TASB Post-Legislative Conference

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TASB Post-Legislative Conference

• Governmental Relations Division
• Texas Association of School Boards

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• Accountability, Governance and Liability
• Jackie LainAssociate Executive DirectorTASB
  Governmental Relations

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SB 759 (Williams/Eissler) Assessments Forms
and Norms (pg. 13)

• Repeals 3 year time limit for how long districts
  can use same benchmark test
• Allows testing companies to use 8 year old data
  for computing national norms of averages of test
  results
• Effective immediately upon signature of the
  Governor

4
HB 3 (Eissler/Shapiro) Accountability Guiding
Principles (pg. 21)

• Establish Postsecondary Readiness as the states
  goal
• Ensure rigor and relevance of course work
• Ease pressure on students / teachers/ principals
• Promote sharing of best practices
• Use carrots before sticks

5
HB 3 (Eissler/Shapiro) Accountability
Graduation Plans

• More difficult to go onto Minimum Program
• Maintains 4 x 4 for Recommended/Advanced Programs
• Maintains 2 foreign language credits under RHSP
• 3 foreign language credits under Advanced
  Program
• Reduces PE to 1 credit maintains 1 credit of
  Fine Arts
• Allows 6 elective credits under RHSP
• 5 elective credits under Advanced Program

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HB 3 (Eissler/Shapiro) Accountability
Promotion/Accelerated Inst.

• If student fails TAKS in grades other than 5th
  and 8th
• District must offer Accelerated Instruction
  (AI)
• District matrix governs promotion/retention
  decisions - matrix must consider Teacher
  recommendation, student course grades and
  assessment scores
• If student fails TAKS in 5th and 8th grade
• Retains current laws re GPC and retesting
• Student must complete AI to be promoted
• If promoted, must have highly qualified teachers

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HB 3 (Eissler/Shapiro) Accountability
End-of-Course (EOC) Exams

• Which tests must students take?
• Minimum Program EOCs for enrolled courses
• RHSP/Advanced all EOCs required for graduation
• EOC score counts 15 of final course grade
• To graduate, a student must
• Earn a cumulative score and on all EOCs and
  minimum score on each EOC exam taken
• For RHSP must pass Algebra II and English III
  EOCs
• For Advanced must meet college readiness
  standard on Algebra II and English III EOCs

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HB 3 (Eissler/Shapiro) Accountability EOCs
(cont.)

• Two performance standards on TAKS and EOCs
• Passing standard
• College Readiness standard
• Performance standards must be vertically aligned
  on all tests
• Transition Plan to implement EOCs by 2011-12
  school year

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HB 3 (Eissler/Shapiro) Two-Tiered Accreditation
System

• District Accreditation
• Ratings Accredited, Accredited-Warned,
  Accredited-Probation
• Tier One Accountability
• Campus Accountability based on Academic
  Performance
• District Accountability based on Academic and
  Financial Performance
• Ratings Acceptable/ Unacceptable

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HB 3 (Eissler/Shapiro) Tier One Academic
Accountability

• New student achievement indicators
• state assessments ( passing, improved, CR,
  improved)
• dropout and completion rates (grades 9-12)
• graduation rates
• New assessment and dropout rate exemptions
• Ratings based on current year or 3 year average
• Ratings based on meeting 85 of achievement
  indicators
• Standards will increase annually to achieve
  states goals

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HB 3 (Eissler/Shapiro) Tier One Financial
Accountability

• Separate systems for districts and charter
  schools
• Eliminates external benchmarks 65 Rule,
  Spending Targets
• Efficiency ranking to determine higher performers
• New Early Warning System and Financial Solvency
  Review
• District must submit financial plan to TEA if
  deficit projected within 3 years

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HB 3 (Eissler/Shapiro)Two-Tiered Accreditation
System (cont.)

• Tier Two Distinctions
• Pre-requisite Acceptable accountability rating
  
• Campus and DistrictRecognized/ Exemplary
  rating for
• High percentage of CR students
• High percentage of students on target to meet CR
  std
• Campuses can earn additional distinctions for
• Improvement, Academic Achievement, Reducing
  Achievement Gap, Fine Arts, PE, 21st Century
  Workforce Development and Second Languages

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HB 3 (Eissler/Shapiro) Interventions and
Sanctions

• Improvement plans must be targeted
• Requires greater board and community
  participation
• Commissioner has greater discretion to delay or
  expedite sanctions
• Allows additional year for improvement between
  reconstitution and repurposing/alt. mgt./closure
• Commissioner prohibited from ordering campus name
  change

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HB 3 (Eissler/Shapiro) Career Technology
Education

• Strengthens link between workforce and CTE
  courses
• SBOE must approve applied Math and Science
  courses
• CTE course can substitute for Math or Science
  credit under RHSP if
• Student has completed Algebra II or Physics
• CTE course is endorsed as a credit-bearing
  college course or a prerequisite
• CTE course covers all the Math/Science TEKS for
  the course
• Creates two CTE related grant programs

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HB 3 (Eissler/Shapiro) Implementation Timeline

• Effective immediately - applies beginning with
  2009-10 school year
• Commissioner must develop plan to transition to
  new accountability system by 12/2010
• Except middle school fine arts applies in
  2010-11
• Except new accountability indicators/standards
  must be implemented in 2011-12 new ratings begin
  2012-13 CR factored in to ratings 2013-14
• Interventions / Sanctions based on Commissioners
  timeline but exceptions may apply
  immediately

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HB 3 (Eissler/Shapiro) Accountability Bills
Goals

• Establish Postsecondary Readiness as the states
  goal
• Ensure rigor and relevance of course work
• Ease pressure on students / teachers / principals
  
• Promote sharing of best practices
• Use carrots before sticks

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HB 3 (Eissler/Shapiro) Other Good News

• Eliminates Uniform GPA
• Eliminates online assessments mandate
• Limits application of TxPEP to principals
  employed in year leading to rating (08-09)
• And to reiterate
• Eliminates 65 Rule
• Eliminates State Spending Targets

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SB 90 (Van de Putte/Geren) Interstate Military
Compact (pg. 49)

• Texas becomes part of Interstate Commission on
  Educational Opportunity for Military Students
• Goal Facilitate Inter-district transfers for
  military dependents
• Texas school district must comply with
  Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity
  for Military Children trumps local district
  policies

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SB 90 (Van de Putte/Geren) Interstate Military
Compact (cont.)

• Compact requires districts to
• Allow students additional time to get
  vaccinations
• Allow students excused absences before/after
  parents deployment
• Honor class and program placements from prior
  school
• Facilitate participation in extra-curricular
  activities
• Facilitate on-time graduation by
• Accepting other states tests
• Waiving course pre-requisite
• Allowing alternate methods for completing
  required courses/tests

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SB 90 (Van de Putte/Geren) Interstate Military
Compact (cont.)

• TEA is the State Council coordinate functions
  of state agencies, school districts, and military
  installations
• TEA will appoint a military family education
  liaison to assist families
• Participating states may be suspended/terminated
  if they dont comply with Compact

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TASB Post-Legislative Conference

• Governmental Relations Division
• Texas Association of School Boards

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• Appropriations, School Finance, Taxes
  Personnel
• Dominic GiarrataniAssistant DirectorTASB
  Governmental Relations

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SB 1 (Ogden/Pitts) General Appropriations Act
(pg. 67)

• 2010-11 state budget
• Appropriates 182.3 billion from state and
  federal sources
• Dedicates 49.2 billion to the Texas Education
  Agency and the public school system and 4
  billion for the Teachers Retirement System

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SB 1 (Ogden/Pitts)General Appropriations Act

• SB 1 includes funding for
• House Bill 3646, School Finance
• Textbooks
• District Awards for Teacher Excellence Program
• Instructional Facilities Allotment
• Existing Debt Allotment

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SB 1 (Ogden/Pitts) General Appropriations Act

• SB 1 includes funding for
• Science lab renovations
• Implementation of House Bill 130
• School Bus Seatbelt Program
• A number of smaller items

26
SB 1 (Ogden/Pitts) General Appropriations Act

• Allocates funds from the American Reinvestment
  and Recovery Act
• Retains state fiscal stabilization fund at state
  level
• Remaining funds will go directly to school
  districts to be used for Title I, IDEA and other
  federal programs

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SB 1 (Ogden/Pitts) General Appropriations Act

• Riders of Interest
• Intent on Proclamations 2011 and 2012
• Prohibition on vouchers

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HB 3646 (Hochberg/Shapiro) School Finance (pg. 9)

• Increases district maintenance and operations
  (MO) revenue by a minimum of 120 per weighted
  average daily attendance (WADA)
• Sets basic allotment at 4,765
• Mandates a pay raises for district employee
• Creates several new allotments

29
HB 3646 (Hochberg/Shapiro) School Finance

• Eliminates Texas Educator Excellence Grant (TEEG)
  Program
• Extends mid-size adjustment to Chapter 41 schools
• Automatically rolls forward the eligibility date
  for the existing debt allotment each biennium
• Establishes a new state bond guarantee program

30
HB 3646 (Hochberg/Shapiro) School Finance

• Allows districts to adopt a tax rate based on
  estimated property values
• Allows districts to lower and then increase their
  MO tax rate under certain circumstances without
  a rollback election
• Requires district compliance with the School Bus
  Seatbelt Program only if compliance costs are
  reimbursed by the State

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HB 3646 (Hochberg/Shapiro) School Finance

• Creates a Select Committee during the interim
  charged with studying school finance
• Makes a number of additional tweaks to school
  finance and to programs of interest to public
  schools

32
HB 3676 (Heflin/Seliger)Economic Development Act
(pg. 65)

• HB 3676 (Heflin)
• Extends the expiration date of the Texas Economic
  Development Act from 2011 to 2014
• Limits a districts payments in lieu of taxes to
  100/ADA/year
• Creates a new process to override a comptrollers
  negative recommendation

33
Property Tax

• HB 8 (Otto/Williams) Allows the Property value
  study to be performed every two years (pg. 60)
• SB 873 (Harris/Otto) Requires appraisal
  districts to be accessible to taxpayers
  electronically (pg. 68)
• HB 3613 (Otto/Williams) Homes valued as a
  residence and not at its highest and best use
  (pg. 65)

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Personnel Employee Leave

• HB 1470 (Thibaut/Van de Putte) Districts must
  inform employees of their right to assault leave
  (pg. 40)
• SB 522 (Averitt/Eissler) Districts may not
  restrict the order in which an employee may take
  either state or local leave (pg. 42)

35
Personnel

• HB 2512 (Aycock/Davis, Wendy) District staff
  may make an audio recording at grievance
  proceedings (pg. 40)
• HB 1365 (Eissler/Shapiro) Districts must
  forward the service records to the next district
  employing that individual (pg. 40)

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Personnel Teacher Benefits Mentoring

• HB 709 (Rose/Watson) Districts may provide
  stipends to nationally certified teachers (pg.
  39)
• SB 1290 (Van de Putte/Farias) Districts may
  assign mentors to teachers inexperienced in
  subject/grade level to which assigned (pg. 42)
• HB 3347 (Truitt/Duncan) Authorizes one-time
  retiree payment (pg. 41)

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TASB Post-Legislative Conference

• Governmental Relations Division
• Texas Association of School Boards

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• School District Operations, Elections and Higher
  Education
• Ruben LongoriaAssistant DirectorTASB
  Governmental Relations

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• HIGHER EDUCATION

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SB 175 (Shapiro/Branch)Top Ten Percent (pg. 19)

• Only affects UT Austin starting with 2011-12
• 75 cap on first-time resident undergraduates
• No more legacy admissions
• Scholarship for automatic admission students
• Limits admission for out-of-state students
• Written notice of students eligibility
• Top 10 percent would be top 9 percent

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SB 174 (Shapiro/Branch) Higher Education
Accountability (pg. 19)

• Amends the Accountability System for Educator
  Certification
• SBOE sets standards for educator preparation
  programs and certification fields
• Online résumés of all colleges and universities
• Enrollment, degrees awarded, costs, financial
  aid, admissions and student success

42
HB 2480 (Hochberg/Seliger)Joint High School/Jr.
College Courses (pg. 17)

• Agreement between district and junior college
• Applies to dual credit courses
• High school does not have to be located in a
  specific junior college district for service
• Further expands opportunities for junior colleges
  to offer dual credit courses outside of their
  service areas

43
HB 1935 (Villarreal/Duncan)Jobs and Education
Trust Fund (pg. 17)

• Grants available to public junior colleges,
  technical institutes and eligible nonprofits
• Designed to prepare students for career in
  high-demand technical fields
• Texas Green Job Skills Development fund
• Green industry opportunities

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• PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT

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SB 1629 (Wentworth/Rose) Exemptions from
Prepayment Costs (pg. 15)

• Current law allows districts to recover costs
  from PIA requests
• Exemptions are for radio, television and print
  newspapers
• Proposed law clarifies exemption newspapers of
  general circulation published on the internet
• Magazines published once a month

46
SB 1182 (Wentworth/Ortiz, Jr.)Public Information
Requests (pg. 14)

• Litigation between attorney general and
  governmental bodies
• Challenge attorney generals decision
• Attorney General to verify information is indeed
  confidential
• Requestor to get a copy of districts letter sent
  to the attorney general

47
SB 1068 (Wentworth/Gallego)Attorney Generals
Decision (pg. 14)

• Withhold information without an attorney
  generals decision
• Applies to employees and trustees
• Home address, phone number, social security
  number or list of family members
• Attorney general to inform requestor reasons for
  withholding certain public information

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• ELECTIONS
• AND
• POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENTS

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SB 1970 (Duncan/Smith, Todd)Certain Election
Procedures (pg. 8)

• Special elections
• Bond and rollback election
• Cancellation of elections
• First day to file for candidacy
• Changes the amount of deposit for a recount
• Emergency ballots and voting system technicians

50
SB 1134 (Duncan/Berman)Students Serving as
Election Clerks (pg. 7)

• Applies to high school students public, private
  or home-schooled students
• Must be 16 years old
• Consent of parents or guardian
• School district to excuse student
• Experience can apply towards school project

51
SB 2085 (Davis, W/Hancock) and HB 1720
(Bohac/Deuell) Funds for Political Ads (pg.8)

• Current law prohibits public funds for political
  advertisements
• Clarifies a Ethics Commission ruling
• Provides an affirmative defense
• May request a court or Ethics Commission ruling
  on specific language for political advertisement

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• DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

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HB 4102 (Eiland/Carona) (pg. 47) Relief for
School Districts in Disaster Areas

• Special financial provisions for school districts
• Amount of attendance credits reduced by disaster
  remediation
• TEA to adjust ADA for districts located in
  disaster area
• Adjust taxable value of property
• Authority to contract for replacement or repair

54
HB 1831 (Corte/Carona)Disaster Preparedness (pg.
45)

• Makes confidential information collected in
  school security audit
• Make available districts plan to respond to
  emergencies
• Establish a district safety and security
  committee
• Safety and security consulting

55
HB 4409 (Taylor/Jackson, Mike)Emergency
Management (pg. 48)

• Applies to a critical governmental facility
  renovation
• Evaluate whether facility needs a combined HVAC
  system
• Texas Windstorm Insurance Association
• TWIA subject to review by September 1, 2015
• TWIA to produce biennial report on operations

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• SCHOOL DISTRICT OPERATIONS

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HB 987 (Creighton/West)Competitive Bidding
Requirements (pg. 45)

• Increases procurement laws from 25,000 to
  50,000
• Districts may receive bids electronically
• Attorneys fees
• Fees only apply to a claim after effective date
  of this bill

58
HB 281 (Anchia/West)School-Based Health Centers
(pg. 44)

• Local health entities that contract with school
  districts eligible to receive state grants
• Funds cannot be used for reproductive services
• Lengthens time frame from 3 years to 5 years
• Expands school-based health centers

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SB 300 (Patrick, Dan/Shelton)Unfunded Mandates
(pg. 50)

• Posting job vacancies
• Minor adjustments to the teacher to student class
  size ratio
• Changes to the school bus evacuation training
• Changes in regards to reducing electricity
  consumption

60
SB 768 (Hegar/Homer)Texas Structural Pest
Control Act (pg. 50)

• Non pesticide application activities are subject
  to law
• Removing live animals requires licensing
• Exempts certain activities from licensing
• Certain consulting services exempt under Texas
  Structural Pest Control Act

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TASB Post-Legislative Conference

• Governmental Relations Division
• Texas Association of School Boards

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• Student Issues
• Julie ShieldsAssistant DirectorTASB
  Governmental Relations

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HB 130 (Patrick, Di./Zaffirini) Full-Day
Prekindergarten Grant (pg. 52)

• Creates a grant program in which districts can
  offer a full-day enhanced quality pre-K program
• Establishes class size limits, teacher quality
  requirements, curriculum, accountability
  standards, and guidelines for partnerships with
  private providers
• 25 million allocated for the grant

64
HB 2263 (Eissler/Shapiro) Innovation Grant (pg.
55)

• Expands efforts to reach students most at-risk
  for dropping out
• Focuses on middle/junior and high school students
• Dropout prevention and post-secondary readiness

65
HB 1041 (Parker/West) District Policies/Sexual
Abuse (pg. 13)

• Requires districts to adopt a policy addressing
  the sexual abuse of children
• Districts must develop an improvement plan and
  informational handbook
• Districts are encouraged to utilize available
  resources

66
SB 2033 (Nelson/Eissler)District Grading Policy
(pg. 38)

• Adopt a district grading policy
• Requires teachers to assign grades reflective of
  student mastery of subjects
• Prohibits districts from requiring teachers to
  assign a minimum grade
• Allows a student opportunities to re-do or
  make-up assignment

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HB 2542 (Eissler/Van de Putte)Excused
Absence/College Visits (pg. 55)

• TASB Resolution
• Excused absence for visiting an institution of
  higher education
• Up to two days
• Board of trustees adopts policy

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HB 192 (Alonzo/Van de Putte)Excused Absence/U.S.
Citizenship (pg. 53)

• Excused absence for appearing at a governmental
  office to complete paperwork in connection with
  the students application for U.S. citizenship
• Excused for taking part in an oath ceremony

69
HB 192 (Alonzo/Van de Putte)Excused
Absence/Autism Services

• Amendment on the Senate floor
• A students appointment with a healthcare
  professional must be excused if the student
  starts classes and returns the same day for
  recognized services for students with autism
• Applied behavioral analysis
• Speech therapy
• Occupational therapy

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Curriculum

• HB 339 (Phillips/Carona) Driver Education (35)
• HB 3076 (Deshotel/West) Parenting Paternity
  Awareness (pg. 35)
• SB 1219 (Averitt/Deshotel) Parenting
  Paternity Awareness (pg. 37)
• SB 1344 (Watson/Eissler) Alcohol Awareness
  Curriculum (pg. 37)

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HB 4294 (Branch/Shapiro) Purchase of Electronic
Instructional Materials (pg. 36)

• TASB Priority
• Allows commissioner to create list of allowable
  electronic textbooks and instructional material
• Expands uses of state textbook funds
• Requires purchase of classroom set of
  SBOE-adopted textbooks and certification that
  TEKS are covered in foundation curriculum
  materials
• Includes flexibility and local control

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SB 283 (Nelson/Shelton)School Health Advisory
Councils (pg. 56)

• Adds structure to what is currently required
  under the law
• Emphasizes local control
• Sets forth meeting requirements
• Requires annual report

73
SB 891 (Nelson/Eissler)Physical Education (pg.
37)

• Requires the State Board of Education to adopt
  TEKS
• Consistent with national physical education
  standards
• At least 50 percent of instruction time must be
  used for actual physical activity
• Allows district to determine class size
• Addresses prekindergarten participation

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Student Discipline

• HB 171 (Olivo/Gallegos) Mitigating factors
  considered in disciplinary actions (pg. 53)
• HB 1020 (Deshotel/Hinojosa) Use, Exhibition or
  Possession of firearms at school activities (pg.
  53)

75
Student Issues

• HB 1423 (Guillen/Shapiro) Public junior college
  charters (pg. 16)
• HB 136 (Villarreal/Van de Putte) Increasing
  Awareness of prekindergarten programs (pg. 52)
• HB 3643 (Aycock/Van de Putte) Including
  stepchild and stepparent in laws regarding
  prekindergarten (pg. 56)

76
Student Issues

• HB 1297 (Hochberg/Van de Putte) Expanding
  flexible school day program (pg. 45)
• SB 68 (Nelson/Darby) Licensing and inspection
  of before- and after-school programs (pg. 48)

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TASB Post-Legislative Conference

• Governmental Relations Division
• Texas Association of School Boards

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2009 Post-Legislative Seminar Fort
WorthContinuing Education Information

• Experienced board members have the option to
  count this session either for Tier 1 credit, the
  Texas Education Code Update, required training
  after a legislative session or for Tier 3 credit,
  general board training.
• All newly elected board members This session
  can count as Tier 3 training only. You will get
  three hours of credit for this session.
• Experienced board members You may choose to
  count this session toward the required Tier 1
  Education Code update or Tier 3 training.