The Senate Education Committee met Monday, May 24, and voted out the following bills, which will now go to the full Senate:
- HB 332 by Rep. James Talarico would permit school districts and charters to use state compensatory education funds for social and emotional learning programs.
- HB 1032 by Rep. Shawn Thierry would allow districts to use CTE allotment funds for partnerships with local nonprofits to identify and secure student apprenticeship and internship opportunities.
- CSHB 2519 by Rep. Drew Darby would require a board, during a disciplinary proceeding, to suspend or revoke a certificate or permit, to include in the findings any available information regarding the respondent’s response to the allegations on which the proceeding is based. The committee substitute would ensure rural districts are represented and revises the notice to teachers regarding suspension or revocation of certificate or permit to address stakeholder comments on language ambiguity.
- CSHB 2954 by Rep. Senfronia Thompson would create a suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention program for optional implementation at an elementary campus of a school district that has experienced a suicide among its students or has reasonable concern regarding the risk of suicide among its students.
- HB 3207 by Rep. Abel Herrero would prevent the loss of TRS retirees who resume service during a declared disaster.
- HB 3298 by Rep. Steve Allison would require the commissioner to establish a competitive professional development grant program to encourage teachers to obtain computer science certification and continue professional development in coding, computational thinking, and computer science education.
- HB 3456 by Rep. James White would designate funds received for operating: schools in the TDCJ system; the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired; the Texas School for the Deaf; and a juvenile justice alternative education program as part of the foundation school program, which would not be subject to budget reductions.
