The overview
Ahead of the legislative session, which begins in January, officials in AISD, FISD and PISD discussed legislative priorities they want the state to consider.
Regarding funding, AISD and PISD officials want an increase to the basic student allotment, which has remained at $6,160 per student since 2019. FISD would like to see increased funding for the school safety allotment.
All local districts would like to see an increase in salaries for teachers and district staff, according to documents from each respective district.
Officials in each district are also focused on special education. FISD would like to see additional weighted funding, and both AISD and FISD would like more resources for training special education teachers, documents show.
Key priorities for all three districts include:
- Raising school safety funding
- Revising Chapter 37 to remove barriers for correcting disruptive students and encourage policies that support parent involvement
- Increased salaries for teachers and district staff
- Raising special education funding
AISD and PISD officials are also hoping for revisions to the state’s A-F accountability system, which grades districts based on student preparedness for college; career and military service; graduation rates; and scores on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, according to the Texas Education Agency.
Both AISD and PISD officials are advocating for a “broader” school performance review. AISD officials want the state to develop a system that is more comprehensive and recognizes the gains made by districts serving low-income families, documents show.
AISD and FISD officials also touched on insurance expenses for coastal areas that are prone to storms, which in turn makes them more susceptible to high windstorm insurance costs. FISD officials want to see lower property and casualty insurance expenses, while AISD wants a special allotment created for coastal districts.
Lastly, AISD and PISD officials have discussed equal funding to offset possible revenue losses from school vouchers, as well as ensuring that public education dollars remain within public schools.
Some numbers to keep in mind ahead of the new session include:
- 89th Texas Legislature begins Jan. 14 and runs through June 2
- 2,200-plus bills filed with the state ahead of the session
- $20 billion in surplus revenue from the state
- 140 days for the regular session
