Latest news with #TexasHousePublicEducationCommittee
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas lawmakers debating DEI ban in K-12 schools ask: Do students benefit from teachers who look like them?
Lawmakers debating a bill that would ban diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in Texas public schools briefly sparred over a question that has been answered by years of research but is often overlooked in political discussions: Should the state help staff classrooms with teachers who look like their students? The debate, which focused heavily on Black students, happened Tuesday while the Texas House Public Education Committee held a hearing on Senate Bill 12, a proposal that would extend the state's ban on DEI initiatives in public universities and colleges to K-12 schools. The committee left a vote pending on whether to send the bill to the full House for consideration. Research is clear: Students, and notably Black students, benefit from having teachers of the same race or ethnicity, academically and personally. 'I'm just saying it's obvious that a young Black child is very likely going to need to see a Black person in a position of responsibility. A Black person teaching them and caring for them,' said Rep. John Bryant, D-Dallas. 'We would not want, I don't think, all white teachers in a predominantly Black school, would we?' Rep. Jeff Leach, the Plano Republican who is sponsoring the Senate bill in the House, disagreed. Leach said his son has a Hispanic teacher, and 'she's the best teacher he's ever had,' suggesting that students' success does not depend on teachers looking like them. He also noted that the bill explicitly prohibits assigning teachers to classrooms based on their identity, arguing that doing so would complicate staffing at a time when Texas faces a severe teacher shortage. 'I don't believe it matters to the vast majority of Texas parents what color the teacher is or isn't,' Leach said. Over half of all students in Texas are Hispanic, while 25% are white and 13% are Black, according to the Texas Education Agency's 2024 annual report. Yet 52% of Texas teachers are white, 31% are Hispanic and 13% are Black, TEA data shows. SB 12, authored by Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, would prohibit school districts from taking teachers' race, ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation into account when hiring educators and developing policies. Leach presented a new version of the bill that did away with a contentious measure that would have banned student clubs based on sexual orientation or gender identity. But it also added several new provisions. Leach's version of the bill would mandate schools to discipline or fire employees who engage in any DEI-related efforts. It also requires parental consent for children to participate in certain school activities or health care services, new processes for parents to file grievances and the creation of a state office to investigate those complaints. In addition, the bill calls for stricter rules on how schools cover topics of sexuality and gender in their curriculum. SB 12 would prohibit the Texas School Board of Education from adopting curriculum standards that require sexuality and gender education, and would ban these classes in pre-K schools. Supporters of banning DEI efforts in public schools claim that such practices are discriminatory, waste taxpayer dollars and promote specific ideologies and political views in the classroom instead of focusing on the quality of education. Critics, on the other hand, have stressed that having a diverse teacher body helps students succeed academically and has a positive impact on their mental health. A Stanford University study, one of many conducted on the topic, found that Black students with same-race teachers in Tennessee showed significant academic improvements, with math scores rising three to five percentile points and reading scores doubling. Research also shows that Black students often face harsher discipline than white students. 'This leads to pipeline issues and explosions, which then lead to college outcomes that are different,' said Antonio Ingram, senior counsel at the Legal Defense Fund, speaking in opposition to the bill during public testimony. 'And so having a person who looks like you in the classroom is not just a preference, it's not just an opinion. It leads to outcomes that are better for all students.' In 2023, lawmakers banned DEI offices, policies and training programs at Texas public universities. Since then, students and faculty members have raised concerns that their colleges are overenforcing the ban. For example, the University of Texas at Austin closed its multicultural center and canceled scholarships for undocumented students, as well as fired several employees who worked in DEI-related programs. Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers have said schools are not doing enough to enforce the ban and have threatened their funding if they can't show they're following the law. The state has also taken a more active role in shaping how children learn about race and racism in school. The Texas Legislature passed a law in 2021 that banned schools from teaching critical race theory, an academic framework that looks at how racial inequality is built into laws and institutions. The discipline is not taught in public schools but has become a target of conservative criticism in recent years. Last year, the State Board of Education approved a new optional school curriculum, which has been heavily criticized by parents and teachers who say it fails to give students enough context on the country's history of racism and slavery. Jaden Edison contributed to this story. Disclosure: University of Texas at Austin has been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. First round of TribFest speakers announced! Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd; U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio; Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker; U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California; and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas are taking the stage Nov. 13–15 in Austin. Get your tickets today!
New York Post
07-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Texas weighs fining schools for using students' preferred pronouns
Texas public schools could face fines if teachers use preferred pronouns for students, or 'assist' with 'social transitioning' their gender, if a new bill in the legislature passes. The bill would force school districts to ban teachers from helping students to change their pronouns, clothing or hairstyles to deviate from their biological sex, according to a draft of the proposed legislation. 'We must make it unmistakably clear: Schools are not places for secret agendas or social experiments on our kids,' said Republican Texas Rep. Nathan Schatzline. Instagram/Rep Nate Schatzline Republican state Rep. Nathan Schatzline, who is spearheading the bill, said during a Texas House Public Education Committee hearing Tuesday that the measure would prevent children from going down a path that he believes leads to 'irreversible harm.' Advertisement 'We must make it unmistakably clear: Schools are not places for secret agendas or social experiments on our kids,' Schatzline said. 'This bill simply bans the most harmful aspects of teaching gender identity to children, the social transitioning of our most vulnerable.' Schatzline said he believes that 'gender-affirming care' only affirms 'confusion' and 'not truth.' Advertisement 'In some cases, teachers have been encouraged to withhold information from moms and dads. This is not compassion, it's deception and it's anti-parental rights and it's perpetuation of mental illness,' he said. The bill aims to keep gender issues out of schools and up to parents, according to Schatzline. LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS – A north Texas couple testified to the committee that they learned over email that their adopted teenage daughter's teachers were calling her 'Apollo,' according to The Dallas Morning News. They said their daughter has special needs and isn't transitioning or knows what it means to do so. They argued she merely liked to be called 'Apollo' at school, but that the school should have told them. Advertisement 'Look, this is just simply giving the facts to a child,' Schatzline said. 'If a child goes home and a parent wants to say that they are not the biological sex that they were born into, that's the parent's right to do so.' 'We do not believe that teachers or counselors should be forced into doing that at the same time inside the classroom,' he added. Critics say if the bill is made law, it will further isolate kids who identify as LGBTQ. Advertisement One activist claimed the language in the bill could even punish teachers for calling kids by nicknames. Mandy Giles, the founder of Parents of Trans Youth, told lawmakers that her legal name is Amanda — and many of them have a preferred nickname they ask people to use. 'You'd probably be pretty offended if someone just said, 'No, I'm not going to do that,'' she said, according to the Dallas Morning News. 'Or worse, 'I'd like to, but if I did, my employer would lose a huge amount of money and I'd probably be fired.''
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Watch: House committee considering a cap on school voucher spending, increases to public school funding
The Texas House Public Education Committee could propose a $1 billion spending cap for the first two years of a potential school voucher program and increase by $395 the base amount of money public school districts receive for each student. The potential changes were unveiled Monday when the committee released two rewritten versions of legislation. The committee was slated to discuss the two bills Tuesday, but hours after proposed new versions were released, the panel's meeting was rescheduled to Thursday. If the changes are adopted and advanced, it could draw into focus key issues the House and Senate will have to resolve before sending priority school funding and school voucher proposals to the governor. [School choice, vouchers and the future of Texas education] The potential $1 billion spending cap on education savings accounts could be added to Senate Bill 2, the upper chamber's priority voucher legislation. The proposed cap comes after critics have raised concerns that lawmakers are downplaying what the state could spend on vouchers during the initial rollout. A budget analysis shows costs reaching nearly $5 billion by 2030. Lawmakers also proposed a change to the bill that would allow only U.S. citizens or people lawfully in the country to receive vouchers. House Bill 2, the school funding measure, currently increases the money districts receive to educate each student by $220. The potential update would increase that amount, referred to as the basic allotment, by $395. The proposed update released Monday would also automatically increase the basic allotment every two years by tying it to property value growth, according to the committee's summary of the potential changes. Current state budget proposals only set aside $1 billion for vouchers, which would allow parents to use taxpayer dollars to fund their children's private school tuition. But if legislation creating vouchers includes a $1 billion cap, the state could not spend more money on the program even if more is available. If demand for vouchers exceeds the money available, the new proposal would also limit funding for students without disabilities or from wealthier households — a family of four making about $156,000 or greater — to only 20% of the program's total budget until after the 2026-27 school year. It would also prioritize students who exit public schools over those who are already enrolled in private schools. Those possible changes, however, still would not require private schools to accept certain students, which has raised concerns among public education advocates. In other states, voucher programs like the one Texas is proposing primarily benefit wealthier families who had already enrolled their children in private schools. [Texas officials' claim that school funding is at an all-time high ignores inflation and temporary federal money] Meanwhile, HB 2's potential changes could increase the state's basic allotment to $6,555 for each student, with 40% directed to salaries for school staff. Higher salary increases would go to teachers with more than a decade of classroom experience. The base funding per student has been at $6,160 since 2019. School districts say raising that amount offers them flexibility to address the unique needs of their campuses, as opposed to money they can only use for specific purposes. The bulk of it flows toward salaries for educators and support staff. Districts also use the money to pay for essential services and goods, like electricity, insurance and water. Leftover money may fund other necessities like school supplies and building maintenance. We can't wait to welcome you to the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival, Texas' breakout ideas and politics event happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin. Step inside the conversations shaping the future of education, the economy, health care, energy, technology, public safety, culture, the arts and so much more. Hear from our CEO, Sonal Shah, on TribFest 2025. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase. Get the data and visuals that accompany this story →
CBS News
03-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Watch live: Texas House committee meeting on school choice, funding proposals
The Texas House Public Education Committee is meeting in Austin to vote on school choice and school funding bills . The meeting was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but Chairman Brad Buckley delayed the meeting so lawmakers could consider proposed changes. First on the agenda is HB 3, the school funding measure that originated in the House. Then the committee will vote to make chances to SB 2, the Senate's version of school choice legislation that already passed the upper chamber. If the committee approves the bills, which is expected , they will head to the full House for consideration. If the House approves the bills, members of both chambers will negotiate on any differences and vote on the bills again. At the beginning of the meeting, Democratic Rep. James Talarico, an outspoken opponent of private school vouchers, objected to the fact that the meeting was not being live-streamed on official government feeds. Buckley said the hearing was being conducted under House rules, and pointed out that he allowed television cameras into the room. CBS News Texas is streaming the meeting on the CBS News App, Pluto TV, the CBS News Texas YouTube channel , available on any device.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
KISD leaders speak to legislature on strong discipline, cell phone ban
Austin, Tx (FOX 44) – In the wake of the recent stabbing death of one student by another, KISD Superintendent Dr. Jo Ann Fey urged Texas legislators to expand authority of school districts to discipline students. Speaking during a Texas House Public Education Committee hearing, Dr. Fey voice support of House Bill 6, which would expand that authority. The bill aims to improve teacher retention and classroom management by allowing out-of-school suspensions for students who engage in repeated, significant disruptions or pose safety threats. Dr. Fey emphasized that strengthening disciplinary measures is essential to ensuring a safe and effective learning environment for both educators and students. On another subject and another bill, Rancier Middle School Principal Dr. Janelle Muhammad testified in favor of House Bill 1481, which would ban K-12 public school students from using cellphones during school hours. Dr Muhammad shared her school's experience with putting a cellphone free policy in place this year to address cyberbullying and student conflicts. She noted that the ban led to a decrease in behavioral incidents and increased student engagement in learning when the distraction was removed. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
