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Counting down the the end of the session on Monday
Update on 3 key bills: consortium, testing & funding
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 It's crunch time in Austin, as the countdown to Monday's end of the Legislative session continues. Here are the updates on the three bills we are closely watching.
High Performance Schools Consortium - HB 2824 -
approved by both Senate and House
Both the Senate and the House have passed House Bill 2824, which relates to the Texas High Performance Schools Consortium, of which Highland Park ISD is a member. The consortium is made up of 23 school districts that were selected in September of 2012 by the Texas Education Agency Commissioner. It was created two years ago by Senate Bill 1557, which was authored by Sen. John Carona.
This is a huge step forward for the bill, which now just needs Gov. Rick Perry's signature to become law.
The consortium's mission is to develop innovative next-generation learning standards, assessment, and accountability systems. Selection was based on districts' performance ratings, national, statewide or regional recognition for excellence in academic performance, and an extensive application process.
We thank our local State Rep. Dan Branch for filing HB 2824, along with Rep. Bennett Ratliff, who represents District 115, which includes Coppell, another consortium member. Three other House members are also sponsoring the bill.
HB 2824 would give the consortium districts the flexibility to reduce the number of standardized state tests (STAAR) over the next two school years, pending a federal waiver. Standardized state testing would not be eliminated, but the bill proposes fewer STAAR tests for grades 3-8 and would allow college and career readiness to be assessed using national college preparatory assessments in grades 8, 10, 11 and 12.
In addition, HB 2824 would allow consortium districts to teach for depth over breadth and develop community-based accountability systems.
It is the hope of HPISD and other consortium districts that the bill will become law, enabling us to reduce our emphasis on excessive and expensive standardized testing and leaving room for more meaningful and innovative instruction and assessment. It is our belief that our first priority must be serving our local community, not a statewide system. To that end, we are committed to developing a local accountability system that we believe will allow us to pursue educational goals that best fit our students' and community's needs. Again, a federal waiver may be necessary to make these changes to the accountability system.
Letters of support for HB 2824 have arrived from local chambers of commerce, including the Dallas Regional Chamber and Fort Worth. The Texas Public Policy Foundation, Texas Conservative Coalition, and House Republican Caucus have all signed on in support. We appreciate their endorsements, which recognize that the consortium's commitment to strengthen Texas' public education system is an investment in the future.
Dallas Morning News reporter Jeffrey Weiss posted a column about the bill's passage that discusses many of the consortium's goals.
Graduation and testing requirements - HB 5 - still in conference committee
We are concerned that the fate of HB 5 seems to be tied to the passage of Senate Bill 2, which relates to charter schools.
HB 5 carries significant implications for every public school student in Texas because it specifies the number of standardized students would be required to pass in order to graduate. The House and Senate have passed their own versions of HB 5. Each reduces the number of end-of-course (STAAR) exams from 15 to five. The bills also would allow students to choose a graduation path that best suits their skills and interests (distinguished plan, foundation plan, business and industry, arts and humanities, or science and tech).
We certainly support a reduction in standardized tests for all of Texas' 5 million-plus school children. Excessive testing has taken time and funding away from quality instruction, and the Legislature appears to be recognizing this with the changes proposed in HB 5, along with other bills seeking to reverse the dramatic increase in state-mandated exams enacted during the last session.
The two versions of HB 5 remain in conference committee. Again, the overriding concern is that a bill that affects every student in Texas is tied to one that will affect far fewer.
For more details, read this recent article from The Austin American Statesman.
The budget bill - moving forward
Meanwhile, on the funding side, both the House and the Senate have approved measures that will move forward the two-year budget bill (HB 1025 and Senate Joint Resolution 1). While the bills differ on some details, they would both allocate additional dollars to public education, restoring some of the funding that was cut during the last legislative session.
However, there are other bills that affect school district funding and require districts to increase contributions to the teacher retirement system and increase payroll taxes, which would significantly affect the bottom line for HPISD and other school districts. It is also worth noting that most districts are also anticipating a significant increase in healthcare coverage costs and are basing budget projections on that expectation.
The good news is that HPISD does not anticipate a cut in funding, and by the time the details are hammered out by lawmakers, we could see a neutral to slightly positive outcome.
We'll keep you posted.
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Copyright (c) 2013 Highland Park Independent School District, All rights reserved.
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