Rockwall ISD Education Foundation welcomes legislative update from State Rep. Justin Holland

ROCKWALL, TX – September 16, 2021 — In its monthly meeting on Sept. 15, the Rockwall ISD Education Foundation welcomed Justin Holland (R-Rockwall, District 33) for an update on public education-related info from the State Legislature’s regular and special sessions.

In his presentation, Holland went over bills passed during the session, state funding, federal COVID funding, the appropriations process, virtual learning and the state’s support of retired teachers. Below are some highlights from Holland’s presentation:

• During the recent 87th regular session of the State Legislature, a total of 1,181 bills, continuing and joint resolutions were passed (16% of all that were filed). Of those bills, 115 were related to public education.
• SB 1 dedicated $46.5 billion in state funding for public schools in Texas, including $664 million for target programs to help students and schools affected by the COVID pandemic. The bill will also increase the state’s contribution to the Teacher Retirement System from seven and a half percent to eight percent by 2023, and allocate $15.1 billion to state schools for programs such as after-school learning to stem learning loss from the pandemic.
• SB 7 will provide a 13th check for retired teachers up to $2,400, which they can expect by January 2022.
• HB 1525 will allocate $464 million for increases to the Foundation School Program’s (FSP) formula and other student allotments. The FSP is the primary source of state funding for Texas school districts.
• HB 999 will provide an individualized Graduation Committee which high school seniors this school year can use to graduate without having to pass the required End of Course Exams.
• SB 15, which passed during the second called special session, funds virtual learning until September 2023 while allowing local schools districts and charter schools to set up their own virtual learning programs. To be eligible for funding, districts and charters must have an overall district-wide performance rating of C or higher from the 2018-19 school year, or the year the latest performance rating was given. A district or charter may not be funded more than 10 percent of their total enrollment without a Commissioner’s waiver.

The State Legislature resumes on Sept. 20th in a special session to tackle redistricting, the COVID pandemic, and transgender students’ participation in school sports.

By Austin Wells, Blue Ribbon News. Courtesy photo.

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