Georgetown Edition | May 2023

AT THE CAPITOL

News from the 88th legislative session

“ON BEHALF OF ALL OUR FAMILY QUOTE OF NOTE

House passes bills to improve teacher retention and increase school funding

KEEPING STAFF The Texas Teacher Vacancy Task Force issued a report in February. House Bills 11 and 100, which passed April 27 in the Texas House, respond to the task force’s recommendations:

NUMBER TO KNOW has set aside to expand access to mental health services and construct new mental health facilities across Texas. $2.3B That’s how much the Texas Senate MEMBERS WHO HAVE DIED INNOCENTLY BY TAKING MEDICATION LACED WITH FENTANYL ... WE’RE HERE TODAY TO TELL THE PEOPLE WHO DEAL THAT DRUG: WE’RE GOING TO PASS A PIECE OF LEGISLATION. WE’RE COMING AFTER YOU.” REP. CRAIG GOLDMAN, RFORT WORTH, BEFORE THE HOUSE PASSED HOUSE BILL 6, WHICH WOULD INCREASE THE CRIMINAL PENALTIES FOR PEOPLE WHO MANUFACTURE OR DISTRIBUTE FENTANYL UPDATES FROM LOCAL LEGISLATORS

BY HANNAH NORTON

The minimum salary for a beginning Texas teacher is $33,660 for the 2022-23 school year, according to the Texas Education Agency. HB 100 also adjusts the basic allotment—or how much state money schools receive per student—by $140 over the next two school years. The basic allotment is set at $6,160. It would go up to $6,250 during the 2023- 24 school year and $6,300 in 2024-25. The Texas Education Agency in March 2022 reported teacher depar- ture rates to be 11.57%. That rate is the highest it’s been since the agency started collecting data beginning in the 2007-08 school year. “House Bill 100 is a historic bill that is infusing an estimated $4.5 billion into public education while making policy shifts that will support critical increases in teacher pay and greater predictability,” King said. Both bills are now headed to the Texas Senate.

Lawmakers propose panic buttons, armed security on campuses ve and a half million students in Texas to get a better quality educa- tion,” Dutton said. HB 100, by Rep. Ken King, R Ca- nadian, would raise the minimum salaries for teachers, librarians, nurses and counselors based on experience. In an attempt to reduce the high rate of turnover among public and charter school sta , the Texas House passed two bills April 27 that are aimed at increasing school funding and provid- ing more support for teachers. House Bill 11, by Rep. Harold Dutton, D Houston, would provide additional funding for teacher residency and mentorship programs, which help aspiring and early-career teachers. The proposal also increases the Teacher Incentive Allotment, a program designed in 2019 to give “outstanding” teachers added pay. “This bill ultimately provides ... an opportunity for all of our schools—all

Raise overall teacher compensation

Give teachers additional benets and support

Increase help for special education teachers

Improve training for aspiring teachers

Expand teacher mentorship programs

Increase access to high- quality teaching materials

Extend teacher planning periods

Provide additional support for sta

SOURCES: TEXAS TEACHER VACANCY TASK FORCE, TEXAS LEGISLATURE ONLINECOMMUNITY IMPACT

Bill would shield teens from ‘harmful’ content

INCREASING SECURITY

STATE SEN. PETE FLORES District 24 Republican Elected: 2022

Texas lawmakers are considering a trio of bills that will increase securi- ty at all public and open-enrollment charter schools. House Bill 3 Action: Requires the Texas Education Agency to conduct annual safety audits for all public school districts House Bill 13 Action: Gives a $25,000 stipend to armed employees on campuses

BY HANNAH NORTON

Senate Bill 1852 This bill, which was sent to Gov. Greg Abbott to sign May 9, would require peace ocers to complete a 16-hour active shooter training program developed by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center at Texas State University.

The Texas House approved a bill April 26 that would require social media sites to get parental consent before teens could create accounts. House Bill 18, by Rep. Shelby Slawson, R Stephenville, is aimed at giving parents more tools to protect their children from “harmful” con- tent online and limiting how websites can use minors’ data. Known as the Securing Children Online through Parental Empow- erment Act, Slawson’s proposal is a priority of House Speaker Dade Phelan. Slawson said parents could choose to turn o location services, targeted advertising and in-app purchases for their children’s social media accounts. “Let me be very clear that our children are not the customers of these platforms—they are the commodity being traded,” she said. “Their young minds are being shaped by addictive algorithms.”

BY HANNAH NORTON

Eleven months after a gun- man killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, the Texas House on April 25 passed bills to enhance school safety. Senate Bill 838, by Sen. Brandon Creighton, R Conroe, would add silent panic alert devices to all classrooms. The devices would immediately alert district ocials and law enforcement of an active shooter or other emergency. House Bill 3, by Rep. Dustin Burrows, R Lubbock, would require the Texas Education Agency to com- plete annual school safety audits for all public school districts. If a school does not comply with security TEA standards, students could receive grants to attend another district. The bill also gives campuses $15,000 for school safety initiatives each year.

STATE REP. CAROLINE HARRIS

District 52 Republican Elected: 2022

Senate Bill 838

HB 13, by Rep. Ken King, R Cana- dian, would provide a $25,000 annual stipend to employees who are armed on campus. Under Texas law, school employees can carry guns after receiving a license through school marshal programs. HB 3 and HB 13 are now headed to the Texas Senate, and SB 838 will be sent to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk for him to sign. SOURCE: TEXAS LEGISLATURE ONLINE COMMUNITY IMPACT Action: Adds panic alert devices to all classrooms

Sign up for our newsletter at communityimpact.com for daily updates throughout the session. SUBSCRIBE TODAY House Bill 3506 Passed by the full Texas House on May 9, this bill would require the state to adopt rules related to crime laboratories. Under the rules, voluntary blood or biological samples provided to exclude a person as a suspect, or those from a victim or witness, would be removed from the database three months after DNA analysis.

GEORGETOWN EDITION • MAY 2023