AT THE CAPITOL House passes bills to improve teacher retention and increase school funding
News from the 88th legislative session
“ON BEHALF OF ALL OUR FAMILY QUOTE OF NOTE
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 UPDATES FROM LOCAL LEGISLATORS 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, R-FORT WORTH, BEFORE THE HOUSE PASSED HOUSE BILL 6, WHICH WOULD INCREASE THE CRIMINAL PENALTIES FOR PEOPLE WHO MANUFACTURE OR DISTRIBUTE FENTANYL
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.
In an attempt to reduce the high rate of turnover among public and charter school staff, 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 five 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. Lawmakers propose panic buttons, armed security in campuses
Raise overall teacher compensation
Give teachers additional benefits and support
Increase help for special education teachers
Improve training for aspiring teachers
Expand teacher mentor- ship programs
Increase access to high- quality teaching materials
Extend teacher planning periods
Provide additional sup- port for staff
SOURCE: TEXAS TEACHER VACANCY TASK FORCE AND TEXAS LEGISLATURE ONLINE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Bill would shield teens from ‘harmful’ content
INCREASING SECURITY
REP. DONNA HOWARD Austin Democrat Elected: 2006
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
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 off location services, targeted advertising and in-app purchases for their children’s social media accounts. “Let me be very clear that our chil- dren 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
HOUSE BILL 300 This bill would eliminate sales taxes on certain items, also known as the “pink tax.” These include period products and infant care and maternity supplies. Approved by the Texas House in March and sent to the Senate Finance Committee in early May, the bill aims to address “period poverty” by removing the financial burdens on families who purchase these products regularly.
Eleven months after a gunman 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 officials 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.
Senate Bill 838
HB 13, by Rep. Ken King, R-Ca- nadian, 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
REP. VIKKI GOODWIN Austin Democrat Elected: 2018
HB 88 This bill will impose sales tax on ammunition, firearms and firearm accessories to provide funding for the family violence program in the Health and Human Services Commission. If passed, this bill will impose a tax on each sale by a dealer of ammunition, a firearm or a firearm accessory with a tax rate of 1% of the sales price.
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LAKE TRAVIS - WESTLAKE EDITION • MAY 2023
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