The House Public Education Committee, chaired by Rep. Brad Buckley, met for an organizational hearing on Tuesday, February 28. Although no bills were discussed, the committee heard from three invited guests. The first to testify was Commissioner of Education Mike Morath, who shared slides outlining the state of education at the onset of the 88th legislative session.
The next invited testimony was a dual panel including TEA’s Chief of School Safety and Security John Scott and Director of the Texas School Safety Center Dr. Kathy Martinez-Prather, who discussed current statute and finance governing school safety and what was learned on their tour across the state. See slides from their testimony.
The Senate Education Committee, chaired by Sen. Brandon Creighton, held its first organizational meeting on Wednesday, March 1. No bills were discussed, but the committee heard testimony from three invited guests. Commissioner Morath discussed information that was similar to what he shared with the House Public Education Committee the day before, and two classroom teachers testified in support of the Teacher Incentive Allotment program.
On Thursday, March 2, the House Appropriations Select Committee on Article III (education), chaired by Rep. Gary VanDeaver, met to discuss budget recommendations for public education. The Legislative Budget Board shared these slides.
