Thirty school districts, including Houston ISD, and two associations signed a letter to urge Gov. Greg Abbott to add legislation funding virtual learning to any special session for other proposed laws.
A bill that would have ensured districts receive funding for each student enrolled in online-only classes died after Democrats broke quorum to kill a controversial voting bill. The bill was expected to be called at 11:40 p.m. on May 30.
The signatories of the letter sent Wednesday — which also include Aldine, Conroe, Goose Creek Consolidated, Klein and Spring ISDs — noted that many districts scrapped plans to offer virtual learning this upcoming school year after the bill did not get a vote.
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“We respectfully request that you add virtual learning to the list of items for the legislature to act on during any special session you call prior to the 88th Legislative Session,” the letter reads. “Over the past year, many students have discovered that virtual learning provides them with an opportunity to learn and grow in their own unique way.”
There is no new statutory framework authorizing remote instruction without the legislation, according to Texas Education Agency. The agency used disaster authority for the 2020-21 school year to OK funding for remote instruction, but that authority cannot be used for the new school year.
Under the proposal, districts and charters with a state-issued academic accountability rating of C or higher for the previous year would have been allowed to operate a local remote learning program. Districts that decided to offer such programs would have had wide discretion over which students could enroll.
The bill was HB1468, with Democratic and Republican authors and sponsors. It makes sense to me, because some kids benefited from remote learning, and some kids who are not able to get the vaccine either due to not being 12 yet or because of underlying health issues still need to stay home. Several teachers unions opposed the bill, presumably because teaching in dual mode is a lot more work without any bump in pay. It would be a simple matter for this bill to pass if added to a special session, since it was well on its way originally, but as we know that is entirely up to Greg Abbott, and who knows what he’ll do.