The Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) voted preliminarily to increase the distribution rate from the Permanent School Fund (PSF) to 2.9 percent from 2.75 percent, based upon concern that some of the portion of the PSF managed by the General Land Office’s (GLO) School Land Board (SLB) has been held back from public schools. The total distribution will generate $2.38 billion and provide an additional $177 per student, down from $186 per student during the current biennium.

PSF Committee Chair David Bradley (R-Beaumont) said the percentage, while an increase from the rate discussed at previous SBOE meetings, does not fully make up for the reduction in funds created by the SLB’s decision to withhold funds from its distribution. Member Tom Maynard (R-Florence) described the decision as one that would increase the funds available to public schools while protecting the corpus of the PSF, which has been threatened by the GLO’s decision to engage in a “financial game of chicken” with the SBOE.

The board continued its streamlining of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for social studies after a full day of testimony Tuesday and discussions stretching into Wednesday’s meeting. Members also discussed the forthcoming Proclamation 2020 and cybersecurity courses.

Late Wednesday, the board discussed the Long-Range Plan for Public Education, which the board has spent more than a year compiling. Members made a few technical edits to the language, which can be found here, and discussed delivering the final report to members of the 86^th Texas Legislature, which meets in January 2019.

The board discussed potential legislative priorities for the 2019 legislative session. Ideas considered included funding to support TEA’s TEKS review and textbook adoption process, funding for literacy and math academies, exceptional budget items for special education ad school safety, competitive teacher salaries and supports, new governance structure for the PSF, implementation of the recommendations of the school finance commission regarding dyslexia and dual language programs, and funding support for education service centers (ESC).

Member Marty Rowley (R-Amarillo) proposed asking for authority to raise the threshold textbooks must meet to earn the board’s approval to 100 percent from 50 percent of the required TEKS. Member Georgina Perez (D-El Paso) concurred, arguing that if students, schools, and districts are expected to earn an “A” for accountability purposes, the same should be expected of textbook publishers.

Member Keven Ellis (R-Lufkin), the board's representative on the school finance commission, elaborated on the commission's recommendations. While the recommendations are not final and one working group has yet to deliver its recommendations, members of the commission have proposed creating a 0.1 weight for dyslexia and a 0.15 weight for dual language programs. Ellis also updated the members on a recommendation heard by the Sunset Commission Wednesday to change the SLB to a five-member body, with one of the two additional members being appointed by the attorney general and one by the governor, with both selected from a list of members provided by the SBOE.

Chair Donna Bahorich (R-The Woodlands) emphasized that SBOE members should be ready to walk the halls for items that make the final list, and requested the PSF governance be placed at the top. Members closed out the meeting with year-end updates from each of the board's three standing committees: Instruction, School Initiatives, and School Finance/Permanent School Fund.