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As the 2007 legislative session approaches, with new policies on the table and new legislators at the table, we bring you an insight into what we expect to see in the coming months.
Lawmakers from across the state will convene on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2007, to begin the 80th legislative session. That opening day will include the selection of the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives – a majority vote by the members of the House that will essentially shape the remainder of the session.
Issues at the forefront: TRS, school safety
- Teacher Pay
- Performance pay
- Health insurance costs
- Instructional aide salaries and working conditions
- Defending current benefits
- Testing/accountability
Tom Craddick (R-Midland) has been the House speaker since 2003, but could be facing a challenge in 2007. Democrats and moderate Republicans have often chafed under Speaker Craddick’s leadership, with some feeling marginalized and others feeling pressured into voting with the leadership rather than their own constituents. With several of the speaker’s allies not returning this session due to retirements and election defeat, some observers predict that a moderate Republican could garner enough support from both Democrats and Republicans to replace the current speaker. Others, though, suggest that Craddick may assure members of a “kinder, gentler” leadership style and convince a majority of his colleagues to support him again this session.
The selection of the speaker has ramifications beyond that of House leadership, as the speaker appoints committee chairs and members. The defeat of two-time House Public Education Committee Chair Kent Grusendorf (R-Arlington) ensures new leadership of that crucial committee. Some rumored contenders include current committee members Rob Eissler (R-The Woodlands), Dianne Delisi (R Temple) and Dan Branch (R-Dallas), though a change in the speaker could sweep a few new names into the mix.
Because the committee chairs have complete control over which bills are scheduled for a hearing, the selection of the speaker and subsequent committee assignments (often not announced until February) could have an enormous impact on the education policy of this session.
Another key factor is the modest, but still significant, change in the composition of the House membership. Democrats have gained six seats since 2005, and several Republican seats were won by candidates more moderate than those they replaced, so that many Capitol insiders predict a less polarized chamber than we have seen in recent sessions.
Several House members who have been active in education issues will not be returning in 2007. In addition to the aforementioned defeat of Grusendorf, former teacher and education ally Carter Casteel (R-New Braunfels) lost in the March primary. Al Edwards (D-Houston), author of the “sexy cheerleader” bill, was defeated in the primary as well. House Public Education Committee member Bill Keffer (R-Dallas) was defeated in November. Glenda Dawson (R-Pearland), a former teacher and 2003-04 member of the Public Education Committee, passed away in September. And Bob Griggs (R-North Richland Hills), a former Birdville ISD superintendent and champion for public education funding, chose not to run for re-election.
The outlook is clearer on the Senate side, with no potential for change in the Senate leadership (Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst was resoundingly re-elected in November) and an expectation (though no guarantee) that Senate Education Committee Chair Florence Shapiro (R-Plano) will return to lead the committee.
At least one new member could make a splash: Senator-Elect Dan Patrick, a controversial conservative talk radio host from Houston, has made a name for himself by firing up listeners to oppose increases in taxes during the recent special sessions. Patrick has also publicized his opposition to the traditional “2/3 rule” in the Senate. The 2/3 rule provides that a vote cannot be taken on a measure unless 2/3 of the Senate agrees to allow its consideration on the floor; this rule has been cited as the main reason that a private school voucher bill, as one example, has not been considered in the Senate in recent sessions.
Other new faces in the Senate are Carlos Uresti (D-San Antonio), a state representative who defeated Sen. Frank Madla* in the March primary; Kirk Watson, former Austin mayor who replaces the retiring Gonzalo Barrientos (D-Austin); Glenn Hegar (R-Katy), a state representative replacing Sen. Ken Armbrister (D-Victoria), who is also retiring; and Robert Nichols, a former mayor of Jacksonville, who will take the seat vacated by Todd Staples (the new Commissioner of Agriculture).
School finance is not expected to dominate the Legislature’s agenda for the first time in several years. Though education supporters argue that schools are still inadequately funded, the lack of a pressing court deadline and passage of last spring’s school finance bill will cause most legislators to turn their attention to other issues.
Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn estimates that the state will have a surplus of several billion dollars when the Legislature convenes – Speaker Craddick has estimated nearly $6 billion of uncommitted revenue. This is, of course, good news, but there will be plenty of programs vying for their share of the pot. The Legislature will be seeking ways to provide additional property tax relief, address prison capacity, alleviate rising costs in health insurance and college tuition, improve services provided by the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the Child and Adult Protective Services, and many other reforms.
Within the field of education, we expect to see a few issues on the front burner. The Sunset review of the Teacher Retirement System virtually guarantees TRS, retirement and health insurance matters a place in the spotlight. TCTA will be working to undo some of the harmful changes passed in 2005 and will advocate for increased benefits for current retirees.
School safety and student discipline issues have received much attention in the media and in committee meetings, and we anticipate consideration of an overhaul of the sections of the Education Code that address these topics. TCTA initiated House Bill 138, filed by Rep. Mark Strama (D-Austin), that would place students required to register as sex offenders in alternative education settings, and will reject any attempt to weaken teacher authority to remove disruptive students from the classroom.
There will likely be a focus on what is sometimes characterized as “teacher quality,” as some lawmakers continue to work on tying educator preparation, teacher appraisals and salary stipends to student performance. There also may be some interest in revising the teacher certification structure.
A private school voucher program may be attempted, but the altered composition of the House makes such a proposal unlikely to succeed.
TCTA will be pursuing legislation in several areas and, in addition to the above issues, will concentrate specifically (but not exclusively) on the following:
• Teacher pay – Despite the much-appreciated $2,000 pay raise, TCTA maintains that further attention must be paid to this critical area so that all teachers receive additional increases, with a particular emphasis on continued growth for experienced teachers.
• Performance pay – TCTA will work toward re-directing performance pay funding to incentives for mentoring, shortage area subjects and hard-to-staff campuses.
• Health insurance costs – TCTA will seek legislation to double the state’s $75/month health insurance contribution, to assist educators with their health care costs.
• Instructional aide salaries and working conditions – TCTA is pursuing bills to increase pay and improve working conditions for instructional aides.
• Playing defense – The traditional assault on current benefits and legal protections will likely occur again this session, and TCTA will continue to vigorously defend these hard-won provisions.
• Testing/accountability – We anticipate attempts to replace high school TAKS tests with end-of-course exams. TCTA will work to ensure that any such effort does not increase testing. We also will be vigilant in guarding against additional efforts to tie teacher pay to student test performance.
We are optimistic that we can achieve a successful session for educators and students in 2007. TCTA continues to build on a long history as successful, professional and experienced advocates for teachers, and we will keep you informed and involved every step of the way through our daily Update from the Capitol and our Week in Review postings on our website.
The weekly summary is also e-mailed to all members for whom we have a working e-mail address. You may provide or update your e-mail address by clicking on the “stay informed” link on our website at tcta.org or by calling us toll-free at (888) 879-8282.
