Humble ISD Legislative Agenda Reaching Out to Texas Leaders In the 83 rd Legislative Session

From January through May, Legislators are addressing many issues including: – Excessive State Mandated Testing – Inequitable, Inadequate & Inappropriate Funding – Graduation Requirements – Accountability Measures – Vouchers Each constituent contact makes a difference

Make the Effort Please take contact information and let your representatives know your opinion and that you vote Lawmakers contact information can be found on the Humble ISD Legislative Committee Webpage Make the Effort

82 nd Legislature cut $5.4 billion from state budget – first real reductions to education since World War II Texas per student funding well below the national average even before the cuts Thousands of positions lost and student achievement program’s funding eliminated No money budgeted for population growth A Little Background

Increased student loads for teachers Reductions made affecting every area of the District Joined a lawsuit as a plaintiff with 675 school districts challenging the funding system The Humble ISD Response

Moving Forward Humble Superintendent, Dr. Guy Sconzo, honored as first superintendent asked to testify in State Funding trial Judge Dietz rules against the state declaring the system to be “financially and quantitatively inefficient” and unconstitutional

Funding / Finance Humble ISD supports: More equitable funding system adequate to ensure career and college ready graduates Restoring funding to levels plus student growth Updates to Cost of Education Index Restoring grant funding to levels Updates to weights and allotments for Economically Disadvantaged and Limited English Proficient (LEP) students Additional funding for Instructional Facilities (IFA) and Existing Debt Allotments (EDA)

Testing / Accountability Humble ISD supports: State accountability systems that recognize student growth/progress in all areas Recognizes successful career and workforce development programs Recognizes successful student fine arts and wellness programs Recognizes multiple indicators of student career and college readiness (PSAT, SAT, ACT, IB, AP, dual credit, certificate and certification programs) Prohibiting campus or district ratings based on lowest performing subpopulation of any indicator

Testing / Accountability Humble ISD supports: Including accountability exemptions for English Language Learners (ELL), Limited English Proficient (LEP) and refugee students for 3 years Eliminating state mandated 15% EOC scores Eliminating cumulative EOC score requirement Reducing number of high stakes tests Reducing number of EOC tests required for graduation Allowing substitution of Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and Dual Credit assessments for EOC scores

Graduation Requirements Humble ISD supports: A renewed focus on Career and Technical Education (CTE) allowing maximum flexibility for substitution of CTE courses for core graduation requirements

Governance / Vouchers Humble ISD supports: Returning local control of school start date to local districts Maintaining a defined benefit plan for the Teacher Retirement System of Texas Humble ISD opposes: Vouchers, tax credits, tuition reimbursement, scholarships or other schemes that divert public tax dollars to privately run schools not held to the same accountability standards as public schools

Federal Issues Humble ISD supports: Rescinding sequestration and funding cuts to education Providing additional funding for special education (IDEA) grants for fiscal year 2013 Increasing Title 1 funding Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) with removal of the punitive Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and Annual Measurable Objectives (AMO) accountability system and replacement with a broader assessment of multiple student growth measures

Crafting a Meaningful Message All of these issues are important to Humble ISD but a heartfelt call from the parent of a high school 9 th grader about high stakes testing or graduation requirements will be more powerful than a form letter covering all bullet points. Talking about crowded classrooms and local maximum tax rates will carry more weight than a string of abbreviations.

Make It Personal Relate specific details about the consequences of budget cuts that have impact on students Talk about the quality of the education product delivered by Humble ISD even in spite of budget challenges and the lack of meaningful discretion at the local level Stress the importance of adequate funding across the board Keep the contact brief, positive and simple but always with an expectation that legislators will do the right thing for the children of Texas.

Legislation to Monitor Monitoring constantly changing bills through the legislative process is difficult. Use these resources to help focus on key issues. Texas Legislature Online My TLO allows bill tracking and alerts Mobile device support

Current Senate Bills Worth Watching Senate Bills by Number and Sponsor SB 1 (Williams)– Appropriations SB 2 (Dan Patrick)– Vouchers SB 3 (Patrick)– Graduation Requirements SB 1724 (Patrick)– Testing SB 225 (Seliger)– Graduation Requirements and Testing SB 240 (VanDePutte)– Testing and Accountability

Current House Bills Worth Watching House Bills by Number and Sponsor HB 1 (Pitts)– Appropriations HB 5 (Aycock)– Graduation Requirements, Testing and Accountability HB 640 (Diane Patrick)–Testing and Accountability HB 866 (Huberty)– Testing in Grades 3-8