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The Texas Legislature meets every two years to set the state’s budget and consider and implement new legislation. The last session, the 88th legislative session, was in 2023. The 89th session will open in January of 2025.
The É«ÎÑÎÑÎÞÂëÒ»Çø¶þÇøÈýÇø issues a legislative agenda for each Texas legislative session with a series of priorities and recommendations that are important to the district and public education in Texas. With the 89th session approaching next year, É«ÎÑÎÑÎÞÂëÒ»Çø¶þÇøÈýÇø's Board of Trustees's issued an interim legislative agenda on April 18, 2024, focused on three priorities: school safety, student achievement and school finance.
2024 É«ÎÑÎÑÎÞÂëÒ»Çø¶þÇøÈýÇø Interim Legislative Priorities
2023 É«ÎÑÎÑÎÞÂëÒ»Çø¶þÇøÈýÇø Legislative Priorities
2023 Legislative Agenda Summary
School Safety
School safety is the É«ÎÑÎÑÎÞÂëÒ»Çø¶þÇøÈýÇø’s number one priority. The 88th Texas Legislature should help districts improve security by increasing funding for safety enhancements and additional security personnel, allowing most practical application decisions to be made at the local level and prioritizing mental health by providing additional funding for student services and proactive intervention and by creating a platform that identifies students with mental health needs. Read the full agenda.
School Finance
The state’s school funding model does not fully meet the state’s education needs or account for inflation and human capital shortages. Legislation is needed that improves school funding and student achievement, continues tax relief and protects local authority. Among the district’s 16 recommendations to improve school finance are calls to change the state’s school funding model to be based on enrollment instead of attendance and adjust the basic allotment for inflation. Read the full agenda.
Human Capital
School districts across the state are facing increasing difficulty filling all positions, from teachers and substitutes to bus drivers and food service workers. The state can establish policies and provide funding to help alleviate the staffing shortages. The 88th legislature should fund a teacher certification loan program, continue efforts to increase access to affordable health care for district employees and make state-funded teacher incentive programs accessible to all teachers in the state. Read the full agenda.
Unfinished Learning
The unfinished learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is real. É«ÎÑÎÑÎÞÂëÒ»Çø¶þÇøÈýÇø has addressed it head on, and the district’s students are making tremendous progress. Still, there is work to be done. The state legislature should help by sustaining funding for extended learning opportunities for students once federal funding ends and revamping the accountability system to reduce an over-reliance on STAAR testing. Read the full agenda.
Parental Rights
The É«ÎÑÎÑÎÞÂëÒ»Çø¶þÇøÈýÇø believes parents are critical partners with the school district in the education of their children and encourages active parental involvement in both creating and implementing its educational programs. The 88th Texas Legislature should protect those rights by maintaining the rights of parents already established by Texas Education Code (TEC) Chapter 26. Read the full agenda.
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TEXAS SENATORS
![](https://senate.texas.gov/members/d22/img/action.jpg)
District 22
Sen. Brian Birdwell
Capitol Phone:
(512) 463-0122
Email:
Brian.Birdwell@senate.texas.gov
Capitol Address:
P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station
Austin, TX 78711
![](https://senate.texas.gov/members/d23/img/West_86-0535D-073_web.jpg)
District 23
Sen. Royce West
Capitol Phone:
(512) 463-0123
Email:
royce.west@senate.texas.gov
Capitol Address:
P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station
Austin, TX 78711
![](https://senate.texas.gov/members/d09/img/action.jpg)
District 9
Sen. Kelly Hancock
Capitol Phone:
(512) 463-0109
Email:
kelly.hancock@senate.texas.gov
Capitol Address:
P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station
Austin, TX 78711
![](https://senate.texas.gov/members/d10/img/Phil-King-Headshot-2023.jpg)
District 10
Sen. Phil King
Capitol Phone:
(512) 463-0110
Email:
phil.king@senate.texas.gov
Capitol Address:
P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station
Austin, TX 78711
TEXAS REPRESENTATIVES
![](https://house.texas.gov/members/photos/4115.jpg?v=88.15)
District 92
Rep. Salman Bhojani
Capitol Phone:
(512) 463-0522
Email:
salman.bhojani@house.texas.gov
Capitol Address:
P.O. Box 2910, Austin, TX 78768
![](https://house.texas.gov/members/photos/3960.jpg?v=88.15)
District 96
Rep. David Cook
Capitol Phone:
(512) 463-0374
Email:
david.cook@house.texas.gov
Capitol Address:
P.O. Box 2910, Austin, TX 78768
![](https://house.texas.gov/members/photos/3065.jpg?v=88.15)
District 94
Rep. Tony Tinderholt
Capitol Phone:
(512) 463-0624
Email:
Tony.Tinderholt@house.texas.gov
Capitol Address:
P.O. Box 2910, Austin, TX 78768
![](https://house.texas.gov/members/photos/4680.jpg?v=88.15)
District 101
Rep. Chris Turner
Capitol Phone:
(512) 463-0574
Email:
Chris.Turner@house.texas.gov
Capitol Address:
P.O. Box 2910, Austin, TX 78768