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It is said that everyone knows who the good teachers are, but it is exceedingly difficult to design an objective system to measure teacher quality. The same difficulty applies to determining the legislators who contributed the most to the teaching profession and assisted TCTA with our legislative goals. As our naming of Legislative Stars shows, the list of friends cannot be compiled simply by using a litmus test. Some of the brightest stars were on the opposing side of major issues from TCTA. The truism that politics makes strange bedfellows is a major understatement – we saw some of the most conservative members of the House of Representatives side with the most liberal members at times during the session. The TCTA Legislative Stars for the 2007 session prove to be an equally eclectic mix.

Rep. Rob Eissler
(R-The Woodlands)
The new Chairman of the House Public Education Committee is responsible for major improvements to public education and the teaching profession. He exhibited the necessary quality of a chairman to vet the bills that passed through his committee. To the extent politically possible, the most controversial bills either stayed or tarried in committee, protecting members from having to take difficult votes and protecting teachers from potentially harmful new laws.

Thanks to Eissler and his Senate co-sponsors, school districts can no longer prohibit school employees from talking to school board members about matters relating to the operation of schools. Existing provisions keeping teachers from being the insurers of textbooks and technological equipment were clarified and strengthened, with a new provision that keeps districts from making teachers financially responsible for potentially expensive items like cell phones and MP3 players. School employees are assured of continued health care coverage over the summer when they transfer to other school districts without the necessity and high expense of utilizing the federal COBRA law.

In response to sensationalistic reporting by a Houston television station that published lists of teachers and their test scores on every certification exam, TCTA asked Eissler to attach a provision to the school employee fingerprinting bill to provide that teacher certification exam scores are confidential. The bill that was finally passed exempts exam scores from such disclosure unless the teacher has failed the exam more than five times.

Eissler’s accomplishments help address working conditions for Texas teachers, one of the main reasons teachers leave the profession. He has a genuine desire to help teachers and support public schools, and while we may differ with him about some issues, he has more than earned his TCTA Legislative Star.

Sen. Florence Shapiro
(R-Plano)
The veteran Chair of the Senate Education Committee is a study in contrasts. She is passionate, opinionated and feisty. She is a formidable opponent, but an even better friend, so you want to have her on your side if at all possible. She can freeze opponents with an icy glance or an acerbic comment, but she also runs her committee with a genuinely gracious demeanor. While TCTA fought her over issues like teacher performance pay and using student test scores for teacher appraisals, we also worked closely with her on bills she filed at our request. Shapiro worked hard to address our concerns about certain provisions of Senate Bill 9, the teacher certification and school employee criminal background check bill. Shapiro has long been a proponent of protecting teachers from liability, and her efforts were the primary reason that the law was strengthened to prohibit districts from making teachers financially responsible for textbooks, technological equipment and confiscated student items.

She also strongly supports the ability of teachers to maintain discipline in the classroom, and resisted efforts to weaken the provisions of Chapter 37 relating to student discipline. At our request, she filed a bill that requires districts to place students who are registered as sex offenders in a disciplinary alternative education program, and strengthens provisions in law addressing how schools and teachers are notified about potentially dangerous students. Shapiro readily agreed when we once again asked her to clarify and strengthen these laws and she got the job done.

Rep. Diane Patrick
(R-Arlington)
Rep. Patrick, perhaps earning her biggest claim to fame before she even became a legislator by defeating former chair of the House Public Education Committee Kent Grusendorf, managed to deliver on the high expectations. After securing a coveted spot on the House Public Education Committee, she quickly established a role on the committee as one who asked thoughtful, probing questions of witnesses and did her homework on each of the huge multitude of bills that came before the committee.

Patrick’s legislative package included some major pieces of legislation, which is unusual for a freshman.  One of her bills, filed at TCTA’s request, restricted field testing of the state assessment for students to once every four years, and she was successful in securing a favorable vote on the bill from the House, despite enormous pressure from testing contractors to deep-six the legislation.  She worked closely with House Public Education Committee Chair Rob Eissler to amend the limits on field testing into the end-of-course bill.  She also played an instrumental role in ensuring that educator preparation programs were not held responsible for student test scores of their graduates, striking the language by hand during a hastily called House Public Education Committee meeting to consider the bill.  Toward the end of the session, she graciously allowed TCTA to attach a bill that otherwise would have died onto one of her bills, risking a potential point of order in doing so.  As a consequence, the bill passed and is on its way to the governor. 

Patrick is a good friend of, and advocate for, public education, and if her freshman year as a legislator is any indication, she will undoubtedly be a chief player in the legislative arena in years to come.

Rep. Scott Hochberg
(D-Houston)
Rep. Hochberg is one of the longest-serving members of the House Public Education Committee, and his knowledge of education issues shows every time he speaks. Although a member of the minority party in the House, his experience and expertise make him a favored resource for legislators of both parties. Due to his aptitude for complex education issues, he is one of few legislators with a working understanding of special education law, and as such was the natural choice to author TCTA’s comprehensive special education bill providing support for regular education teachers of special education students. But Hochberg went further than is expected of most bill sponsors, actively seeking to resolve potential opposition to the bill by convening stakeholders. When it became clear that the bill would not survive as a separate bill, he amended it onto every other likely vehicle in the form of legislation that was moving. A master of House floor maneuvering and a trusted ally, Hochberg stands ready, willing and able to defend educators in any legislative forum.

Sen. Jeff Wentworth
(R-San Antonio)
Sen. Wentworth is one of the greatest proponents (certainly the most persistent) of open government in the Legislature. For this reason, TCTA went to him during the 2005 session to ask him to file a bill that would ensure that school district employees could not be prohibited from talking to school board members about matters relating to the operation of schools. Our lawyers routinely advise members to follow the chain of command using district grievance policies, but we strongly believe that school board members need to hear directly from school employees in order for the school board to effectively set policy that will facilitate student success. While this bill did not pass in 2005, it passed this year thanks to Wentworth and House sponsor Rep. Eissler. Supported by Wentworth’s passion for open government and expertise in the political process, this bill sailed through the Legislature and was the first education policy bill signed by the governor.

Sen. Kip Averitt
(R-Waco)
Sen. Averitt is an expert on insurance issues. Thanks to our work with Averitt last session, all school employees are entitled to portability of health insurance even if their districts are self-insured. This has proven to be a huge benefit for public school employees. One matter of unfinished business was a bill he filed last regular session that would allow school employees to be covered during the summer months without going through the expense of the federal COBRA laws. Some districts bump employees from their health care rolls if the employee resigns with an effective date of the last day of the school year; as a result, our lawyers have often advised employees to hold off until the last possible minute to submit resignations, which is not good for the employees, the principals who must replace the employees, or the students. Now that teachers and other employees know they can retain insurance over the summer months, they can submit resignations effective the end of the school year as soon as they know they will be leaving the district. TCTA salutes Averitt for his continued efforts to make sure educators and their employees have access to health care.

Sen. Leticia Van de Putte
(D-San Antonio)
Sen. Van de Putte’s star continues to rise year after year. Not only is she a veteran member of the Senate Education Committee, but she was chosen by her colleagues to lead the Democratic caucus in the Senate, and is serving a national role as head of the National Conference of State Legislatures. She is consistently the “go-to” senator when the going gets tough for educators during legislative sessions, and her office has served as command central when quick action and strategizing are needed to stave off bad legislation. Early in the session, her office organized a well-thought-out strategy in response to the push for vouchers for autistic students by compiling a package of 12 special education bills that addressed the overall needs of special education students through the public school system. She worked with TCTA in changing the language of one of the 12 bills that she carried so that special education training for teachers would be more targeted, instead of being required for all teachers. Her office served an invaluable role in consistently making TCTA aware of potential red flags emerging in constantly shifting legislation during the last frantic weeks of the session, when many major bills were being hashed out in private. We could do no better than to have Van de Putte in the position she’s in, although with her record as someone who keeps achieving new heights, don’t expect her to stay in one place for long.

Rep. Dianne Delisi
(R-Temple)
When constituent and TCTA member Ed Coet approached Rep. Delisi with concerns about his district’s grievance procedure, she and her capable staff were quick to respond. The resulting legislation will affect teachers statewide as districts now must allow an alleged violation of law by a supervisor to be reported to an administrator other than the immediate supervisor. Delisi is a strong proponent of better pay for experienced teachers, proposing legislation to extend the salary schedule, and passed legislation this session supporting teacher retention demonstration projects.

Sen. Kevin Eltife
(R-Tyler)
This Republican senator listened to his educator constituents and heeded their concerns regarding a proposal to link teacher appraisals to student performance, including standardized test scores. His opposition was key in keeping this proposed legislation from being considered on the Senate floor, though it earned him a nasty attack campaign in his senatorial district from proponents of the bill. Eltife was also one of a handful of senators who pushed for a 6.6% or higher state TRS contribution rate in the Senate’s budget proposal, in opposition to Sen. Robert Duncan’s proposed 6.4%.

Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon
(D-San Antonio)
Rep. McClendon has worked with TCTA on TRS issues for years, but in 2007 she made a real commitment to shoring up the fund and helping retirees. Passionate and determined, McClendon worked tirelessly attempting to balance the interests of retirees who desperately needed a benefit increase, active members who supported the increase and wanted the state to step up and pay for it, House members who had unanimously passed her bill providing for a 6.7% contribution rate, and Senate members who advocated a lower state rate coupled with an increase in active member contributions.

McClendon also filed several bills at TCTA’s request that would have helped members with retirement issues; one – legislation grandfathering the school district surcharge for hiring retirees – became law as part of another bill. We know we can always count on McClendon to support school employees while never ceasing to focus on the health and security of our retirement system.

Rep. Vicki Truitt
(R-Southlake)
TCTA had not worked closely with Rep. Truitt in previous sessions. She had not served on an education-related committee in her five terms, and we were unsure of what to expect when she was named chair of the House Pensions & Investments Committee, which handles TRS issues. We soon learned that Chairwoman Truitt was fair and reasonable, dedicated to ensuring a sound pension fund for school employees, and willing to work with us on areas of concern.

As co-chair of the Sunset Advisory Commission, she carried the TRS Sunset legislation in the House. In recent sessions Sunset members have preferred to keep the Sunset bills “pure,” as they were approved by the Sunset Commission, without changes or additions that were not considered by that body. But Truitt agreed with TCTA suggestions on two aspects of the Sunset bill. The first was a technical fix to help disability retirees, and the second was a more substantive addition to ensure that, with the proposed repeal of the health insurance comparability study, employees would still have access to good information about their district’s health coverage. Thanks to Truitt, those important changes were included in the bill.

She was also instrumental in the work done on the 13th check and TRS contribution rates. She stood with her committee and the House in supporting a 6.7% contribution rate to TRS, a stance that might have been difficult considering the higher cost to the state. Though she was new to the world of public pensions, she jumped right in, learned the issues and served as an advocate for the school employee retirement fund.

Rep. Rick Noriega
(D-Houston)
Rep. Noriega, a lieutenant colonel in the Texas Army National Guard who recently served in Afghanistan, went to battle for Texas teachers this session. He introduced an amendment to the state budget on the House floor that stripped out controversial funding for teacher incentive pay and replaced it with language designed to benefit all educators. He was hamstrung by rules that limited the money he could use for the salary increase, and prohibited the amendment from outlining more specifically how the money was to be used, but his efforts are directly responsible for teachers receiving an unprecedented two pay raises in two years.

Sen. Eddie Lucio
(D-Brownsville)
Sen. Lucio was a strong proponent of the later school start date in previous sessions, so when TCTA became aware of an unintended consequence of the revised school calendars, we went straight to him. He quickly recognized the problem: retirees returning to work under the six-month exemption would lose a TRS check if they worked even one day into June.

He immediately agreed to file a bill to correct the problem, and with the help of his capable staff and House sponsor Mark Homer (D-Paris), shepherded through one of the easiest bills we worked on this session. We’re confident that without his leadership and support, this legislation would not have sailed through quite as smoothly.

Lucio’s support for teachers was also crucial in the battle over SB 1643, the bill tying teacher appraisals to student performance. As one of the senators holding firm in opposition to that bill, he ensured that this harmful legislation never came to pass.

HONORABLE MENTION
Special thanks go to the following in recognition of their work for Texas teachers:

Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) supports the availability of quality prekindergarten, and it is through her efforts that the Texas Early Education Model (TEEM) has been instituted and expanded over the last couple of sessions. She graciously allowed TCTA to amend one of our bills onto one of her bills toward the end of session, always a risk for the original bill, in an effort to ensure our bill’s passage.

Rep. Jim McReynolds (D-Lufkin), a perennial Legislative Star, filed TCTA-initiated bills that would have extended the minimum salary schedule to 30 steps, and giving campus decision-making committees the authority to determine the use of noninstructional days.

Rep. David Farabee (D-Wichita Falls), TCTA’s 2006-07 Friend of Education, filed TCTA legislation that would have added educational diagnosticians and speech pathologists to the protections of the state minimum salary schedule.

Rep. Drew Darby (R-San Angelo) is a freshman legislator who came through for TCTA, filing legislation that would have given teachers of the year a role on regional education service center boards of directors.

Rep. Kevin Bailey (D-Houston) filed one of our most important bills, though the issue was never given a chance this session. His HB 1859 would have increased wages for teacher aides by requiring that they be paid no less than 50% of the amount paid to a teacher in the district with the same years of experience.

Rep. Mark Strama (D-Austin) filed one of the first education bills of the session – our proposal to require that students who are registered sex offenders be placed in a disciplinary alternative education program. This crucial issue was subsequently addressed in other bills that passed into law.

Rep. Larry Phillips (R-Sherman) went out of his way to support teachers this session, filing bills to extend the minimum salary schedule by 15 steps and to guarantee a 13th check for retirees. He also attempted to restore an important benefit for school employees by filing a TCTA proposal to return the five-year calculation of retirement benefits back to a three-year calculation.

Sen. Kirk Watson (D-Austin) was the Senate author of a TCTA-initiated bill to provide support to regular education teachers of special education students, and his office served as a key point of contact in fighting attempts to base teacher employment and appraisal decisions on student test scores.

Sen. Carlos Uresti (D-San Antonio) filed TCTA-initiated legislation that would have provided a 13th check for retirees while restoring the five- to three-year calculation of retirement benefits.

Rep. Mike Villarreal (D-San Antonio) was a strong advocate for active teachers on the House Pensions & Investments Committee and was joined by Rep. Pat Haggerty (R-El Paso) on the House floor during debate over a possible increase in active member TRS contributions. Both lawmakers are known for their support for educators, and argued vehemently that the state should step up to the plate, fully fund TRS and pay for a benefit increase for retirees.

Rep. Jim Dunnam (D-Waco) made an impressive move on the House floor, which, while largely symbolic, kept the issue of teacher salaries in the forefront. When the House considered legislation that would have continued reducing property taxes below the $1.00 currently required, Dunnam successfully added a provision that required the state to increase teacher salaries by $6,000 before spending more money on additional property tax reductions (the bill later died in the Senate).

Sen. Mario Gallegos (D-Galena Park) showed true courage and conviction when he defied doctor’s orders to return to the Senate after a January liver transplant. His early return to the Senate proved decisive on key issues, including the bill to link teacher appraisals to student performance.

Rep. Joe Heflin (D-Crosbyton) made a bold move for a freshman House member, adding an amendment to the House version of the budget to prohibit the use of state funds for a voucher program. He was named Democratic freshman of the year by his colleagues.

Rep. Jerry Madden (R-Plano) was the author of a comprehensive distance learning bill, HB 277, that initially posed some significant problems. Madden worked diligently and in good faith to resolve issues with educators. After hours of meetings and numerous changes to the bill, Madden’s version of the bill was passed by legislators – in a form supported by the education community.

Posted: 06/12/07