The ATPE Governmental Relations team recaps the past week’s education news, legislative and election updates, and regulatory developments.

• We know it’s Maycember, but the most important thing you can do next week is vote
• Who’s to blame for school finance woes? Abbott says “not it,” and we fact-check
• HISD turmoil continues with Miles/Third Future charter network scandal
• Opportunities for public comment
• Good public education reads for your weekend

ATPE sends thoughts of comfort and safety to all those affected by devastating storms overnight, particularly in the Houston area. Nearly 1 million people were without power, and Houston ISD, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, and Spring Branch ISD were among the many school districts that closed campuses Friday.

PRIMARY RUNOFFS: Early voting runs Monday, May 20, through Thursday, May 24, in Republican and Democratic primary runoff elections. If you live in one of these districts, you likely know because your mailbox is full and your phone is blowing up with calls and texts. In this blog post, ATPE Senior Lobbyist Mark Wiggins explains who is eligible to vote in these runoff elections and why they are so critical to the future of Texas public education. We know it’s Maycember, but the most important thing you can do next week is vote pro-public education. A single vote can change a low-turnout primary runoff. Don't regret it not being yours.

SCHOOL FINANCE: As headlines tell the story of cash-strapped districts being forced to lay off educators for the 2024-25 school year, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is calling for various actions to address school district funding shortages. In response, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) appears to be doing some damage control.  ATPE Lobbyist Tricia Cave takes a look at the governor’s assertions in this Teach the Vote analysis.

HISD: The state’s largest school district, Houston ISD, continues to be in turmoil following its takeover by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) in June 2023. The Houston Chronicle is tracking principal turnover, and TEA Commissioner Mike Morath’s appointed superintendent, Mike Miles, is caught up in a scandal over his charter school network, Third Future Schools, using Texas taxpayer dollars to bolster its Colorado operations. Miles’ sister is now the CEO of Third Future Schools, though he maintains a consulting relationship. Read more about this in The Texas Tribune.

PUBLIC COMMENT: TEA has published several proposed regulatory changes submitted for approval by the State Board of Education (SBOE) to align administrative rules with recently passed legislation. Included among those are changes impacting course titles and career and technical education (CTE) career clusters, as well as their relevant endorsements. The agency has also submitted rules banning any cap on gifted and talented program enrollment and ensuring districts spend state funds appropriated for gifted and talented programs appropriately. Educators and members of the public may submit comments on any of these proposals through June 17 using this form. Commissioner Mike Morath separately approved new rules concerning accelerated instruction to implement the changes mandated under House Bill (HB) 1416. You may read the changes here.

GOOD READS: This week, The Texas Tribune published the story of Granbury ISD trustee Courtney Gore, who promised to stop “indoctrination” of children as she campaigned to get elected. But once in office, she read the curriculum—and what she didn’t find in it surprised her. We’ve republished this story on Teach the Vote. Another good read is “Numbers Don’t Lie—But They Sure Can Cheat” from The Community News in Parker County. Op-ed author Randy Keck takes a close look at the spin legislators put on school funding issues when in fact the state’s percentage of public school funding has dropped. Keck concludes by pointing out that a voucher program would divert more of the state’s already-limited funding.