April 2019
April 2019
House Public Education Committee hears Senate bills for the first time this session
Date Posted: 4/30/2019
On Tuesday, April 30, 2019, the House Public Education Committee heard, for the first time, bills sent down from the upper chamber.
Senate Education Committee begins hearing multiple House bills
Date Posted: 4/30/2019
The Senate Education Committee met Tuesday morning, April 30, 2019, to take up a handful of House bills that have been sent over from the lower chamber after the school finance bill, House Bill (HB) 3, was heard by the committee last week.
SBEC considers EdTPA pilot, special education certification, and more
Date Posted: 4/29/2019
Items considered by the board included final approval of the EdTPA pilot, discussion of a new framework for special education certification exams, and approval of final details for the new "Principal as Instructional Leader" certificate.
ATPE testifies neutrally on Senate’s school finance legislation
Date Posted: 4/26/2019
The Senate Education Committee resumed testimony on the upper chamber's school finance reform legislation Thursday afternoon, April 25, after meeting earlier to discuss the plan and differences between the House and Senate versions.
Teach the Vote's Week in Review: April 26, 2019
Date Posted: 4/26/2019
We're down to the last 30 days of the legislative session, and the action is heating up. Here's a look at this week's headlines from ATPE Governmental Relations.
TRS releases ActiveCare rates for 2020
Date Posted: 4/26/2019
The board of trustees for the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) of Texas met in Austin this week. Of note on their agenda was a discussion of proposed TRS-ActiveCare pricing for 2020.
Senate Education Committee takes up school finance bills
Date Posted: 4/25/2019
After a long wait and repeated delays, the Senate Education Committee is hearing school finance reform legislation today, Thursday, April 25.
House Public Education Committee hears 31 bills on playgrounds, pre-K, and more
Date Posted: 4/24/2019
On Tuesday, April 23, 2019, the House Public Education Committee heard 31 bills relating to a variety of topics, including the use of school counselors' time, special education evaluation notices, the role of the fine arts curriculum, and creating inclusive playgrounds that are accessible to all students.
Senate Education Committee discusses special education rights recovery
Date Posted: 4/24/2019
The Senate Education Committee met Tuesday, April 23, 2019, to consider another round of bills, including one addressing the recovery of special education rights.
Teach the Vote's Week in Review: April 19, 2019
Date Posted: 4/19/2019
The legislature packed a lot of work into a short week ahead of this holiday weekend. Here's a summary of the latest education-related developments from our ATPE Governmental Relations team.
In late night hearing, House Public Education Committee talks about bullying, leftover food, and more
Date Posted: 4/18/2019
On Wednesday, April 17, 2019, the House Public Education Committee heard bills on a variety of topics including the donation of excess food at school, virtual schools, workplace bullying of teachers, and even the Ten Commandments.
House Public Education Committee hears bills on civics, bullying, virtual schools, and more
Date Posted: 4/17/2019
On Tuesday, April 16, 2019, the House Public Education Committee heard bills on topics including civics education, the virtual school network, mandate relief, and accountability.
Senate committee advances campus turnaround proposal, hears variety of bills
Date Posted: 4/17/2019
The Senate Education Committee met Tuesday, April 16, 2019. The committee postponed until April 23 a hearing scheduled for Tuesday on House Bill (HB) 3, the major school finance reform bill that the House passed last month.
Senate Education Committee postpones merit pay and school finance discussion for one week
Date Posted: 4/16/2019
The Senate Education Committee, meeting today, has postponed its consideration of a major school finance bill, House Bill (HB) 3, until next week.
Senate Education committee hears miscellaneous bills
Date Posted: 4/12/2019
The Senate Education Committee met Thursday, April 11, 2019, and considered a number of mostly unrelated bills.
Teach the Vote's Week in Review: April 12, 2019
Date Posted: 4/12/2019
Here's your weekly wrap-up of education news from ATPE Governmental Relations.
House Public Education Committee hears 38 bills on charters, assessment, and discipline
Date Posted: 4/10/2019
On Tuesday, April 9, 2019, the House Public Education Committee heard 38 bills, which were overwhelmingly related to charter schools.
Senate committee advances bills expanding virtual schools
Date Posted: 4/10/2019
The committee voted unanimously to advance Senate Bill (SB) 2244, which would remove certain barriers to enrolling in full-time virtual schools and repeal the ability of school districts to charge fees for virtual classes.
Senate Education committee discusses virtual schools
Date Posted: 4/05/2019
The Senate Education Committee met Thursday, April 4, to discuss more than a dozen bills, most of which were related to expanding full-time virtual schools in Texas.
House Public Education Committee hears bills on home-schooler UIL participation, health and safety, and more
Date Posted: 4/05/2019
On Thursday, April 4, 2019, the House Public Education Committee met to hear bills on several topics, including home-schooled students' participation in UIL, student health, protected speech, and the available school fund.
Teach the Vote's Week in Review: April 5, 2019
Date Posted: 4/05/2019
It was another groundbreaking week in the Texas legislature, and here's a look at the headlines from ATPE Governmental Relations.
Senate Education committee discusses dual credit
Date Posted: 4/04/2019
The Senate Education Committee met Tuesday, April 2, 2019, to consider a handful of bills largely focused on dual credit programs.
Texas House approves landmark school finance bill
Date Posted: 4/04/2019
A major effort to improve the state's school finance system took a giant step forward today after the Texas House of Representatives passed House Bill (HB) 3 this afternoon.
House Public Education Committee hears bills on pre-K, tech apps, educator prep, data transparency, and more
Date Posted: 4/02/2019
On Tuesday, April 2, 2019, the House Public Education Committee heard several bills related to a variety of topics. ATPE registered positions in support of three of the bills heard in committee.
Senate bills threaten to chill educator speech
Date Posted: 4/02/2019
The Senate State Affairs Committee met Monday, April 1, and considered two bills that present serious concerns about free speech rights under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution -- particularly when it comes to educators.