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Committee hears support and cautions on applied sciences pathway bill for high schools
Summary
House Bill 20 would create an applied sciences pathway allowing high school students to earn higher‑education certificates in targeted industries; industry and education groups largely supported the bill but some education advocates warned against substituting core academic courses with applied CTE instruction.
Sen. King laid out House Bill 20, which creates an applied sciences pathway to let high school juniors and seniors earn postsecondary certificates in targeted industries while still in high school.
Supporters included Mark Boeshear of the Career and Technical Education Association of Texas, JD Hill of the Texas Association of Builders, and Mike Maroney of the Texas Association of Manufacturers. Maroney said the state faces large numbers of open manufacturing jobs and described the bill as “dual credit on steroids” that could help address labor shortages; Maroney told the committee there are an estimated 60,000 open manufacturing positions in Texas.
Mary Lynn Pineda, director of education and workforce policy at Texas 2036, praised the bill’s goals but cautioned about language that would allow technical institutions to substitute applied versions of the four core subjects—English, math, science and history. She argued that core instruction should remain with K–12 educators because many high‑school students still need remediation and that core academic quality should be protected.
Committee members asked whether a CTE course could currently replace a TEKS‑aligned core course; witnesses said any substitution would require creating a new course and state approval, and that there were no existing applied core courses that meet TEKS at this time.
The bill lists 20 targeted industries including welding, plumbing, electrical, manufacturing technology, and oil and gas exploration and production. Public testimony closed and the committee left House Bill 20 pending.
Why it matters: The bill aims to expand career and technical pathways to address workforce shortages but drew questions about preserving academic rigor and who should teach required core subjects.
