TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY

Both chambers have said school safety is a priority this session after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at a Uvalde elementary school last year.

The House plans to discuss its version of Senate Bill 8 on Wednesday, which was heavily modified to sway votes in the lower chamber.

A bill passed by the Texas House on Wednesday would also help schools rehire retired teachers and offer other incentives in an effort to fight the state’s teacher shortage.

Lawmakers have said school safety is a priority this session, but it is still unclear whether they’ll listen to Uvalde families who want to raise the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic guns from 18 to 21.

Senate Bill 11, which aims to get hundreds of districts without adequate safety protocols to adopt one, would also beef up truancy laws.

Natalia ISD finalized a voluntary retirement agreement with its superintendent in early April after two years of service. It's the fourth superintendent to serve the district in just over 10 years.

At one elementary school, protesters chanted as the school day was about to begin. Parents sought petition signatures at a high school. The demonstrations are planned throughout the day.

The TEA recommended the move, citing the district’s failures serving special education students. The announcement comes two weeks after the agency appointed a board of managers to oversee Houston ISD.

The ACLU of Texas, the Houston NAACP and other groups say the takeover is a violation of the Voting Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution.

The Texas Education Agency announced on March 15 that it would replace the current superintendent and its democratically elected school board with a new board of managers as soon as June 1.

When do state takeovers of Texas public schools or districts happen? How long can they last? We provide answers to some of the questions surrounding the takeover of Houston ISD.

Parents and students of the Houston Independent School District decried the state’s decision to take control of the school system. Despite the news, many questions remain about how it would affect them.

The announcement comes almost four years after the agency first moved to take over the district.

Texas’ education agency first moved to take over the district in 2019 after years of low student performance at a single Houston ISD high school. Critics said the district has made improvements since then.

The bill, which has the blessing of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, will create new rules on how gender and sexual orientation is taught. It will face a tougher test in the House.

Parents, teachers and retired HISD employees were among the many rallying Friday against an imminent midsemester district takeover by the Texas Education Agency.

The bill, introduced months after the Uvalde school shooting, also allocates more funds to the state’s school safety allotment, which is money given to districts to improve campus security.

The yearlong review also recommends increasing the funds schools get per student, a measure already favored by lawmakers looking how to spend a historic state budget surplus.

Without the state’s safety net, districts with pending bond projects must now decide whether to pay more in interest or halt construction.

“School districts, what they have to do if they lose a student, [is] be smart about how they allocate their resources and maybe that’s one less fourth grade teacher,” Steve Lecholop, a TEA deputy commissioner, said in a call with a parent that was secretly recorded.

Senators in the finance committee asked questions Monday about the pros and cons of basing the amount of money that schools get per student on enrollment instead of attendance. Districts say the change could mean millions in additional funding.

Principal Mark Oberholtzer told parents in a letter on Tuesday that he had learned the day before about allegations of a teacher, Orlando Naumann, having engaged in “inappropriate communication” with a student. Naumann resigned in the face of an investigation, but has not been charged or arrested.

The decision from the state’s highest court would allow the TEA to move forward with its plan to replace Houston ISD’s school board members over low academic scores.

Records show James Dunn was convicted twice for defrauding federal government agencies. He registered his school board training, which he described as an alternative to “woke” programs, with the Texas Education Agency this fall.

State math scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress dipped significantly between 2019 and 2022, but reading scores for fourth and eighth graders held steady.

Among other issues, the court will consider whether a law that updated the education code last year has any bearing on TEA Commissioner Mike Morath’s attempt to replace HISD’s board members over low academic scores.

Students had been pushing for the State Board of Education to adopt a new, more inclusive social studies curriculum this year. Instead, the board delayed their scheduled update until at least 2025.

An online survey of 1,291 teachers by the Charles Butt Foundation shows more teacher dissatisfaction as Texas school districts scramble to attract talent.

The Texas Education Agency has dismissed the notion that the accountability ratings are a poverty rating. As evidence, they point to districts like those in the Rio Grande Valley, which have achieved high marks while serving a high number of economically disadvantaged students.

The board was initially supposed to update the social studies curriculum by the end of the year.

The Texas Education Agency released grades this week for each school district and campus across the state, and that includes the charter districts in the area.

TEA Commissioner Mike Morath detailed the agency’s steps to protect Texas children in their schools.

The Texas Education Agency released a list of A-F accountability ratings for districts — the first issued since the coronavirus pandemic caused learning disruptions and teacher shortages across the state.

This year’s TEA ratings were done differently than in previous years. Instead of the usual A-F ratings, which were last given in 2019, the agency gave only A-C ratings. Districts and schools that would have received a D or F instead received a “Not Rated” label this year.

Following a state report showing that almost 400 law enforcement officers showed up at the school on May 24, some Uvalde parents are doubtful over whether their kids will be safe in the district.

Texas schools have long had too few teachers. The pandemic made the situation worse — but issues like low pay, poor benefits and polarizing statewide politics all have an impact, too.

There had been fear that after another school year of COVID-19 disruptions, scores would not improve.

Almost half the money is going toward bullet-resistant shields for school police officers, a move that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called on fellow state leaders to support.

Texas has more than 1,200 school districts, but the education commissioner promised plans for the review will be completed this summer.

Employees at multiple Northside Independent School District campuses have told the KSAT 12 Defenders in recent weeks that administrators relentlessly pressured them to vote on a May bond measure, tracked whether they had cast a ballot and in one instance threatened discipline if they failed to do so.

For the first time since the pandemic, Texas schools will again be rated based on standardized tests. But for one year only, schools that receive a D or F will get a “not rated” label.

Two states have dropped the Educative Teacher Performance Assessment, and three others passed on it or want it gone.

School districts are not required to adopt the agency’s recommendations but can use them as guidance as they develop new procedures or alter their policies for selecting or removing library books.

K-3 teachers in Texas have until 2023 to complete a 60-hour Reading Academies course to keep the job. It’s taking some 120 hours on their own time to finish.

Paxton equated the week of LGBTQ-inclusive activities with sex education in a letter to the district. Austin ISD says it’s about acceptance.

Teaching demands during the pandemic have exacerbated the nation’s teacher shortage. Abbott wants a task force to investigate.

The Texas Education Agency says no school districts in the state have applied for available funds that would help with protecting students in high crime areas who walk to and from school.

The new requirement applies to charter schools set to open in August. The agency did not elaborate why this one law needed a separate assurance.

School district leaders are desperately trying to fill vacant roles to stay open and some say they have no choice but to close.

Seven of the city’s 16 school districts, including three of the city’s largest, have laid out the COVID-19 policies each has in effect as students, teachers, and staff who’d fallen ill prepare to return to campus.

Many schools are pushing through with plans for in-person classes despite a surge in COVID-19 cases as they try to reassure parents and students they are prepared to open safely this week.

The district appears to be the first one to be investigated since Republicans started raising questions in October about content in public school libraries.

The Republican Party of Texas announced Monday it had launched a new Local Government Committee to work with county parties on backing candidates for nonpartisan local offices.

South San ISD leaders held a special meeting Monday to discuss the possibility of placing the school Superintendent Marc Puig on paid administrative leave and asking the Texas Education Agency for a monitor, citing a conflict of interest with the recently placed monitor.

The so-called “critical race theory” law prohibits teachers from discussing “a widely debated and currently controversial issue of public policy or social affairs.”

Gaps in student learning because of pandemic disruptions could impact students in the long term.

The Texas Education Agency is accepting applications for Texas COVID Learning Acceleration Supports, a program that helps provide tutoring to students who have fallen behind due to due COVID-19.

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order prohibiting mask mandates in schools violates the Americans with Disabilities Act — freeing local officials to again create their own rules.

Gov. Greg Abbott ramped up pressure on public schools Wednesday morning after ordering the Texas Education Agency to investigate “pornographic books” and “obscene content” in Texas public schools.

It’s unclear why the governor tasked the state's education agency, which does not employ law enforcement officers, to perform the investigation.

Abbott targeted two books that have been removed by schools recently that center on LGBTQ characters. One of the books includes a graphic illustration and the other includes depictions of sex.

State Rep. Matt Krause, a candidate for state attorney general, asked school superintendents to confirm whether any books on a list of 850 titles are in their libraries and classrooms.

Plaintiffs say the governor’s order denies children with disabilities, who are at a high risk of illness and death from the coronavirus, access to public education.

Dysfunctional school boards could impact district leadership in the future if the community and voters don’t take action to be involved and pay attention to who represents them on their local board.

Cardona spoke about how students, teachers, schools and districts have fared during the pandemic — and what happens now.

The U.S. Department of Education announced the inquiry days after the Texas Education Agency quietly updated its guidance to say school districts can’t require masks.

Student and staff COVID-19 cases declined after districts reported their highest levels in January since the pandemic began. But the data is incomplete and likely an undercount.

A monitor from the Texas Education Agency is being appointed to the South San Antonio Independent School District to “address material deficiencies in the district” between the board of trustees and the superintendent.

The bill would pay for virtual learning until September 2023, but won't fund it for students who have failed their STAAR exams.

The bill, which would provide funding through September 2023, will head back to the Senate before reaching Gov. Greg Abbott's desk.

There have been 20,256 reported cases among students across the state since the school year began.

As students have returned to in-classroom learning this fall in the midst of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, parents are facing a dilemma on whether or not they should quarantine their potentially exposed children and when.

This is a reversal of the Texas Education Agency’s previous guidance, which didn’t explicitly require school districts to notify parents of a close contact with the virus.

Biden said he will use the U.S. Department of Education’s civil rights enforcement authority to deter states from blocking mask mandates in classrooms.

Disability Rights Texas filed the lawsuit on behalf of 14 child plaintiffs saying the ban violates federal anti-discrimination law under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

For the second straight year, schools must worry about keeping their staff and their children safe and ensure that they’re providing the best possible education during a pandemic that has killed more than 50,000 Texans.

Dallas ISD and Austin ISD announced Monday they will require masking, while Houston ISD will vote on a mandate this week. A nonprofit group has also sued to block Abbott’s order.

The new guidance will allow for remote learning for up to 20 days for students who are sick with COVID-19 or have been exposed to it.

The TEA released new health guidelines for schools more than a week after legislators sent a letter to Gov. Abbott and Commissioner Morath, urging them to reconsider mask mandates in schools and funding for virtual learning due to a rise in COVID-19 cases.

Public health experts and medical professionals are sounding the alarm over the highly transmissible delta variant of COVID-19. The governor has stood firm on his ban against masking mandates in schools.

The Texas Education Agency cited COVID-19’s disproportionate effect on communities of color as reason for lower engagement and attendance rates among students of color.

Texas educators say they’re concerned they won’t be able to have open conversations about what’s happening in the world if the Texas Legislature approves a bill that restricts how teachers can discuss current events in the classroom.

A new incentive program will increase pay for teachers facing some of the greatest challenges in helping students catch up from the pandemic. It relies on more than standardized test scores to measure performance.

Olivia Weisinger and her growing band of parents have battled the board not just about safety but even more about accountability for the seven-member board.

AdIn New Braunfels ISD, which serves more low-income and Latino students, the school board opted to survey parents, resulting in a vote to keep the school mask mandate. One Comal ISD board member, Marty Bartlett, cited the arguments of well-known conspiracy theorists and vaccine skeptics who say masks are government overreach, not sound science. His margins were widest in the rural areas in Comal ISD and smaller in New Braunfels ISD. The two districts, both headquartered in New Braunfels, the largest city in the county, have subtle but important differences: New Braunfels ISD is majority students of color (54%) to Comal ISD’s 48%; 38% of New Braunfels ISD students qualify for free and reduced lunch, while 30% qualify in Comal ISD. His comment — and the feedback from Hennessee’s and York’s districts — suggests the tension between conservative and ultraconservative viewpoints exists not just between New Braunfels ISD and Comal ISD, but within Comal ISD as well.

Teachers from Rawlinson Middle School in San Antonio go door to door to find students who have stopped logging in for class during the COVID-19 pandemic. They knock until someone answers, and talk to sleepy kids and overwhelmed parents about how to stay engaged during remote learning. (The 74)Since the beginning of the school year, a squad of Rawlinson teachers have visited around 100 homes. Two teachers volunteer, they set a date, and the school hires substitute teachers. The Rawlinson visits combine visits with a tool the study labeled “strong”: reminders to parents about the importance of attendance, consequences of absenteeism, and how many days the student has missed.

Hello parents, teachers and students! Are you ready for spring break? I know I am, and I bet you all will be excited when that bell rings later today. You’ve all earned some well-deserved time off.

Now, the Texas Education Agency has issued new guidance in response to Executive Order GA-34 . AdTEA officials said the governor’s order does not take away the agency’s authority to implement operational requirements for public schools. Under the new guidance, schools should continue to require masks for anyone over the age of 10, but local school boards have the authority to modify or eliminate the policy. TEA officials also responded to the news that educators and school support staff are eligible for vaccines effective immediately. AdTeachers will not be required to get the vaccine at this point and school districts cannot mandate that employees get vaccinated, TEA officials said.

Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas TribuneMasks are still required in Texas public schools unless local school boards decide to make them optional, the Texas Education Agency announced Wednesday. The guidance follows an announcement from the Texas Department of State Health Services that school and child care staff are now eligible for vaccines, effective immediately. Some of the state’s largest urban and suburban school districts, including Dallas Independent School District and Northside ISD, said they would keep the mandate in place. About 56% of Texas public school students are attending classes in-person, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath told state lawmakers this week. Some school districts now face challenging decisions, with their communities deeply divided over how school officials should be responding to the pandemic.

SAN ANTONIO – Private and public businesses and service centers are beginning to announce their own changes to COVID-19 safety protocol following Gov. Greg Abbott’s announcement of the state’s “100% reopening.” Since then, area school districts have explained their safety protocols going forward. Bandera ISD - The district said it will not change its current COVID-19 safety protocols following Abbott’s announcement. South San Antonio ISD - South San ISD will continue to include required mask usage as part of COVID-19 safety protocols. This list will be updated as more schools in the area begin to examine their own COVID-19 safety protocols.

Texas school superintendents did not receive advance notice of Gov. Greg Abbott's announcement ending the state’s mask mandate Tuesday, leaving them scrambling to tell parents and educators what to expect. Declaring it time for Texas to reopen, Abbott said his mask mandate will end next week, but failed to explain how the decision will impact schools. Many superintendents told The Texas Tribune or sent notices to parents saying they plan to continue requiring masks in schools, despite the governor’s decision. “This ill-advised move is likely only to prompt educators to resign or retire.”AdIn the past, the TEA has declined to enforce Abbott’s mask mandate in schools.

SAN ANTONIO – Is online learning the future of education? In Texas, there’s already a handful of public online schools that are Texas Education Agency accredited campuses and provide a 100% virtual instructional program to students. One of these virtual schools is the Texas Online Preparatory School. From El Paso to all the way to Texarkana,” said Forrest Smith, head of school at Texas Online Preparatory School. Northside ISD parent Jenny Maldonado said her kids have been learning online during the pandemic.

“It’s not opting out of the STAAR test. Texas has said fifth and eighth grade students who don’t pass required STAAR exams this year may move up to the next grades. But high school students must pass five subject-specific courses by the time they graduate, a requirement that will not be waived this year. “This is about STAAR testing and forcing students to come in for STAAR testing. “I think the TEA has tried to create some flexibility with the STAAR test.

SAN ANTONIO – Dozens of Texas state representatives, led by San Antonio Democrat Diego Bernal, asked the Texas Education Agency to allow Texas parents to opt their children out of STAAR testing this year. The letter was signed by 68 state representatives in all, including all 10 from Bexar County. AdThis AM we sent a letter to TEA requesting a formal STAAR opt-out procedure. #txlege pic.twitter.com/42Viz03oQu — Diego Bernal (@DiegoBernalTX) February 8, 2021Speaking to KSAT, Bernal noted this year’s testing will matter less than usual. Bernal said parents could already opt-out in a fashion by keeping their children out of school.

Join The Texas Tribune at noon Central time Feb. 11 for a live interview with Texas education commissioner Mike Morath, moderated by Tribune CEO Evan Smith. In this role, he heads the Texas Education Agency, which oversees pre-kindergarten through high school education for more than 5 million Texas students. The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors. This conversation is presented by Lone Star College and Texas State Technical College and supported by Harmony Public Schools, Educate Texas, Philanthropy Advocates, TEXAS 2036 and Pastors for Texas Children. Though donors and corporate sponsors underwrite Texas Tribune events, they play no role in determining the content, panelists or line of questioning.

That investment would allow nearly all students to take the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, online by the 2022-23 school year, according to the report. The TEA hired Texas A&M education researchers to evaluate how ready school districts are to transition to administering STAAR completely online. The researchers surveyed a sample of Texas school districts and other states' testing programs, including California, Florida and Pennsylvania. When surveyed in May, many Texas districts said they needed more devices to transition to fully online testing, according to the report. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath has said students will take the STAAR, but schools and districts will not be rated on their scores.

Texas is still temporarily barred from taking over Houston ISD, its largest school district. Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas TribuneTexas is still temporarily barred from taking over Houston Independent School District, a state appellate court ruled Wednesday, upholding a lower court's order. In a 2-1 ruling, the Texas Third Court of Appeals upheld a temporary injunction that stops the Texas Education Agency from replacing the elected school board of its largest district with an appointed board of managers. The appeals court ruling sends the case back to the lower court that in January blocked the state's takeover effort. In March, Texas successfully appointed a board of managers to replace Shepherd ISD, a four-school East Texas school district.

TEXAS – STAAR testing will continue in the 2020-2021 school year despite the ongoing disruptions for student education due to the coronavirus pandemic, as announced Thursday by the Texas Education Agency. However, the A-F ratings assigned to schools every year based on these test results will be paused. Schools that incorporate these STAAR results into teacher evaluations are also being given some flexibility, as the TEA said it could remove those results from the evaluations this school year. As a result, we will not issue A-F ratings this school year.”The TEA said school systems must make STAAR available to all eligible students and administer the test on school campuses across the state or other alternative testing sites. To learn more about the STAAR test, visit the TEA’s website here.

“Between 1997-2019, withdrawals from public schools to homeschool in Texas increased 228% compared to a 41% increase in public school enrollment over the same period,” the THSC report found. The map of Texas school districts shows that between 1997 and 2018, both school districts had the third and fifth highest withdrawal rates. According to the data, 22,927 students between grades 7 and 12 withdrew from public school in 2018-2019. THSC officials said “all available indicators point towards record breaking growth” for homeschooling students after the start of the pandemic. View the full 2020 Texas Homeschool Report below: