Southwest Austin Dripping Springs Edition | January 2023

EDUCATION

OTHER STORIES TO FOLLOW IN 2023

Texas schools receive over $54 million for career education To expand access to career and technical education programs, the Texas Workforce Commission distributed over $54 million to colleges and schools across the state in 2022. The Jobs and Education for Texans program helps schools purchase the equipment to train students for high- demand jobs in a variety of elds, such as nursing and welding. According to a news release, 152 grants were awarded to public community, state and technical colleges; school districts; and open-enrollment charter schools. Schools may use JET funds to create and expand license, certicate and post- secondary degree programs. The Texas Workforce Commission distributed funds in 2022 to help bolster career and technical education programs.

BY HANNAH NORTON TEXAS With public school fund- ing at the forefront, education is expected to be a hot topic as lawmak- ers return to Austin. The 88th Texas legislative session began Jan. 10, and public education is once again the focus of many prospective bills. Public school funding remains a top priority for lawmakers, educators and advocates. Because schools receive funding based on attendance, some administrators said their dis- tricts lost funding during the 2021-22 school year. The state nances schools through the basic allotment, which is the amount of money schools receive per student. Funding is based on average daily attendance, or the number of students at school on average. Average daily attendance is the sum of students present throughout the school year divided by the number of days that schools are required to be

open, according to the Texas Educa- tion Agency. Schools then earn $6,160 per student who meets the average daily attendance threshold. But when a student is frequently absent, their school loses money, even if the school’s day-to-day operations do not change. House Bill 31, led by Rep. Gina Hinojosa, DAustin, would require schools to be funded based on the average number of students enrolled during the academic year. This would protect districts from losing money when students miss school. An identical bill, Senate Bill 263, was led by Sen. Nathan Johnson, DDallas. Two bills in favor of enroll- ment-based funding—HB 1246 and SB 728—were led during the 2021 legislative session. Even with bipar- tisan support, neither bill received a hearing or reached the chamber oors. For this session, Johnson also

SESSION TO ADDRESS SCHOOL FUNDING

Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas, led Senate Bill 88 to increase the state’s per-pupil funding in Texas public schools, which trails the national average by over $4,000.

$8K

$7,075

$6,106

Up by $969 (16%)

$6K

$4K

$2K

$54 million was distributed

SOURCES: EDUCATION WEEK, STATE OF TEXASCOMMUNITY IMPACT

$331,722 was granted to Austin Community College to serve 300 students

led SB 88, which would increase the state’s per pupil basic allotment to $7,075.

SOURCE: TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION COMMUNITY IMPACT

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