The 88th Texas Legislative Session

At press time for Connect magazine, Texas legislators were considering a variety of measures that would significantly impact RISD and public education. Superintendent Branum and RISD Trustees have been closely following 2023 legislative proposals, ensuring the legislators who represent RISD are aware of how potential laws would impact their home district, and working to update parents, teachers, and taxpayers.

In advance of the session in Austin, RISD adopted a legislative agenda that placed student and educator safety, as well as student academic achievement, as top priorities while allowing school districts to make decisions based on what is best for their local school community.

The RISD Board of Trustees supports:

• Measures to enhance school safety

• Measures to address teacher recruitment and compensation

• Measures to establish a fair public school funding system that provides per-student funding that keeps pace with inflation, allows teachers to be fairly compensated, and keeps public tax dollars in public schools that are accountable to taxpayers.

• Measures to enhance the state’s accountability system for schools

In April, RISD trustees voted to approve a resolution opposing proposed Texas legislation that would create a savings account – or any similar voucher proposals – with taxpayer dollars for parents to use to pay for education outside of public school. “The message needs to be strong that we need Austin to fully fund public education so we can meet the demands we have post-COVID and amid current inflationary pressures,” Superintendent Tabitha Branum said. “We don’t need the state to create an entitlement program that we know cannot be sustained without harming public schools.”