Read more, An executive order signed by President Joe Biden on Friday aims to address food insecurity caused by the pandemic by extending a federal nutrition program and focusing resources on children who have missed meals due to closed schools. Since December, at least 49 school and charter districts that asked the PSF to back their debt were denied due to insufficient capacity, resulting in more than $6.87bn in unguaranteed bonds. Jayson Valerio, dean of nursing and allied health at South Texas College, said the WalletHub study provides a sobering reminder of the challenges the Rio Grande Valley region faces. Read more, Austin ISD is deciding whether to appeal the Texas Education Agencys plan to install a management team to oversee the districts special education department. Read the rest of the statement, Lt Gov Dan Patrick on Wednesday unveiled a list of 21 legislative priorities including property tax relief, improving the reliability of the electric grid and continuing to spend money on border security funding. He can be reached at peter.breen@houstonchronicle.com. For those librarians working at schools and at public libraries, the pressure to keep some challenged books off the shelves is growing. The current Legislature is mostly white and male. Popular Topics Read more, During the pandemic, school remained a hostile place for LGBTQ students, with rates of bullying and harassment staying consistent from previous years, and supports such as gay-straight alliances, inclusive curriculum, policies, and supportive educators dwindling. Read more, Education and civil rights groups are forming a coalition to contend with book bans in Texas public schools. Read more, House Bill 1804, authored by state Representative Terri Leo-Wilson, R-Galveston, would allow the State Board of Education to reject textbooks for students below ninth grade if the textbooks include content on sexual orientation, gender identity and sexual activity. As the Texas Legislature prepares to convene during a deadly pandemic, the Texas State Teachers Association calls on legislators to provide an option for virtual testimony for all committee hearings. At the end of this fall, UTRGV should eclipse 50,000 graduates since 2015, Gonzales said in an email. AISD officials hope to convince TEA to appoint a monitor instead of a conservator. Another $5.5 billion in federal money for public education was allocated to Texas under the last COVID stimulus bill enacted in December when Donald Trump was still president, and it remains unspent. Read more, A new national nonprofit called the Public Interest Privacy Center aims to help superintendents and other school district leaders respond to the myriad of data privacy considerations in the education sector. More than 200 of the states 1,200 districts statewide use some sort of monitoring software with the most popular being Social Sentinel and Gaggle. All school systems that need to upgrade facilities to meet the school safety standards are highly encouraged to complete the survey. With restricted access to a heavily guarded state Capitol, the biennial session of the Texas Legislature convened Tuesday, with the House, as expected, overwhelmingly electing Representative Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, as its new speaker. A major change is coming for the high school evaluations, with the standard for college, career, and military readiness being raised from 60% to 88%. Read more, All of the departments activities were suspended for an unspecified period of time, and two employees were placed on administrative leave after it was revealed this week that one of the first state troopers to respond to the deadly school shooting in May was later hired as a district police officer. They left disappointed but determined to fight on. We are still angry that Gov. Four new reports examining educator pay and school funding from pre-K through college reveal an alarming trend of decreased educator pay and inadequate investment in public schools and universities as teacher turnover has hit historic levels. Dan Patrick, who oversees the Senate, to immediately purchase bulletproof shields for school police departments. Read more, Texas Senate budget leaders on Wednesday approved a $308B spending proposal for the next two years that includes an extra $5B in additional money for schools to pay for teacher pay raises and other educational programs, including costs associated with offering parents private school subsidies. Read more. Gov. The victims families and all Texans deserve better than that. Texas largest biggest pension fund shed more than $500m worth of investments in BlackRock to comply with the new state law meant to punish companies that snub fossil fuels. School employees may return when, if symptomatic, at least five days have passed since symptom onset and fever free, and other symptoms have improved, and for those with no symptoms, at least five days after the day they tested positive. Read press statement, We believe the hold-harmless decision issued by Governor Greg Abbott and other state leaders could be a positive step in funding for our public schools, but there may be a catch. The Supreme Court has upheld the right for LGBTQ+ people to live and work without fear of harassment, exclusion, and discrimination and our LGBTQ+ students have the same rights and deserve the same protections, said Education Secretary Miguel Cardona in a statement. Nationwide, nearly 2,600 health centers operated out of schools in 2017, the most recent year with available data, which is more than twice the number that existed two decades earlier. Get the latest. The assembly also approved the unions budget, which reflects a membership decline. Mr Biden has pledged to reopen the majority of schools within his first 100 days in office, amid growing concerns about the educational and mental health toll that months of remote learning has taken on a generation of students. Read more, In the wake of devastating shootings at the Robb Elementary School in Texas, and a Buffalo, New York grocery store, Congressional Democrats yesterday held a hearing on gun violence. To address this, TEA will publish what if scores for 2022 alongside the 2023 grades. The reports, released by the National Education Association, show a perfect storm brewing as educator shortages continue to grip schools nationwide. Comptroller Glenn Hegar. The CDCs latest guidance provides an important roadmap for reducing the risk of COVID-19 in schools. Toth said discussions about the Pride movement should be between a child and their parents. An identical Senate bill from state Sen. Borris Miles, D-Houston, is sitting in the Senate State Affairs Committee but hasnt yet received a hearing. The Department of Counseling, Leadership, Adult Education and School Psychology provides graduate education that promotes personal, cultural, social, emotional, educational and economic growth. Read more, Educators celebrate the growing diversity in Texas public schools and communities, including the contributions of the LBGTQ+ community as well as people of color. Tesla applied for a tax break under a state program that would enable the company to potentially avoid millions in property taxes to build the projected $375 million plant in Nueces County. As of January, about 56% of Texas students had returned to on-campus instruction, including 75% of white students, about 53% of Black students, 49% of Hispanic students and 31% of Asian students. Just because shes an American citizen, it doesnt mean shes more important or valuable than anybody else in the world, Lara said. But some of the ambitious proposals to put more money in teachers wallets including a bill that would have given every teacher in Texas a $15,000 raise never made it out of the House or Senate education committees, which have to give first approval to a bill before it gets a full vote by either chamber. If there was some way of indicating progress made over time, intra-regionally rather than just inter-regionally, I think we mightbe in for some more encouraging news, Neslon wrote. TEA and the SBOE conducted capacity interviews only for applicants who reached this high bar for further review. Read more about election safeguards here. The Texas Education Agency announced Wednesday it will appoint a new superintendent and a board of managers to take over the Houston school district after a long and slogging legal battle over. Read more, School meal debt has been surging this school year, placing burdens on families and the districts charged with holding them financially accountable. Pickren beat Democrat Dan Hochman, whom Robinson endorsed. Transgender students will also be barred from playing sports, if two new policies targeting gender identity are approved by members of the school board. The results include assessments in Algebra I, English I, English II, Biology, and U.S. History. If students do not attend 90% of classes in a semester, excused and unexcused absences will be counted against them and they will receive a no-grade, according to the new policy. Kinsey has said that Texas schools have taught critical race theory under different names and that Texas needs teachers who can identify how it is being rebranded. The total was $17.9 billion. Authored by Rep. Ken King (R-Canadian), it would also expand funding for mental health resources. Much of the new information is expected to be presented at the Texas Senate Special Committee to protect All Texans recently formed at Gov. The proposed increase would make HISD the third-highest starting salary in Texas and the highest among the five largest school districts in the state. Called Rankings & Estimates for short, it is a reliable and often-cited source of data on enrollment, expenditures, staffing and salaries. This controversial bill died during the regular session. Read more, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its COVID-19 quarantine and isolation guidance for K-12 schools Thursday, aligning the recommendations with the agencys guidelines for the general public. Back in March, the Texas Education Agency announced that Houston ISD would be placed under state control, citing years of poor academic outcomes at Phillis Wheatley High School and allegations of misconduct against school board members. Check Back Soon . Man shot by car thieves trying to break into his vehicle in Man killed, woman injured when Tesla crashes into tree in A&M board set to have emergency meeting to name interim president, Astros owner Jim Crane buys, tears down $24M home in River Oaks, Texas A&M faculty condemn Dan Patrick-spurred investigation, Texas troopers told to push children into Rio Grande, records say, Poll: Whitmire poised for runoff win in Houstons mayoral race. Read more. There are critical changes needed as a result of the Texas Houses findings, his statement read. It didnt help teachers and became bad policy. Official news releases issued on behalf of the State Board of Education can be found by visiting the SBOE News Releases page. Read headlines covering universities, applications, campus issues, and more. Teach for America has garnered staunch supporters and fierce critics since its founding in 1989. The Senates new version of the bill designates $6,210 per-student spending, increasing the per-student allotment by $50. During Tuesdays meeting, most of the arguments from parents and conservative advocates complained that the draft recommendation didnt sufficiently promote American exceptionalism, touched on critical race theory at times and wrongly included lessons on the Pride movement or the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, known as GLAAD. All Rights Reserved. Contact the House Public Education Committee before their Monday hearing. This includes $12.4 billion earmarked for public education, in the American Rescue Plan. Drafts of the proposed state standards, known as Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills or TEKS, are available online. Read more, The right-wing campaign to suppress what children are taught about racism and limit efforts to promote diversity in our public schools was a topic of discussion at the Conservative Political Action Committees gathering in Dallas, and truth was an optional agenda item. Read more, The two largest teachers unions in the United States released a joint statement on Tuesday calling for the removal of Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) from the House Education Committee. Unfortunately, were seeing a lot of burnout in teachers in their first year of teaching, said Jackie Anderson, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers. The new guidance is particularly important for students in places where state-level protections for transgender youth dont exist, said Christy Mallory, legal director at the University of California-Los Angeles Williams Institute, which conducts research on sexual orientation and gender identity law and policy. Read blog, Virtual charter schools claim to specialize in education, but mostly they specialize in making profits with our tax dollars, and the pandemic is proving to be a windfall for them. Under Midways virus protocol, campuses can issue 10-day mask directives that encourage mask-wearing on the premises if virus transmission reaches a certain level, but doesnt require it. Authorities have produced the most extensive timeline yet since an 18-year-old gunman armed with an AR-15 walked into the Uvalde school on May 24th. Read more, Teachers at Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, between Dallas and Fort Worth, may not be forced to address students by their chosen pronoun, even if a parent asks them to. Educators, parents, and policymakers need to listen to the most marginalized girls and accept their input in creating systems and environments of belonging, according to Girls Leadership co-CEOs Simone Marean and Takai Tyler, who are calling for collaborative solutions that incorporate administrators, parents, coaches, and other education professionals, and that are ultimately led by girls. It also expands its recommendations for screening testing, and urges canceling or going virtual with some extracurricular and sports activities in order to protect in-person learning. Orlando Lara, a parent, said he wants his daughter to learn how to be a global citizen as well as an American one. That process slowed during the COVID pandemic, as more than half of the districts evaluators left their positions. The goal is still to have the bulk of students take advantage of face-to-face learning, but the district wanted to add the virtual option in response to community concerns, said Anthony Mays, the districts chief officer of schools. Voters agree with educators that these federal funds were earmarked for school kids, not to help the Legislature balance the next state budget by replacing state education dollars, TSTA President Ovidia Molina said. House Bill 100 now heads to the Senate floor for a vote. State Board of Education. Join the events below to learn what these reforms mean for you and how we can continue to advocate for affordable higher education for all. The COVID numbers have been coming down, but there were still 1,637 new confirmed cases of COVID in Texas yesterday and 59 deaths. In addition to Midway, Paxton announced lawsuits against Diboll, Honey Grove, La Vega, Longview, Lufkin, McGregor, Paris and Waco, on top of the six districts he announced action against last week. Senate Bill 112 would require high school students to take one mental health course before graduating, and Senate Bill 113 would reimburse school districts after contracting mental health providers for on-campus services. Read our statement here, A new report by Education Resource Strategies, a nonprofit consultant that works with school districts on school finance issues, has identified 15 states at a particular disadvantage when the unprecedented surge in federal funding from pandemic relief efforts expires in September 2024. Pell Grant recipients can get up to $20,000. An April report by the PEN America Foundation found there were 1,586 individual instances of books being removed from shelves between July 2021 and March 2022, and books that have a protagonist of color or LGBTQ+ themes were disproportionately banned. The vote came after students, parents and teachers urged the district to look at alternative ways other than arming staff to expand security in the wake of the Uvalde school massacre and other mass shootings. Meal debt is painful for those who accrue it and those who impose it. Read more, Governor Gregg Abbott has written to the Texas Education Agency, directing it to create the new role of Chief of School Safety and Security. About six in 10 likely Texas voters believe public schools need more funding on top of what they received two years ago, and they say the federal stimulus funding allocated to Texas is the best way to provide that, according to a poll commissioned by the Texas State Teachers Association. After intense vetting, tenured faculty receive an indefinite contract. This years conference theme, Power Through Action, recognizes our accomplishments over the last year and calls us to action going forward. Election Day results are unofficial because officials still have to account for late arriving mail-in ballots, ballots from military or overseas voters and provisional ballots. Please share this event with your members and networks as we focus on defending the truth, protecting the freedom to learn, and strengthening our democracy. Find a complete list of them here. Read more. School districts only receive a notice when the amendment is initially filed. On Friday night, state senators revived a bill that would limit how Texas teachers can talk about current events and Americas history of racism in the classroom, hours after it appeared to have been jettisoned. He will be sworn in this morning by Vice President Kamala Harris. The 30-credit-hour master of arts (M.A.) Our nation has never witnessed an event like this in recent history and its difficult to make sense of the confusing, frightening scenes, let alone explain the situation to our children. Read more here. State education departments and agencies, state accountability plans, state contacts, and other state information. At the same time, the teacher pay penalty has reached a record high, teacher turnover hit new highs across the United States, and staff salaries havent kept up with inflation. Read more, Hospitalizations for respiratory viruses like RSV and influenza are surging across the United States, amid calls from leading child health organizations for the Biden administration to declare a national emergency. It is not clear what else Abbott wants lawmakers to do, but we suspect he will seek revisions to the new law to make it even worse. While he lacks the name identification of other GOP candidates, he remains optimistic about his ability to . Greg Abbott, who is not authorized to declare by executive fiat that school districts are prohibited from requiring individuals to wear face coverings. Read more, The National Education Association, the nations largest teachers union, has offered its support to policies that would require all teachers to get vaccinated against COVID or submit to regular testing. Read more, Today the US Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments in two cases challenging the use of race in college admissions. Disclosure: Texas Public Charter Schools Association and The New York Times have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Read more, The US Supreme Court has struck down the Biden administrations plan to eliminate as much as $20,000 in federal student debt for millions of borrowers. Read more. They include two gold-standard experiments looking at whether the tutors race or gender affect academic outcomes for students, and another rigorous study looking at whether student group size affects the quality of live virtual tutoring in reading. Read press statement, The US House this week gave final passage to the American Rescue Plan, the COVID relief bill championed by President Biden, which includes nearly $170 billion for public education nationwide. Greg Abbott signed into law a bill from this years regular legislative session that restricts how current events and Americas history of racism can be taught in Texas schools. Read more, A yearlong review by a state task force examining Texas teacher shortage recommended that lawmakers increase teacher salaries, improve training and commit to respecting educators time. Learning fromprofessors with real-world classroom experience, having theopportunity to absorb quality research-based teaching techniques, andmeeting lifelong friendshave made all the difference in the world in Mackenzies career. Millions of school children are heading back to class this month without free breakfast or lunch for the first time in two years, to the disappointment of many parents and school administrators who are facing rising costs of food and supplies due to inflation. Weve spent our taxpayer money on those resources, trustee Rebecca Fox said, and a lot of children like to read current and recent books. Read more. Read more, Ramon Benavides, a biology teacher from Ysleta ISD in El Paso and member of the Ysleta Teachers Association, was named the 2022 Texas Secondary Teacher of the Year. The chaos and trauma were seeing in Florida schools should be a warning to legislators these bills will harm Texas kids.. The Texas Education Agency has noted that the state is struggling to fill its teacher vacancies. Skip to main content; About Us; Contact Us; . KEEP PUBLIC FUNDS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS! In a previously unscheduled vote, Texas lawmakers on Monday advanced a measure that would raise the age limit for purchasing assault-style weapons. With a simple majority, it was decided that the location would be moved to the newly constructed City Hall right in the center of College Station. Read more, Student dress codes should not discriminate based on race, gender or religion, an array of civil rights groups told Texas superintendents on Thursday. When the kitchen stars align, the prices on the dishes at this restaurant can seem well spent. Find them here. Read more, In a turn toward stricter discipline that reflects mounting fears about school violence and disorder, lawmakers across the country are moving to make it easier to tackle disruptive students. Three secondary school finalists also were chosen. We want to make sure our reporting answers the questions and reflects the needs of everyday Texans. Read more, The one-and-a-half trillion dollar omnibus spending bill heading to President Joe Bidens desk for approval does not include waivers that give schools flexibility in preparing and distributing food to students, a huge concern for school nutrition and child development nationwide. A Texas committee tasked with producing a patriotic telling of the states history has approved a 15-page pamphlet that will now be distributed to new Texas drivers. Its better for our childrens mental and emotional well being, and we cant afford another year out of the classroom. State Rep. Alma Allen also filed a companion bill in the House. Through school and community partnerships, we advance research-based inquiry and instructional approaches that influence practice and policy. A group of Texas A&M University students attended Brazos County commissioner hearings for the past two months to discuss one agenda item the countys early-voting location. Austin school district officials had expressed support for the legislation, and said they were still reviewing the implications of its demise. State government Tags anti-racism curriculum Texas Board of Education. The Texas Senate on Thursday approved a bill that would significantly change the processes and procedures Texas school libraries have to follow. Read more, NEA President Becky Pringle released the following statement in response to the Center for Disease Controls new guidance for school openings in the fall: As the National Education Association has consistently said, there is no substitute for in-person learning, and we look forward to all students returning to school in the fall. Abbotts politically motivated order prohibiting mask mandates. Sen. Jos Menndez, D-San Antonio, has filed two other bills related to mental health. In addition to the three nine-year-old students, the 28-year-old attacker fatally wounded a custodian, a substitute teacher and the head of school, before being killed by responding officers. Some lawmakers who support school choice programs believe that they will have enough backing this session from families displeased with public schools over pandemic response rules and how race and history are taught. If contracts are signed with these non-profit, public school systems, the state will have four new open-enrollment charter schools ready to serve students in their predetermined geographic areas. Read more, Dallas ISD is embracing evening and online classes to cut down on the high number of students who drop out of school each year. Teachers cant be compelled to discuss a particular current event or widely debated and currently controversial issue of public policy or social affairs, according to the new law. Today the Texas State Teachers Association President Ovidia Molina released the following statement: Nineteen children and two teachers were killed by an assailant with an assault rifle at an elementary school in Uvalde, and Gov. The proposal requires the Texas School Safety Center a Texas State University think tank that has been reviewing schools safety protocols since the 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting to conduct checks of a school districts buildings at least once every five years to make sure they are following the states safety standards. Biden is expected to sign the legislation tomorrow. The Board of Educations members are elected, while the agencys leaders are political appointees. Some are adding time to each of the four remaining school days to make up for the extra day off; others are extending the school year. Greg Abbott to reconsider his order ending mask requirements in government facilities, including universities. Students get on a bus after classes at Lufkin High School on Jan. 27, 2023. Patrick, who presides over the Senate, also said education will feature highly. Legislation identical to SB29 from the regular session, which would prohibit transgender students from participating in school sports on teams matching the gender with which they now identify.

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