LEGISLATIVE ALERT - MAY 18, 2023 - SB 418 - OPEN ENROLLMENT BILL

The House Public Education Committee will meet at 9:30 AM this morning and SB 418 has been added to their agenda for a vote today. We appreciate all you have done so far on this bill, but we need you to ACT AGAIN today to make sure we are reminding them how detrimental this bill will be. 

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SB 418 by Paxton, would make all Texas school districts open enrollment for TRANSFERS. It would supersede all local district transfer policies and significantly erode local control of public schools. 

1. The bill will require every district in the state to allow students from campuses within the district and from campuses in other districts to transfer to a campus in a district. 

2. The requirements in the bill preempt all existing district transfer policies that districts may have in place.

3. TEA would be given the authority to audit school districts’ determination of available capacity at each campus to ensure that available capacity is accessible to transfer students.  The district would make capacity determinations based on district facility planning but would be subject to TEA intervention if the agency determines that the district is underestimating capacity.

4. The bill requires every school district to admit transfer students by lottery and establishes a state mandated prioritization in which students may be prioritized in the lottery.  Children of district employees would be third behind students from other campuses within the district and existing transfer students.  

5. Eliminates the ability to charge tuition to cover the difference between what a transfer student generated through funding formulas and the districts actual expenditure per student. There would be no accounting for district INS expenditures or differences in state funding and recapture payments under this approach.

6. The provisions that provide for tuition agreements between K-8 districts and other districts to provide high school would also be repealed. 
    

What Action to Take:
We are urging all THSCA members to reach out to their House representatives ASAP to oppose SB 418, which allows for open enrollment in every district.

1. Look up who represents you in the Texas House/find contact info
   If your state representative is a member of the House Public Education Committee, please contact your representative immediately and ask them to oppose SB 418.
   If your state representative is NOT a member of the House Public Education Committee, please contact your state representative and urge them NOT to support this measure that may come before the full House soon, as the Texas Legislature is entering the final weeks of this legislative session.
    

2. Please send them an email with the subject line “PLEASE VOTE NO TO SB 418” and you can use the text below to paste into the email.
    

3. Follow up with a phone call to your representative’s office to voice your opinion using the talking points below.
    

4. Share this alert with all those who support public education and ask them to do the same.

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I strongly oppose SB 418 as it would do away with local district transfer policies and significantly erode local control of public schools. This divergence from district transfer protocols would remove necessary safeguards to ensure fair play and deflate community support for local schools.   

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LEGISLATIVE ALERT - MAY 10, 2023
The House Public Education will vote on a wide-ranging voucher bill, CSSB 8 today May 10. There will be a formal meeting called by the chairman which requires NO public testimony. If it passes it will move to the full Texas House of Representatives soon for a vote. Please contact your representatives ASAP and ask them to oppose this wide-ranging voucher bill.

What Action to Take:
We are urging all THSCA members to reach out to their House representatives ASAP to oppose SB 8, which includes an ESA/voucher.

1. Look up who represents you in the Texas House/find contact info

   • If your state representative is a member of the House Public Education Committee, please contact your representative immediately and ask them to oppose SB 8 and NOT pass the bill out of committee today (May 10).

   • If your state representative is NOT a member of the House Public Education Committee, please contact your state representative and urge them NOT to support this measure that may come before the full House soon, as the Texas Legislature is entering the final weeks of this legislative session.

2. Please send them an email with the subject line “PLEASE VOTE NO TO SB 8” and you can use the text below to paste into the email.
    

3. Follow up with a phone call to your representative’s office to voice your opinion using the talking points below.
    

4. Share this alert with all those who support public education and ask them to do the same.

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I strongly oppose the creation of any voucher program or savings account in Texas. The Texas legislature has a constitutional responsibility to make suitable provision for the support and maintenance of an efficient system of public free schools. Our public schools are the foundation of our communities. I ask our legislators to focus their investment in the children, families, educators, and coaches who are building the future of Texas in our public schools.

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Talking Points on ESAs/Vouchers:

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• Vote NO on Committee Substitute SB 8
   

• Strongly oppose vouchers/ESA programs that dilute funding for public schools and use public money for a private purpose. We need our public schools to remain strong in Texas.

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