Focus Report: Volume 74, Number 14, August 1995 Page: 2
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House Research Organization
Texas Education Agency
(Chapter 7)
Powers and duties
The Texas Education Agency (TEA), which includes
the education commissioner and TEA staff, maintains
most current functions, and is to engage in research to
improve teaching and learning and assume some State
Board of Education duties. Educational functions not
specifically delegated to the TEA are reserved for school
districts or open-enrollment charter schools.
Investment Capital Fund
The TEA will administer the Investment Capital Fund,
which is supported by an annual $5 million transfer from
the Compensatory Education Allotment and provides
individual grants of up to $50,000 yearly to assist
schools. Recipient schools must have demonstrated a
commitment to deregulating their campuses and
restructuring educational practices through partnerships
with school staff, parents, community and business
leaders, nonprofit community-based organizations and the
TEA. Grants will be made directly to eligible schools
and may be used for the training and development of
school staff, parents and community leaders to implement
standards and practices to improve student achievement.
Commissioner of education
(Chapter 7)
The governor appoints the education commissioner,
whose four-year term will coincide with the governor's.
(The SBOE formerly appointed the commissioner, subject
to the governor's approval.) The appointment or
dismissal of the commissioner is subject to Senate
consent.
Powers and duties
The commissioner's duties include serving as
educational leader of the state, serving as executive
officer of the TEA, adopting a teacher appraisal process
and hearing appeals brought by persons aggrieved by the
state's school laws or school board actions that violate
the school laws. The commissioner may also hear
appeals of school board decisions on certain employee
contracts.Authority to grant waivers
The commissioner is given broader authority to grant
schools and districts waivers and exemptions from
education regulations for up to three years. The
commissioner may not grant waivers from criminal
offense prohibitions and federal requirements or rules
relating to essential knowledge or skills, public school
accountability, extracurricular activities, health and safety,
school district purchasing, class-size limits (except
hardship cases), removal of disruptive students, at-risk
programs, prekindergarten programs, educator rights and
benefits, special education and bilingual education.
A school campus or district seeking a waiver must
apply in writing to the commissioner at least 31 days
before it intends to take an action requiring a waiver.
The application must include a written plan approved by
the district board concerning the achievement objectives
sought, a description of the inhibition imposed by the
regulation sought to be waived and the written comments
of the campus- or district-level planning and decision
making committee. If not rejected in 30 days the
application is considered granted.
State Board of Education
(Chapter 7)
The new code maintains the elected 15-member State
Board of Education. The governor will continue to
appoint the SBOE chair from among the members.
SBOE powers and duties include developing and
updating a long-range plan for public education,
establishing curriculum and graduation requirements,
creating "special purpose" school districts (e.g. military
school districts), providing for school board member
training, placing on probation or revoking a home-rule
school district charter, granting open-enrollment charters,
establishing criteria for certifying hearing examiners and
adopting textbooks.
Education Service Centers
(Chapter 8)
School districts and campuses may purchase "core
services" from any of the state's 20 regional Education
Service Centers (ESCs), not just the one in their region.
Core services include teacher and personnel training and
assistance in complying with state laws and rules. ESC's
will provide training and assistance formerly provided by
TEA. ESCs are prohibited from regulating school
districts.Page 2
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Texas. Legislature. House of Representatives. Research Organization. Focus Report: Volume 74, Number 14, August 1995, periodical, August 3, 1995; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth640372/m1/2/?rotate=270: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.