Education commissioner delivers remarks to State Board of… | TCTA
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Education commissioner delivers remarks to State Board of Education

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Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath presented the 2024 Annual Report on the state of public education to the State Board of Education on Wednesday, Jan. 29. The commissioner speaks to SBOE members at each of their regular meetings about relevant topics in public education but presents a more comprehensive report at SBOE’s January meeting.

Morath began with the Texas Education Agency’s overall goals for 2025, listing the recruitment, support, and retention of teachers and principals; building a better foundation for reading and math; connecting high school to career and college; and improving low-performing schools as top priorities. TEA’s most specific goal is that, by 2030, 60% of Texans will have a degree, certificate, or other postsecondary credential within six years of high school graduation.

He continued with annual data reporting on a number of metrics, including student reading and math scores, high school completion rates, and compliance with new school safety standards enacted in the last legislative session. According to TEA, student funding reached $15,503 per student in the 22-23 school year, but Morath warned that the expiration of federal funds would likely bring that number down in following years. 

Referencing the first of TEA’s priorities for 2025, Morath laid out the paths that teachers use to enter the profession and specifically pointed out that the number of uncertified teachers entering the profession has continued to grow; in the 23-24 school year, 56% of new hires were uncertified. TEA has proposed a plan to incentivize prospective teachers to enter traditional teacher programs and alternative certification programs by requiring school districts to pay graduates of these pathways higher salaries. 

Finally, Morath shared Texas’ performance on the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which was released the same morning as the meeting. The test measures fourth grade and eighth grade reading and math, and Texas’ scores fell slightly in all categories except fourth grade math. 

SBOE members asked a number of questions about the education finance system, the proliferation of uncertified teachers, and the possible effects of school vouchers if such legislation passes this session. Morath answered questions about education finance in detail, but mostly demurred on other topics.

TCTA will continue to monitor and provide updates on the SBOE’s activities at the meeting, which runs through Jan. 31.

For more on the meeting, click here.