $4 billion to the Foundation School Program, the amount cut from the FSP in 2011. The funding would flow to districts by increasing the basic allotment -- the amount districts receive per student -- by approximately $400 for each student for both 2014 and 2015. School boards could then decide to use the money to provide property tax relief, hire teachers, reduce class sizes, repair facilities, acquire technology or high-speed Internet service, or provide school security systems.

March 18, 2013

Senate to Debate SB1, State Budget Bill, Tomorrow

As you probably know from our Legislative Alert and phone campaign, tomorrow (Wednesday, March 19), the full Senate will debate Senate Bill 1, a budget plan that would restore only about one-fourth of the $5.4 billion cut from public schools two years ago. Please call your state senator and ask your senator to vote to restore the entire $5.4 billion, either in Senate Bill 1 or another budget bill (that would use the Rainy Day Fund for roads and water) that will be debated in the future. Your state senator needs to hear from you NOW!

Senate Education Committee Approves Testing/Assessment Bill, Leaves Charter and Gun Training Bills Pending

Testing
Today, the Senate Education Committee approved a committee substitute for Senate Bill 1724 by Chairman Dan Patrick to overhaul the assessment system. The measure now goes to the full Senate. Among other things, the bill would: reduce the number of end-of-course (EOC) exams from 15 to seven. EOCs would remain for ELA I, ELA II, Biology, U.S. History, and Algebra and each would have a reading and writing component; per an amendment by Senator West, the bill would prioritize using comp education funds for remediation of students who failed an EOC assessment.

Charters
The committee did not consider a substitute for Chairman Patrick’s SB2, which, as originally filed, would have lifted the cap on the number of charter schools and set up a new state authority to regulate charter schools. Senator Patrick is reportedly trying to develop a more limited bill that could gain committee approval.

Gun Training for Educational Employees
The committee discussed but left pending Chairman Patrick’s SB17, which would require the Department of Public Safety to establish and maintain a training program for school employees who hold licenses to carry concealed handguns and are designated by their school boards for the training on school safety and the protection of students. The bill would require DPS to provide the training program at no charge for two employees at school campuses that do not have security personnel or a commissioned peace officer assigned full-time to the campus. Sen. Patrick introduced a committee substitute that would address liability issues and provide that no educator can be forced to take the training. Sen. Lucio sent up an amendment that would allow for gifts, grants, and donations to be used in the implementation of the bill.

The committee also approved and recommended the following bills for the Local & Uncontested Calendar:

Senate Bill 65 by Sen. Nelson, which would require the commissioner to establish a healthy schools recognition program under which schools are recognized for successfully implementing programs that encourage student health and fitness.

Senate Bill 453 by Sen. Deuell, which would deal with charter school tuition payments for foreign students who are in Texas legally but don’t have foreign exchange student visas.

Senate Bill 435 by Sen. Duncan, which would make it clear that a school district is not required to pay a student's tuition or other associated costs for taking a college credit course.

Senate Bill 684 by Sen. Deuell, which would make the physical fitness assessment mandatory but reduce the number of grades in which the assessment may be administered.

Also discussed by the Senate committee and left pending were:

Senate Bill 832 by Sen. Davis, which would require each school district to appoint at least one employee to act as liaison officer to facilitate enrollment or transfer of a child in the conservatorship of the state. The bill would also require TEA to maintain a list of district liaisons and provide training.

Senate Bill 833 by Sen. Davis, which would require TEA to aggregate data on students in foster care in the PEIMS system.

House Public Education Committee Approves Bills on Continuing Education, High School Equivalency Exams

Today, the House Public Education Committee approved the following bills:

HB234 by Rep. Guillen, which would allow a district to apply to TEA for an optional flexible school day for students for any campus that would benefit from the program.

HB642 by Rep. Diane Patrick, which would require that 25 percent of training for educator continuing education include instruction regarding collecting and analyzing information that will improve effectiveness in the classroom; recognizing early warning indicators that a student may be at risk of dropping out of school; integrating technology in the classroom instruction; education diverse student populations; and increasing knowledge of the subject area taught by the educator.

HB 2058 by Rep. Alma Allen, which would require SBOE to develop and deliver high school equivalency examinations and provide for the administration of the examinations online for persons in custody of a public agency.

The House committee also heard the following bills without taking action:

HB 101 by Rep. Lois Kolkhorst, which would prohibit the mandatory use of wireless identification system devices by school districts to track students but would allow for voluntary use if authorized by a school board and approved by a parent or guardian. Such a device couldn’t be used to penalize students.

HB 202 by Rep. Jonathan Stickland, which would allow a student to be excused for a maximum of ten days if the parent or legal guardian is an active duty member of the armed services, is on leave, or returning from continuous deployment of at least six months. TSTA supports this bill.

HB 590 by Rep. Elliott Naishtat, which would require a student’s evaluation for a special education program for the visually impaired to: (1) include an orientation and mobility evaluation conducted: (A) by a person who is appropriately certified as an orientation and mobility specialist, as determined under commissioner rule; and (B) in a variety of lighting conditions and in a variety of settings, including in the student's home, school, and community and in settings unfamiliar to the student; and (2) provide for a person who is appropriately certified as an orientation and mobility specialist to participate, as part of a multidisciplinary team, in evaluating data on which the determination of the child's eligibility is based. TSTA supported this bill.

HB 628 by Rep. Tony Dale, would give a school board member an inherent right of access to school documents and records without having to submit a public information request.

HB 897 by Rep. John Zerwas, which would require SBOE to include instruction in cardiopulmonary resuscitation for students in grades 7 through 12 at least once before graduation.

HB 1156 by Rep. Dennis Bonnen, which would repeal the law requiring school districts to assess the physical fitness of a student.

HB 1328 by Rep. Mike Villarreal, which would improve the evaluation of programs that affect students of limited English efficiency. TSTA supports this bill.

HB 2016 by Rep. Jim Keffer, which would prohibit petitions requesting detachment and annexation of school districts without the consent of the majority of the trustees in each district under the consolidating agreement.

House Pensions Committee Hears Bill to Increase State Contribution to TRS Retirement Fund

Yesterday, the House Pensions Committee heard testimony on HB 1383, by Rep. Jim Keffer and numerous co-authors. The bill, which was left pending, would amend the Government Code to require the state to contribute between 6 and 10% of the aggregate annual compensation of all members of the Teacher Retirement System of TX (TRS) during each fiscal year. The bill would require a state contribution rate of 6.9% of total compensation in fiscal year 2014 and 7.4% of total compensation in fiscal year 2015.

TSTA registered in support of HB1383.

Chairman Callegari commented that the appropriations committee would ultimately decide on the bill's content. The bill would require an appropriation of about $375 million from the state budget. Any increase in the state contribution would likely be accompanied by a similar increase in employee contributions. Given the fact that investments alone are not likely to improve the secure the statutory definition of “actuarial soundness,” the state will not provide increased benefits for retirees without taking steps like HB1383.

March 18, 2013

Call your state senators for full school funding!

On Wednesday, the full Senate is expected to debate Senate Bill 1, a budget plan that would restore only about one-fourth of the $5.4 billion cut from public schools two years ago. It is important that you call your state senators and tell them to vote to restore the entire $5.4 billion, either in Senate Bill 1 or in a Rainy Day Fund budget bill, which will be debated later. If you don’t know who your state senator is and you are a TSTA member, call 1-800-260-5444, and we will connect you.

You can call anytime TODAY, TONIGHT OR TOMORROW. Leaving a voice message is just as good as talking to your senator or a staff member. Be sure to tell them you are a TSTA member, that you live and vote in their district, that the funding cuts have hurt the quality of education for your students and they must vote to restore ALL of the education cuts.

This will take only a few minutes of your time, and it will be time well spent. Your state senator needs to hear from you NOW!

March 15, 2013

House Appropriations Committee budget restores only 27%

Correction: House Appropriations Committee budget restores only 27% - or $1.5 Billion - of the $5.4 billion cut from education in 2011.

Yesterday, we reported that the House Appropriations Committee’s proposed House Bill 1 provided funding for enrollment growth but did not provide additional funding for public education. However, a rider was added that does add an additional $1.5 billion, which is only 27.7% of the $5.4 billion cut in 2011.

Earlier this week, the Senate Finance Committee also added $1.5 billion to Senate Bill 1, the proposed budget bill that will be debated Wednesday on the Senate floor. The two proposals differ slightly. The House committee put the entire $1.5 into formula funding that goes to local districts through the Foundation School program. The Senate used $125 million of that funding for a variety of grant programs administered through TEA.
House leaders are still discussing the possibility of adding additional education funding as the process moves forward, but there is no certainty that will happen. In order to add additional funding needed to fully restore the cuts would have to vote to use funds from the $12 billion or vote to suspend the state spending cap, which prevents the legislature from spending all available funds when revenue is growing.

Be on the lookout for a legislative alert Monday and let your legislators hear from you
When legislators hear from voters back home, in your own words, it really makes difference. The Senate is expected to vote on the budget next Wednesday and we will be emailing and calling all members to provide you the opportunity to contact your Senator toll-free via a pass through call. It’s time to let your Senator know that Texans want them to restore education funding that was cut in 2011 – all of it! Whether they do it in Senate Bill 1 or by tapping the Rainy Day Fund, restoring funding for our children’s school cannot wait.

March 14, 2013

Issues that Impact Local Organizing, School Board Elections

Elections have consequences, and not all of them are bad. Last year, you helped TSTA elect new legislators and return some who had lost in 2010. Now, those winning candidates that we supported are filing bills that directly address key organizing issues that impact our members. And these same issues could and should become issues used to screen candidates in locals with school board elections this May.

In addition to our efforts to restore funding cuts, scrap high stakes testing and stop vouchers, here’s a menu of bills that address issues local leaders and organizing staff can use on the ground this spring. To read the text of these bills go to the following link and type in the bill number in the “Search Legislation” box: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/

HB1154, by Rep. Mary Gonzalez, would provide due process protections for ESP’s.

HB2456, by Rep. Justin Rodriguez, would reinstate the 45 day notice provision before a “RIF.”

HB3495, by Rep. Joe Moody, would prohibit a district from basing compensation on results from as assessment instrument like the STAAR test.

HB2457, by Rep. Justin Rodriguez, would establish a petition process to allow a district to withdraw from TRS Care

HB3328, by Rep. Abel Herrero, would establish a process for a district to withdraw from TRS Care after 5 years (both this bill and HB2457 would provide a vehicle for other matters concerning withdrawal from TRS Care)

HB904, by Rep. Mary Gonzalez, would require districts to report class sizes for all grades in their PEIMS report

HB1852, by Rep. Joe Moody, would require class sizes to be reported to parents on report cards.

HB925, by Rep. Joe Moody, would increase penalties for “impairing” PEIMS data (cheating on test score results).

HB2455, by Rep. Justin Rodriguez, would require charter teachers to meet the same standards as other public school teachers.

House Appropriations Committee Approves Proposed State Budget, HB1
Today, the House Appropriations Committee voted out their version of the proposed budget, House Bill 1. The bill includes funding for public school enrollment growth, but it does not include additional funds for public education at this time. Yesterday, the Senate approved a bill that added an additional, but still inadequate, $1.5 billion for public education.

House leaders have indicated they will add additional education funding as the process moves forward, but have yet to set am amount. Today, committee Vice Chair Rep. Sylvester Turner of Houston made an impassioned argument for additional education funding, which could still be added to HB1, SB1 (the Senate bill that will be the budget vehicle this session), or to a proposal to spend rainy Day Fund revenue for water projects.
Let your legislators hear from you

When legislators hear from voters back home, in your own words, it really makes difference. Please keep contacting your legislators and urging them to restore the education cuts, scale back high stakes testing, oppose private school vouchers or “tax credit scholarships” and protect the teacher retirement fund. To find out who your legislators (state senator and state representative) are and get their contact information, go to this link and type in your address: http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/Home.aspx

March 13, 2013

Senate Finance Approves Budget Proposal

SB1 adds only $1.5 Billion for public education plus funds for enrollment growth
Today, the Senate Finance Committee voted unanimously for a proposed 2014-2015 state budget that would fund enrollment growth for the next two years and add an additional $1.5 billion to public education funding. That $1.5 billion is a far cry from the $5.4 billion cut in 2011. The additional $1.5 billion includes:

• $1.375 billion for to be distributed to districts via FSP formula funding;
• a mere $40 million for pre-K and $14 million for Student Success Initiative;
• $52 million for the instructional facilities allotment;
• $34 million foe Career Tech in Middle Grades;
• $22 million for Early College High School and T-STEM; and
• $2 million for Teach for America.

SB1 will be debated in the Senate next Wednesday. Be on the lookout for alerts and calls to encourage Senators to fully restore the cuts made in 2011.

The budget does not address allocating funds to restore the cuts by using the $12 billion Rainy Day Fund. However, that will be discussed during debate on a bill to use part of the Rainy Day Fund for water projects. Using the Rainy Day Fund requires a 2/3 vote, and a number of Senators want to use that fund for public education.

Remember, a sizeable majority of Texas voters support using some of the Rainy Day Fund balance to restore the $5.4 billion cut from the public education budget two years ago, and the support is strong across party lines. In our recent TSTA poll, some 79 percent said of Texas voters support using the Fund to restore the cuts, including 93 percent of Democrats, 76 percent of independents and 61 percent of Republican primary voters.

March 12, 2013

Testing and Accountability Take Center Stage

Today, the House Public Education Committee on approved a committee substitute for HB 5 by Committee Chairman Jimmie Don Aycock to overhaul the school accountability system. The key elements of HB5 include:

would reduce the number of end of course exams from 15 to 5 and eliminate the requirement that EOC’s would account for 15% of GPA;

would add an additional science requirement for the foundation diploma, reduce electives from eight to seven, add a fifth endorsement of multidisciplinary study and maintain 4 by 4 requirements minus one science credit;

would require the education commissioner to adopt three “non-test” indicators in addition to STAAR for the new school rating system.

The bill now is eligible for debate by the full House.

The Senate Committee on Education engaged in a long discussion about Senate Bill 1724, Chairman Dan Patrick’s bill on diplomas and testing. Sen. Patrick offered a committee substitute that deleted the portion of the bill dealing with diplomas. The Committee Substitute was adopted. As substituted, SB 1724 would:

cut the number of end-of-course exams from 15 to 5:

one of those tests (ELA I) would be diagnostic only;

passing the remaining four (ELA II, ALG I, Biology, and U.S. History) would be necessary to receive a high school diploma.

The bill received much discussion, with Committee members having vastly different opinions on the bill’s details, and it was left pending. Senator Patrick stated that the Committee would next meet next Tuesday with the intent of approving SB 1724 and a number of charter school bills.

In other House Committee Action, the following bills were approved for House debate:

HB 210 by Rep. Marisa Marquez would allow the education commissioner to issue a subpoena to compel the attendance of a relevant witness or the production, for inspection or copying, of relevant evidence during an accreditation investigation. The bill also would authorize the commissioner to conduct special accreditation investigations in response to complaints about alleged inaccurate data reported through the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) or through other reports required by state or federal law that are used by the agency to make a determination relating to public school accountability, including accreditation.

HB 222 by Rep. Dan Huberty would allow a student to get a public education grant if the student is at a campus with an unacceptable performance rating in either of the preceding two years.

HB 234 by Ryan Guillen would allow a district to apply to TEA for an optional flexible school day if a campus would benefit from the program.

HB 455 by Dawnna Dukes would allow for a student to be absent for appointments with health care professionals for the student or the student's child.

HB 525 by Jimmie Don Aycock would direct TEA to collect data each year from school districts and charters through PEIMS relating to the enrollment of military connected stuents. The data could not be used for purposes of determining performance ratings.

HB 551 by Philip Cortez relates to the payment of tuition for public high school students who participate in college credit programs.

HB 580 by Donna Howard would allow funds to be used for providing child care services or assistance with child care for students at risk of dropping out of school or to pay costs of day care or associated transportation provided through a life skills program.

HB 617 by Eddie Rodriguez would require each school district to designate at least one employee to serve as the district's designee on transition and employment services for students enrolled in special education programs. The bill also would require TEA, with assistance from the Health and Human Services Commission, to develop a transition and employment guide for students enrolled in special education programs and their parents. The guide would have to be produced in an electronic format and posted on the agency's website in a manner that permits the guide to be easily identified and accessed. School districts with websites also would have to post the guide and help parents learn how to access it.

HB 1264 by Dan Huberty would require each school district and open-enrollment charter school to report through PEIMS information regarding the number of students enrolled in the district or school who are identified as having dyslexia.

The committee also heard the following bills without taking action.

HB 290 by Phil King would allow school boards to replace the state assessment instrument with criterion-referenced or norm-referenced assessment instruments at any grade level for which an assessment instrument is required by law. The substituted assessment must be economical and approved by TEA, which also would implement rules for the process. The tests covered would be for grades three through eight.

HB 564 by Giovanni Capriglione would allow school districts to impose or repeal term limits for trustees.

HB 806 by Philip Cortez would allow for a career and technical allotment to be used for grade 8.
HB 1423 by Joe Deshotel would eliminate standardized testing as a graduation requirement and repeal the requirement that scores on end-of-course (EOC) exams count toward 15 percent of a student's grade. It also would include applied mathematics and applied sciences in the foundation curriculum and require TEA to adopt nationally recognized, norm-referenced tests in grades 3-8 in reading, mathematics and science consistent with the requirements of No Child Left Behind. The bill also would require high school guidance counselors to provide students with information regarding post-secondary opportunities in both college and the workforce and would authorize school districts to use high school allotment funding for workforce readiness programs.

HB 2058 by Alma Allen would require SBOE to develop and deliver high school equivalency examinations and provide for the administration of the examinations online for persons in custody of a public agency.

The Senate Education Committee passed the following bills to the full Senate, to be placed on the Local & Uncontested Calendar:

Senate Bill 132 by Senator Nelson would require that, before each school year, a school district adopt a grading policy, including provisions for the assignment of grades on class assignments and examinations and the calculation of cumulative averages of grades. The district grading policy: (1) must require a teacher to assign a grade that reflects the student's relative mastery of the subject without employing grade inflation or misrepresenting a student's deserved grade; (2) may not require a teacher to assign a minimum grade without regard to the student's quality of work; and (3) may allow a student a reasonable opportunity to make up or redo a class assignment or examination for which the student received a failing grade.

Senate Bill 172 by Sen. Carona would create an optional multidimensional assessment tool for use in diagnosing the reading development and comprehension of kindergarten students.

Committee Substitute to Senate Bill 401 by Senator Lucio proposes that should a public school, including an open-enrollment charter school, does not have a full-time school counselor certified under Subchapter B, Chapter 21, assigned to the campus for more than 30 consecutive instructional days during the same school year, notice of the absence of a counselor must be posted on the Internet website of: (1) the school district; and (2) the school, if the school maintains an Internet website. TSTA supported this bill.

Senate Bill 715 by Senator Lucio would change the term “counselor” to "school counselor" throughout the Education Code. TSTA supported this bill.

The Committee also passed the following bills to the full Senate:

Committee Substitute to Senate Bill 521 by Senator Paxton would prohibit any entity or individual that performs abortions from providing human sexuality or family planning instruction in public schools, including providing instructional materials.

Senate Bill 573 by Senator Patrick would require the UIL to provide private and parochial schools with equal opportunity to become members of the league for the purpose of providing their students with access to league activities other than football or basketball.

Committee Votes on Budget Expected this Week

The Senate Finance Committee is expected to vote on the proposed 2014-2015 state budget tomorrow. The proposed budget would fund enrollment growth for the next two years and add an additional $1.5 billion to public education funding, as we reported last week. That $1.5 billion is a far cry from the $5.4 billion cut in 2011.

The House Appropriations Committee has not yet indicated how much additional may or may not be added to the public education budget, other than funding for growth, although indications are some additional funding may be added.

Contact your legislator and urge them to fully restore the $5.4 billion cut from education funding in 2011. Vote for Kids, Not Cuts.

To get your legislators contact information, go to this link and type in your address: http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/Home.aspx.

March 8, 2013

House Appropriations adopts education recommendations

The House Appropriations Committee met this morning to receive the recommendations of the Subcommittee on Article III for public education and the Teacher Retirement System. The subcommittee did not address the Foundation School Program or public school finance because they decided those issue would play out during the legislation session. The focus of the subcommittee was to improve the Teacher Retirement System to make sure it is actuarially sound in the very near future.

Public education funding was increased by $434 million dollars by the subcommittee, most of that being for technical corrections in the budget for the Foundation School Program. The amount of $140 million was added to TRS to raise the state contribution rate from 6.4 percent to 6.6 percent.

The subcommittee did not recommend to the Appropriations Committee to accept the assessment costs of $125 million, a request made by TEA for implementation for STAAR. The subcommittee did allocate $25 million instead as a placeholder until legislation for future STAAR testing is passed. The subcommittee also recommended an additional $4 million for Teach for America.

Grants for Pre-K and the Student Success Initiative were not restored under the theory that those grants should be funded through formulas in the future. However, several members of the committee were not confident that there is any assurance enough money would be funneled through the formulas for these programs.

The committee adopted the subcommittee’s recommendations without objection. It is expected the budget should be finally adopted next week.

Tax credit voucher and “Families First” legislation filed

Sen. Dan Patrick found someone to file his version of vouchers. Sen. Ken Paxton, a tea party favorite from Collin County, has filed SB 1051. Patrick had stated that Sen. Eddie Lucio would file that bill, and Senator Lucio has made it clear he will not.

On the House side, Rep. Jason Isaac has filed HB 300, a very long, comprehensive “Families First” bill that would undermine the entire governance structure of education in Texas and open the door to several forms of privatization.

We will monitor these bills closely and are optimistic that they can be defeated. However, look for alerts on these and other bills.

Retirement bill tracking

Earlier this week, TSTA decided to provide a separate tracking system for TRS-related bills. Look for information on that system in the coming days.

Budget Proposals Move Forward

Contact Your Legislator and Urge Them to Restore Education Funding – “Kids, Not Cuts” Recently, we reported that the Senate Finance Committee recommended putting an additional $1.5 billion in the public education budget, a first step but a far cry from restoring the $5.4 billion cut from public education in 2011. This money came from general revenue, as the committee and legislative leaders still refuse to use the almost $12 billion in the Rainy Day Fund balance to restore the cuts.

The House Appropriations Committee met this week to receive subcommittee recommendations for public education and the Teacher Retirement System. The Subcommittee did not address the Foundation School Program or public school finance because they are waiting for funding issues to “play out” during the session while an informal bipartisan group attempts to reach a consensus on additional funding before the budget reaches the House floor. At this time, House leaders say the Rainy Day Fund will not be used to restore the cuts. The subcommittee did recommend:

• Increase public education funding by $434 million dollars, most of that being for technical corrections in the budget for the Foundation School Program;
• $140 million was added to TRS to raise the state contribution rate from 6.4% to 6.6%;
• The Subcommittee did not recommend funding for a $125 million request made by TEA for implementation for STAAR. Instead, $25 million was recommended as a placeholder until legislation for changes in future STAAR testing is passed.
• The Subcommittee also recommended an additional $4 million for Teach for America.
• Grants for Pre-K and the Student Success Initiative were not restored under the theory that those grants should be funded through formulas in the future. However, several members of the committee were not confident that there is any assurance enough money would be funneled through the formulas for these programs and we will likely see floor amendments to add funding for these items

TSTA has been meeting with legislators and their staff to inform them of the poll findings we reported to you earlier this week, sending a message that a majority of Texans of all political persuasions want to use the Rainy Day Fund to restore the funding that was cut in 2011. Please contact you legislators now and urge them to restore the cuts!

Bill Filing Deadline: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Today is the last day to file bills this session. Over 1,000 bills have been filed yesterday and today, and our TSTA staff will be working to identify every bill that impacts education and our members and add them to our tracking system as soon as possible next week. The number, description and status of every bill we are tracking can be found at: http://www.tstaweb.net/BillTracking.html

Here are some highlights, and lowlights, of the bills filed recently.

The Good
HB 2455 by Rep. Justin Rodriguez requires open-enrollment charter schools to be subject to educator certification requirements under Chapter 21 and educator rights under the Education Code, and to hire appropriately certified teachers for classroom.

HB 2456 by Rep. Justin Rodriguez changes the time period for notice of a decision to terminate employment of a teacher from 10 days back to 45 days before the last day of instruction.

Senate Bill 1302 by Senator Wendy Davis would require a private school that accepts a student with a voucher, tax credit scholarship, or any other funding that would otherwise have been part of the foundation school fund to be subject to: (1) public school accountability as if the private school were a public school campus; and (2) any requirement or other law that concerns open meetings or the availability of information, that applies to a school district, the board of trustees of a school district, or public school students.

Senate Bill 1377 by Senators Ellis (co-sponsored by Lucio, Davis and Rodriguez would require $4 billion from the Rainy Day Fund to be appropriated to TEA for the Foundation School Program. That amount would restore the formula funding cut in 2011.

Senate Bill 1490 by Senator Duncan is a Teacher Retirement System bill that would delete the provision that allow a supplemental benefit payment by deleting the prohibition against making such a payment unless the Fund meets the current requirement for being of “actuarially sound.”

The Bad (too many to list, but here are a few)
SB1407 by Senator Dan Patrick and HB 1957 by Harold Dutton would both establish a Recovery School District with a superintendent appointed by the Commissioner of Education – who would not be accountable to local taxpayers – to supervise, manage, and operate any “low performing” school placed under its jurisdiction. Allows for the Recovery District to contract with a for-profit provider for a school under its jurisdiction, and is given taxing authority. These bills are modeled after a similar Recovery School District in Louisiana that is the lowest performing school district in the state.

Senate Bills 23 by Senators Patrick and Paxton, Senate Bill 1410 by Senator Patrick and Senate Bill 1015 by Senator Paxton would establish the Texas Equal Opportunity Scholarship Program. This program is the “tax credit” voucher bill that would allow private entities to fund private school education “scholarships” by sending part of their taxes to a non-profit that would use the money for vouchers instead of paying all their taxes that would have gone to fund public schools.

HB 1926 by Rep. Ken King would expand the Virtual School Network to include non-profit, private or for-profit corporate providers and to allow for unlimited amount of electronic course work to be taken by a student. This is business model Jeb Bush has used to make a lot of money.

The Ugly
HB 300 by Rep. Jason Isaac would create a pathway to eliminate state public education standards and governance of public schools under the name of “local control.” The bill would allow the creation of an “alternative public education governance system” to allocate resources, determine curriculum, eliminate employee contract protections, allows districts to turn over its campuses to privately run for profit enterprises with no accountability and no elected governing structure, and much, much more.

Again, we hope to have a complete list of bills on our tracking system early next week.

In the meantime, contact your legislators NOW and let them know how you feel about the bills listed above.

To get your legislators contact information, go to this link and type in your address: http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/Home.aspx.

March 6, 2013

TSTA poll: Texas voters strongly support using Rainy Day Fund to restore school cuts

A strong majority of Texas voters support using some of the $12 billion in the state’s Rainy Day Fund to restore the $5.4 billion cut from the public education budget two years ago, and the support is strong across party lines, a poll commissioned by the Texas State Teachers Association shows.

The statewide telephone poll of likely voters, conducted Feb. 19-25 by Democratic pollster Keith Frederick and Republican pollster Jan van Lohuizen, also indicated strong growth in public awareness that the funding cuts were hurting educational quality in classrooms. The poll included an oversampling of Republican primary voters.

The question about restoring school funding was asked two ways. One version simply informed respondents of the recent, rapid growth in the Rainy Day Fund and asked if they favored putting $5 billion back into public schools. Some 79 percent said yes, including 93 percent of Democrats, 76 percent of independents and 61 percent of Republican primary voters.

The second version asked respondents if they favored spending $5 billion of Rainy Day money to hire more teachers, reduce class sizes and restore important academic programs or if they believed spending that money could lead to future tax increases and schools should first do a better job of cutting waste, bureaucracy and overhead. Some 69 percent favored restoring the funding, including 83 percent of Democrats, 64 percent of independents and 52 percent of Republican primary voters.

Answering another key question, 61 percent said they believed the funding cuts hurt the quality of classroom instruction, and 32 percent said the cuts were absorbed by cutting waste in schools. That was a marked difference from responses to a similar poll question asked in late 2011, before the full impact of the spending reductions was widely known. At that time, only 47 percent thought the cuts hurt classroom quality, and 49 percent believed they would be absorbed by eliminating waste.

Presented with options, two-thirds of Texas voters (66 percent) would use the nearly $12 billion Rainy Day Fund to restore public school funding. This includes 39 percent who chose education funding over roads (4 percent) or water (5 percent) plus 27 percent who would spend Rainy Day money on all three needs. Only 22 percent would save the entire Rainy Day balance for future needs.

“Texans are not fooled by the rhetoric coming from the education-cutters in Austin,” said TSTA President Rita Haecker. “The vast majority of voters – Republicans, Democrats and independents alike – know that the budget cuts have hurt our classrooms. They also know that the Legislature has enough money to restore the funding without raising anyone’s taxes, and they demand that their legislators do the right thing for our children.”

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent for the entire 800-person sample and plus or minus 7 percent for the oversample of 200 Republican primary voters.

Legislative action needed

Contact your legislators and urge them to restore the education cuts, scale back high stakes testing, and oppose vouchers. To find out who your legislators (senator and state representative) are and get their contact information, simply go to this link and type in your address: http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/Home.aspx.

Senate Education considers special ed vouchers

Yesterday, on the same day that Sen. Eddie Lucio (D-Brownsville) indicated he will not sponsor a “tax credit” voucher bill (contrary to Committee Chair Dan Patrick’s claim 10 days ago), the Senate Committee on Education met to discuss several bills, the most important of which was SB 115 by Sen. Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands). SB 115 is a special education voucher bill that threatens to further deplete public education funding, enrich private schools, and leave the lowest functioning special education students in public schools.

TSTA opposed SB 115 with the following testimony: "SB 115 creates a voucher program that will send taxpayer dollars to private schools that are not accountable to the public. Over the past 30 years, federal and state laws have evolved to ensure that students with disabilities receive a free, appropriate public education. Private schools are not required to provide the legal procedures that federal and state laws mandate to protect the rights and interests of students with disabilities, which unnecessarily puts those students at significant risk.

"This bill would disproportionately benefit students with disabilities in urban areas. Students in rural areas would not have equal access to private schools that serve students with disabilities because few appropriate private schools exist in rural areas. School districts are required by federal law to provide transportation to students with disabilities; private schools are not required to provide transportation to students with disabilities. Economically disadvantaged students are disproportionately hurt by this bill because they typically do not have a mode of transportation available that would allow them to attend a qualifying private school.

"Vouchers provide choice for private schools, not students. Private schools have a profit motive to admit students who have the fewest educational challenges; therefore, private schools generally will not admit students with pervasive disabilities. This bill aims to help those students with disabilities who are higher functioning and wealthier. This bill intends to siphon money out of our public schools that would go to special education areas, while leaving those public schools with the most demanding special education students. This bill makes it more difficult for our school districts to operate properly and makes harder the jobs of all school district employees who work in special education.

"Finally, if the voucher program were implemented incorrectly, this bill would have the potential to open up the state to costly liability on constitutional grounds. For all of these reasons – fairness, equity, constitutionality, and, most importantly, student well-being – TSTA opposes this voucher bill."

On a related matter, the "tax credit” voucher bill, SB 1015, was filed by Sen. Ken Paxton (R-McKinney). Please continue contacting your senator to express your opposition to any form of private school voucher.

The Senate Education Committee also discussed the following bills:

SB 132 by Sen. Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound) would require that, before each school year, a school district adopt a grading policy, including provisions for the assignment of grades on class assignments and examinations and the calculation of cumulative averages of grades. The district grading policy: (1) must require a teacher to assign a grade that reflects the student's relative mastery of the subject without employing grade inflation or misrepresenting a student's deserved grade; (2) may not require a teacher to assign a minimum grade without regard to the student's quality of work; and (3) may allow a student a reasonable opportunity to make up or redo a class assignment or examination for which the student received a failing grade.

SB 185 by Sen. Robert Deuell (R-Greenville)proposes that the commissioner by rule shall require each school district and open-enrollment charter school to report through PEIMS information regarding the number of students enrolled in the district or school who are identified as having dyslexia.

SB 317 by Sen. Carlos Uresti (D-San Antonio) would prohibit sodas and sugary drinks from being sold at school.

SB 401 by Senator Lucio proposes that if a public school, including an open-enrollment charter school, does not have a full-time school counselor certified under Subchapter B, Chapter 21, assigned to the campus for more than 30 consecutive instructional days during the same school year, notice of the absence of a counselor must be posted on the website of the school district and the school, if the school maintains a website. TSTA supported this bill.

SB 435 by Sen. Robert Duncan (R-Lubbock) proposes that a school district would not be required to pay a student's tuition or other associated costs for taking a college credit course.

SB 521 by Senator Paxton would prohibit any entity or individual that performs abortions from providing human sexuality or family planning instruction in public schools, including providing instructional materials.

SB 573 by Sen. Dan Patrick (R-Houston) would require the UIL to provide private and parochial schools with equal opportunity to become members of the league for the purpose of providing their students with access to league activities other than football or basketball.

SB 684 by Senator Deuell would make the physical fitness assessment permissive.

SB 713 by Senator Lucio would change the requirement regarding school counselors. Currently, school districts with 500 or more students must employ a counselor certified under SBEC for each school in the district. This bill would reduce that number to 300 students. TSTA supported this bill.

SB 715 by Senator Lucio would change the term “counselor” to "school counselor" throughout the Education Code. TSTA supported this bill.

All bills were left pending except for SB 185 by Sen. Deuell, which was passed to the full Senate for placement on the Local & Uncontested Calendar.

House Public Education considers variety of proposals

The House Public Education Committee met yesterday to hear bills relating to public education grants, professional development, and other matters. TSTA supported the following bills:

HB 455 by Rep. Dawnna Dukes (D-Austin) would allow for a student to be absent for appointments with health care professionals for the student or the student's child.

HB 551 by Rep. Philip Cortez (D-San Antonio) relates to the payment of tuition for public high school students who participate in college credit programs.

HB 617 by Rep. Eddie Rodriguez (D-Austin) states the commissioner shall require each school district or shared services arrangement to designate at least one employee to serve as its designee on transition and employment services for students enrolled in special education programs. The bill also requires TEA, with assistance from the Health and Human Services Commission, to develop a transition and employment guide for students enrolled in special education programs to provide information on statewide services and programs that assist in the transition to life outside the public school system. In addition, the transition and employment guide must be produced in an electronic format and posted on the agency's website in a manner that permits the guide to be easily identified and accessed. The bill also requires a school district to post the transition and employment guide on the district's website and provide written information and, if necessary, assistance to a parent regarding how to access the electronic version of the guide at:(A) the first meeting of the student's admission, review, and dismissal committee at which transition is discussed; or (B) the first committee meeting that occurs after the date the guide becomes available, if a student has already had an admission, review, and dismissal committee meeting discussing transition.

HB 1264 by Rep. Dan Huberty (R-Houston) states that the commissioner shall require, by rule, that each school district and open-enrollment charter school report through PEIMS information the number of students enrolled in the district or school who are identified as having dyslexia.

HB 753 by Rep. Mike Villarreal (R-Dallas) would require, as part of the annual notice the district provides to parents concerning supplemental educational services, information that identifies characteristics of supplemental educational services that have proven effective in improving student academic performance, including information concerning the minimum number of hours of tutoring necessary for improved performance.

TSTA took no formal position on the following bills:

HB 222 by Rep. Huberty would allow a student to get a public education grant if at a campus with an unacceptable performance rating in either of the preceding two years.

HB 642 by Rep. Diane Patrick (R-Arlington) would direct that 25 percent of the training for educator continuing education, required every five years, include instruction on collecting and analyzing information that will improve effectiveness in the classroom; recognizing early warning indicators that a student may be at risk of dropping out of school; integrating technology in classroom instruction; educating diverse student populations; and increasing knowledge of the subject area taught by the educator. TSTA is working with Rep. Patrick to address concerns we have with this bill.

HB 931 by Rep. Bennett Ratliff (R-Coppell) would allow for a PEG grant for a student with disabilities when a district is not in compliance with IDEA and the student was enrolled at the campus the preceding school year.

The House Public Education Committee will meet next Tuesday. We may see a committee substitute (a revised version) of HB 5, the testing and accountability reform bill, in the coming days.

March 1, 2013

Texas stands to lose $214.5 million

Harmful cuts — known as the sequester — are threatening hundreds of thousands of jobs, and cutting vital services for children, seniors, people with mental illness and our men and women in uniform. Among the jobs on the line are some 50,000 educator jobs. At a minimum, education could be hit with a cut of more than $3 billion this year. Among the first affected by the rolling budget cuts are educators who work on Department of Defense bases. What can you do?

1. Share your story at http://educationvotes.nea.org/2012/11/15/share-your-story-kids-not-cuts. Tell us how budget cuts would affect your students, you, your schools and your school colleagues. Make sure Congress hears your voice and knows you will hold them accountable. Read and share some of the stories already submitted by educators.

2. Email your Senators now — Tell them to support the Democratic leadership’s plan to prevent the devastating cuts. Tell them to oppose any plan that would permit those cuts to proceed.

3. E-mail your Representative — Tell him/her to stop any across-the-board cuts to education funding.

4. Call Congress, using our Educator Connector Line, 1.866.293.7278, to urge elected officials to protect education.

5. Take the “Kids Not Cuts” pledge today at http://educationvotes.nea.org/kidsnotcuts to speak up for America’s kids and working families, and to make sure the new Congress makes the right choices. Already took the pledge? Share it with at least five friends and ask them to join the fight to stand up for America’s kids and working families.

ESP Conference follows HOD

The TSTA ESP Conference on Sunday, April 14, follows the TSTA House of Delegates at the Hyatt Regency Houston and is specifically designed to focus on the power of organizing. All public school employees working in Texas are invited to attend – members, non-members, teachers, librarians – all are welcome! This is a wonderful opportunity to learn about organizing and the role of members in the association. Workshops will provide the tools you need to organize and advocate for ESPs and public education. Pre-registration deadline is March 15. Individuals must make their own reservations no later than March 11 in order to receive the TSTA Group Rate ($155 + applicable taxes). http://www.tsta.org/node/721

February 28, 2013

TSTA: Senate Finance Committee needs to finish the job

TSTA President Rita Haecker issued the following statement today: “The Senate Finance Committee’s vote to restore $1.5 billion of the money cut from public schools two years ago was a step in the right direction, but the committee and the Legislature need to finish the job. Total education cuts in 2011 were $5.4 billion -- $1,062 per student over the past two school years. Texas is now near the bottom of the barrel – 49th – in per pupil spending among the states and the District of Columbia.

“Lawmakers have enough money to restore all $5.4 billion and meet other important state needs without raising anyone’s taxes. The legislative majority needs to find the political will to do the right thing for Texas school children. Our students should not be forced to spend another year or longer in overcrowded classrooms while the state pursues an appeal of a judge’s ruling that the school finance system is woefully inadequate.”

Details from the AP report on the Austin American Statesman website: http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/education/senate-panel-oks-14b-more-in-school-spending/nWcnR/

February 26, 2013

Call Congress

Call Congress, using our Educator Connector Line, 866.293.7278, to urge elected officials to protect education, Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security. As you know, across-the-board cuts in federal funding for education and other "discretionary" spending are scheduled to take effect this Friday, March 1. Democrats, Republicans, business leaders, economists, and educators agree that the cuts -- "sequestration" in Washington-speak -- are a terrible idea.

Last week, NEA member Megan Allen, a fifth-grade teacher from Florida, testified before the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee about the disastrous impact the budget-slashing "sequester" would have on her students. The Washington Post printed Allen's testimony (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/02/21/its-wrong-to-spend-a-cent-less-on-high-risk-kids-teacher-tells-lawmakers) in its entirety, accompanied by her picture and this headline: "It's wrong to spend 'a cent less on high-risk kids,' teacher tells lawmakers."

You can find the latest round of state-by-state charts at http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/CBPP_Sequester_Impact_States.pdf.

February 25, 2013

What do the cuts mean to our kids?

“This morning, I want to take you behind the numbers to talk about what it means in the classroom when the state cuts education funding while enrollment is growing and schools are laying off teachers and support personnel,” TSTA President Rita Haecker told the media at the Capitol press conference that kicked off the Save Texas Schools March and Rally Feb. 23. More than 10,000 parents, educators, and other concerned community members attended the rally.

Haecker stood with Scott McCown, the state district judge who presided over all public school finance cases from 1990-2002 and is now executive director of the Center for Public Policy Priorities; superintendents; and school board members at the event.

“You all have heard about the $5.4 billion that the legislative majority cut from public schools two years ago. What you may not know is that state support for public education has dropped by $1,062 per student over the last two years,” she said. “About 600,000 Texans work in our public schools, and during just the first year of the cuts, 25,000 of them, including 11,000 teachers, lost their jobs. At the same time, 80,000 more students enrolled in Texas schools.

“Even in tough times, teachers do their best every day to give all their students the opportunity to succeed. But for too many teachers, budget cuts mean larger classes, and that means less time to give students the attention and one to one instruction they need. In many districts, teacher’s aides were laid off, and that piles more work on a teacher and takes away precious time needed to prepare, tutor, and teach.

“Then there’s the STAAR test and paperwork – and buying things for your classroom, out of your own pocket, because the school can’t provide as much for your classroom,” Haecker said. “Cuts to student success, dropout prevention, and pre-K, coupled with less time to teach, make it harder for teachers to provide the critical attention to students who need to develop learning skills in the early years, and to students who face special challenges in the critical middle school to high school transition.

“When the legislature cuts public education by $1,062 per pupil, more than dollars are cut. Opportunity is cut. Morale is cut. And kids are cut. Sixty percent of the children in Texas public schools are economically disadvantaged. And these kids, and all the other kids, are our future.

“They can succeed. They just need the opportunity,” Haecker said. “The state has the money in the bank. Now is the time for kids, not cuts.”

See photos from the rally at http://www.flickr.com/photos/tstapublicaffairs/sets/72157632837406295.

February 22, 2013

See you tomorrow in Austin!

TSTA is cosponsoring the Save Texas Schools march and rally tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 23. TSTA members are meeting on the fourth floor of the TSTA headquarters building (316 W. 12th, corner of 12th and Lavaca, across from First United Methodist Church) to pick up signs or make their own. The building will open around 9 a.m.

The march begins at 10:45 a.m. on the Congress Avenue Bridge, heading to the Capitol. The rally follows from noon to 1:30 p.m. on the south steps of the Capitol, Congress Avenue and 11th Street.

Speakers include Diane Ravitch and elected officials. The Kashmere High School Marching Band will lead the march up Congress Avenue. http://savetxschools.org/save-texas-schools-march-and-rally-2013

Educators push back on charter school expansion

TSTA President Rita Haecker responds to Dan Patrick's proposal. http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/educators-push-back-on-charter-school-expansion/nWWsZ/

February 21, 2013

TSTA opposes removal of charter cap and turning over public schools to private charter operators

The Texas State Teachers Association opposes the provisions of SB2 by Sen. Dan Patrick that would eliminate the cap on charter schools and force school districts to turn over unused facilities built with local tax money to private operators of charter schools. At a time when traditional public schools are still struggling from billions in budget cuts, SB2 also would create another expensive layer of state bureaucracy to try to regulate what could be an exploding number of charter schools should SB2 become law.

“Some growing school districts built new campuses but were not able to open and staff them because of state budget cuts imposed two years ago,” said TSTA President Rita Haecker. “Those campuses were built with local property taxes approved by local taxpayers. Now, Sen. Patrick wants to let private charter operators, who are not accountable to local taxpayers, ‘rent’ those campuses for $1 per year with no local control.”

Haecker added: “With a state surplus and Rainy Day Fund balance totaling $20 billion, the top priority of the senator and his colleagues should be restoring the $5.4 billion – more than $500 per student – cut from traditional public schools in 2011. Local public schools are where the vast majority of Texas children will continue to be educated, and they should have first call on our education tax dollars.”

Studies have indicated that charter schools, on average, are no better or worse than traditional public schools. Some charters have succeeded, but others have failed – academically, financially, or from poor management. The Legislature should not give the charter school industry a blank check for expansion while continuing to shortchange students and educators in our traditional public schools.

Cargill confirmed by Senate

From the Texas Education Agency: The Texas Senate Wednesday unanimously confirmed Barbara Cargill as chair of the State Board of Education. Cargill, R-The Woodlands, was first appointed to the top spot by Gov. Rick Perry July 1, 2011 and re-appointed to a full two-year term on Feb. 1, 2013.

“I appreciate the Senate’s unanimous vote to confirm me as chair for another two years. I will continue to lead the board in its important duties such as reviewing textbooks and overseeing the revision of state curriculum standards. It is our goal to ensure that every student is prepared for college or the work force,” she said. “I am also thankful to Gov. Perry for providing me with this opportunity. As an educator and a mother, I firmly believe that providing a strong education to our citizens is the most important service we can provide.”

Cargill was first elected to the 15-member State Board of Education in November 2004 and has twice been re-elected. As the District 8 member, she represents about 1.7 million Texans who reside in Brazos, Grimes, Houston, Montgomery, Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity and Walker counties. Prior to redistricting, she also represented a number of East Texas counties.

Teacher to explain impact of looming budget cuts on students

Florida fifth grade teacher Megan Allen is in Washington, D.C., today for her students. For James, a student with special needs and his grip of trust; for Alexus, a student who cites Maya Angelou’s “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me” when he’s nervous; and for Daniel, a shy student who is blossoming into a “poetic” writer. Many of Allen's students come from poverty, some come from broken homes, and many have special needs. As their teacher, sometimes Megan is all they have.

Some members of Congress want to take away funds for before- and after-school programs; funds to help English language learners; funds to help the most vulnerable students. Across-the-board budget cuts also mean larger class sizes. When budgets are cut, students such as James, Alexus, and Daniel pay the price.

Megan, an NEA member, will be at the 2:30 p.m. hearing of the House Democratic Policy Steering Committee and Congressman Rob Andrews, Co-Chair, Democratic Steering & Policy Committee; Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, Ranking Member, Science, Space & Technology Committee; Congressman Elijah Cummings, Ranking Member, Oversight and Government Reform; Congressman Chris Van Hollen, Ranking Member, Budget Committee. She's there to urge them to stop the cuts — because some cuts never heal.

Follow NEA on twitter @NEAMedia.

Survey shows educator dissatisfaction at all-time high

Teacher job satisfaction has plummeted to its lowest level in 25 years – from 62 percent in 2008 to 39 percent in 2012, a total of 23 points – according to the annual Metlife Survey of the American Teacher, which was released today. Teachers reporting low levels of job satisfaction were more likely to be working in schools with shrinking budgets, few professional development opportunities, and little time allotted for teacher collaboration.

“This news is disappointing but sadly, there are no surprises in these survey results. Teacher job satisfaction will continue to free fall as long as school budgets are slashed,” said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel. “Educators are doing everything they can to prepare their students to compete in the global economy, but the rug just keeps getting pulled out from under them.”

According to results of the annual survey, teacher stress levels have sharply increased, with half of teachers reporting that they feel like they are under great stress several days per week, as opposed to a third in 1985. Van Roekel said pressure on educators – including teachers, support staff, and administrators – is at unprecedented levels, and resources continue to be scarce.

“Classrooms are already crammed with students, programs and services are being cut, and teachers are entering pink slip season – all while further budget cuts loom as a result of fiscal cliff inaction,” Van Roekel said. The survey results come as the nation prepares for draconian cuts set to kick in on March 1. NEA members continue to warn against the potential impact of impending fiscal cliff cuts on public schools and the nation’s students.

“Of course educators are wringing their hands,” he said. “We must find ways to raise teachers’ sense of personal fulfillment in their jobs through meaningful professional development, a sense of autonomy and professional responsibility, and most importantly, the ability to grow within the teaching profession, if we are going to turn these numbers around.

“Lawmakers must ask themselves, ‘How much longer can our schools continue to be drastically underfunded and understaffed without significant damage to the quality of the education our students are receiving?’ Educators work hard to give their students the great education they deserve, but the MetLife survey is compelling evidence that their resolve is wearing thin,” said Van Roekel.

This year’s survey examines teacher and principal views on the challenges facing school leaders (both principals and teacher leaders). Responses were collected during October and November 2012 via in-depth telephone surveys with approximately 1,000 teachers and 500 principals in K-12 public schools.

Read the entire MetLife survey at www.metlife.com/teachersurvey.

February 19, 2013

TSTA: Teaching, not testing, is the key to quality education

TSTA President Rita Haecker issued the following statement today: “Today, the House Public Education Committee is hearing several bills, including HB5 by Chairman Aycock, which would reduce the use of high-stakes, standardized testing as a singular measure of accountability in our public schools. The Texas State Teachers Association appreciates the attention being given to these bills early in the session. The Legislature needs to restore the emphasis on teaching and learning – not test-taking – in our children’s classrooms.”

February 18, 2013

Legislative reports for February

While the website was down, we posted the legislative updates to http://tsta.org/node/926 (it was accessible from the second rolling photo at the top of the home page). Here are the individual links:

Feb. 12: http://tsta.org/sites/default/files/LegislativeSessionUpdate021213.pdf

Feb. 11: http://tsta.org/sites/default/files/LegislativeSessionUpdate-021113.pdf

Feb. 6: http://tsta.org/sites/default/files/LegislativeSessionUpdate-020613.pdf

Feb. 4: http://tsta.org/sites/default/files/LegislativeSessionUpdate-020413.pdf

Feb. 1: http://tsta.org/sites/default/files/LegislativeSessionUpdate-020113.pdf

January 24, 2013

Commissioner wants to postpone restoring school funding

State Education Commmissioner Michael Williams says talks about school funding should wait until after the court case is settled -- and he was quoted by the AP as saying, “We’re not seeing dramatic numbers of schools becoming academically unacceptable or losing accreditation. So I think school districts are doing their part with the dollars they have.” http://www.news-journal.com/news/state/texas-education-chief-court-case-delays-funding-talks/article_412c89f4-d5fa-55a9-903c-cd8aa3929922.html

Three Texas districts allow faculty to be armed

Van ISD has become the third school district in Texas to allow authorized faculty to carry firearms on campus. http://www.news-journal.com/news/local/van-isd-board-to-allow-select-school-employees-to-carry/article_866dc0aa-6593-11e2-ad61-0019bb2963f4.html

January 23, 2013

TSTA: No excuse for not restoring school budget cuts

TSTA issued the following news release today: “The Texas State Teachers Association urges the Senate Finance Committee to do the right thing for Texas students and our state’s future -- restore the $5.4 billion, or more than $500 per child, that was cut from public school budgets two years ago. Make no mistake. The initial Senate budget proposal does not restore the $500 per child. It does nothing to address crowded classrooms or the 25,000 school employees, including 11,000 teachers, who lost their jobs due to budget cuts. And, this budget doesn’t even account for enrollment growth unless you expect local schools to cover roughly a billion dollars of that cost with higher property taxes.

“There is absolutely no excuse for not restoring the cuts to public education. Even the State Comptroller, whose revenue estimates have been very conservative, says the Legislature has an $8.8 billion surplus and a Rainy Day Fund balance of $11.8 billion. This is the taxpayers’ money, and most Texas taxpayers would rather see their money spent to educate our children than have it used as a prop for politicians. The state has enough money – without raising taxes – to restore school funding, close the Medicaid budget hole, put some money aside for water projects and meet other state needs. There is no excuse for playing politics with our children’s future and our state’s economic future.”

NEA president supports Seattle educators who refuse to give flawed standardized test

NEA members at Garfield High School in Seattle, Wash., voted to not administer the district-mandated Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) standardized test that is not aligned with state standards or the district curriculum. NEA has long urged careful consideration of tests that are being used to make decisions about students’/teachers’ futures and have corrupted the pursuit of real learning and effective teaching.

“Today is a defining moment within the education profession as educators at Seattle’s Garfield High School take a heroic stand against using the MAP test as a basis for measuring academic performance and teacher effectiveness," NEA President Dennis Van Roekel said. "I, along with 3 million educators across the country, proudly support their efforts in saying ‘no’ to giving their students a flawed test that takes away from learning and is not aligned with the curriculum. Garfield High School educators are receiving support from the parents of Garfield students. They have joined an ever-growing chorus committed to one of our nation’s most critical responsibilities—educating students in a manner that best serves the realization of their fullest potential.

“Educators across the country know what’s best for their students," Van Roekel continued, "and it’s no different for our members in Seattle. We know that having well-designed assessment tools can help students evaluate their own strengths and needs, and help teachers improve. This type of assessment isn’t done in one day or three times a year. It’s done daily, and educators need the flexibility to collaborate with their colleagues and the time to evaluate on-going data to make informed decisions about what’s best for students.

“If we want a system that is designed to help all students, we must allow educators, parents, students and communities to be a part of the process and have a stronger voice in this conversation as they demand high-quality assessments that support student learning. Off-the-shelf assessments that are not aligned with the curriculum or goals of the school are not the answer.”

Follow the Washington Education Association at www.washingtonea.org
Follow the Seattle Education Association at www.seattlewea.org
Follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/NEAMedia

January 22, 2013

Coverage of Social Justice in Public Education

The Jan. 18-19 event in El Paso -- which featured Sen. Jose Rodriguez, Rep. Marisa Marquez, NEA Vice Pres. Lily Eskelsen and TSTA Pres. Rita Haecker (see Jan. 16 entry for details) -- attracted great media coverage. Here are some of the clips:

KTSM (NBC) at 5 http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=50c91cff-a30e-47b8-b7e1-182c9a9ce47e

KTSM (NBC) at 6 http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=c9a8c3e0-e02f-4d54-80fb-ff5e4c754295

KFOX (FOX) at 10 http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=485b23f4-3e18-45f7-bbdf-ced47dcb84ba

KVIA (ABC) at 10 http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=cc541b09-9932-46e3-a15c-27f20fefb3d0

KDBC (CBS) at 10 http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=6821baf0-396e-4da8-b3b2-32fbff09f612

KVIA (ABC) at 6am (Saturday) http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=57751a13-5660-483d-a898-ad7c5a074d1d

January 21, 2013

PBS to air documentary on Texas textbook battles

From the press release: "Witness an ongoing culture war raging in Texas — a tempest in a textbook. The state’s Board of Education has been engaged in a pitched, years-long battle over what belongs (and doesn’t) in public school textbooks. Legislators, educators, parents and students debate the facts and the theories — including what constitutes a fact versus a theory. The chair of the Board of Education fights tirelessly to include intelligent design in science books, while a board member argues to exclude mention of the slave trade and the Enlightenment in history books. The result is a chaotic scene, with the next generation’s education held hostage." The documentary, "The Revisionaries," will be shown on PBS Jan. 28-29; check your local listings at http://pressroom.pbs.org/Programs/i/INDEPENDENT-LENS/1407-The-Revisionaries.aspx.

January 18, 2013

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.

TSTA Executive Director Richard Kouri offers these quotes from and links to information about the man we honor on Monday, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. TSTA offices will be closed for the holiday.

Quotes:

"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character -- that is the goal of true education."

“One of the great liabilities of history is that all too many people fail to remain awake through great periods of social change. Every society has its protectors of status quo and its fraternities of the indifferent who are notorious for sleeping through revolutions. Today, our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant, and to face the challenge of change.”

"I said to my children, 'I'm going to work and do everything that I can do to see that you get a good education. I don't ever want you to forget that there are millions of God's children who will not and cannot get a good education, and I don't want you feeling that you are better than they are. For you will never be what you ought to be until they are what they ought to be.'”

"The Labor Movement was the principal force that transformed misery and despair into hope and progress."

Links:

King fought for the poor and labor unions. Today many Americans scorn both.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/08/23/2371941/king-fought-for-the-poor-and-labor.html

Locate an event in your city
http://mlkday.gov/serve/find.php

History
http://www.history.com/topics/martin-luther-king-jr

January 16, 2013

Obama calls for sweeping new gun laws

From CBS News: Setting the stage for what could be the most sweeping political battle over gun control in decades, President Obama today laid out a comprehensive package for reducing gun violence in America, a multi-part plan he says will not only "help prevent mass shootings" but also to "reduce the broader epidemic of gun violence in this country." http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57564298/obama-calls-for-sweeping-new-gun-laws/?tag=nl.e879&s_cid=e879

See NEA's recommendations to the White House at http://www.nea.org/home/54026.htm.

Social justice forum set for El Paso schools

Educators and legislators are inviting parents, students, and other members of the El Paso community to help them address some of the problems facing public education in El Paso. “Social Justice in Public Education," a Jan. 18-19 public forum at Bowie High School, will address the social injustices inflicted upon students and their teachers, particularly in the border region; they include budget cuts that deny students the resources they need to succeed, high-stakes standardized tests that encourage administrators to cheat on children’s futures, and alleged school “reforms” that cripple classroom creativity. They also include the politicization of immigration, economic and language issues that punish children for reasons beyond their control.

The keynote speaker is NEA Vice President Lily Eskelsen. Other participants include State Sen. Jose Rodriguez and State Rep. Marisa Marquez of El Paso; TSTA President Rita Haecker; El Paso Teachers Association President Norma De La Rosa; Dr. Kathy Staudt and Dr. Elena Izquierdo of the University of Texas at El Paso faculty; school administrators and other concerned members of the El Paso community. The forum is sponsored by NEA, TSTA, El Paso Teachers Association, and the Texas Faculty Association-El Paso University Council.

Intergenerational Mentoring Program launches in Houston

On January 4-5, TSTA-Student Program and TSTA-Retired met at the University of Houston-Clear Lake to be trained on the Intergenerational Mentoring Program. Students from UHCL and retired members from the Houston area were paired by former NEA staff member Gene Grooms. Both the student and retired members were enthusiastic about the training and have already planned many activities throughout the spring semester.

"This pilot project, made possible through an NEA grant, is the first in Texas that will help mentor our future teachers during their last years in college and their first few years of teaching," Clinton Gill, staff liaison to the Student Program, said. "Research shows that many new teachers leave the profession within the first five years, and it is our hope this program will reverse the trend by providing a support network to new teachers. TSTA-SP and TSTA-R look forward to expanding the program in future years at other universities in the state."

January 15, 2013

NEA awards first STEM Challenge Grant to Colorado initiative

NEA has awarded its first STEM Challenge Grant, in the amount of $200,000, for teacher training and certification, technology, and support to expand a math and science program in Colorado. The NEA challenge inspired the Morgridge Family Foundation and Xcel Energy to provide matching funds.

"Colorado's economy is adding jobs in STEM-related (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields every day, and we need to meet this growing demand by educating a highly-skilled and competitive workforce,” said Colorado Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia, who joined state association leaders in making the announcement. “Colorado is replicating progressive science and math training programs that will help translate a teacher's first-rate instruction into better learning for students in the classroom."

President Obama called for training 100,000 new STEM teachers to prepare students for the 2.7 million new jobs expected in those sectors by 2018. NEA responded in October with a $500,000 challenge grant that asks leading business and technology companies and philanthropists to join us in expanding the successful program created by New Jersey Education Association's Center for Teaching and Learning. NEA’s goal is to raise $1.5 million to help bring the model to schools across the country.

Learn more about this STEM program and see other resources at www.nea.org/STEM.

January 14, 2013

First drafts of 2014-15 state budget fail to restore education cuts

This afternoon, Lt. Governor Dewhurst and Senate Finance Committee Chair Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands) held a press conference to lay out the “base” Senate Bill 1, the starting point for budget considerations this session. House Appropriations Chair Jim Pitts (R-Waxahachie) informed the House that he will file House Bill 1, the “base” House budget bill tomorrow. http://www.tsta.org/issues-and-action/take-action-state-level#first

Budget unveiled: Haecker urges leaders to do the right thing

TSTA President Rita Haecker issued the following statement today: "The base budget unveiled by Senate leaders today is a recipe for failure and a
disservice to our school children and thousands of dedicated educators.

An $8.8 billion surplus and an $11.8 billion Rainy Day Fund balance clearly give the Legislature enough money to begin restoring the damage inflicted on our local public schools last session. We call on our state leaders to do the right thing and give students and teachers the resources they need to succeed."

TSTA tracks education legislation

TSTA is tracking all education-related bills during the legislative session. For a list of bills filed so far this session, with a brief explanation, go to: http://www.tstaweb.net/BillTracking.html.

January 11, 2013

TSTA Legislative Session Update

Throughout the 2013 session, TSTA will provide you with frequent – and eventually daily - updates as the pace picks up, committees meet and legislators cast votes that will impact the future of public education in Texas. In 2013, TSTA will work tirelessly to reverse an attack on public education defined by $5.4 billion budget cuts, an expansion of high stakes standardized tests, and the erosion of legal provisions that protected educators’ working conditions. In 2013, TSTA will be working to restore the cuts, reduce the emphasis on high stakes testing, defeat vouchers, secure the TRS defined benefit program and defeat efforts to further erode educators’ contract rights.

This week, we also encourage you to take a look at the TSTA Online Bulletin, which has additional information on the key issues likely to dominate the 2013 legislative session. http://www.tsta.org/issues-and-action/take-action-state-level#update

NEA on Taft shooting: 'Urgent need for national action'

After yet another school shooting, this time in Taft, California, NEA President Dennis Van Roekel issued the following statement: “Gun violence in the sanctuary of our schools is unacceptable and this latest event underscores what we already knew: we have an urgent need for national actions to prevent future tragedies.

“Next week the nation will look to the White House for solutions as Vice President Biden’s task force reports on its recommendations to reduce gun violence. The National Education Association laid out its proposal to our national leadership that, while including sensible gun safety measures, focuses on truly preventative measures including greater access to mental health services, and the infrastructure, training and programs that will ensure safe learning environments for our nation’s children.

"At Taft High School, it wasn’t an armed guard that prevented further violence and loss of life, it was the bravery and wisdom of a teacher and a campus supervisor. We honor their courage and will work to ensure that everything possible is done to make our schools the safe secure learning environments that they should be," Van Roekel said. “Our thoughts are with the Taft Union High School community and we wish the injured a speedy recovery.”

See NEA's recommendations to Vice President Biden at http://www.nea.org/home/54026.htm.

January 8, 2013

TSTA in the news

TSTA President Rita Haecker is quoted in an article by the Associated Press published by the Houston Chronicle, "Texas revenue estimate brighter on eve of session."

"It would be extremely short-sighted for state politicians to stick their heads in the sand and falsely plead 'austerity' in order to pander to ideological extremists intent on privatizing public schools and sacrificing our future," Haecker says in the article. http://www.chron.com/news/texas/article/Texas-revenue-estimate-brighter-on-eve-of-session-4171672.php

January 7, 2013

TSTA reaction to 2013 revenue estimate

"The comptroller’s updated revenue estimate makes it clear that the Legislature has enough money to do the right thing for Texas school children – and for our state’s future – and restore the $5.4 billion cut from public education last session," TSTA President Rita Haecker said in a statement issued today. "The improving economy gives Texas lawmakers an excellent opportunity to help our local schools reduce overcrowded class sizes and update instructional materials for a school population that is swelling by 80,000 students per year. It would be extremely short-sighted for state politicians to stick their heads in the sand and falsely plead 'austerity' in order to pander to ideological extremists intent on privatizing public schools and sacrificing our future."

December 20, 2012

Call it what you will, it hurts kids

Yesterday, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Senate Education Chair Dan Patrick revealed their education proposals, including tax credits for scholarships to private schools. "He can call it vouchers or choice or tax credits, but any scheme that diverts state tax dollars to private schools will cost taxpayers money while undermining our public schools," TSTA President Rita Haecker said in the Associated Press story that's been picked up across the state. http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/texas/article/Texas-Senate-leaders-offer-education-reforms-4131618.php.

December 19, 2012

Teaching Commission

Today, TSTA issued the following news release: The Texas State Teachers Association (TSTA) strongly opposes certain recommendations of the Educate Texas “Texas Teaching Commission”that would make it more difficult to recruit and retain quality teachers in our classrooms while ignoring the major problem plaguing our public schools.TSTA withdrew from the teaching commission when it became evident that the group was more interested in eliminating the teacher salary schedule and using standardized tests to evaluate teachers than it was in finding the resources necessary to invest in elevating the teaching profession.“Teachers are the heart and soul of our public education system. They demand to be treated and compensated as dedicated professionals, working in schools that have the resources their students need to succeed,” said TSTA President Rita Haecker. “Unfortunately, this report’s recommendations lack the courage to do what’s needed, and instead, it simply recycles a number of ‘remedies’ that have been tried in other states without proven results.”

“The first priority of anyone who truly cares about the future of public education in Texas should be restoration of the $5.4 billion that the governor and legislative majority slashed from our schools during the last legislative session,” Haecker added.

Educate Texas is proposing an unproven merit pay plan for teachers, which would be tied in part to Texas’ unreliable and increasingly unpopular system of high-stakes standardized tests.

Educate Texas also would eliminate the teacher salary schedule, which means that many teachers would suffer cuts in actual take home pay as their deductions for health care benefits continue to increase. Texas ranks among the bottom third of the states in average teacher pay. Following the 2011 budget cuts, average teacher pay in Texas declined by $264 a year to $48,375 for the 2011-12 school year.

“The salary schedule is one small thing that keeps experienced teachers in the classroom, and at a time when the state has cut funding and teachers are losing their jobs, it is often the only way an experienced teacher has the money needed to keep up with rising health insurance premiums and other items that shrink take home pay,” Haecker noted.

December 18, 2012

Teacher marshals?

Rep. Louie Gohmert of Tyler told FOX News he wished the principal of the Connecticut school that was attacked last week had been armed with an assault rifle. TSTA President Rita Haecker and Education Austin President Ken Zarifis offer a different solution at http://www.kvue.com/news/State-lawmaker-suggests-teacher-marshals-in-wake-of-shooting-184028001.html. Read Clay Robison's blog "Should our schools be free-fire zones?" at http://www.tsta.org/grading-texas/rick-perry/should-our-schools-be-free-fire-zones.

TSTA offices close Dec. 19

We will back in the office Jan. 2. Have a happy holiday season!

December 14, 2012

NEA president: education community shares Newtown’s loss

A shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, today left at least 26 people dead, including 18 students. The shooting appears to be the nation’s second-deadliest school shooting; the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech University resulted in the deaths of 32 people.

The following is a statement by NEA President Dennis Van Roekel: “We join the Newtown community and our entire nation in mourning the deaths of innocent children and educators due to violence. As members of the education community, we extend our deepest sympathies to members of the AFTCT who have lost friends and colleagues. We are deeply concerned for everyone in the Newtown community and will work with the AFTCT and the Connecticut Education Association in the hours and days ahead to help them in any way we can to cope with this tragedy.”

Statement from CEA President Sheila Cohen: “CEA is deeply saddened by the horrific tragedy that took the lives of so many children and adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Our hearts and thoughts go out to the parents, teachers, family members, our AFTCT colleagues, and the entire Newtown community. We are committed to helping AFT Connecticut, which represents the teachers in Newtown, as well as the students, teachers, administrators, and families as they recover from this unimaginable tragedy.”

TRS discusses economy, legislature

The Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) met in Austin this week to discuss current and projected economic conditions, TRS Care and the upcoming legislative session.

The quarterly report from TRS economic staff showed third quarter assets performed much better than they did in the second quarter. Investments outperformed the benchmark by 73 basis points according to the experts: “Performance during the year-to-date and trailing 12 month periods is strong in both absolute and relative terms.”

Staff also discussed the implications of the fiscal cliff negotiations in Washington, noting that if an agreement is not reached, the economy could slip into another recession. However, TRS forecasts no changes in evaluations for the pension fund.

If the continuation rate of a 6.40%/6.40% continues, the 30 year ARC is projected to exceed the 10% constitutional maximum in 2015.

TRS also received an update on the legislative session coming in January. Staff will make recommendations for board approval for statutory changes to be made next session related to contribution rates. If there is no change this session in the contribution rate, an increase in the contribution rate needed from the employer and the member of approximately 0.20% each will be needed to attain the same funding goals. Specific recommendations from the FY 2014-15 Legislative Appropriations Request (LAR) made by TRS in July are:

• Assumes a state contribution rate of 6.4% each year to the pension trust fund and payroll growth of 0% per year for public education and 2% per year for higher education.

• An exceptional item request that the contribution rate be increased to 6.9% for FY 2014 and 7.4% for FY 2015. Each 1.0% increase costs approximately $250 million per year in general revenue.

• Assumes a state contribution rate of 1.0% for FY 2014 and 0.5% for FY 2015 for TRS-Care with the same payroll growth assumptions as noted above.

• An exceptional item request to increase the state contribution rate by 0.5% in 2015, consistent with the statutory contribution rate of 1.0%. The cost is approximately $125 million more in general revenue than the base request.”

A new baseline for any proposed TRS changes will be established when the Legislative Budget Board releases revised estimates in January. At that time, TRS will have enough information to determine if TRSCare will remain solvent through the next biennium or if additional appropriations will be necessary. However, without legislative action, TRS projects there will be significant TRSCare funding issues by FY 2016 and beyond.

December 11, 2012

iPad Mini sweepstakes

If you’re an educator, you could win an iPad Mini! Horace Mann is giving 15 of them away between Dec. 10-24, and all you have to do for a chance to win is “Like” their Facebook page and enter their sweepstakes. No purchase necessary. “Educator iPad Attack” Dec. 10 to Dec. 24, 2012. http://horacemann.com/teacher-lounge/educator-ipad-attack

December 10, 2012

Two more papers pick up TSTA editorial

TSTA President Rita Haecker's op-ed, "Schools need fair and adequate funding," which ran in the Fort Worth Star Telegram last week, has been picked up by the Amarillo Globe-News and Houston Chronicle.
http://www.chron.com/default/article/Schools-need-fair-and-adequate-funding-4100741.php

French plan would end homework

From NPR: The French government has proposed doing away with homework in elementary and junior high school. French President Francois Hollande argues that homework penalizes children with difficult home situations, but even the people whom the proposal is supposed to help disagree. http://www.npr.org/2012/12/02/166193594/pencils-down-french-plan-would-end-homework?ft=3&f=111787346&sc=nl&cc=es-20121209

December 7, 2012

Comments requested on new accountability system

The framework for the Texas State Accountability System beginning in 2013 is available for review and comment on the Texas Education Agency (TEA) website. To submit comments: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2013/proposals.html.

The TEA’s proposed accountability framework is a performance index in which school districts and campuses are awarded points for each indicator based on student outcomes. This creates a system where a campus/district rating is based on a cumulative point total to determine the state accountability rating. A low performance on one indicator may be offset by high performance on another indicator.

This is markedly different from the previous state accountability system that used a “separate indicator” framework in which a district/campus rating was based on the indicator that met the lowest standard. Adequately Yearly Progress (AYP) is an example of a “separate indicator” system.

What it is?

• Each measure contributes points to an index score

• Required to meet one accountability target-the total index school

• Reflects overall performance of the school/district

Framework

• Student Achievement

• Progress

• Closing Achievement Gaps

• Post-Secondary Readiness

Emphasis

• Post-Secondary Readiness

• Inclusion of Student Progress

• Closing Achievement Gaps

Indicators

• STAAR grades 3-8 English

• STAAR grades 3-5 Spanish

• STAAR EOC assessments including retests

• Dropout Rates grades 912 or district completion rates

• High School Graduation Rates

• Four year

• Five Year

• Recommended High School Program (RHSP)/Advanced High School Program (AHSP)

• Grade 11 TAKS included in 2013 ratings

For additional information: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2013/index.html

Technical description: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2013/20121130tac/pi_technical_11-30-12.pdf

December 6, 2012

Board appointed to oversee El Paso ISD

Texas Education Agency today announced the appointment of a five-member board to oversee management of El Paso ISD. The appointment must be pre-cleared by the U.S. Department of Justice because TEA’s action temporarily replaces a seven-member elected board of trustees. Vernon Butler will continue in his role as interim superintendent. http://www.tea.state.tx.us/news_release.aspx?id=2147510370

December 5, 2012

Your chance to comment on new accountability system is here

The Texas Education Agency invites educators and the public to review and comment on the current proposals for the new state accountability system for Texas public schools. The new rating system will be based in part on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness. Comments will be accepted until Jan. 18 and can be submitted electronically. http://www.tea.state.tx.us/news_release.aspx?id=2147510319

December 4, 2012

Act quickly to get $2500 for your school

If you are an NEA member, your school could win $2,500 for school supplies and instructional materials. Entries for the California Casualty Academic Award must be received by Dec.16. http://CalCasAcademicAward.com

December 3, 2012

NEA: Speaker’s counter plan 'misguided and unbalanced'

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) sent President Barack Obama a counter offer outlining the Republican party’s attempt to get the nation’s fiscal house in order and avoid pushing the nation’s economy over the so-called "fiscal cliff."

It's not acceptable, NEA President Dennis Van Roekel says. "We simply can’t afford to preserve tax cuts for the wealthiest two percent by cutting funding for special education, low-income students, children, and senior citizens. Instead of sticking everyday Americans with the nation’s debt, Speaker Boehner needs to make sure the wealthiest two percent pay their fair share."

Follow NEA on twitter at www.twitter.com/NEAMedia; follow this conversation with #kidsnotcuts.

November 30, 2012

15 percent grading policy deferred

Texas Education Agency announced today that they are deferring implementation of the 15 percent grading requirement for the 2012-2013 school year. Under the rule connected to the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) end-of-course examinations, a student’s score on the STAAR end-of-course exams would count 15 percent of the student’s final grade in each tested subject area. Watch www.tea.state.tx.us for details.

November 28, 2012

Texas graduation rates top the charts

Texas tied for the third highest high school graduation rate in the country for all students and ranks number one in graduation rates for Asian and white students, according to preliminary data released by the U.S. Department of Education. The state-by-state comparison is available on the U.S. Department of Education website at http://www2.ed.gov/documents/press-releases/state-2010-11-graduation-rate-data.pdf.

November 27, 2012

Get your Staples Rewards this season

Just a reminder that during the holiday season you can receive 10 percent back in Staples Rewards for items educators use most, including teaching and art supplies, plus $2 back in Rewards when recycling any ink and toner cartridge. Staples Teacher Rewards is free to join; visit staplesrewards.com for more details.

November 26, 2012

You are invited to A&M’s higher education symposium

“Higher Education” is the next installment of the Texas Tribune Festival’s On The Road series. It will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday at Texas A&M University in College Station. The symposium will cover major issues confronting higher education in Texas over the next five to 10 years. Featured speakers – including John Sharp, Texas A&M System Chancellor; R. Bowen Loftin, Texas A&M University President; Dan Branch, House Committee on Higher Education Chairman; Kel Sellger, Senate Committee on Higher Education Chairman; and Raymund Paredes, Texas Higher Education Commissioner -- will discuss what’s next on the curricular front, redefining the college/university experience, funding, and dealing with Texas’ changing demographics.

It is free and open to the public (RSVP required by 12 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 29 to rsvp@texastribune.org or 512-716-8626). For a complete symposium schedule, RSVP or for more information, log onto texastribune.org/events.

November 20, 2012

Senate State Affairs Committee hears report on TRS study

On Monday, the Senate Committee on State Affairs heard testimony on the TRS Sustainability Study performed by TRS and a similar study on TRS-Care.

TRS testified that TRS-Care faces serious financial challenges, although recent changes have bought two years before urgent action would be required. State Affairs Committee Chairman, Senator Robert Duncan of Lubbock, commented that it might be better to take corrective action now while there is available revenue than to postpone action, which would only require more costly “solutions.”

TRS presented factual testimony on the legislative study on the sustainability of the Pension Trust Fund, and their findings indicate that the current Defined Benefit (DB) is the most efficient and stable plan for the state, taxpayers and educators. Both Senator Duncan and TRS observed that 95% of Texas teachers are not covered by Social Security, and noted that absent a DB plan, they would not have a reliable pension of any kind. TRS and the Senators also discussed possible changes that might enhance the “actuarial soundness” of the existing DB system to allow retirees to realize some improvement in benefits. TSTA will monitor this important issue and update you as proposed changes – some good and some bad - are discussed in more detail in the coming legislative session.

Ed Martin, TSTA Director of Public Affairs, submitted the following testimony to the State Affairs Committee:

The TRS legislative study on the sustainability of the Pension Trust Fund clearly illustrates that the current Defined Benefit plan is the most cost-efficient and stable design for Texas teachers, Texas taxpayers and the State of Texas.

If the legislature attempts to change the current Defined Benefit plan to a hybrid or Defined Contribution plan, costs borne by Texas taxpayers will increase and Texas teachers will shoulder more of the investment risk. As you know, 95% of Texas teachers neither participate in nor receive Social Security, and they rely solely on their TRS pension for their retirement income. Retirees who taught generations of Texas students while earning less than they should have been paid, should, at the very least, be able to count on a constant, consistent retirement income.

Finally, as explained in the study, moving from a Defined Benefit plan to a hybrid or Defined Contribution model will not eliminate existing plan liabilities. We urge the committee to find any necessary sustainability solutions within the existing structure of the Pension Trust Fund.
A reliable retirement program is vitally important to TSTA members – whether they are retirees, experienced teachers, or young teachers entering the profession. TSTA is adamantly opposed to changing to current Defined Benefit system to a hybrid model or Defined Contribution plan.

November 19, 2012

State Board of Education meeting

In his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey wrote that we typically spend 80 percent of our time focusing on those things over which we have no influence. Such is the case of last week’s State Board of Education, where two topics – CSCOPE and other recommendations to the 83rd Legislature – dominated the discussion.

CSCOPE
A curriculum management system developed by Education Service Centers and now in use in 80 percent of Texas school districts, the State Board of Education has no regulatory authority over the content, quality, or implementation of CSCOPE. School districts purchase CSCOPE from the Education Service Centers. A motion was made to add regulatory authority to the board’s recommendations to the 83rd Legislature, amended to not specifically single-out CSCOPE, to allow greater transparency, to retain parents’ right to review the instructional materials (of CSCOPE and other curricula management systems, pursuant to 26.006), and to give the SBOE oversight as needed. The substitute amendment failed.

Concerns around CSCOPE ranged from problems with its implementation, to not allowing students with disabilities to be included in the curriculum, to an alleged bias against the Judeo-Christian experience/history. A concern was also raised relative to the inability of parents to review the instructional materials used with CSCOPE. Several board members pointed out that each school district has a legal obligation to certify the appropriateness and adequacy of instructional materials to meet the TEKS. An additional concern was a reluctance to tread on the “local control” school districts currently enjoy in implementing the TEKS.

Other recommendations to the 83rd Legislature
To some extent, this board does have input in the recommendations SBOE makes to the legislature; however, with eight members leaving the board, the new board will, in all likelihood, have more input. The top five board priorities for the board are:
1. Appropriate 50% of the annual distribution from the Permanent School Fund (PSF) to the Available School Fund (ASF) to the state instructional materials fund as required under TEC 43.001. This is the only legislative priority from the current board that enjoyed the support of all 15 board members.
2. Eliminate the requirement in TEC 39.023© that the end-of-course (EOC) assessment account for 15% of the student’s final grade for the course. This enjoyed the support of 11/15 board members.
3. Rename the Minimum High School Program as the Standard Degree Program (9/15)
4. Increase the cap on the allowable number of charter school such that more charters may be granted. (7/15)
5. Restore funding to the Foundation School Program. (7/15)

Five members initially indicated that the issue of CSCOPE should be addressed (based primarily on hours of testimony at the Committee on School Initiatives the previous night). Another item of interest was to get rid of the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment Scale (TELPAS) since the STAAR imposes more rigorous requirements and the TELPAS cost $7 million to implement.

The issue of charter schools generated a significant amount of debate given that no cap was recommended. A motion was made to cap the number at 225 (up from 215) however concern was raised that the number was too limiting since it had to cover the biennium. Currently, SBOE is on track to approve nine additional charters bringing the total number of operating charters to 210. There was conversation to give the commissioner greater authority to revoke the charters of low performing schools, especially given the $20 million that has been spent on charter schools that are no longer in operation. The commissioner does have some authority in this area; however, since the charter is viewed as a property right (and not a license) the state cannot revoke a charter without affording due process.

In Other Action
• The board approved the percentage of distribution of the PSF at 3.3%, which includes for the first time $2 billion from the General Land Office (GLO). Previously, funds from the GLO had been excluded and the distribution amount only included funds with the PSF.
• Approved an increase in the expenditure from the ASF of $406.100. This represents an increase from the original allotment of $378.878.
Filed for First Reading
• Revisions to 19 TAC Chapter 101, Assessment, Subchapters A, B, C, D, and E that shifts rulemaking authority from SBOE to the commissioner.

November 13, 2012

TSTA submits comments on sunset report

TSTA today submitted its comments to the 2012 Sunset Advisory Commission Staff Report for the Texas Education Agency.

TSTA notes in the summary of the report, “the sunset review found that TEA lacks sufficient tools to address schools with serious academic and financial accountability problems.” Not surprisingly, this same conclusion was made in the 2004 Sunset Advisory Commission Staff Report for TEA, noting the agency was being downsized at the time, frustrating its ability to properly monitor Texas public and charter schools. However, there are several issues in the report to which TSTA objects. http://www.tsta.org/sites/default/files/Testimony-SunsetCommissionRecommendations.pdf

November 8, 2012

State Board of Education agenda posted

The State Board of Education meets Nov. 14-16; the agenda is available at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=3785. A few highlights, drawn from the pre-meeting briefing...

· Commissioner Williams makes his “inaugural” remarks.

· Board will make initial recommendations to the 83rd legislature but these will also be revisited in January (both outgoing and incoming board members want input).

· Fine Arts TEKS revisions will be reviewed as the TEKS committees have completed their work. First reading and public comment in January; second reading and final adoption in April.

· Allotment from the ASF is increasing to almost $391.

· PSF has been averaging a 17% return.

· GEN 17 charter school applications will be voted on – there are 14 applications and, as fate has it, 14 slots left, so the cap may be reached this round.

· Application process for GEN 18 charter schools will be approved.

· Alignment of SBOE rules with Commissioners Rules.

November 7, 2012

Locals make progress in school board elections

TSTA, NEA, and TSTA locals all won important victories yesterday's general election. All politics is local, and nothing is more important to achieving TSTA’s strategic goals than winning local school board elections. This year, TSTA provided support for candidates endorsed by locals, with a focus on races that could swing the balance of a local school board to be more favorable to policies that benefit educators, students, and our communities. TSTA supported these efforts through direct mail, phone calls, advertising, and PAC contributions. http://www.tsta.org/issues-and-action/take-action-state-level

Nominations due for awards for outstanding teaching

Each year, Humanities Texas presents awards recognizing and encouraging excellence in teaching the humanities in Texas schools. Nominations are being accepted until Dec. 12. http://humanitiestexas.org/education/teacher-awards

November 5, 2012

Please help NEA's disaster relief efforts for Hurricane Sandy

NEA is deeply concerned about the well-being of its members and school communities in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. The NEA Health Information Network Disaster Relief Fund is offering small grants of up to $5,000 to 501(c)3 non-profit organizations that exist to serve the individuals in the education communities impacted by Hurricane Sandy. They are asking for donations to the Disaster Relief Fund, either through www.NEAHIN.org/disasterrelief or by check, payable to NEA HIN Disaster Relief Fund, 1201 16th Street, NW, Suite 216, Washington, DC 20036.

Materials for parents, teachers, and crisis teams on how to talk to kids after a natural disaster, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and surviving traumatic events are available at www.neahin.org/blog/natural-disaster-resources.html.

Political winds shifting over testing, accountability

From the Nov. 3 Austin American Statesman: "Barely a peep of dissent was uttered in 2009 when the Texas Legislature adopted what state leaders called a landmark overhaul of the public school testing and accountability system. Not even four years later, legislators are hearing loud and clear that the state needs to rethink that high-stakes testing system, the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR." http://www.statesman.com/news/news/political-winds-shifting-over-testing-accountabili/nSwQs

October 31, 2012

Senate education notes

Yesterday, the Senate Committee on Education held two separate hearings. First, the Senate Committee on Education held a joint hearing with the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice. The joint hearing focused on student discipline issues. Chairman Whitmire was concerned about the excessive ticketing phenomenon is some school districts and on certain individual campuses; a practice that involves ISD or municipal police officers giving students Class C misdemeanor tickets for things as innocuous as spraying perfume or sleeping in class. Chairman Whitmire, Senator West, and Senator Van de Putte expressed outrage upon hearing the results of a statewide study that indicates a disproportionate number of students of color are disciplined, and asked witnesses to explain the reason for such discrimination, which was made crystal clear by information provided by school districts to TEA.

TSTA appeared and testified that teachers need to be able to control their own classrooms, but that was made increasingly difficult by the decision of the legislature to slash the education budget, which forced fewer teachers and teacher’s aides to teach in more crowded classrooms. TSTA also noted that student discipline issues cannot be separated from the larger picture of educating kids, noting that it is impossible for teachers to teach and students to learn if a classroom cannot be appropriately controlled. TSTA agreed that the data showed that there is a pattern of discrimination in certain school districts and that social justice is imperative in the education setting.

In the second hearing, the Senate Committee on Education met to discuss the implementation of Senate Bill 8 (local control and “flexibility,” contract rights, etc.) and House Bill 3 (STAAR/accountability). The hearing lasted barely over an hour; with committee members listening to TEA staff discuss the finer points of the bills. There was no discussion between the committee and TEA staff.

TSTA appeared and offered the following testimony:

Underfunding public education led to the passage of Senate Bill 8. Senate Bill 8 forced school districts to dispense with essential employees, leading to the overcrowding of classrooms – and forcing public schools to fail in their singular mission to appropriately educate the kids of Texas.

At the same time, the state entered into a massive contract to expand standardized testing. No evidence suggests that standardized testing increases student performance. The ability to pass a test does not equate to learning the necessary skills to succeed in life. Nor does the passage rate of a test show the value of a teaching professional. In a recent article in the Dallas Morning News, even Pearson’s own Senior Vice President, Walter Way, stated, “It is not appropriate to say that if too many of your students do badly on your TAKS test, that your teachers should be fired.” Yet that is exactly where many want this debate to conclude.

It’s time to fully fund public education and scrap the standardized testing system that wastes time, money, and human resources. Given the improving state revenue outlook, we believe the provisions enacted in Senate Bill 8 should be sunsetted. You are in a position to make sure that every child in Texas receives an excellent education. But that’s not going to happen unless you create a learning environment that is actually conducive to learning.

Sen. Shapiro stated that this would be the last committee hearing until the next legislative session.

October 18, 2012

Watch Diane Ravitch and Evan Smith on 'Overheard'

Diane Ravitch's interview with Texas Tribune editor Evan Smith for the PBS syndicated program "Overheard" will air tonight at 7 p.m. on KLRU in Austin; check listings for other Texas PBS stations at http://www.klru.org/overheard/episode/diane-ravitch. The program will later be archived at http://www.klru.org/overheard/archive. Read Ravitch's blog about her Austin trip at http://dianeravitch.net/2012/10/02/a-visit-to-austin-texas.

October 17, 2012

ESPs: get an affordable bachelor’s degree online

The NEA Academy has expanded its education menu to include bachelor's degree programs through Western Governors University (WGU). WGU is an online, non-profit university focused on education professionals who are seeking to expand their knowledge and advance their career on an affordable budget.

WGU offers bachelor's degrees accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education in interdisciplinary studies (K-8), early childhood education, math, science, special education, business, sales, marketing, nursing/health, accounting, information technology, and other critical teaching disciplines. Your work is measured by competency and assessments, not seat time. Throughout the program, you are supported by faculty mentors focused on your success.

NEA members receive an additional 5 percent discount off WGU’s already low tuition rate (almost half the cost of for-profit universities), an application fee waiver ($65 savings), and eligibility to apply for the WGU-NEA Academy Partner Scholarship.

For information about the WGU bachelor’s or master’s degree programs, tuition discounts, and scholarship opportunities, please visit http://neaacademy.org/westerngovernors.

October 16, 2012

NEA president: the difference between Romney, Obama

NEA President Dennis Van Roekel tells WIN Radio that he sees a big difference between the education records of President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.

“When (Romney) was governor, he cut education. They had teacher layoffs. He raised tuition for colleges and university. He gave tax breaks to the wealthiest. He supports the Ryan budget, which cuts $115 billion from education. He supports vouchers for private schools. He says class size doesn’t matter – unless you talk about the school where his kids went, where maximum class size is 11-15. In the debate, he said we ought to hire more teachers. The very next week, in an interview with the editorial board in Iowa, he said hiring more teachers would be a waste of money.

"For President Obama, from the first day he started campaigning back in 2008, he’s talked about education from early childhood to graduate. He raised Pell Grants. He reformed the loan program so money doesn’t go to banks; it goes to kids trying to get a college education. He understands the power of education – for the individual to follow your dream. For economic development, this country cannot move down the road of economic development if we don’t invest in education like the rest of the world.”

Click to listen to today’s headline news stories on WIN: www.laborradio.org

Young educators vow to vote for their futures

Featured in this article is David Tjaden, chair of the NEA Student Program, an organization of more than 60,000 students in education programs on more than 1,100 campuses across all 50 states. http://educationvotes.nea.org/2012/10/09/young-educators-vow-to-vote-for-their-futures

October 15, 2012

Links related to Texas Conference for Women

The annual Texas Conference for Women, cosponsored by TSTA, is Oct. 24 in Austin.

Free "Happier at Home" teleclass with Texas Conference for Women keynote Gretchen Rubin tonight
http://www.txconferenceforwomen.org/free-happier-at-home-teleclass-with-gretchen-rubin

Looking forward to the13th annual Texas Conference for Women, Oct. 24!
http://www.txconferenceforwomen.org/conference/agenda-3

The Texas Conference for Women is almost here! Which speaker are you most excited about?
http://www.txconferenceforwomen.org/speakers

October 11, 2012

Will our 'Friday Night Lights' go out?

Public education budget cuts and frightening new school privatization efforts are threatening the future of Texas high school football and other athletic programs, research by the Progress Texas PAC (www.progresstexaspac.org) reveals.

The dangers to public school athletics are detailed in a powerful new video, “Will Our Friday Night Lights Go Out?,” released today. The film features interviews with two of the actors from the hit TV series, “Friday Night Lights.” Aaron Spivey-Sorrells (Coach Spivey) and Jonathan Palafox (Putnick) were also Texas high school football standouts. The short video detailing the attack on school athletics can be seen at www.savetexasfootball.com or youtube.com/watch?v=vgV2nLoEno8&feature=plcp.

“I don’t think Texans realize the full extent of damage being done to education and our way of life,” said Progress Texas PAC director Glenn Smith. “Several schools have instituted pay-to-play programs and, in many cases, sports and other extracurricular activities are simply being eliminated to make up for the loss of state money. People who think football is protected from all of this are simply mistaken.”

Budget cuts have already forced reductions in many Texas programs. In addition, some schools have moved to “pay-to-play” plans to overcome the loss of state money. Pay-to-play forces students to pay the costs of their athletic participation.

The Texas Legislature is also considering a massive expansion of school privatization – taking 300,000 students and $1 billion each year from public schools. Such drains would turn 5A schools into 4A schools, 4As into 3As etc. Some small town programs could be eliminated altogether.

“You can’t drain that many students and that much money from public schools without doing great harm to high school football, basketball and other sports,” Smith said. “Competition will be reduced, and many programs will collapse altogether. Budget cutters and privatizers don’t want to talk about this, but it’s a real, immediate danger.”

October 10, 2012

Watch “Kids not CEOs” web advertisement

In conjunction with the Americans for Tax Fairness coalition, NEA has launched a “Kids not CEOs” tax fairness online advertisement, concerning the expiration of the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest two percent and the need to close corporate tax loopholes to raise significant revenue and prevent further devastating cuts to education and other domestic investments. http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50692/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=8501&src=NEA_Dist

October 9, 2012

More students take Advanced Placement tests

Participation in Advanced Placement tests by Texas public school students was up by 4 percent in the 2011-12 school year. According to data from the College Board, performance increased for all students by 9.1 percent, with African-American and Hispanic students showing the greatest gain in performance at 12 percent and 13.9 percent, respectively. http://www.tea.state.tx.us/news_release.aspx?id=2147509381

October 8, 2012

TSTA testifies on concerns about virtual schools

Today, the Senate Committee on Education met to discuss the virtual school network and the future of virtual schools and courses. Most of the testimony centered on the fact that students who attend virtual schools do not score as well on standardized tests as students who attend traditional public schools. Students who attend traditional public schools and use virtual courses to enhance their education, however, score on par with their peers who solely attend a traditional public school.

Without question, for-profit virtual schools are siphoning money from traditional public schools and lining the pockets of the corporate Texas public education system. TSTA appeared and offered the following testimony:

Senate Bill 1788 (2007 Regular Legislative Session) was designed to create a small scale model of how a virtual school system would work, develop best practices, and then grow slowly. That has not happened. Instead, we are seeing for-profit companies fighting for education dollars in this state. Virtual schools can receive the same amount of money per student as traditional public schools while being held to lower standards. Current law provides no guidance on how students are monitored for completing course work. Some accountability measures for student attendance include nothing more than recording when a student logs into his or her account. Our concern is that at a time when public schools are under such intense scrutiny for accountability, virtual schools have received a free pass. TSTA would like to see rigorous standards put in place for virtual schools. All public education should be scrutinized under the same standards.

The Senate Committee on Education next meets on Oct. 30 to discuss the instructional materials allotment, local control of school boards (Senate Bill 8), bullying, and student discipline.

October 5, 2012

Educators, candidates to attend San Antonio rally Sunday

Legislators and pro-public education candidates will attend a “Friends of Education Forum” sponsored by the Texas State Teachers Association on Sunday, Oct. 7, in San Antonio. The event will begin at 3 p.m. at MacArthur Park, 1611 N.E. Loop 410, Pavilion 4.

Teachers, superintendents, and other educators and their families will attend. The forum will focus attention on how $5.4 billion in state budget cuts imposed by the legislative majority in 2011 have hurt the public schools and stress the need to elect candidates who value public education.

“We need to elect people who respect the work we do in our schools and understand that education is the key to opportunity for our families and our economic future,” said TSTA President Rita Haecker, who will speak at the forum.

TSTA is supporting candidates in several key San Antonio races. TSTA is supporting former San Antonio City Council Member Philip Cortez against State Rep. John Garza in Texas House District 117. Garza voted for the budget cuts, which, according to the Texas Education Agency, have taken $90 million from school districts in District 117 and cost more than 400 teachers in District 117 their jobs.

In other contested legislative races, TSTA is supporting State Sen. Carlos Uresti in District 19 and State Rep. Joe Farias in District 118 for reelection. Both voted against the budget cuts and are strong advocates of public schools.

TSTA also is supporting challenger Pete Gallego against U.S. Rep. Francisco “Quico” Canseco in the 23rd Congressional District race. Rep. Gallego has been an effective advocate for public education as a leader in the Texas Legislature.

Media coverage of Sunday’s forum is invited.

October 3, 2012

Public schools need real solutions, not political sideshows

TSTA President Rita Haecker issued the following statement this week: “We are hopeful that the Senate majority will not allow the appointment of Sen. Dan Patrick as Chairman of the Senate Education Committee to turn undue attention to a privatization sideshow that does not address the needs of the overwhelming majority of Texas students.

“Senator Patrick’s priority, private school vouchers, is out of touch with the majority of Texans who want real solutions for students and educators who have been forced by historic education cuts to work in crowded classrooms with inadequate resources.

“Instead of trying to enrich private school operators with tax dollars, the Legislature should expand public educational opportunities for all Texas children. And, the place to start is by restoring the $5.4 billion that was cut from public schools last session, restoring the 25,000 lost school jobs and reducing the size of thousands of overcrowded classrooms.

“Texas families demand a first class public education system, because that is where the vast majority of children will continue to be educated. Wasting time and tax dollars on a narrow, ideological political agenda is not what Texans deserve.”

October 2, 2012

Education supporters call for investing new revenue in schools

TSTA is participating this morning in a news conference at the Capitol called by Our Values Our Texas. The group calls on state leaders to use newly disclosed state revenue to begin, with the 2014-15 budget, to restore money cut from education.

"The improving economy presents an excellent opportunity for the Legislature to restore funding for education and other critical public services," TSTA Vice President Noel Candelaria said. "According to the comptroller, at least $8.1 billion will be in the Rainy Day Fund at the end of the current budget period, while general revenue is running at least $5 billion ahead of what was projected when the devastating budget cuts were enacted.

"The Texas State Teachers Association urges legislators to do the right thing for our state’s children and our economic future. Stop the cuts and restore the funding. Only then can we begin repairing the damage done to our public schools," Candelaria said.

NEA commits to raise $1.5 million for program to prep students for jobs of the future

President Obama has called for 100,000 new science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers to prepare students for the 2.7 million new jobs expected in those sectors by 2018. NEA is responding with a $500,000 challenge grant that calls on leading business and technology companies and philanthropists to join them in working to expand a successful New Jersey Education Association program that helps increase the number of certified science and math teachers. As a math teacher with more than 20 years of classroom experience, NEA President Dennis Van Roekel was pleased to make the call to action on a webcast with education leaders across the country.

“Today, NEA is pledging up to half a million dollars—and we’re committing to help raise at least $1 million more—to expand and replicate a successful New Jersey program that placed 60 new physics and chemistry teachers in New Jersey public schools classrooms last year alone,” said NEA President Van Roekel. Van Roekel said that previously, the state’s average was just 10 new physics teachers per year.

NEA’s goal is to raise $1.5 million to help fund efforts to take the model created in New Jersey’s Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) Progressive Science Initiative and bring it to schools across the country. CTL cultivates teachers who are highly qualified and skilled educators to fill science and math teacher shortages. The program has added more than 130 new physics and chemistry teachers since it began in 2009. CTL’s Progressive Science Initiative (PSI) and Progressive Mathematics Initiative (PMI) uses free digital materials to support the teaching of more than 20 courses in math and science, which some 500 existing STEM-subject teachers have used to improve teaching and learning in New Jersey schools.

“We’re committed to preparing students to succeed in the worldwide economy, that’s why we’re working together to get additional qualified, caring, and committed math and science teachers into classrooms. Right now, there’s a severe shortage, especially in low-income communities, and that needs to change. But we cannot do it alone,” said Van Roekel.

PSI began at Bergen County Technical High School in Teterboro, where nearly 20 times as many students took the AP Physics exam in 2010 than the state average. Since 2009, 85 schools in New Jersey have adopted the program. “There is a clear understanding that our nation’s prosperity is tied to innovation and that innovation will be spurred on by our ability to engage our students in STEM subjects and programs,” Van Roekel added.

New Jersey CTL Executive Director and former New Jersey Teacher of the Year (2006) Bob Goodman created PSI as a Bergen Tech physics teacher. “NEA recognizes that this program can be a model to improve science and math education across the country,” Goodman said. “This grant will help expand this successful program that develops teachers’ skills and creates student enthusiasm for jobs of the future,” he added.

Other states, such as Colorado and Rhode Island, are now adopting PSI and PMI in several high schools.

“We know this program works to help prepare students for 21st-century careers,” said Joyce Powell, member of NEA’s Executive Committee and chairperson of New Jersey CTL. “We’re anxious to have the opportunity to share what we’ve learned and help states replicate our accomplishments.”

“NEA will continue to lead efforts to improve teaching and learning and invest in programs that work. The New Jersey project is making a real difference in students’ lives, and it will help grow the state’s economy,” said Van Roekel. NEA has invested nearly $21 million in the 2012-2013 school year to improve public schools and create an education profession focused on quality and equity for students. Those resources have gone to programs such as NEA’s Priority Schools Campaign, which uses collaborative strategies and innovations to help transform low-performing public schools throughout the country.

Learn more about this STEM program, and see other resources on STEM education, at www.nea.org/STEM

October 1, 2012

Free online college and career planning website

The Texas Education Agency today announced the launch of a new free online college and career planning website for Texas students, parents, and educators. The Texas College & Career resource site, www.texascollegeandcareer.org, provides information about college options, academic and financial preparation for college, higher education admissions, and career research.

September 28, 2012

TSTA cosponsors Texas Conference for Women

TSTA is cosponsoring the Texas Conference for Women Oct. 24 at the Austin Convention Center. Speakers are:

Charlotte Beers, who has been called “The Most Powerful Woman in Advertising” and “the Queen of Madison Avenue.”
Dr. Brené Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, who has spent 12 years studying vulnerability, courage, worthiness, and shame.
Gretchen Rubin, author of the international bestseller “The Happiness Project,” who dedicated a school year to making her home a place of greater simplicity, comfort, and love, drawing on the wisdom of the ages, current scientific studies, and lessons from popular culture.

http://www.txconferenceforwomen.org

September 26, 2012

Apply for an NEA Foundation grant

Oct. 15 is the next deadline for applying for a Learning & Leadership Grant or Student Achievement Grant from the NEA Foundation. If you miss it, don't worry: you have two more chances during the year. http://www.neafoundation.org

September 25, 2012

Committee considers school finance options

The Joint Interim Committee to Study the School Finance System met in Austin on Monday, September 24, to discuss current and alternative revenue sources for public education and “learning centered” funding. The hearing centered on current and alternative revenue sources, and many witnesses and committee members expressed concerns that the current revenue streams that have created a structural deficit are not sufficient to meet the long term needs of the citizens of Texas. This raises a very real concern that absent legislative action to provide additional revenue, the Legislature could again cut funding for public schools in the upcoming session, despite the fact that the “Rainy Day Fund” could have $8-10 billion and state revenue collections are running $5-7 billion higher than projections for the current two-year budget period.

The joint committee heard several suggestions for fixing the structural deficit that was caused by the 2006 legislation that was supposed to replace a major property tax cut with a business “margins” tax – but the margins tax has come up $5 billion short every year. Suggestions from one side included adjustments to the business tax structure, including closing loopholes and exemptions, or the unlikely prospect of enacting a state income tax. On the other side, the committee heard a proposal to eliminate property taxes entirely and replace it with a much higher sales tax with fewer exemptions. At a minimum, an 11% sales tax would be required, and that would involve taxing items that are exempt now; the rate would be even higher if all current exemptions were maintained. Opponents of this approach pointed out that revenue from the sales tax is too unreliable to be the main source of state funding for education and other vital services, making the rate irrelevant.

Members of the committee argued in favor of a statewide property tax or statewide collections system for property taxation and questioned why new and innovative ways to fund public education can’t be developed. The committee chair requested that those advocating opposing sides come up with a hybrid solution to fund public education without burdening homeowners, but it is still uncertain how the Legislature will attack this problem next session, or whether they will take a serious look at the failing state revenue system at all until the school finance lawsuits are settled after the next session. No future meetings were discussed at this meeting.

NEA president: Romney remarks prove he’s out of touch with parents and educators

NEA President Dennis Van Roekel reacts to former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s comments on education during NBC Universal’s Education Nation: "Today, Mitt Romney reminded those of us who advocate for students and public education that there’s only one clear choice in this election. His remarks further demonstrate that he is either oblivious to what is good for our nation’s students, or he simply does not care about their futures or America’s future.

"During the nationally televised education forum, Romney cited Finland as an example about what’s right for public education. Unfortunately, he ignores the essential elements of that country’s success: ensuring every public school is a great public school, fostering strong collaboration between unions and schools, and emphasizing the professionalization of teachers. His ideas for improving America’s public schools fly in the face of what actually works in Finland.

"Romney also proved he’s completely out of touch with parents and educators. He continues to insist that class size doesn’t matter and he disclosed that he has no plan for early childhood education. Study after study affirms that quality early childhood education is critical to student success. The Romney-Ryan budget would gut public education—funds for early education and funds that actually would keep class sizes manageable.

"Romney says he fundamentally believes in parental involvement, but when a New York City parent tried to say that in fact, recent polling shows that parents across the city of one of the nation’s largest public school systems, support teachers and their unions by a ratio of 3 to 1, Romney rudely cut him off, refusing to listen to facts. This was a disrespectful act unbecoming of someone seeking the highest office in the land. Parents deserve more respect.

"The more we hear from Mitt Romney, the more convinced we are as educators and working Americans that he and Paul Ryan would take the country in the wrong direction—exacerbating inequity in our educational system—all in pursuit of his vision where everybody gets as much education as they can afford.”

September 24, 2012

Watch yesterday's Teacher Town Hall

The video of yesterday's Teacher Town Hall, part of NBC's annual Education Nation event that continues through Tuesday, is online at http://www.educationnation.com/index.cfm?objectid=9F0D0790-F6AA-11E1-B7FE000C296BA163. Still to come:

National Radio Interview (@WeGotEd). President Van Roekel will discuss the impact of the election on education LIVE on the Ed Schultz Radio Show at 2:33 p.m. ET today.
NEA will also announce a new initiative to significantly raise the number of high school math and physics teachers throughout the nation at a sponsored Education Nation breakfast Tuesday morning.
College/Career Readiness Panel. President Van Roekel will participate on the panel, moderated by NBC’s Rehema Ellis (@rehemaellis), alongside the principal of Worcester Tech High School Sheila Harrity and the Superintendent of Miami-Dade schools Alberto Carvalho. Worcester Technical High School offers a variety of programs including automotive, drafting, culinary arts and telecommunications. NEA has more than 40 members at the school.
Decision 2012 at Education Nation (@decision2012). President Obama (@barackobama) and Mitt Romney (@mittromney) will share their vision for the nation’s education (#education) future and what it will take to prepare all Americans for the high-skill jobs of the 21st century. This will be on Tuesday, Sept. 25 beginning at 10 a.m. ET. Tune in immediately following (approximately 11:40a.m.) for a live interview with NEA President Van Roekel on MSNBC.

SAT participation climbs

Over the past five years, Texas has experienced a dramatic increase in the number of Hispanic and African-American public school students taking the SAT, a sign that more Texans are considering enrolling in college. New data released today by the College Board shows the number of Hispanic test takers in Texas public schools increased by 65 percent between the 2007-2008 school year and last school year.
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/news_release.aspx?id=2147509049

September 22, 2012

Alert: NBC’s “Education Nation” Summit Sept. 23-25

Starting tomorrow, tune into NBC’s third annual “Education Nation” (@educationnation) Summit (www.EducationNation.com) taking place in New York City. The Summit will convene policymakers, elected officials, educators, parents, business leaders, and engaged citizens in a national discussion about the challenges and potential solutions spanning today’s education landscape. NEA is involved in several aspects of this important Summit, including:

Student Town Hall on MSNBC (#EdNatSTH) will be televised on MSNBC, Sunday at 10 a.m. ET. Moderated by MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry (@MHarrisPerry) and facilitated by NBC’s Luke Russert (@Luke Russert). NEA Vice President Lily Eskelsen will participate on a panel regarding school choice. Other panelists will include representatives from the Obama and Romney campaigns, Bloomberg News’ Jonathan Alter, university professors, and other education stakeholders. The audience will be 300 students from around the country, including NEA student members.

Live Teacher Town Hall on MSNBC (#EdNatTTH) moderated by Nightly News’ Brian Williams (@bwilliams) is Sunday from 12 pm - 2 pm ET. Arizona Education Association member and high school English teacher Selina Alonzo (@Selina Alonzo) from Maryvale High School in Phoenix, Ariz. will be a panelist. Serena is a former employee of the year for her district.

“Won’t Back Down” MSNBC special event, televised LIVE on MSNBC on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET; clips from an earlier panel discussion on parental engagement will be shown, as well as arrival and interviews on the red carpet.

“Won’t Back Down” World Premiere on MSNBC on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET.

Keep an eye out for a national NEA TV spot to air on MSNBC between 6 and 8 pm ET and on www.educationnation.com.

National Radio Interview (@WeGotEd): President Van Roekel will discuss the impact of the election on education LIVE on the Ed Schultz Radio Show at 2:33 p.m. ET on Monday.

NEA will also announce a new initiative to significantly raise the number of high school math and physics teachers throughout the nation at a sponsored Education Nation breakfast Tuesday morning. Additional details will be shared on Monday.

College/Career Readiness Panel: President Van Roekel will participate on the panel, moderated by NBC’s Rehema Ellis (@rehemaellis), alongside the principal of Worcester Tech High School Sheila Harrity and the Superintendent of Miami-Dade schools Alberto Carvalho. Worcester Technical High School offers a variety of programs including automotive, drafting, culinary arts, and telecommunications. NEA has more than 40 members at the school.

Decision 2012 at Education Nation (@decision2012): President Obama (@barackobama) and Mitt Romney (@mittromney) will share their vision for the nation’s education (#education) future and what it will take to prepare all Americans for the high-skill jobs of the 21st century. This will be on Tuesday beginning at 10 a.m. ET

Tune in immediately following -- approximately 11:40 a.m. -- for a live interview with President Van Roekel on MSNBC.

Watch for a national NEA TV spot between 10 a.m. and noon.

President Van Roekel also will meet with numerous media outlets throughout the Summit including the New York Times, CNN, Huffington Post, Bloomberg EDU, and Time Magazine.

Follow NEA’s Education Nation coverage at www.nea.org/educationnation

For more information and details about the summit, please visit www.EducationNation.com, Twitter @EducationNation, and @NEAMedia.

September 20, 2012

Kennedy Center looks for inspirational teachers

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is seeking nominations for the 2013 Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Awards, a series of grants for teachers of kindergarten through college.

“Teachers define us,” composer Stephen Sondheim said. “In our early years, when we are still being formed, they often see in us more than we see in ourselves, more even than our families see, and, as a result, help us to evolve into what we ultimately become. Good teachers are touchstones to paths of achieving more than we might have otherwise accomplished, in directions we might not have gone.”

Honorees receive a $10,000 prize, and their stories, as told by the nominating student, are featured on a website dedicated to inspirational teachers; the homepage also features leaders and celebrities -- including Warren Buffett, Dr. Jill Biden, J. J. Abrams, Bill Bradley, and many others -- describing their favorite teachers and the impact good teachers make on communities and schools. Visit kennedycenter.org/sondheimteacherawards; the nomination deadline is Dec. 16.

September 14, 2012

TRS: investment returns are up

On September 13-14, the Teacher Retirement System held its quarterly board meeting. The meeting was largely uneventful due to the recent TRS hearings at the Legislative Budget Board and the House Committee on Pensions, Investments and Financial Services. The board meeting largely focused on investment and administrative matters. The one item of note to come out of the meeting was that the Pension Trust Fund’s year-to-date investment returns are near 7 percent. The board will next meet on Nov. 2.

Texas Teaching Commission: a brief update

The Texas Teaching Commission, chaired by former commissioners Mike Moses and Jim Nelson, met Thursday in Austin to discuss methods to effectively reward and retain teachers with a deeper discussion of the current salary schedule in Texas and its benefits and detriments. This commission is focused on developing a new teacher evaluation system to recommend to the Texas Legislature next session, however, a final analysis of recommendations will not occur until the commission’s next meeting in October. TSTA is a member of the commission and will continue to monitor the progress of the commission. A more detailed analysis of all the commission’s recommendations should be available next month.

Van Roekel on C-SPAN

Tune in to C-SPAN’s Washington Journal on Sunday morning to catch NEA President Dennis Van Roekel talking about the future of education, educator unions and the election in the context of the strike in Chicago. Tune in at 7:30 AM ET on Sunday, September 16.

Twitter: Follow @NEAMedia to see more info. about this #educhat on @cspan or @cspanwj

September 13, 2012

TSTA to Senate Ed: first, let's restore the funding

Today, the Senate Committee on Education met to hear testimony on Interim Charge #2: study the impact of extended learning time on school success; evaluate the different programs offered, best practices, school implementation, and incentives for building community partnerships that allow a variety of academic and career-related learning opportunities; and examine the effect of after-school programs on academic performance, school attendance, behavior, and promotion to the next grade level, and the relationship between the availability of after-school programs in an area and the high school dropout rate.

The Committee heard invited testimony from numerous individuals with stories of successful student success initiatives (SSI), but the elephant in the room was clearly an issue of funding. We have always known that SSI works, but last session the legislature chose to slash funding for SSI, including Pre-K and Communities in Schools. TSTA supports more funding for SSI, but first we need to restore full funding for public education, including growth, and then maybe we can properly fund SSI. It’s time for this legislature to answer a terribly easy question: Do you support properly developing the human infrastructure of the State of Texas?

Call your state representative and senator and tell them to answer the question by voting with Texas teachers and for a strong public education system. Let them know you vote and you watch how they vote.

Defined benefit found to be better for the state and retirees

Yesterday and today, the House Committee on Pensions, Investments & Financial Services met to hear invited and public testimony on several matters. The Teacher Retirement System appeared and discussed the particulars of its legislative studies on TRS-Care and the Pension Trust Fund.

The majority of TRS’ testimony focused on the Pension Trust Fund study. As we previously reported, the study found that maintaining the current defined benefit (DB) system is a better deal for the state and retirees. The study clearly shows that if the plan is changed to a self-directed defined contribution (DC) plan (401k) or a pooled DC plan (401k), returns would be less than the current DB system and administrative costs for these DC plans would be much greater than the DB system. In total, the study shows, compared to the current DB system, a DB/DC Hybrid Plan (401k), a 100% Pass-Through Cash Balance Plan (401k), a DC Pooled Funds Plan (401k), and a DC Self Directed Plan (401k) will all cost more and produce less. Further, those options mentioned also displace the outcome risk from the employer to the employee. It is painfully obvious that the current DB plan is the most cost-effective system that provides the greatest returns and benefits. In addition, completely changing the administration of the system would come at enormous cost.

TSTA appeared and testified as follows:

TSTA is adamantly opposed to changing to current DB system to a hybrid model or DC plan. This subject is vitally important to TSTA and its members – both retirees and active teachers. TRS’ legislative study on the sustainability of the Pension Trust Fund illustrates that the current DB plan is the most cost-efficient and stable design for Texas teachers and the State of Texas.

If the legislature attempts to change the current DB plan to a hybrid or DC plan, costs will increase, and Texas teachers will shoulder more of the investment risk. It is important to note that 95% of Texas teachers neither participate in nor receive Social Security, and thus rely solely on their TRS pension for their retirement income. Retirees need to be able to count on a constant, consistent income in order to survive.

Finally, as explained in the study, moving from a DB plan to a hybrid or DC model will not eliminate existing plan liabilities. We urge the committee to find sustainability solutions within the existing structure of the Pension Trust Fund.

Please stay tuned for more TRS updates. Contact your state representative and senator to let them know how you feel about the push to convert TRS’ defined benefit Pension Trust Fund to a hybrid or defined contribution plan.

September 11, 2012

Now you can join TSTA online!

TSTA launched its new online membership enrollment application last Friday -- and without even telling anyone about it, we signed up 16 members over the weekend! We are very excited about this new tool which allows members to see their specific dues based upon a few simple questions and to pay by credit card, bank draft, or payroll deduction. No printing out a membership form, filling out the form by hand, mailing or faxing it in. You can now submit your membership form online and it will go directly to the TSTA Membership Department.

If you are a local leader and you have several people who want to join at once, there's a button at the end of the form that takes you directly to a new form, so you don't have to keep going back to the TSTA website for a new form. TSTA leaders can utilize this online membership form to sign up members at any time, eliminating paperwork and the need to mail or fax the form to TSTA.

You can access the online application form from the "Join TSTA" box on the www.tsta.org homepage (right column) or by going directly to https://www.mytsta.org. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call 877-ASK-TSTA.

September 10, 2012

Deadline to register to vote in November is Oct. 9

The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 6 election is Oct. 9. Educators and public school employees have a great deal at stake in the 2012 elections. In addition to the elections for President, Congress, the legislature ,and the State Board of Education, many local school boards will have elections on Nov. 6 as well. For more information on how to register, go to http://votetexas.gov.

September 8, 2012

State to seek waiver under NCLB

Commissioner of Education Michael Williams has announced that Texas will seek waivers of certain provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act. Some key points to consider include:

There is still uncertainty regarding the state’s proposed waiver application, and the devil will ultimately be in the details. The waiver applications will not be submitted until early next year. Commissioner Williams announced a comment period for school districts that will end on September 27, and Texas Education Agency (TEA) has indicated it will open a comment period for others shortly.

Federal provisions typically require the state to solicit input on a waiver request from stakeholders, including “teachers and their representatives.” TSTA will provide information on any such comment period when it is announced.

The state is seeking the waiver under the “general waiver” provision of NCLB, not the conditional waivers offered to 30 states by the Department of Education. No state has been granted a waiver under the general waiver provision, although California submitted a waiver request under that provision in June. For that reason, it is difficult to predict what conditions might be placed on a “general waiver” when compared to the testing and evaluation requirements that have been included in conditional waivers.

According to press reports, TEA spokesperson Debbie Ratcliffe said that under the waiver request, schools would be judged on student academic growth, and focus on combining the state and federal accountability systems and getting some flexibility on both the AYP 100 percent passage target and imposing sanctions on failing schools.

In his announcement, Williams said, “Texas has developed and begun full implementation of a statewide system that surpasses the requirements” of NCLB.

Without question, NCLB includes both unrealistic and potentially punitive requirements related to testing and evaluation, and TSTA and NEA have supported elimination of those requirements. However, Perry administration policies regarding testing and evaluation (STAAR), budget cuts, and privatized “turnaround” of low performing schools raise questions about what Williams means when he says the Texas statewide system “surpasses” NCLB requirements.

This waiver request will not be submitted until the 2013 legislative session is getting underway. TSTA will be actively engaged in the waiver development process and keep you informed. Certainly, there is a lot wrong with NCLB that needs to be eliminated or changed, but as we noted above, the devil is always in the details. And as we have learned in recent legislative sessions, many elements of current state education policy can also be described as setting up students and schools to fail. TSTA will oppose those failed policies at both the federal and the state level.

September 7, 2012

House Committee on Pensions to meet next week to review TRS studies

Last Friday, the Teacher Retirement System released the final drafts of the legislatively-required studies on the Pension Fund and TRS-Care. Under the General Appropriations Act, TRS was required to conduct a comprehensive review of potential plan design and other changes that would improve the long-term sustainability of TRS-Care, and the actuarial and fiscal impacts from potential changes to the TRS pension plan. The Trust Fund is actuarially sound for around the next 60 years, but the legislature is taking steps now to look at options in an attempt to make the Fund even stronger. As directed, TRS made no recommendations in the study. TRS instead presented facts and analysis. It is important to note that the Board of Trustees may not alter the benefit design or funding structure of the Trust Fund. That role rests solely with the legislature. In addition, current retirees will not be affected by any changes that could be made by the legislature.

• TRS Pension Trust Fund Study
The study finds that maintaining the current defined benefit system is a better deal for the state and retirees. TRS was charged with studying: (1) changes to final average salary, eligibility, and multiplier; and (2) moving to a hybrid plan or cash balance plan. TRS also explored the following pension design issues: (1) balancing risk; (2) providing adequate replacement income; (3) offering value to members, the state, and other stakeholders; and (4) managing human capital.

The study on the sustainability of the Pension Fund clearly shows that if the plan is changed to a self-directed defined contribution (DC) plan (401k) or a pooled DC plan (401k), returns would be less than the current defined benefit (DB) system and administrative costs for these DC plans would be much greater than the DB system. In total, the study shows, compared to the current DB system, a DB/DC Hybrid Plan (401k), a 100% Pass-Through Cash Balance Plan (401k), a DC Pooled Funds Plan (401k), and a DC Self Directed Plan (401k) will all cost more and produce less. Further, those options mentioned also displace the outcome risk from the employer to the employee. It is painfully obvious that the current DB plan is the most cost-effective system that provides the greatest returns and benefits. In addition, completely changing the administration of the system would come at enormous cost.

• TRS-Care Study
TRS estimates that TRS-Care will be financially depleted after the next biennium. Accordingly, TRS-Care is the more immediate concern. The law requires a basic plan at no cost for retiree only coverage. Optional coverage may be offered at a cost to retirees. In the study, TRS focused on benefits and eligibility (including how benefits are managed), retiree premiums, and other contributions (state, district, active employee, and federal). TRS-Care funding from the state is based on payroll, which is actually declining. All possible options were explored in the study. TRS came up with nine options for the legislature to consider: (1) pre-fund the plan; (2) a pay-as-you-go system; (3) retiree pays full cost for optional coverage; (4) require eligible enrollees to purchase Medicare Part B; (5) opt-out consequences for participants eligible for the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D plans; (6) tighten eligibility requirements; (7) TRS-Care 1 only for non-Medicare retirees; (8) DC plan for non-Medicare retirees to shop in the private market; and (9) move non-Medicare retires to TRS-ActiveCare.

Once again, TRS made no recommendations regarding the direction of TRS-Care, but did suggest that options could be combined to achieve a favorable outcome.

• Pension Hearing Next Week
Both of these studies will take center stage next week at the public hearing of the House Committee on Pensions, Investments & Financial Services. The hearing will take place over two days, September 12 &13, 2012 at 9:30 a.m. (each day) in the Capitol Extension, Room E2.010, and we highly encourage all those who are able to attend the hearings. It is estimated that TRS will appear and testify at the hearing on September 12 around noon. TSTA will appear and testify on behalf of our members regarding both studies. This hearing is important, but because the Chair of the committee (who favored keeping the Fund a DB plan) was beaten in her primary, it is unknown who the new Chair will be, and thus, the direction the committee may take next session.

TSTA is currently a member of a national pension coalition gathered to fight off the current onslaught of pension reformers, but we need your help as well. We need you to contact your state legislators to let them know where you stand on pension reform and TRS-Care. The so-called pension reformers know they will have a tough time changing the administration of TRS’ Pension Trust Fund, but we must remain vigilant in our advocacy for a defined benefit system. Stay tuned for more updates on the Pension Fund and TRS-Care.

September 6, 2012

TSTA joins Texas Forward at Capitol press conference

Concerned that state leaders plan to impose another austerity budget on the people of Texas, Texas health care providers and educators stood together at a Capitol press conference Wednesday in calling for state leaders to make both children’s health and learning a priority. The groups also announced a petition already signed by more than 2,100 Texans (http://www.txforward.org/getinvolved/signourpetition.html), calling for state officials to stop blaming Texas’s school funding woes on health services and instead “plan to meet the needs of Texans.”

The educators and health care representatives came together under the umbrella of Texas Forward, a coalition focused on adequately funding today's needed public services and preparing Texas for future demands through public investments.

“This is a matter of whether our officials will make children a priority,” Montserrat Garibay, a TSTA member and Education Austin leader, said.

The next Legislature will have a large cash balance and an even larger and growing Economic Stabilization Fund to help fund public services in the next state budget. Yet in recent months, Texas officials have suggested repeatedly that funding for public schools may decline if Texas is not allowed to cut Medicaid, which serves low-income children, as well as Texans with disabilities and seniors in nursing homes.

“It’s wrong to mislead Texans into thinking they have to choose between health care, education or any other public service, when this is really a matter of whether our officials will make children a priority,” Garibay said. “We should use the state’s growing cash balance and Economic Stabilization Fund, fix the hole the Legislature put in our school finance system in 2006, and address the long-term erosion of the state tax base that has cost our schools and health services billions.”

“Healthy students learn better, and education leads to better health and future success,” said Dell Children’s Medical Center pediatrician Stephen Pont, who is also medical director for Austin ISD. “We can make no better investment than in our children. If
Texans want improved public health and a stronger workforce tomorrow, the solution is making sure both our schools and health systems have the resources they need.” http://blog.chron.com/texaspolitics/2012/09/coalition-unites-behind-balanced-approach-for-state-budget

September 5, 2012

Pauline Dixon dies

Pauline Dixon of Dallas, longtime TSTA/NEA leader, died Tuesday, Sept. 4. Dixon served on the TSTA and NEA Boards of Directors and was a two-term president of Classroom Teachers of Dallas (now NEA-Dallas).

Wake Service: Thursday, September 13
                        7-8 pm
                        Black & Clark Funeral Home Chapel
                        2517 E. Illinois Ave
                        Dallas, TX 75216
                        Phone: 214-376-8297

Funeral Services: Friday, September 14
                           11:00 am
                            Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church
                            919 Morrell Ave
                            Dallas, TX 75203

Condolences may be sent to the funeral home or to
6201 Alta Oaks Drive
Garland, TX 75043

September 4, 2012

Hoping to own a home?

Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation has reopened its Texas Heroes Program to eligible school employees, including classroom teachers, aides, and librarians. In a nutshell, they pay five percent of the total mortgage loan value in the form of a grant. This money can be used for the down payment, closing costs, or loan payments. Read more

Pension Fund and TRS-Care studies released

This past Friday afternoon, TRS released the final drafts of the legislatively-required studies on the sustainability of the Pension Fund and TRS-Care. The studies contained no surprises. The study on the pension fund found that a defined benefit plan is more cost-effective than a defined contribution plan. The study also found that switching from a defined benefit plan to a defined contribution plan would come at enormous expense to teachers and taxpayers. The study on TRS-Care showed that the health plan will be solvent through the next biennium, but will be operating in the red shortly thereafter. The full studies can be found here: http://www.trs.state.tx.us/global.jsp?page_id=/about/legislative_studies.

August 27, 2012

TSTA: The governor, not the commissioner, is the problem

TSTA President Rita Haecker issued the following statement today: "The Texas State Teachers Association is disappointed that Gov. Rick Perry - at a pivotal time for Texas public schools - didn’t choose an education professional as the next State Commissioner of Education. We hope that Michael Williams will at least listen to teachers, the real education experts, rather than promote the profiteers who would siphon tax dollars from the public schools for vouchers and other privatization schemes. But the real problem for Texas public schools is not the education commissioner. The real problem is Rick Perry. As long as he is governor, Perry will continue to try to shove public education in Texas back into the nineteenth century."

For more information about Michael Williams, click here: http://www.chron.com/news/article/Williams-named-new-head-of-Texas-Education-Agency-3818821.php

40 percent of New Mexico seniors still need to pass exit exam

More than 40 percent of New Mexico's high school seniors still need to pass the state's exit exam if they are to earn their diploma, the Associated Press reports. About 10,000 students failed when they took it as juniors, but they have a second chance to take it in October. State officials adopted the high school exit exam in 2010, but this school year is the first time students must pass it to earn their diploma. http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/e3280b232c974502bd1e3a1c72cf8737/NM--High-School-Exit-Exam

August 24, 2012

TSTA testifies on vouchers, charters

Today, the Senate Education Committee met to hear invited and public testimony on Senate Interim Charges #5 (charter schools) and #6 (vouchers). The hearing was chaired by Sen. Dan Patrick. The Committee entertained several invited guests. Dr. Matthew Ladner of the Foundation for Excellence in Education (Florida) stated that after Florida passed special education vouchers, only 5% of those eligible for the voucher actually used the voucher, which caused Committee members to ask whether the vouchers were serving their intended purpose. In a telling exchange, Sen. Shapiro asked Dr. Ladner for advice on implementing special education vouchers in Texas.

Regarding charter schools, the overriding theme from all of the invited guests – who happened to all be proponents of charter schools – was to shut down low-performing, bad-acting charter schools. David Dunn, Executive Director of the Texas Charter School Association, went on to say that he did not support totally removing the cap on charter schools, but insisted that managed growth was the more prudent option. The charter school advocates also championed a 3-year provisional license that would allow TEA to shut down licencees that were low-performing or bad-acting before they ever received an actual charter.

TSTA appeared and offered the following testimony on vouchers:

Texas State Teachers Association opposes school vouchers because they divert essential resources from public schools to private and religious schools, while offering no real “choice” for the overwhelming majority of students. Teachers, parents, and the general public have long opposed private school tuition vouchers – especially when funds for vouchers compete with funds for overall improvements in America’s public schools. The National Education Association and TSTA have been leaders in the fight to improve public schools and oppose alternatives that divert attention, energy, and resources from efforts to reduce class size, enhance teacher quality, and provide every student with books, computers, and safe and orderly schools.

There is no link between vouchers and gains in student achievement. There is no conclusive evidence that vouchers improve the achievement of students who use them to attend private school. Nor is there any validity to claims that, by creating a “competitive marketplace” for students, vouchers force public schools to improve. In fact, the most dramatic improvements in student achievement have occurred in places where vouchers do not exist – such as Texas, North Carolina, Connecticut and Chicago. Instead, those states and communities focused on teacher quality and extra help for students who need it.

Vouchers undermine accountability for public funds. Private schools have almost complete autonomy with regard to how they operate: who they teach, what they teach, how they teach, how – if at all – they measure student achievement, how they manage their finances, and what they are required to disclose to parents and the public. The absence of public accountability for voucher funds has contributed to rampant fraud, waste and abuse in current voucher programs.

Vouchers do not reduce public education costs. Vouchers actually increase costs by requiring taxpayers to fund two school systems, one public and one private.

Vouchers do not give parents real educational choice. Participating private schools may limit enrollment, and in many cases may maintain exclusive admissions policies and charge tuition and fees far above the amount provided by the voucher. Unlike public schools, private and religious schools can – and do – discriminate in admissions on the basis of prior academic achievement, standardized test scores, interviews with applicants and parents, gender, religion, income, special needs, and behavioral history.

The public disapproves of vouchers. By overwhelming margins, Americans prefer improving their public schools to spending scarce tax dollars on voucher programs. Since 1966, vouchers or voucher-related measures have been placed before voters in 13 states and the District of Columbia 22 times. With the lone exception of South Dakota – which approved the provision of textbooks to parochial schools in 1986 – voters have rejected public aid to private and religious schools every time. In those 22 elections, nearly two out of three voters cast “no” votes.
Vouchers have no place in our public school system.

TSTA also testified on charter schools as follows:

Texas State Teachers Association has always supported all Texas public schools. We believe, however, that all public schools should be held to the same standards. Further, we are concerned that expansion of the charter school system will invite further abuse of the system. Expansion should not even be an option at this point. TEA still has not reached the maximum number of charters allowed by law. What is needed is proper oversight for these schools to function properly and accomplish their task of preparing children for college or the workforce. TEA is already constrained by a budget that does not allow them to keep up with the current number of charter schools. Any expansion of the current charter system in Texas should be done only after a lengthy and exhaustive interim study focusing specifically on charter schools, how they are operating, what could be made better, and what might be a new appropriate cap for charter schools.

The Senate Committee on Education next meets on September 13 to discuss virtual schools and extended learning time. -- report from John Grey, TSTA Public Affairs

August 23, 2012

TSTA: Vouchers are wrong for Texas children

In a news release issued today, TSTA said it is strongly opposed to diverting tax dollars to a voucher scheme for private schools, an issue that the Senate Education Committee will discuss on Friday.

“These so-called ‘choice’ programs offer no real choice for the overwhelming majority of students,” said TSTA President Rita Haecker. “Voucher plans benefit only a few students while enriching profiteers at the expense of public schools that have been shortchanged by the same politicians who want to divert tax dollars to private schools.

“All these voucher schemes to the contrary, the vast majority of Texas children will continue to be educated in traditional public schools, and that is where our tax dollars need to be invested,” Haecker added.

TSTA called on the Legislature to fulfill its constitutional duty to adequately and equitably fund the public schools, beginning with a restoration of state funds cut during last year’s legislative session.

“It is wrong to experiment with an unproven and unpopular voucher program for a handful of students and private school operators while thousands of children are being crammed into overcrowded classrooms and neighborhood public schools are being closed,” Haecker said.

NEA officers on Univision, High Plains Radio

NEA Vice President Lily Eskelsen was interviewed by Univision today on how Hispanic students are impacted by educator job losses. Her interview was coupled with a report on how Hispanics are now the largest minority group on the nation's four-year college campuses. The new analysis, issued by the Pew Hispanic Center, uses U.S. Census Bureau data. The Eskelsen interview will air tonight; check local listings. http://noticias.univision.com

On Friday, NEA Secretary- Treasurer Becky Pringle will be live on the High Plains Radio Network in northern Texas, offering back-to-school advice and tips.

August 18, 2012

White House: rising class sizes threaten children's education

President Obama released a new White House report, "Investing in Our Future: Returning Teachers to the Classroom," this morning in his weekly address. According to the report, more than 300,000 local education jobs have been slashed since 2009, resulting in a 4.6 percent increase in the teacher-to-student ratio from the fall of 2008 to the fall of 2010, from 15.3 to 16.0.

"President Obama is recognizing the importance of smaller class sizes in student achievement and the detrimental effects budget cuts have on our students, and we applaud him for that," said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel. "Gov. Romney has made it clear that he doesn't believe in the impact of keeping class sizes small, despite evidence to the contrary and despite what parents across this country know.

"Some people are looking for a silver bullet, but there are no shortcuts to student learning. Class size is a critical piece of the school improvement puzzle and we cannot ignore the positive effect that personalized learning has for kids. As the President has said, when we are looking for solutions that work, let's not overlook common sense fixes like smaller class size and early education." Van Roekel said.

See the President's address here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/08/18/weekly-address-congress-should-back-plan-hire-teachers.

Haecker: parent-teacher partnership crucial for education

"How we spend time with our children and students has more impact than all the accountability and testing systems devised by folks who aren't in our classrooms and our homes day in and day out," TSTA President Rita Haecker said in an op-ed in yesterday's San Antonio Express News entitled "Parent-teacher partnership crucial for education."

http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/commentary/article/Parent-teacher-partnership-crucial-for-education-3796561.php

August 14, 2012

Texas Forward: don't drag schools backwards

In a new campaign, Texas Forward urges state leaders to "stop planning for failure and lying about our options." The group specifically calls on Texas' leadership to:

·         Fix the $10 billion hole state leaders put in the budget in 2006, leaving Texas without the revenue it needs for health care and education.
·         Use the Rainy Day Fund for its intended purpose, to maintain vital services in this Rainy Day economy and give our schools and kids what they need to succeed.
·         Have the courage to lead by taking an honest look at the challenges our rapidly growing population faces, and stop using rhetoric that asks us to choose between quality education or quality health care for our children.

"As Texas grows, we need to pay attention to whether Texans have a safe, secure, and healthy future," Texas Forward says. "Medicaid is a lifeline for millions of families with children, elderly parents in nursing homes, and family members with a lifelong disability. Quality public education is the key to our state’s future prosperity, preparing our youth for higher education and good jobs. When Texans have quality education and affordable health care, then we can plan for future success in our state."

https://secure3.convio.net/pn/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2509&JServSessionIdr004=fxsi9ernz1.app333b

August 10, 2012

Register now for Texas Conference for Women

TSTA is cosponsoring the state’s largest women’s conference -- which offers community and connection, information and inspiration, motivation and momentum -- on Oct. 24. Registration is $130 for TSTA members until Sept. 13. http://www.txconferenceforwomen.org

State Board for Educator Certification meets

Click here for a report on today's meeting.

August 9, 2012

AYP ratings 'not surprising,' Haecker says

Texas’ Adequate Yearly Progress ratings are not surprising, TSTA President Rita Haecker said in a news release issued today. "The simple truth is that Texas’ alleged school 'accountability' system, on which the AYP ratings are based, was designed to fail. The governor and the legislative majority have spent too much time focusing on a high stakes test while cutting the resources our teachers and students need to succeed," she said. "The $5.4 billion in education cuts last year resulted in thousands of overcrowded classrooms and diminished learning opportunities.

"Texas parents, educators and business leaders have the ability to start charting a new direction this November. We have educators and students with the talent and desire to make every classroom a place of learning and success. But we need legislators and other political leaders who care more about our children’s success than they do about misguided political ideology," Haecker said.

August 8, 2012

AYP requirements rise

Forty-four percent of Texas campuses met Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) targets this year due to a substantial increase in requirements, the Texas Education Agency announced today. Under this federal school accountability system, a school or district this year met AYP requirements if 87 percent or more of their students passed the state reading/English language arts test; 83 percent of their students passed the state mathematics test; 95 percent of their students participated in the state testing program and, depending on the grade level, had either a 75 percent graduation rate or a 90 percent attendance rate. Twenty-eight percent of Texas districts met these high standards. http://www.tea.state.tx.us/news_release.aspx?id=2147508195

August 7, 2012

Medicare Advantage seminars coming soon

The Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) has released information about the upcoming Medicare Advantage seminars. All TRS-Care participants can make plans now to attend one of these informational sessions, and we highly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity. You will have the opportunity to speak directly with TRS regarding your questions and concerns at these seminars.

list of upcoming meetings
Plan checklists, benefits, FAQs, and more

August 6, 2012

National Research Council report: 'education for life and work'

Business, political, and educational leaders are increasingly asking schools to integrate development of skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, and collaboration into the teaching and learning of academic subjects. These skills are often referred to as “21st century skills” or “deeper learning.”

The National Research Council appointed a committee of experts in education, psychology, and economics to more clearly define “deeper learning” and “21st century skills,” consider these skills’ importance for positive outcomes in education, work, and other areas of life, address how to teach them, and examine related issues.

The committee’s findings and recommendations are detailed in the report "Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century." http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13398#orgs

July 30, 2012

Teachers help design most successful schools

Teachers have been instrumental in designing and developing the most successful education systems in the world, including Finland’s highly touted program, an internationally known educational consultant told a Select House-Senate legislative committee studying Texas’ school finance system. read more

July 26, 2012

U.S. Senate puts middle class before richest 2 percent

Yesterday, Senate Democrats put hardworking Americans before billionaires and Wall Street barons when they passed a measure to extend tax rates for families with an annual income of up to $250,000 a year. The plan, based on President Obama’s proposal, would benefit 98 percent of taxpayers, and would create nearly $1 trillion in new tax revenue.

Earlier in the day, Senate rejected a Republican proposal to extend all Bush-era tax cuts for one year, including extensions of cuts that only benefit the richest 2 percent of Americans. According to a White House report, if the middle class tax cut isn’t signed into law by the end of the year, the average American will see his or her tax bill increase by roughly $1,600 in 2013. The average family of four would see its taxes rise by nearly $2,200 next year.

“This is a huge win for hard working men and women. The Senate has issued a challenge to the House: Put partisanship aside and put working families on the front burner,” said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel. “Now it’s up to the House to step up to the plate and stop holding middle class tax cuts hostage just to score political points with ‘big business’ and the richest 2 percent who bankroll their campaigns.”

“Today’s vote confirmed what many of us already knew. There are two very distinct visions for our future: one that ensures the rich get richer and the other which ensures everyone gets a fair shot by making the necessary investments for economic growth. Democrats in the Senate made it clear they believe in a vision where opportunity isn’t determined based upon what one can afford. It’s up to the House to follow their example. We must come together around the right vision for America—and the first step should be to support the middle class through extended tax cuts,” said Van Roekel.

President Obama and congressional Republicans agreed to a temporary two-year extension of the Bush tax cuts in 2010. That extension expires on December 31, 2012.

July 25, 2012

San Antonio member wins Award for Teaching Excellence

Loryn Windwehen, a teacher at Harris Middle School in North East ISD, is a recipient of the California Casualty Award for Teaching Excellence, one of the nation’s most prestigious honors for public school educators.

She is one of 38 awardees who will be honored at the NEA Foundation’s Salute to Excellence in Education Gala to be held in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 8. Known as the "Academy Awards" of public education, the gala attracts more than 850 of the nation’s leaders from public education, philanthropy, and the private sector.

“We give these awards annually to honor and promote excellence in education and to elevate the profession. Educators like these are critical to their students’ academic success, and they deserve national recognition,” said Harriet Sanford, president and CEO of the NEA Foundation. Windwehen was nominated by TSTA.

Each awardee’s school will receive a $650 award. From the 38 state awardees, five finalists will receive $10,000 cash awards. At the conclusion of the Washington, D.C., gala, one finalist will be named the nation’s top educator and receive an additional $25,000.

The NEA Foundation and NEA jointly present the awards with support from California Casualty, the Horace Mann Companies, NEA Member Benefits, and the Pearson Foundation. See www.neafoundation.org for more information.

July 24, 2012

NEA, TSTA leaders: Education key to strong democracy

TSTA and NEA leaders on Monday urged educators to redouble their fight for a strong public education system in the face of economic and political challenges that threaten the public school foundation and very democracy of our state and our country. read more

July 23, 2012

Emerging Leaders meet NEA executive director

NEA Executive Director John Stocks, TSTA President Rita Haecker and Vice President Noel Candelaria listened to representatives of the next generation of association leaders last night at the Emerging Leaders Conference in Austin. The group, all under 40, are spending three days learning about the association and developing leadership skills. Photos of last night's "World Cafe" are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/tstapublicaffairs/sets/72157630712061890.

July 20, 2012

TRS Board briefed on Pension Design Benefit Study

Today, the Board of Trustees of TRS held its July meeting. The Board received an executive summary of the legislatively-required Pension Design Benefit Study. No copies of the executive summary were made available to the public. The study will continue to evolve until the study is finalized. We did receive word that the study in its current form makes an even stronger case than before to keep the Pension Fund as a defined benefit plan. TSTA will receive a copy of the final study on August 13, about three weeks before the study will be delivered to the legislature, and we will immediately inform you of the contents therein.

Regarding the legislatively-required TRS-Care study, the only information to report is that a draft of the report is expected to be made available to the Board in the next week.

The Legislative Budget Board (LBB) has informed TRS that it should draft its Legislative Appropriations Request (LRR) to reflect a state contribution rate to the Pension Fund for both years of the biennium at 6.4%. Any request for a contribution rate over 6.4% will be treated as an exceptional item. TRS will seek exceptional items for the Pension Trust Fund, requesting an additional 0.5% the first year of the biennium and an additional 1.0% the second year of the biennium. The LBB also instructed TRS to set its LAR for TRS-Care at 1.0% for the first year of the biennium and 0.5% for the second year of the biennium. TRS will be seeking an additional 0.5% as an exceptional item for TRS-Care in the second year of the biennium.
The Board adopted a revised premium table for the TRS-Care program that includes certain categories of coverage for the TRS-Care Medicare Advantage plan. The revised premium table can be found under Tab 11, at http://www.trs.state.tx.us/about/documents/board_meeting_book_jul2012.pdf

The Board next meets on September 13 & 14, 2012. Please check back in mid-August when we expect to have an advanced copy of the Pension Benefit Design Study. -- report from John Grey, TSTA staff

State Board of Education Report 18-20 July 2012

SBOE turned a rather non-descript agenda into an extensive debate at times. Four items, in particular, generated the most discussion and the most action by the board.

1. The first was the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) – rather the process by which the board approves revised TEKS. Historically, this has been an item where TEA updates SBOE on the TEKS review process. At the request of a Board member and stemming from the process used to adopt the Math TEKS, the board went into detailed discussion over the process and specifically the use of experts. Sometimes the debate hinged one words such as “designate” or “nominate” but the issue at the heart of the matter related to the use of expert reviewers. Should preference be given to expert reviewers from Texas which would have omitted the reviewers of the Math TEKS from Harvard and Stanford or should they have at least a Bachelor’s degree in the field of study which would have effectively eliminate Bill Gates or Steven Jobs from being considered (yes, these were bandied about).

In the end the board adopted a 21-step process that addressed not only the above but also left open the door for additional review and support from expert reviewers. The latter concern was raised because there was no opportunity for the reviewers to look over and offer input to proposed TEKS prior to the second reading.

2. The second issue that spawned much debate was the approval of fiduciary counsel for the Board. Representatives of TEA and the PSF interviewed applicants and scored each on a matrix and made recommendations to the Committee on School Finance/Permanent School Fund. The committee recommended that the top 3 firms be retained with Jackson-Walker being made the primary. Objection was made by one member, who moved that the current primary counsel be retained in the same role. After much discussion, this motion was withdrawn and the original motion was approved.

3. The third item was a discussion on the review of the Fine Arts TEKS. The focal point was whether or not to include Dance TEKS at the elementary level of incorporate them into other parts of the curriculum like PE and Science. The board recommended that the Elementary Dance TEKS be included in other content areas at the K-5 level and/or in the grade 6 Dance TEKS, where appropriate. Questions coming from the discussion include topics on certification of elementary Dance teachers and where would this fit in the already content-heavy elementary curriculum.

The proposed Fine Arts TEKS will come back for first reading at the November Board meeting.

4. The last item was whether or not to include a certain number of English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) in the Q&A document for Proclamation 2014. The federal government requires that instructional materials include ELPS however it does not specify a number. In previous Proclamation Q&A documents, SBOE has approved a certain number of standards be covered in instructional materials. In the end, SBOE adopted the following Q&A amendment: “Why must ELPS be addressed in instructional materials? Because it is a federal requirement.”

In other action/discussion:

1. Approved a percentage distribution rate of 3.3% from the PSF, which would generate $830 million for each year of the Biennium. The General Land Office approved a distribution to the PSF of $130 million for FY 14 and $150 million for FY 15. For the current biennium, its distribution to the PSF was $250 million for each year of the biennium.

2. The board approved an increase in the per capita allotment for the current school year upward from $247.475 to $251.747.

The board also set the per capita allotment for the 2012-13 school year at $373.878.

The per capita allotment is the distribution to school districts based on funds in the Available School Fund (ASF).

3. The board reviewed and adopted the recommended MIX B long-term strategic allocation plan that includes a 50% allocation to PIMCO Commodities Real Return strategy & 50% to Credit Suisse Enhanced Total Commodity strategy.

Staying on PSF, the board also voted to terminate the contract with K2 Financial Advisors immediately and split the funds between Grovesnor Capital and Blackstone.

4. The board approved revisions to 19 TAC Chapter 228, 230, 232 addressing the certification and classification of teachers submitted by the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC). These were adopted based on the recommendation of the Committee on School Initiatives without rejection by SBOE (if SBOE doesn’t reject the recommendation, it is approved). Discussion was held on 19 TAC Chapter 233 due to concerns about the certification of Math and Science teachers. The intent is to make teachers certified to teach Math and Science in grades 8-12 also eligible to teach the same subjects in Grade 7.

Members of the board, again, expressed concern that SBEC has not addressed the certification of Math teachers in grades 4, 5, and 6 beyond the current Generalist certificate.

5. Approved for first reading 19 TAC Chapter 100 relating to the rules relating to the application and selection procedures for Open-Enrollment Charter Schools as well as new governance reporting forms for these same schools.

During the Commissioner’s remarks, the issue of GED for Windham students was brought up. As Pearson has purchased GED, prisoners who take the GED will have to do so online and pay higher costs – anywhere from $40 to $120 – and this will place a burden on prisoners as well as the Windham School District. Prisoners are responsible for paying the fees themselves and people less than 18 years of age could still take the paper and pencil GED. Also, SBOE is only required to offer a High School Equivalency Exam – it does not have to be the GED.

Lastly, the Board recognized outgoing Commissioner Robert Scott for his years of service at TEA and Rahul Nagvekur, a student from Fort Bend, who won the National Geography Bee – the third Texas student to do so. -- report from Bryan Weatherford, TSTA staff

July 19, 2012

Hear Rita on the radio

During the NEA Representative Assembly, TSTA President Rita Haecker spoke with KLUV and Texas Public Radio about education issues.

KLUV interview: http://www.lyonspr.com/wimpy/KLUV_RA12.mp3

Texas Public Radio: http://www.tpr.org/news/2012/06/news12062703.html

July 18, 2012

Putting politics before children's health

"Children's health is a crucial factor in their ability to learn and be productive in the classroom, but Gov. Rick Perry seems as insensitive to that fact as he is to the budgetary plight of the public schools," TSTA President Rita Haecker says in an op-ed in yesterday's Houston Chronicle. http://www.chron.com/opinion/outlook/article/Expanding-Medicaid-would-benefit-Texas-taxpayers-3714416.php

TSTA conferences start this weekend

The excitement in the TSTA building this week is over the Emerging Leaders Conference that begins Saturday, and the Organizing Institute that kicks in Monday, with one day of overlap. NEA Executive Director John Stocks will be flying in for a couple of days to join us. There will be lots of great workshops and discussion at the events, which both will be held at the Austin Airport Hilton Hotel.

We apologize

We have been asked to hold off on updates to the website all week because security updates were pending (and anything we post will disappear). Since the problem has gone on for so long, we've posted a few things anyway, and we hope the security updates will finally be completed tonight. Thank you for your patience!

July 17, 2012

Report on Senate Committee on Education

Today the Senate Committee on Education met to conduct a hearing on Interim Charge #1: study public school management practices, including the use and options for shared services for both academics and operations; and examine the role of Regional Education Service Centers (ESCs); and specifically, review the types of services being provided and their ability to assist school districts with improving efficiencies.

ESCs deliver a variety of services to school districts - everything from staff development to services for students with special needs. ESCs in rural areas are generally relied on heavily by school districts because of the limited resources available in more sparsely populated areas. Urban school districts also rely on ESCs to provide pooled services that would be too expensive to purchase as an individual school district.

The Committee picked up right where it left off last session - looking for ways to cut funding to ESCs, asking representatives from the ESCs where they could trim their budgets. The response was expected - ESCs are already cash-strapped because of the cuts from last session.

The Committee will hopefully take up more pressing matters during the final stages of the interim. Stay tuned for further Education hearings this interim.

July 9, 2012

Texas to be a once-proud empire of wasted dreams?

It is time for a new era of collaboration between two-year colleges and four-year universities, former comptroller John Sharp argues. http://www.statesman.com/opinion/educating-young-texans-gives-hope-for-our-future-2412478.html

NEA ESP Conference set for Louisville

The 2013 NEA Education Support Professionals (ESP) Conference will be held March 8–10, 2013, at the Louisville Marriott Downtown Hotel in Louisville, KY. Read more at http://www.nea.org/grants/31430.htm.

July 6, 2012

'Great teachers lead with both their heads and their hearts'

California English teacher Rebecca Mieliwocki, the 2012 National Teacher of the Year, spoke at the NEA Representative Assembly about the power teachers have to shape and transform the lives of their students. http://www.nea.org/grants/52482.htm

July 5, 2012

Educators leave NEA RA committed to leading the profession

The recurring theme of the national event: If public education is to remain a basic right for every child, rather than a privilege for only the wealthy, educators will have to lead their profession not just in their schools but in their communities and in political campaigns. http://www.nea.org/grants/52497.htm

July 4, 2012

TSTA President introduces NEA Executive Director

Texas is in the spotlight today at the NEA Representative Assembly in Washington, D.C., as TSTA President Rita Haecker takes the stage to introduce NEA Executive Director John Stocks! Photos from the RA, including the one shown next to Education News on our home page, are in a slideshow on Flickr.

view slideshow

July 3, 2012

Biden calls for end of assault on educators

Vice President Joe Biden addressed thousands of educators at the National Education Association’s 150th Annual Meeting on Tuesday, and said that the “full-blown assault” they are experiencing would get much worse under the leadership of Governor Mitt Romney. http://www.nea.org/grants/52421.htm

July 2, 2012

NEA's Van Roekel issues a challenge

Today is the first day of the NEA Representative Assembly, the business portion of the Annual Meeting, which runs through July 5. In his keynote address, NEA President Dennis Van Roekel challenged members to stand up for their profession and come together in a united mission to transform America’s public schools into world class institutions of learning. (Read his remarks here: http://www.nea.org/home/52399.htm.)

Tomorrow, Vice President Joe Biden will address the more than 15,000 NEA delegates, family, and friends gathered for the annual meeting.

June 29, 2012

Romney on students getting the education they can afford

During a campaign stop in Virginia, Mitt Romney, instead of endorsing a quality public education for all, said that he wants to make sure students get as much education “as they can afford.” The quote is at the 9:20 mark on this video. http://www.politico.com/multimedia/video/2012/06/romney-continues-campaign-tour-of-virginia.html

Connect with fellow educators online this summer

Looking for ways to connect with fellow educators while school is out? Want to learn from and share with colleagues across the country? Join one of the NEA Priority Schools Campaign’s three virtual learning communities geared toward teachers and education support professionals working in priority schools. http://neapriorityschools.org/professional-educators/connect-with-fellow-educators-online-this-summer

Congress puts students and rural educators ahead of partisan politics

The U.S. Congress today reached a compromise on student loan rates and on guaranteeing federal funds to save education jobs in rural schools. The deal on a transportation bill also would distribute about $346 million to 700 counties in 41 states by extending the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act.

"The timely action by Congress to keep student loan rates from increasing is an affirmation of our belief that a college education shouldn’t be a privilege to some but a right to all who want to achieve the American dream," said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel. “The deal is welcome news to the 7.5 million Americans who borrow money from the federal government to pay for college tuition and expenses. And we are especially pleased that a one-year extension of the Secure Rural Schools Act will stem the tide of layoffs, allowing educators in rural schools to breathe easier and continue focusing on providing children with a great, high-quality education. This extension could not have happened without bipartisan support."

Charter school advocates sue over funding

Advocates of charter schools in Texas have started a lawsuit in Travis County to reexamine school finance in terms of non-public institutions. Headed by Robert Schulman, the lawyer who is representing the charter school parents and advocates claims that charter schools should receive more funding from the state.

Charter school advocate David Dunn, executive director of the Texas Charter Schools Association, says that if the litigation goes in their favor it will be a difference of $1,000 + per student.

Last year, a bill in the Texas legislature concerned with charter school funding passed the Senate but did not pass the House of Representatives. http://www.statesman.com/news/education/charter-advocates-sue-over-funding-cap-on-schools-2404718.html

June 28, 2012

TSTA, NEA applaud health care ruling

TSTA President Rita Haecker and NEA President Dennis Van Roekel today applauded the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision upholding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Both children and retired educators stand to benefit.

“This is great news for our children, particularly in Texas, which has the highest rate of uninsured children in the country,” Haecker said. “Children are entitled to basic health care. Healthy children are more successful, both in the classroom and in the rest of their lives.”

Additionally, the high court’s ruling apparently will allow the Teacher Retirement System of Texas to become a Medicare Part D provider, beginning next Jan. 1, saving the plan as much as $125 million over the next four years and offering lower co-pays for TRS-Care members.

“Children are the big winners in today’s decision,” Van Roekel said. “The Supreme Court has ensured that we will never go back to a time when insurance company profits are more important than the health and well-being of our nation’s youngest, most vulnerable citizens.”

June 27, 2012

TSTA: Students can’t do more with less

TSTA President Rita Haecker issued the following statement today: “Those who are closest to the classroom – our teachers and parents – have a much better understanding of what’s going on in our children’s classrooms than self-styled 'experts' who have no experience in our children’s schools. We cannot ask our children to pass a more rigorous standard of education unless the state provides the resources they need to achieve and succeed.

“Many of these same 'experts' – who now are demanding that additional state education funding be held hostage to an unpopular, unproven, high-stakes test – stood by last year as the Governor and the legislative majority slashed $5.4 billion from public education budgets. As a result, almost 11,000 Texas teachers have lost jobs, and more than 8,400 overcrowded elementary classrooms exceeded the state capacity limit during the last school year. You can’t do less for our schools and expect our children to do more,” Haecker said.

June 26, 2012

NEA Foundation funds social behavior skills project

Kristene Newcomb and Ron Shelton of Akins High School in Austin have received a $5,000 Student Achievement Grant from the NEA Foundation for tablets equipped with reading, writing, and behavior documentation applications. Social Behavioral Skills (SSBS) students will improve their reading and writing, behavioral choices, and social skills in academic settings; educators will use behavioral applications to document, collect, and interpret data that will be used to make Individual Educational Plan decisions. Staff will ultimately collaborate with parents to address truancy, poor study habits, social skills, and other chronic behavior problems endemic to the SSBS student population.

Nationwide, the NEA Foundation will award 60 grants totaling $216,000 to support educators’ efforts to improve teaching and learning. Student Achievement Grants fund initiatives to improve academic achievement, and Learning & Leadership Grants support high-quality professional development activities.

The NEA Foundation has invested more than $8.6 million in grants that support the work of almost 4,000 educators. Grants are awarded three times a year; the next deadline is Oct. 1. Application forms and a video with step-by-step instructions can be found at neafoundation.org.

une 22, 2012

Follow our teacher in China

Follow the China Experience blog for reflections, observations, and photos from the 32 NEA Foundation-Pearson Foundation Global Learning Fellows who are touring China June 19-28. Among the Fellows is Beth Huckabee, a TSTA member from Flour Bluff. http://www.neafoundation.org/blog/global-learning-fellows1

June 21, 2012

Testing is good, but STAAR may not be

The Austin American-Statesman's editorial today tackles the controversy surrounding STAAR. http://www.statesman.com/opinion/testing-is-good-but-staar-may-not-be-24...

June 19, 2012

Public Ed Committee meets on STAAR implementation

Today, the House Committee on Public Education met to discuss state and local implementation of STAAR testing. TEA stated they are attempting to conduct a bridge study to correlate former TAKS scores to STAAR scores. The bridge study will be necessary as the STAAR scores show us very little, if anything, on their own. Some students were tested on material they had never been taught.

In many cases teachers were given instructional materials on the eve of the tests. Further emphasizing the problem of the STAAR test is the fact that 9th graders who are in remediation this summer to make a second attempt at passing an assessment will not be told what portions of the test they failed to master--only that they failed a test. The remediation teachers are being asked to help these kids pass the test--to find a solution when no one knows what the problem is. The overall theme of the hearing is that STAAR is a mess--and it appears the mess will only get bigger if the legislature does not act quickly.

TSTA appeared and testified, encouraging the committee to roll back the STAAR test, and allow teachers the freedom to teach – to control their classrooms like they once did. In this time when the legislature failed to fund public education, they should not be asking teachers to do more with less. Stay alert for more notices on hearings on public education.

June 15, 2012

Initial STAAR results released

The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR™) released by the Texas Education Agency show that passing rates on five key end-of-course tests ranged from 87 percent on the biology test to 55 percent on the English I writing test.

For more information, visit the TEA Website (www.tea.state.tx.us)

June 13, 2012

Student outreach program to help Maryland school

Two weeks from today, NEA Student Program members, NEA Retired Conference attendees, and other NEA members will volunteer at Thomas Johnson Middle School in Prince George’s County, Maryland. It's Outreach to Teach, a hands-on beautification project for needy schools that was started by a group of Student NEA leaders in 1996 as a way to give back to the community hosting the NEA Representative Assembly. http://www.nea.org/grants/33394.htm

June 11, 2012

TSTA at the Republican, Democratic Party conventions

Over the weekend, TSTA members attended the state conventions of the Republican and Democratic Parties. On our Flickr page are photos from the Democratic Party convention in Houston, where the TSTA Caucus was attended by over 150 delegates and a number of candidates. TSTA also collected some 200 signatures for its Stop the Cuts Now petition and signed up new members. http://www.flickr.com/photos/tstapublicaffairs/sets/72157630041421125

NEA on Romney's ‘disdainful attitude’ toward middle class

NEA spent the weekend fighting extremists' attacks on teachers and other public employees.

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney said of President Barack Obama, “he wants another stimulus, he wants to hire more government workers. He says we need more fireman [sic], more policeman, more teachers. Did he not get the message of Wisconsin? The American people did. It’s time for us to cut back on government and help the American people.”

“I never thought that Mitt Romney could be more out of touch with what middle-class families need in this country until I heard his comments today,” said NEA Executive Director John Stocks. “It is appalling how Romney takes an almost disdainful attitude towards critical public servants like firefighters protecting our communities and teachers educating our children. Our leaders’ first priority should be protecting our communities and the jobs that protect and lift up our middle-class families.”

After his appearance on Fox News Sunday, President Dennis Van Roekel issued a statement condemning Gov. Mitch Daniels for calling for the elimination of all public sector unions.

NEA news releases http://www.nea.org/home/50281.htm

Video clip of Van Roekel on FOX News Sunday http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/06/10/after-walker-victory-indiana-governor-suggests-public-unions-should-go

CNN Blog quotes Executive Director John Stocks http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/09/democrats-say-romney-doesnt-support-firefighters-teachers-police

June 8, 2012

TRS-Care is hot topic of board meeting

TRS-Care was the hot topic of the June 7-8 quarterly board meeting of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. The new pharmacy benefits manager, Medco, was acquired by Express Scripts, so now Express Scripts will begin on Sept. 1 as the pharmacy benefits manager. This new contract is supposed to save the plan up to $75 million over a two-year period.

There was a lengthy discussion of the Pension Benefit Design Study but nothing new to report. Staff discussed the actuarial modeling of benefit design structures, including cost and replacement ratios. If the four plans (100% pass through cash balance; DB/DC hybrid; DC pooled funds; and DC self directed) being compared to the current plan were set up to provide the same level of benefit, the relative costs and replacement ratios indicate that all of the alternative structures are more expensive than the current plan. Also, if the four alternative plans were set up so that the cost was the same as the current plan, a lower benefit level would be provided. The study still indicates that the current plan is the most cost effective and delivers the greatest benefit.

The Board adopted a resolution naming Aetna as the vendor for the Medicare Advantage Plan. The contract with Aetna is for two years, with four optional one-year renewals. To be eligible for the Advantage Plan, a member must be enrolled in either TRS-Care 2 or 3, and must have Medicare Parts A and B. The Advantage Plan will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2013. Every eligible member will be automatically enrolled with the ability to opt out. Enrollees' premiums will be lowered by $15 per month and their deductibles will be lowered by 50%. TRS expects significant savings to the plan with the introduction of the Medicare Advantage Plan, however the savings depend upon the participation rate.

In February, the Board voted to become a Medicare Part D provider. That decision is slated to save the plan up to $125 million over a four-year period. Today the Board approved plan design and premiums for Part D. To be eligible, a member must be in either TRS-Care 2 or 3 and be enrolled in either Medicare Part A or B. The plan will kick off on Jan. 1, 2013. Eligible members will be automatically enrolled with the ability to opt out. Enrollees will receive a $5 reduction in their co-pays for Tier 1 generic drugs and Tier 2 preferred drugs. There will be no penalty for using brand name drugs when generics are available. Low income and catastrophic qualifiers will see a further reduction in co-pays. TRS' continuation as a Part D provider will depend on the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.

The actions by the Board regarding the Medicare Advantage Plan and Medicare Part D should ensure the plan stays funded through 2015.
Premiums for TRS-Care 1, 2, and 3 will remain the same for 2012-13, and there will actually be some benefit enhancements during that time, including expanding the list of preventative services that will be allowed.

The Board received an update on the legislatively-required TRS-Care Study. The study is supposed to address long-term sustainability of the plan. TRS-Care funding from the state is based on payroll, which is actually declining. Because this is a pay as you go system, the main factors that must be considered are eligibility, premiums, and benefits. All possible options will be explored in the study, which is expected to be made public in late August.

TRS revealed a couple of items that will be included in their Legislative Appropriations Request. The state currently contributes 6.4% to the Pension Fund. TRS is requesting that the state increase its contribution to 6.9% the first year of the next biennium and 7.4% the second year of the next biennium. TRS is also requesting the state contribute 1% to TRS-Care each year of the next biennium.

TSTA will be in constant contact with TRS over the summer as the legislative studies on the Pension Fund and TRS-Care are completed. Do not hesitate to contact us and TRS with your questions and concerns on these extremely important matters.

STAAR passing rates range from 87% to 55%

Passing rates on five key end-of-course tests ranged from 87 percent on the biology test to 55 percent on the English I writing test. http://www.tea.state.tx.us/news_release.aspx?id=2147507166

Corpus Christi educator to tour Chinese schools

The NEA Foundation has selected Beth Huckabee, a science teacher at Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi, as one of 32 Global Learning Fellows who will tour China June 19-28. Huckabee won TSTA's Ermalee Boice Instructional Advocacy Award in 2011.

With a goal of helping teachers prepare their students for an increasingly interconnected world, the Pearson Foundation Global Learning Fellowship is an expansion of the NEA Foundation’s annual Awards for Teaching Excellence program. The tour includes visits to schools in Beijing and Shanghai, where the fellows will observe instruction and interact with Chinese teachers and administrators. They will share their experiences and observations through blogs and photos as they travel.

June 7, 2012

Low scores pass on Texas high school tests

Texas high school students can pass most of the state's new end-of-course exams this year by answering fewer than half the questions correctly, prompting concerns that the initial standards are not tough enough.

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/06/06/35mct_txstandards.h31.html?tkn=SXZFiwn%2ByvZQNrRgb8d16FNp9%2FlVL%2BneR%2BEE&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2

June 4, 2012

El Paso Teachers Association wins exclusive consultation

EPTA is now the exclusive consultation representative for El Paso ISD employees. And, as a result of the June 1 election's focus on the differences among organizations, more than 100 employees joined EPTA, bringing its total membership to over 1,000 members.

The win was the culmination of a weeks-long organizing campaign waged by EPTA, led by President Norma De La Rosa; El Paso area TSTA local associations; members of the TSTA Student Program chapter at the University of Texas at El Paso; and TSTA leaders and staff, including state President Rita Haecker and Vice President Noel Candelaria.

June 1, 2012

How Texas inflicts bad textbooks on us

"No matter where you live, if your children go to public schools, the textbooks they use were very possibly written under Texas influence," the New York Review of Books says. http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2012/jun/21/how-texas-inflicts-bad-textbooks-on-us

Win $300K for your school

One school and its district will win up to $300,000 in educational technology resources through the Dream School Challenge. You win by getting the most votes online. Contest voting runs through June 2012. Schools can be nominated using an online entry form. Competitors should urge students, teachers, and parents to vote and, if they wish, complete an optional brief essay. The $300,000 prize includes computer equipment, school furniture, educational software, and an online professional development session. http://www.thebalancingact.com/parent_teacher_corner

May 31, 2012

Schools continue to feel impact of cuts

Grapevine-Colleyville ISD announced plans to privatize custodial services and cut 33 district custodial positions. They also plan to eliminate 15 teaching positions and three curriculum specialists, for a total of 51 fewer positions next year. Last year, the district cut 40 jobs. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that Grapevine-Colleyville is projected to lose $14.5 million in state funding in the two school years following the 2011 legislative session.

May 30, 2012

Students to be tracked by chips in ID cards

Students in two Northside ISD schools will be tracked by chips implanted in their student ID cards. District officials hope the Radio Frequency Identification System tags will "improve safety by allowing them to locate students — and count them more accurately at the beginning of the school day to help offset cuts in state funding, which is partly based on attendance." Read the San Antonio Express-News report at http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/education/article/Students-will-be-tracked-via-chips-in-IDs-3584339.php#ixzz1wS8tXgKy.

May 23, 2012

More children raised by relatives and family friends

What do President Barack Obama, Sen. Olympia Snowe, and Oprah Winfrey have in common? They, like more than 2.7 million children in America, were raised by grandparents or other relatives at some time in their lives. This longtime practice has become more prevalent in the last decade, which has seen an 18 percent increase nationally in children living with relatives or close family friends because their parents can no longer care for them, according to a new National KIDS COUNT report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. In fact, the Stepping Up for Kids report shows that more than 276,000 Texas children are estimated to live in kinship homes.

The new National KIDS COUNT report details the types of emotional, legal, and financial challenges kinship caregivers encounter. It also highlights recommendations for states and communities to take advantage of existing federal funding for these families, and to strengthen them and help their kids flourish, avoiding greater costs down the road.

To learn more about the report, go to http://www.aecf.org/KnowledgeCenter/Publications.aspx?pubguid={642BF3F2-9A85-4C6B-83C8-A30F5D928E4D}.

To find additional child well-being data for your county, visit www.stateoftexaschildren.org.

May 22, 2012

NEA to co-sponsor labor-management collaboration conference

NEA announced today that it will co-sponsor the 2012 Labor-Management Collaboration Conference, scheduled for May 23-24 in Cincinnati, Ohio. NEA joins the U.S. Department of Education, American Association of School Administrators, American Federation of Teachers, Council of Chief State School Officers, Council of the Great City Schools, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, and National School Boards Association in sponsoring the annual conference which brings educators and administrators together to discuss how they can best partner to improve student achievement.

The theme of this year’s joint conference is Collaborating to Transform the Teaching Profession. A plenary, featuring leaders of the sponsoring organizations, will mark the start of the two-day conference. The work of states and districts will be displayed, and there will be comprehensive workshops on developing a successful plan for collaboration to improve student achievement.

NEA members from three states will present, and members from 25 states will attend. All the teams agree to work together to expand their collaborative efforts as a condition of their participation.

NEA has significant resources on a range of subjects, including teacher evaluation, compensation plans, and professional development. These resources can be found at http://www.nea.org/home/20511.htm.

May 18, 2012

Senate Education discusses teacher preparation and appraisal

The Senate Education Committee met Friday to hear invited testimony on its interim charge directing the committee to study educator and principal preparation programs and make recommendations for improvements.

The committee heard only invited testimony from three panels. The first panel addressed higher education preparation programs and the new appraisal system, which will track first, second and third year teachers to determine the adequacy of the preparation program they attended.

The second panel addressed teacher quality, appraisal and mentoring issues. This discussion addressed the faltering progress in recruiting exceptional candidates into education preparation programs, especially in math and science. A consistent thread in the discussion was how low salaries made it difficult to attract and hire qualified individuals into the profession. Representatives serving on the Texas Teaching Commission, of which TSTA is a member, provided a summary of the progress and work being done with the hope that recommendations will be made to the next Legislature.

The third panel directed its comments to principal preparation and stressed the importance of having a great leader at the head of every school campus.

May 17, 2012

Joint interim committee to study the public school finance system has first meeting

The Joint Interim Committee to Study the Public School Finance System met today for the first time since it was created through Senate Bill 1 last session. This committee was charged with conducting a comprehensive study of the public school finance system and to make recommendations for the 2013 legislative session. With that session just seven months away, the likelihood that the committee will develop serious solutions is doubtful.

Today’s hearing consisted of a three hour School Finance 101 presentation from TEA, allowing members of the committee to ask questions regarding the Texas school finance structure as it has evolved through years of litigation and legislation. Currently, four plaintiffs have filed suit in Travis County contesting the school finance system. That trial will start in October of 2012 and continue through December, and a final ruling and likely appeals are expected to come after the 2013 session.

The members of the Joint Interim Committee from the Senate are: Florence Shapiro, Joint Chair; Bob Deuell, R-Greenville; Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock; Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, D-McAllen; Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound; Dan Patrick, R-Houston; Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo; Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio; Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio; Royce West, D-Dallas; and Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands.

The members of the Joint Interim Committee from the House are: Jimmie Don Aycock, Joint Chair; Rep. Alma Allen, D-Houston; Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas; Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands; Ryan Guillen, D-Rio Grande City; Donna Howard, D-Austin; Dan Huberty, R-Houston; Susan King, R-Abilene; Todd Smith, R-Euless; Vicki Truitt, R-Keller; and Mike Villarreal, D-San Antonio.

The Joint Interim Committee will meet again on July 23, 2012.

May 16, 2012

Early voting for primary elections ends May 25

The key to stopping the cuts and the damage done in the 2011 legislative session is obvious: we have to vote for candidates who will stand with us. Early voting for the primary election continues through Friday, May 25. The primary election is set for Tuesday, May 29, the day after Memorial Day weekend, so we should encourage members to vote early if possible. A list of TSTA endorsed candidates can be found in the members only area.

May 10, 2012

Teacher evaluation: what other states are doing

On April 24-25, the Project on Educator Effectiveness and Quality (PEEQ) sponsored a conference that included presentations from other states on their recently developed teacher evaluation systems. Among the states presenting were Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, and Wisconsin. The Superintendent of the Hillsborough County (FL) Public Schools also shared her district’s new teacher evaluation policy.
This is composite of what is happening in their states:

• Teacher unions were involved in the development of new appraisal instruments
• Mentor programs that release the best teachers to mentor new and struggling teachers
• Value-Added Measures (VAM) account for anywhere from 30%-50%
• Principal evaluation frameworks are linked to teacher evaluation frameworks
• Teacher input is a critical component of the evaluation of principals
PEEQ is responsible for measuring the accountability of Educator Preparation Programs (EPP) in Texas, which will be linked to new teacher performance. http://www.utexas.edu/projects/peeq/

May 9, 2012

Beaumont signs up almost 200 new members

Beaumont Teachers Association signed up almost 200 new members (half teachers, half education support professionals) and got more than 600 Stop the Cuts petition signatures during its spring membership campaign. The local now has more than 1,000 members.

The key was planning. Four TSTA staff, four part-time staff, and TSTA Vice President Noel Candelaria visited 16 work sites in four days. The local had asked every association representative to attend a campaign meeting; those who couldn’t come received a packet with specific instructions on what to do the day of the visit. The local followed up with a note to all association representatives two weeks out, then emails one week and again two days before the visit.

All 3,500 BISD employees received an email inviting them to come to the lounge to talk about education issues the day of the visit. Those who joined BTA received a T-shirt that said “We are one” with the local, state, and national TSTA/NEA logos.

May 8, 2012

Photos from the ESP Statewide Conference

TSTA staff member Paty Marquez shares photos from the ESP Statewide Conference in Dallas for education support professionals. http://www.flickr.com/photos/tstapublicaffairs/sets/72157629637608844

May 7, 2012

National Teacher Week: the nation pauses to say 'thanks'

NEA has teamed with Parenting magazine on two groundbreaking projects that highlight teachers’ dedication to their profession and their students during National Teacher Week, May 7-11.

The "My Amazing Teacher" campaign invites the public to celebrate a teacher who changed their life by uploading a video thank-you message on the Parenting website. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, New York Yankee Mark Teixeira, and other notables contributed videos recalling their own “Amazing Teacher.” Students, past and present, can upload their video thank you at http://www.parenting.com/my-amazing-teacher?cid=searchresult.

NEA also teamed up with Parenting on an innovative joint survey of 1,000 public school parents and educators that explored the roadblocks to effective parent-teacher communication. When parents were asked to grade their relationship with their child’s teachers, nearly half gave the teachers an “A,” with the majority on both sides categorizing the relationship as “great” and “open.” http://www.nea.org/home/51796.htm

'5 Days, 5 Ways' giveaway for teachers

During Teacher Appreciation Week, the Teaching Channel is giving away more than 200 thank-you gifts, finishing up with a Friday grand prize for a weekend getaway. https://www.teachingchannel.org/tch-appreciation-week/?utm_source=nea&utm_medium=refer&utm_campaign=taw

May 3, 2012

Six members make HEB finalists list

Six TSTA members are among 30 Texas teachers who are regional finalists for HEB’s Excellence in Education Awards for 2012. Six teaching awards will be presented this weekend in Houston. The TSTA members are:

Loryn Windwehen, Harris Middle School, San Antonio
Laura Thornburg, Lemm Elementary, Spring
Jeannette Cavazos-Gonzales, Sullivan Elementary, San Benito
Graciela Guzman, Hanna High School, Brownsville
Angela Buckingham, Reagan Early College High School, Austin
Laine Leibick, Highland Park Elementary, Austin

read more

Texas Association of Business joins school finance lawsuit

TAB did not join the lawsuit on the side of hundreds of school districts who believe the system is "inadequate" and "inequitable," they joined the lawsuit on the side of a group that has supported additional charter school expansion and other "reforms." "We have decided that the public school system in Texas, at present, is inefficient," President Bill Hammond said at a Capitol news conference. The suit is scheduled for trial in October. http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2012/05/texas-association-of-business.html

Early voting starts soon

Early voting in the party primaries starts a week from Monday on May 14 and continues through May 25. Election day is Tuesday, May 29, the day after Memorial Day. You may want to consider voting early before the holiday.

May 1, 2012

Texas education commissioner stepping down

Commissioner Robert Scott will step down July 2 from the position he has held since 2007. http://www.texastribune.org/texas-education/texas-education-agency/texas-education-commissioner-robert-scott-step-dow

House Public Education considers disciplinary issues

The House Public Education Committee met in Austin on Monday to consider and discuss one of its interim charges: “Review and make recommendations on the effectiveness of Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs (DAEPs) and Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Programs (JJAEPs) in reducing students' involvement in further disciplinary infractions. Determine the appropriate role of disciplinary alternative placements in promoting education achievement and how technology could be used to supplement education services. Consider appropriate placements in DAEPs or JJAEPs and consistent funding models for those programs. Consider options for counties without a JJAEP or inefficiently few placements in a JJAEP. Identify positive behavioral models that promote a learning environment for teachers to appropriately instruct while addressing any behavioral issues and enforcing student discipline.”

Most of the discussion centered on ticketing of students and the impact it has on student behavior modification. Many members of the committee from the urban areas of the state expressed concern over the number of tickets issued to students and the age ranges impacted by tickets. Last session the Legislature established an age threshold of 12 years of age from some infractions from ticketing.

The committee also heard numerous statistics from Tony Fabelo of the Council of State Government's Justice Center who testified on a multi-year study of discipline and outcomes for 1 million Texas middle and high school students. The overreaching concern from members on the committee centered around the “pipeline” for these students to future incarceration and the cost to school districts and counties in having to re-direct this student population to alternative educational settings. However, ticketing data is not available as this information is not tracked at the state or local level.

Most of the invited testimony from JJAEPs, DAEPs and school districts expressed positive results for students in these alternative programs. However, there is concern that positive behavioral intervention systems (PBIS) should be implemented to deflect students from future criminal activity and incarceration which can be very costly. Committee members were cautioned that Chapter 37 and its provisions are very important to educators and support personnel for personal safety and safety of other students. Any recommendations should reflect the needs for classroom safety first and foremost.

April 30, 2012

Voter registration: today's the deadline

Today is the last day to register to vote for the May 29 primaries. Find out here whether you're already registered, and apply here if you're not.

April 25, 2012

STAAR™ performance standards

The Texas Education Agency released the performance standards students must achieve to pass or excel on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR™) end-of-course tests this week. There are three performance categories established for STAAR EOCs: Level III: Advanced Academic Performance; Level II: Satisfactory Academic Performance; and Level I: Unsatisfactory Academic Performance. Commissioner Robert Scott, in the TEA News Release issued on Tuesday, stated, “[t]hese standards will be challenging for our students.” TEA stated it expects to release the first round of STAAR results in June. Performance standards for STAAR in grades 3-8 will be released this Fall. For additional information about the STAAR EOC standards, go to http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/staar/.

ESEA reauthorization completes critical step in the House

On February 28, the House Education and the Workforce Committee “marked up” and approved H.R. 3989, the Student Success Act and H.R. 3990, the Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teaching Act. The bills passed out of committee on a partisan vote of 23 to 16, with all Republicans voting to report the bills out of committee and all Democrats voting against. NEA opposed the bills in part because we believe they walk away from the critical federal role in ensuring equity in education for all students and go too far in prescribing terms of teacher evaluation systems at the federal level – a role more appropriate for states and local school districts. Read NEA’s letter and press release opposing the bills.

Prior to mark-up, NEA had several victories. With the help of pro-public education Republicans on the committee, particularly Representatives Judy Biggert (R-IL) and Todd Platts (R-PA), we were able to secure the removal from the bills of private school voucher language and to add privacy language to ensure the public was not able to access teacher's evaluations. Despite these victories, NEA still opposed the final bill.

Senate Bill Introduced to Repeal Social Security Offsets

NEA supports repeal of unfair offsets – the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision – that unfairly reduce or eliminate Social Security benefits that public employees have EARNED. In December 2011, Senators Kerry (D-MA) and Collins (R-ME) introduced the Senate version of the Social Security Fairness Act (S. 2010), which would repeal the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision. Representatives McKeon (R-CA) and Berman (D-CA) had previously introduced the bill in the House (H.R. 1332). See if your Representative is a cosponsor.

Take Action Today: Urge your Senators and Representatives to cosponsor the Social Security Fairness Act. To find out more about what you can do to help make Social Security a reality, go to http://www.nea.org/home/16491.htm

April 24, 2012

NEA supports resolution to roll back high-stakes testing

Educators are urging officials to develop new accountability systems. NEA has signed on to a resolution calling on federal and state policymakers to reduce standardized test mandates and base school accountability on multiple forms of measurement. Other initial signers include the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Parents Across America, and the National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest).

“The overuse of standardized tests for high stakes decisions has shortchanged students, teachers, and our education system in too many ways for far too long,” said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel. “We’ve lost sight of the reason tests were designed — to help gauge students’ comprehension and progress.”

The resolution’s cosigners have joined with public education advocates Diane Ravitch and Deborah Meier to urge state officials to “reexamine school accountability” and develop a system “which does not require extensive standardized testing, more accurately reflects the broad range of student learning, and is used to support students and improve schools.” http://www.timeoutfromtesting.org/nationalresolution

Have you signed the petition?

TSTA President Rita Haecker made an impassioned plea at the TSTA House of Delegates for members to fight for public schools.

"We are facing a threat from those who would love to tear down public education as we know it," Haecker told delegates. "When we see the horrific cuts being made to our schools -- when a Governor and a legislative majority literally change the law to say the state of Texas no longer has to pay for enrollment growth -- our fight is about more than just dollars and cents, it's about the future of public education in Texas.

"We are in the fight of our professional careers, and TSTA is not sitting back and taking it," she continued. "We stepped forward to lead, because we cannot fight this fight alone. We stood up for our students and our schools and launched the Stop the Cuts Now campaign."

Thousands of members, parents, and other concerned community members have signed TSTA's Stop the Cuts Now petition. Have you? Here's the link: http://www.tstaweb.net/forms/2012cutsPetition.html.

April 23, 2012

New: photos from the state convention

Photos from the April 20-21 TSTA House of Delegates in Dallas are now posted on our Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/tstapublicaffairs/sets/72157629882758223.

Hottest items from the State Board of Education meeting

The new math TEKS, the Permanent School Fund, and adoption of instructional materials were the hottest topics at the State Board of Education’s April 18-20 meeting.

1. New math TEKS approved unanimously: Following a three-hour discussion and 122 amendments, SBOE passed the proposed Math TEKS at the Committee of the Full Board on Thursday and SBOE formally adopted them at its General Meeting on Friday. The amendments included recommendations for teachers, the education community, and business leaders. The Math TEKS took over a year to write and will take effect during the 2014 – 15 school year for Grades K-8 and in 2015 – 16 for high school if the Commissioner determines that instructional materials are available.
The amendments came following a public hearing on Wednesday that included a swipe at the Texas Association of Business (TAB) by SBOE Member Ratliff (District 9). Ratliff expressed a concern about TAB bringing in several proposed revisions to SBOE at the 11th hour, even though the process had been in the works for a year. SBOE members expressed a concern that TEA should not turn the adoption of the Math TEKS into a competition with the Common Core, which has been adopted by 45 states. In developing the Math TEKS, the primary writing groups were given the Common Core standards as well as those from Massachusetts, Minnesota, California, and Singapore.

2. Approval of strategic relationships from the Current Absolute Return Fund of hedge fund investment managers for the Permanent School Fund:
This item was somewhat contentious, beginning on the Wednesday morning when the Committee on School Finance and the Permanent School Fund met. The first issues dealt with a motion by SBOE Member Craig (District 15) to enter into an absolute strategic relationship with two vendors (Blackstone and Grosvenor Capital) and to terminate remaining absolute return fund of hedge fund investment managers (of which there were three). A motion by SBOE member Bradley (District 7) to divide the question failed. This item sparked an exchange between SBOE members Ratliff and Bradley as to what actually transpired at the meeting of the subcommittee on Wednesday; however, the most significant exchange was between SBOE member Garza (District 1) and SBOE Chair Cargill (District 8). Garza challenged Cargill on her handling of the discussion by (1) allowing others to speak without being timed and (2) by asking multiple questions before coming back to his questions. The debate became so contentious that the Parliamentarian reviewed some points of parliamentary procedure and emphasized the one that addressed how Point of Orders shall be addressed. In the end, SBOE voted to enter into a strategic relationship with Grosvenor and Blackstone.

3. State adoption and distribution of all instructional materials: This was another item that spawned much discussion, primarily over amendments offered by SBOE Member Dr. Michal Soto (District 3). Altogether, 51 amendments were offered to amend 19 TAC Chapter 66, which addresses the state adoption of instructional materials. Of these amendments, the ones causing the most debate addressed

penalties TEA can assess a publisher for failure to correct a factual error, language that would have removed SBOE’s authority to assess a penalty against a publisher for failure to maintain a website or provide a suitable alternative for conveying the information on the website (motion failed);
language that would have removed a requirement for discounts for volume and multi-year purchases to be included in pricing information (motion failed);
language to remove requirements for a signed affidavit certifying the involvement of textbook authors (motion failed);
inclusion of printed copies as well as electronic copies of proposed textbooks by publishers to SBOE members

Other Items of Interest

1. Public hearing on benchmark testing: At the request of SBOE member Clayton (District 12), the Committee on Instruction listened to testimony on the impact of benchmark testing in our schools districts. Although there were only four people giving testimony, significant issues were raised:
• amount of time spent doing benchmark and standardized testing with some school districts losing as many as 45 days of instruction to testing – this doesn’t include test preparation time;
• failure to pass an EOC “demotes” a student from the Recommended High School Program (RHSP) to the Minimum High School Program (MHSP);
• failure to pass an EOC jeopardizes students’ participation in UIL activities;
• apparent “helplessness” of schools to do anything about the emphasis on testing and test preparation – “It’s a legislative issue.”
Commissioner Scott did point out that by law school districts could only set aside ten instructional days for benchmark testing.

2. Permanent School Fund percentage distribution rates for 2014 and 2015: SBOE approved a distribution rate range of 3.0% - 3.5% from the Permanent School Fund to the Available School Fund (ASF)contingent on the receipt of $130 million per year or #260 per biennium from the General Land Office (GLO). The motion was worded in such a way to convey to GLO that its contribution to the Available School Fund should be sent to the PSF (TEA) rather than directly to the ASF. This approval was necessary to comply with an amendment to Texas Constitution 7(5). This amendment changed the distribution from an income-based distribution to a total return distribution.

3. Fourth quarter of 2011 Permanent School Fund Report: PSF returned a rate of 5.93% for the fourth quarter, 19 basis points (or .19%) below the target benchmark. The fund also was ranked in the 27th percentile among funds greater than $1.0 billion. – report by Teaching & Learning Specialist Bryan Weatherford

April 20, 2012

TRS study: defined benefit plan is most cost effective

The most critical portion of the Teacher Retirement System board’s quarterly meeting was the update on the legislatively-required Pension Benefit Design Study; the TRS-Care Study was not a topic on this month’s agenda. Chairman David Kelly reiterated his belief that the current defined benefit system is the most cost effective system and provides the most secure benefits. He said he believed the facts in the study would bear out his belief, which upon conclusion of the presentation, appeared to be the case.

April 16, 2012

TSTA: Perry’s education attitude deteriorates

Texas cannot prepare for a strong future by inflicting deeper budget cuts on the public schools, TSTA President Rita Haecker said today, responding to Gov. Rick Perry’s new “Texas Budget Compact,” which promotes more cuts in state spending.

“Rick Perry is a one-note governor, and that note is a sad, sour one for Texas’ school children and their future,” Haecker said.

More cuts would devastate the public education system, while leading to more increases in local school taxes for property owners. The $5.4 billion that the governor and the legislative majority slashed from the public schools last year already has cost 25,000 tax-paying school employees, including almost 11,000 teachers, their jobs. More than 8,400 overcrowded elementary classrooms are larger than the limit set by state law, and neighborhood schools around the state are being marked for closure.

“Instead of sitting on billions of taxpayer dollars left idling in the Rainy Day Fund, which is flush and growing, the governor and the legislature should be using part of that money to preserve and ensure a strong future for the public schools,” Haecker said.

She urged the governor to call the Legislature into special session to appropriate $2.5 billion of the Rainy Day Fund to reverse school budget cuts scheduled for 2012-13. That won’t cost taxpayers a dime because the fund is projected to have a balance of at least $7.3 billion – and probably more – by the end of the current budget period.“The Texas economy is improving, but Gov. Perry’s attitude toward public education continues to deteriorate,” Haecker said.

Etch A Sketch moment for Gov. Romney

Mitt Romney is already hitting the reset button as he shifts from trying to win over conservative Republicans to the general election. Speaking at a private fundraiser this weekend, Romney said his campaign is about “jobs and kids” now. His proposed policies suggest that nothing could be farther from the truth, NEA says.

“Mitt Romney’s campaign is 'hitting the reset button' for the general election, just as his campaign promised he would,” said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel. “He’s already shaking up his policies and trying to start over. Mitt Romney believes he can Etch A Sketch his way into the general election by proclaiming that his campaign is now about ‘jobs and kids.’ Unfortunately, his vision and policies don’t reflect what his words say.

“Take the Romney-Ryan American dream-killing budget, which Mitt Romney has firmly and fully embraced,” continued Van Roekel. “The Romney-Ryan budget is like a valentine to the richest one percent and a ‘Dear John’ letter to the rest of America. The Romney-Ryan budget would cause real pain to most working Americans. Just as a start, Romney supports a budget that would push 2 million kids out of Head Start and slash Pell Grants for more than 9 million students seeking a college education. Romney’s policies aren’t about jobs and kids—they’re about killing the American dream. America can and must do better than that.

"More to the point, Romney’s comments about keeping the U.S. Department of Education to keep check on ’teacher unions’ are offensive and totally unconstructive,” continued Van Roekel. “We need leaders who will work with everyone, who will bring us all together to do what’s best for our children and the future of our nation. It’s time Romney stopped playing politics with our kids’ schools,” concluded Van Roekel.

Teacher Appreciation Week is May 7-11

Staples-owned SmileMakers is a partner of NEA Member Benefits. At any time of the year, you can use the special code -- NEAMB -- when placing your order to receive 20 percent off (no minimum order required) and free shipping with any order of $25 or more. But if you use the code NEAMB when ordering during Teacher Appreciation Week, SmileMakers will include a Cat in the Hat motivational sticker dispenser free!http://www.neamb.com/professional-resources/smilemakers-discount-teacher-store.htm

Investing in Innovation grants

The i3 grants support innovative practices that improve student achievement /growth, close achievement gaps, decrease dropout rates, increase high school graduation rates, or increase college enrollment/completion rates. On April 17, there will be a question and answer webinar for anyone interested in submitting FY 2012 Scale-up and Validation applications. http://www2.ed.gov/programs/innovation

April 13, 2012

SBOE meets next week

All subcommittee meetings will be on Wednesday, April 18, as follows: School Finance/Permanent School Fund, 9 a.m., room 1-100; Instruction, 10a.m., room 1-104; School Initiatives, 10 a.m., room 1-111. The public hearing on the Math TEKS, which are up for adoption, begins at 2 p.m. in room 1-104. Subcommittees will complete any unfinished business after the Committee of the Full Board on Thursday.

April 12, 2012

Pants on fire

Comptroller Susan Combs, whose duties include oversight of state finances, says state lawmakers did not cut public education funding. Politifact Texas awards her the rating reserved for the biggest lies. http://www.politifact.com/texas/statements/2012/apr/12/susan-combs/comptroller-susan-combs-says-state-lawmakers-did-n

April 11, 2012

NEA launches ESP Virtual Career Resource Center

The NEA ESP Quality Department has launched a new ESP Virtual Career Resource Center for education support professionals. This new site is accessible to all educators who are members of NEA.

Remembering Carlos Truan

"Most don’t know it, but thousands of public school teachers and students in Texas are indebted to the late Carlos Truan, a former legislator and public education champion from Corpus Christi who died Tuesday," Clay Robison writes in an April 11 blog. Read more at
http://www.tstaweb.net/mtstatic. An Austin American-Statesman article about him can be found at http://www.statesman.com/news/texas-politics/longtime-legislator-pushed-for-bilingual-education-2298361.html.

CDC: Teen birthrates at historic low

The U.S. teen birth rate declined 9 percent from 2009 to 2010, reaching a historic low at 34.3 births per 1,000 women aged 15–19; the rate dropped 44 percent from 1991 through 2010. In Texas, the birth rate per 1,000 15- to 19-year-olds has dropped from 61.7 (54,281 births) in 2007 to 52.2 (47,751 births) in 2010. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db89.htm

April 10, 2012

New education statistics on Latinos in Texas

Excelencia in Education today released research on college completion among Latinos in each state. It shows Texas has the second largest Latino population in the U.S., and half of the K-12 population is Latino. The median age of Latinos in Texas is 27, compared to 35 for White, non-Hispanics, and 17 percent of Latino adults (ages 25 to 64) have earned an associate degree or higher, compared to 34 percent of all adults.

Arts opportunity gap widest for children in high poverty schools

In his latest blog, former NEA Executive Director John Wilson considers the "arts equity" issue in America.

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