88th Texas Legislature
Additional State Funding for Public Schools Off the Table
The fourth special session of the Texas Legislature ended on Tuesday, Dec. 5 with no advancement of the school voucher program. House Bill 1 originally included vouchers (a program that would give taxpayer dollars to families to pay for private school), teacher pay raises, and increased public school funding. The bill effectively died when vouchers were stripped from the bill, as Governor Greg Abbott has said he would veto any funding bill that did not include vouchers. The governor has not said whether he would call a fifth special session to consider school funds.
The now-dead bill included a $4,000 bonus for full-time teachers, nurses, counselors, and librarians and additional per-pupil funding for school districts. Any future consideration for additional public-school funding increases is unclear at this time.
The Legislative Dashboard page has more Special Session details
Regular Session Review
Allen ISD's Priorities for the 88th Legislature
School Funding
Increase Basic Allotment
Allen ISD advocates for a formula-driven mechanism, or index, to be implemented annually, to increase the basic allotment to keep up with the additional inflationary pressures in public schools.
Repeal the Expiration of the Formula Transition Grant
The Formula Transition Grant is set to expire in the 2024-2025 school year. Allen ISD advocates for the continuance of the hold-harmless instituted with the passage of House Bill 3 in the 86th Legislative Session.
Fund Full-Day Prekindergarten
Allen ISD advocates full funding for full-day prekindergarten programs through the Foundation School Program for all eligible students.
Increase Funding for the Instructional Materials and Technology Allotment (IMTA)
Allen ISD advocates increased funding for the IMTA to ensure districts can provide adequate instructional materials and technology to meet high standards for student learning. The district opposes any carve-outs from IMTA that decrease the amount of funds to school districts.
Learning and Instruction
Revise House Bill 4545 from the 87th Legislative Session
Allen ISD advocates revisions to HB 4545. The revision should include a permanent state funding source for all required accelerated instruction. The revision should include a permanent state funding source for all required accelerated instruction. Recommendations also include support measures to reduce state-level prescriptive requirements and to increase local flexibility in meeting the learning needs of students.
Safety and Security
Increase the School Safety Allotment
Allen ISD advocates for increased funding of the School Safety allotment and local flexibility to ensure districts can adequately meet student and staff safety needs.
Recruit and Retain Teachers and Staff
Continue the TRS Defined Benefit Program
Allen ISD advocates for the continuation of the current defined benefit program for the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), as this is an invaluable recruiting and retention tool for maintaining quality educators in our classrooms.
Address Rising Health Care Costs
Allen ISD advocates for an increase in state funding to offset the rising healthcare costs associated with TRS-AcitveCare and TRSCare.
Last Modified on Aug. 14, 2023