HB 2, Teacher Recruitment, and Special Education: House Committee on Public Education

The legislature must remain engaged years into the future to assess the efficacy of recent reforms to public education. Nonetheless, several policy recommendations are still worth considering.

TCCRI Testimony - HB 2, Teacher Retention, and Special Education (House Committee on Publi.

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House Bill 2 (89R, Buckley) was an omnibus bill addressing a variety of public education issues. The bill provided $8.5 billion in new funding for public education, including $4 billion for teacher compensation and $834 million for special education.[i] This money was provided to support new and existing allotments and funding models. In addition to this funding, HB 2 also included a variety of provisions aimed to support:

1.     Educator Preparation;

2.     Educator Rights;

3.     Literary and Mathematical Education;

4.     Career and Technical Education; and,

5.     School Safety.

Since the bill’s passage in the 89^th Legislative Session, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the State Board of Education (SBOE) have been continuously implementing the bill’s provisions through a process which—according to the TEA’s website—will conclude in August of this year.

As a result of the bill’s provisions not yet being implemented, commentary on HB 2’s impact will be somewhat speculative. Truly understanding the bill’s impact will take several years and consistent diagnostic tools.