Bastrop ISD is asking the Texas Education Agency for an extension on new requirements for teacher certification in the coming school years, after new state legislation mandated districts begin phasing out exemptions in the 2026-27 school year.

BISD trustees approved the application for the extension in December.

What you need to know

In the 89th legislature, lawmakers passed a requirement that districts of innovation begin phasing out exemptions for teacher certification requirements for core subjects by the 2027-28 school year, including:

• Reading, Language Arts
• Math
• Science
• Social Studies

Per the TEA, schools with DOI designations can still employ teachers without certification in other areas, such as career and technical education or enrichment subjects.

Dianne Greene, BISD's chief human resources officer, said the district is applying for an exemption to give the district until the 2029-30 school year to implement these requirements.

How it works

School districts that meet specific performance requirements can create and adopt a plan to become a district of innovation. Districts that do so through a legal adoption process can exempt themselves from some aspects of the Texas Education Code, such as certification requirements, that "inhibit" goals of the district.

The specifics

Greene said that as of the Dec. 16 board meeting, 115 kindergarten through fifth-grade teachers in the district do not have a full teaching certification. Of these:

• 64 have degrees and are enrolled in an alternative certification program
• Six have degrees and have until Dec. 19 to enroll in an alternative certification program
• 45 do not have degrees, but have completed a number of college credit hours

Without this extension, Greene said the district would likely result in the loss of classroom educators, in addition to normal turnover.

What's next?

Greene said the district will be notified of its application status for the extension by the TEA before the end of March.