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usic educators expecting high-quality materials for your classrooms should be aware that recent changes in Texas law could affect your ability to obtain the necessary materials to ensure your offerings are accredited. Your attention and involvement as an expert in your field will be essential as you compete for instructional materials dollars with other areas such as technology and teacher professional development. At the conclusion of the 82nd legislative session in 2011, Governor Rick Perry signed into law Senate Bill 6, a bill that completely restructured how instructional materials are provided to school districts, teachers, and students. If you have taught in Texas any length of time, you know that dollars from the Permanent School Fund, managed by the State Board of Education, are sent to the legislature every two years, and the legislature then appropriates those dollars into the budget earmarked for instructional materials. Money from this fund, currently valued at over $31 billion, is designated by the Texas constitution to be used for, as a veteran Board member states, “textbooks for the children.” Historically there has always been debate between the SBOE and the legislature about how much money should be sent over each biennium and how those dollars have to be allocated. The legislature, on a past ruling by the state attorney general, manages to carve away some of those dollars for other purposes, and districts do not always receive the materials they need. In the past these dollars were to be spent for designated subjects that rotate on a Proclamation cycle created by the Board. New materials are proposed by these Proclamations for subjects for which new TEKS have recently been developed. In 2005 TMEA spent many hours at the capitol fighting for the dollars to fund the last fine arts Proclamation. We were successful, and ultimately Governor Perry approved those funds during the summer of 2005. Fast-forward to September 2014. Because of SB 6, the dynamics of funding for instructional materials for fine arts and all other academic subjects has significantly changed. I’m sure you are aware that, as a condition of accreditation, our new music TEKS must be implemented in the classroom beginning August 2015. However, the process by which your district can order those
(;(&87,9( ',5(&725·6 NOTES IMPORTANT DATES September—Renew your TMEA membership and preregister for the 2015 convention. October 1, 6 a.m. CT—TMEA convention online housing reservation system opens. December 31—TMEA convention mail/fax preregistration deadline. January 22, 2015—TMEA convention online preregistration deadline. February 11–14, 2015—TMEA Clinic/ Convention in San Antonio.
The process by which your district can order supporting materials has completely changed. You must get involved as the competition for dollars at the local level could negatively affect your access to instructional materials. Southwestern Musician | September 2014
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