What Passed:
- School Funding (HB 2, SB 1): $8.5B increase, including raises, special education, early learning, and CTE.
- Teacher Pay Raises (HB 2): Permanent, experience-based raises for classroom teachers; funding for other staff increases.
- Teacher Incentive Allotment: Increased amounts; new designations; optional performance-based systems.
- Vouchers (SB 2): Education savings accounts begin 2026-27, up to $10K+ per child.
- TRS ActiveCare (HB 500): Capped premium increases at 10%.
- Math Academies (HB 2): Required K–3 math teacher training by 2030-31.
- Teacher Certification (HB 2): Limits use of uncertified teachers and incentives to support certification.
- Retiree Surcharges (HB 2): Districts may now pass TRS surcharge costs to retirees.
- Student Discipline (HB 6): Greater teacher authority and parental involvement.
- Ten Commandments (SB 10): Must be posted in classrooms if provided/purchased.
- Library Oversight (SB 13): Parental access to catalogs, content restrictions, and advisory councils.
- Parents' Rights/DEI Ban (SB 12): Bans DEI roles, social transitioning, and related student clubs.
- Cell Phone Ban (HB 1481): District policies required to restrict student use during the school day.
- Child Abuse Reporting (SB 571, HB 4623): Stronger reporting and liability changes.
- Teacher Liability Insurance (HB 2): Optional low-cost insurance not tied to associations.
What Did Not Pass:
- Testing Reform (HB 4): Would have replaced STAAR with through-year assessments.
- “Furries” Ban (HB 54): Targeted non-human behaviors in schools.
- Anti-Lobbying Bills (SB 19, HB 4): Would have restricted district legal action/lobbying.
- Association Payroll Deduction Bans (HB 1336, HB 5019, SB 2330): Would have blocked dues payroll deduction and limited CPE offerings.
Special Session Up Next:
We have hit the final deadline for the 89th regular session. Governor Abbott had until Sunday to veto any bills that hit his desk. In total, the Governor signed 1,155 bills, vetoed 28, and used the power of his line-item veto to cut the budget by $110 million. The two items he vetoed were the Summer EBT program ($60M) and the Port of San Antonio's Air Force Cyber Command ($50M). In both cases, he cites duplicative efforts, and for the EBT program, he mentions concern for the long-term sustainability of the program. A notable veto was SB 3 (Perry), the ban on THC. This bill was debated in both chambers, but also in the media. In fact, it derailed several of the Legislature's top priorities. Governor Abbott has already announced that the Legislature is to report back to Austin on July 21 for the First-Called Special Session. At this time, there are six issues on the agenda: regulation of THC, appraisal review, human trafficking, aggregates, an item related to the Judicial branch, and water production fees. To learn more about why these bills were vetoed, you can read the veto statement here.
Special sessions are different from regular sessions; they have different rules and last for no longer than 30 days. Unlike a regular session, the members can only send bills to the Governor that are germane to the topics he has placed on the call. Currently, the call has the six items listed above. There is some speculation that Governor Abbott will add a few more issues to the call, including Congressional redistricting. It appears that the Governor and his team are pleased with the bills that passed for public education, so it is likely that this special session will not include any of our issues.
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