Cancelled SBOE Meeting
The State Board of Education (SBOE) announced on this page (May 5) that it will not be conducting a special meeting for the health education TEKS review in May as originally planned.
The announcement says the change will allow time for a work group tasked with aligning the recommendations from grade level to grade level, and within the individual grades — and for appointed content advisors (health educators, medical professionals and others) — to provide feedback on the proposed revisions, which will be released to the public prior to the SBOE’s June 29-July 2 meeting.
The schedule calls for the board to take these actions regarding the health TEKS review at its next three regularly scheduled meetings:
- June 29-July 2 — Discuss the draft recommendations.
- Sept. 8-11 — Tentatively approve (for public comment) the recommendations.
- Nov. 17-20 — Adopt the final recommendations.
Proposed TEA Rules:
Click here for more info about these proposed TEA rules.
- Accountability — Adopting into rule form excerpts of the 2020 Accountability Manual, including the assignment of a new accountability label of Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster for districts, charters and campuses due to the closing of schools because of COVID-19.Note: A virtual public hearing (via ZOOM) will be held on May 22. Comment by June 1.
- CTE funding — Explaining how the career and technology education (CTE) allotment for the P-TECH and New Tech Network campuses will be allocated. Comment by June 8.
- Test fee reimbursements — Establishing the criteria for HB3-authorized reimbursements to districts and charters for their students taking college prep (SAT, ACT, and the Texas Success Initiative) exams and TEA-approved industry-based certification exams. Comment by June 15.
Police Officer College Loan Assistance
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has posted the preliminary criteria and the application submission start date (Sept. 1, 2020) for the Peace Officer Loan Repayment Assistance Program (POLRAP) authorized by 2019’s SB16.
Commissioned police officers, including school police officers, meeting specified criteria can apply for college loan reimbursements of up to $4,000 a year for up to five years (up to $20,000 total). Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until funding is exhausted.
Oldham County in the Texas Panhandle is the only county in Texas, and only one of three counties nationally, to be identified in a recent United Way report as having a 100 percent high school graduation rate among counties that are included in U.S. metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) that have 750,000 or more residents.
Oldham County is one of five counties in the Amarillo MSA (see map above).
TEA data reflects that four ISDs — Boys Ranch, Vega, Adrian and Wildorado — are headquartered in Oldham County and together have just over 1,000 students.