The State Board of Education (SBOE) will conduct two meetings this month and three more in February to allow local stakeholders, including educators, to participate in discussions regarding the Long-Range Plan for Public Education.

The plan is guided by a steering committee tasked with recommending long-term goals for the state’s public school system through the year 2030 and to identify strengths, opportunities, and challenges. The 18-member steering committee includes SBOE chair Donna Bahorich (R-Houston) and members Barbara Cargill (R-The Woodlands), Tom Maynard (R-Florence), Georgina Perez (D-El Paso), and Marty Rowley (R-Amarillo).

The board is currently conducting local community meetings across the state in order to solicit input on the following topics:

• Educator preparation, recruitment, and retention
• Equity and access to funding, technology, and advanced courses
• Student engagement and empowerment to provide effective support systems for students and prepare them for life after high school
• Family engagement and empowerment to help parents become strong advocates for their children in the education system.

The board plans to release an online survey to collect additional feedback. In the meantime, these community meetings offer a valuable opportunity for educators to meet and share their personal perspectives with members of the State Board of Education. ATPE encourages those who are close to one of the upcoming meeting locations to take advantage of this opportunity. The following dates and locations are coming soon:

Jan. 9 – 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Region 20 Education Service Center
1314 Hines Ave., San Antonio
Click HERE to register.

Jan. 18 – 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Salado Civic Center
601 N. Main St., Salado.
Click HERE to register.

Feb. 8 – 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Region 4 Education Service Center’s McKinney Conference Center
7200 Northwest 100 Dr., Houston
Click HERE to register.

Feb. 16 – 9-11 a.m.
Location TBD
Rio Grande Valley
Registration not yet opened.

Feb. 28 – 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Region 16 Education Service Center’s Panhandle Conference Center
5800 Bell St., Amarillo
Click HERE to register.

The board encourages those planning to attend to register in advance, but no registration is required and educators will be welcomed at the door. A summary of comments from the Nov. 2 meeting in El Paso is available HERE.