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Legislative update: Richardson ISD staff warns funding and accountability bills remain unresolved
Summary
District legislative staff reported remaining uncertainty as the Texas legislative session approaches its end, noting differences in House and Senate proposals on school funding, teacher pay and safety funding and urging community engagement with legislators.
District legislative staff briefed trustees on the status of key education bills at the state Capitol and urged continued engagement as negotiations continue.
Miss Morris reported there were about 8,704 filed bills and that roughly 32 bills had passed both chambers and been sent to the governor, who had signed only one at the time of the update. She identified priority areas for the district: discipline, funding (including the basic allotment in House Bill 2), safety and security funding (conference committee reconciling Senate $500 million and House $400 million proposals), special education, pre-K and workforce development. Morris said some bills (for example, House Bill 4 on accountability) moved quickly through committee and include provisions to replace certain tests with nationally norm-referenced assessments (example cited: MAP) and to incorporate local indicators into A–F accountability.
Morris said the legislative session’s late-stage negotiations and the differing dollar totals between the chambers mean the district is monitoring details closely; she asked trustees and the community to engage with representatives in Austin on district priorities. Trustees thanked staff for legislative tracking and noted the work will continue through the final weeks of the session.
