Teacher Standards and Practices Commission warns of staffing, licensing and budget shortfalls; public testimony set for next day

Interim TSPC executive director Melissa Goff told the House Education Subcommittee on Feb. 26 that the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC) is facing investigator shortages, growing case backlogs and a possible multi-year budget shortfall unless the Legislature increases funding or the commission raises license fees.

Goff summarized staffing and licensing data, proposed agency legislation and the fiscal tradeoffs facing TSPC during an informational hearing on the agency’s budget bill (mentioned in committee as House Bill 5037; committee discussion contained inconsistent references to bill numbers). She said public testimony on the bill was scheduled for the committee the following day.

Why it matters: TSPC issues teacher licenses, investigates allegations of educator misconduct and maintains disciplinary records. Gaps in investigative capacity and licensing delays can affect how quickly districts learn about active investigations and how long classrooms go uncovered by qualified staff, especially in rural districts with hard-to-fill positions.

TSPC presentation and key figures

Melissa Goff, interim executive director, told the committee TSPC received 463 case referrals in calendar year 2024 and that the agency continued to close cases at a steady rate but remains concerned about cases that were not investigated during the school year. She said almost 80 percent of cases resulted in charges or other formal administrative actions while a comparable number were administratively closed, and that 44 cases in 2024 resulted in sanctions that were brought before the commission.

Goff said current investigative staffing consists of four permanent investigators and one limited-duration investigator, plus one temporary investigator; she reported current investigator caseloads of about 1:112 and a projected caseload of roughly 1:140 for next year. On staffing and service needs, she said, “If we were staffed with the public…