As you know, Texas school districts are receiving a funding hold harmless for the first 12 weeks of the instructional year. The spreadsheet that was previously released by TEA clearly details the calculation for the hold harmless floor, which includes things based on ADA and FTE. The piece that is not included in this hold harmless is any guarantee for compensatory education funding losses.

Unless you are a formula transition grant district, as your district's comp ed enrollment declines, so does your comp ed funding. Depending on the funding tier for the campus (based on the concentration of poverty), each comp ed-eligible student results in between approximately $1,400-$1,700 additional revenue. You can do the math for how much less comp ed funding your district may expect (due to less enrollment as well as less students completing and returning eligibility forms). This is something to be aware of as you are planning your budget for the remainder of the year and determining what budget amendments may be necessary. It's also something about which you may want to visit with your local legislators to make them aware.

Last call! Please remember that if you are planning to apply for a reimbursement under the Coronavirus Relief Fund for school districts that the deadline to apply is next week--Wednesday, September 30. The Commissioner of Education reported that only 130 school districts have completed the process so far, and that over 600 districts hadn't even begun the process. This program allows for reimbursements for up to 75% of the expenses incurred by districts due to the COVID-19 pandemic from March 1-May 20, 2020. Please ensure that you don't miss your chance to access this funding for your school district. You can access all the information you need through the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) website at: Coronavirus Relief Fund for LEAs.

HB 3 required that a portion of the increase to districts' funding entitlements be used to provide increased compensation for district staff, and specifically teachers. HB 3 also included a requirement that:

Not later than December 1, 2020, each school district shall submit to the legislature a report on salary or wage increases provided to district employees under Section 48.051(c), Education Code, as added by this Act, for the 2019-2020 school year. The report must include for each salary or wage increase: 

 

(1) the employee ’s position at the school district; and  

(2) the amount of the increase. 

Last week, district superintendents received notice about a survey tool TEA made available to collect this data. This is an optional tool that districts can choose to use. The statutory requirement is that each school district submit a report on salary or wage increases to the legislature, not that each district submit that data using the form TEA provided. Your district can choose to comply in the manner, and using the format, that is best for your district.

If you have any questions about this reporting requirement, please let us know at christy@txsc.org or 512-732-9072.

Don't forget that we are taking a closer look at the cost of unfunded mandates as we contemplate the very real possibility of budget cuts in our future. Please take a look at the example from Plano ISD. Then you can use the links below to create a list detailing the cost of mandates for your district that we would love for you to share with us as well as your local legislators.

Please let us know if you have any questions or need help with this project.

We know that tough times are ahead, and this group will be stronger if we add to our membership and our collective voice. Earlier this week, potential members of the Texas School Coalition received invitations for membership. We would be honored if you would reach out to some of those potential new members and share what you find valuable about membership in the Texas School Coalition. Please take a look at this list of current and potential members by ESC region and see which of your neighbors may need to learn a little more about the benefits of membership, our mission, legislative priorities, and more.

Also, please mark your calendar for the next Texas School Coalition membership meeting on Wednesday, November 11 at 1:30 p.m. We will be providing post-election analysis as well as making some plans for 2021. You can click on the link below to register.