Other education news at the Capitol

While much of the spotlight in education news at the Capitol is claimed by major legislation involving school finance, teacher pay, and teacher rights, there are a number of other education bills making their way through the process as well as a handful of interesting hearings taking place.

The House has convened its own DOGE Committee to explore government efficiency at the state level. 

On Wednesday, the committee grilled Commissioner of Education Mike Morath for hours on potential inefficiencies with local school boards and, notably, the Texas Education Agency. Some members questioned the increasing number of staff at TEA, but the commissioner deflected attention away from his own agency to the best of his ability. Representatives from the Teacher Retirement System also appeared to comment on its health and efficiency.

The House also created a subcommittee to explore the finer points of property tax appraisals in Texas. Recently, an increasing number of school districts have failed to appropriately appraise the property in their territory, as determined by the comptroller. This can cause a significant mismatch in tax revenue with state funding formulas and leave districts with much less money than they anticipated for the school year. 

Representatives from TEA and the comptroller's office came to explain the process and recent difficulties to the committee, and the members expressed interest in a legislative remedy to the issue.

TCTA also tracked a number of other education bills taken up in committee hearings this week:

• SB 260 by Huffman: Doubles the school safety allotment created in HB 3 last session. TCTA registered in support of the bill.
• SB 813 by Hughes: Creates new grievance boards with jurisdiction over appeals involving the administration of public education. TCTA registered in support of the bill. 
• HB 20 by Gates: Creates an Applied Sciences Pathway Program for high school students.
• HB 120 by Keith Bell: Enhances and expands CTE programs across the state.