The ATPE Governmental Relations team recaps the past week’s education news, legislative and election updates, and regulatory developments.

• Second special session ends with tax relief but no education funding
• House select committee meets in advance of expected special session on public education
• TRS chief investment officer warns of looming recession; TRS Board formally approves retiree benefit payments
• Highlights of the 2023 ATPE Summit
• July 25 Texas Tribune event: Where Do Public Schools Go from Here?
• ATPE in the news

SPECIAL SESSION: The second called session of the 88th Legislature ended Thursday evening with the passage of a compromise property tax deal. The House and Senate came to an agreement Monday on an $18 billion property tax relief package. There were three bills passed as part of the compromise package: SB 2 by Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R–Houston), which increases the homestead exemption to $100,000; SB 3, also by Bettencourt, which doubles the franchise tax exemption; and HJR 2, by Rep. Will Metcalf (R–Conroe), which is a constitutional amendment authorizing the plan that will need to be approved by the voters. Shortly after passing the three bills, the House and Senate adjourned sine die. At this point, it is unknown when the next special session will start or what will be on the call, but it is likely to be this fall with a focus on public education, including vouchers.

SELECT COMMITTEE: The House Select Committee on Educational Opportunity and Enrichment met July 11­­–12 to hear invited testimony only on its three charges issued by Speaker Dade Phelan (R–Beaumont): “ensuring all Texas youths enjoy equal educational opportunity and the freedom to obtain a quality education, regardless of circumstance” (i.e., vouchers); “improving outcomes for Texas public school students and meaningfully supporting educators and educational institutions” (i.e., educator pay and school finance); and “modernizing assessment and accountability measures for Texas schools educating K-12 students” (i.e., STAAR). ATPE Lobbyist Tricia Cave recaps the hearing in this blog post. Although only invited testimony was taken, ATPE issued a call to all certified educators to submit public comments on the committee’s webpage, and hundreds of educators also shared their comments on the Teach the Vote blog post. The committee is not expected to meet again but will issue a report later this summer in advance of an anticipated special session on public education issues—specifically vouchers— after the 2023-24 school year begins.

TRS: The chief investment officer for the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) of Texas predicted the economy is headed toward a recession in the first or second quarter of 2024. As reported by Bloomberg, the investment chief issued the warning during this week’s TRS board meeting in Austin. Staff will focus on adjusting asset allocations over the remainder of this year in order to soften the impact a potential recession could have on the trust fund.

On a positive note, the board formally approved the payment of benefit enhancements required by legislation passed by the Texas Legislature earlier this year. Retirees who are 75 years of age or older as of Aug. 31, 2023, will receive a one-time stipend of $7,500. Retirees between 70 and 74 years of age will receive a $2,400 stipend. Stipends will be paid no later than Sept. 30, 2023. Retirees will also receive a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) of 2%, 4%, or 6%, depending on when they retired. Read more information on TRS benefit enhancements here.

ATPE SUMMIT: More than 730 ATPE members and guests from across Texas convened July 10–12 at Kalahari Resorts & Conventions in Round Rock for the 2023 ATPE Summit. The annual three-day event features professional learning sessions, volunteer leadership training, and the annual ATPE House of Delegates Meeting. Delegates readopted ATPE’s 13 standing resolutions, adopted an honorary resolution recognizing ATPE Immediate Past State President Karen Hames, adopted the 2023-24 ATPE Legislative Program as recommended by the ATPE Legislative Committee, and elected the 2023-24 ATPE state officers. Jayne Serna, Leander ATPE, will serve as state president beginning Aug. 1; Jason Forbis, Midway (12) ATPE, as state vice president; Jerrica Liggins, Paris ATPE, as state secretary; and Eli Rodriguez, Cypress-Fairbanks ATPE, as state treasurer. 2022-23 ATPE State President Stacey Ward, Humble ATPE, will assume the role of immediate past state president. During the summit, ATPE also presented its highest honor, the Judy Coyle Texas Liberty Award, to public education advocate Laura Yeager, the founder of Texans Advocating for Meaningful Student Assessment (TAMSA), Texas Educators Vote, and JustFundIt TX. The Alafair Hammett Media Award was presented to KXAN Austin reporter Kelly Wiley for “The Exit,” a piece of interactive journalism examining why educators are leaving the profession in high numbers. The ATPE Lobby Team also presented a legislative update, which ATPE Associate Executive Director Jennifer Mitchell recapped in this blog post.

TEXAS TRIBUNE: ATPE is sponsoring the upcoming Texas Tribune event “Where Do Public Schools Go from Here?”—a one-hour conversation at 9 a.m. CT July 25 with a Texas school superintendent, a Texas teacher, and a Texas lawmaker about how public schools fared during the 88th Legislature’s regular session and what is expected during the anticipated special session. The teacher panelist will be Laura Herrera, a prekindergarten teacher in North East ISD and an ATPE member since 2004. Herrera represents Region 20 ATPE on the ATPE Board of Directors and is an alumna of Leadership ATPE as well as the TeachPlus Texas Fellowship program. Register to attend in person or virtually.

ATPE IN THE NEWS: ATPE Senior Lobbyist Mark Wiggins spoke with KXAN Austin and KLTV Tyler this week about the impact of the House and Senate’s property tax legislation on school finance.