To Replace State Funding in 2020-21
The TEA delivered disappointing news to school districts and charters — that they won't see much benefit from the $1.29 billion in federal coronavirus relief funding after all.
They’ll still get the money, but their state funding entitlements for next school year will be reduced by a corresponding amount.
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Other Coronavirus News
Free PPEs
The TEA announced (June 9) that the agency — in collaboration with the Governor’s Strike Force and the Texas Department of Emergency Management — will provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to all districts and charters at no cost.
The state has placed orders for 50 million disposable masks, 10 million gloves, 40,000 infrared and no-contact thermometers and 500,000 gallons of hand sanitizer — and tentatively plans to order 12.5 million reusable masks and an undetermined number of face shields and desk dividers.
The agency used 2019-20 student and on-campus staff counts to allocate equipment to each district (see Excel spreadsheet allotment list).
The equipment is expected to arrive between mid-July and early August.
SBEC News
Educator preparation programs (EPP) will be able to conduct required observations of their students in virtual settings for the upcoming academic year — if the assigned campus is operating under a virtual format — under terms of a rule tentatively approved (for public comment) during a brief (June 11) virtual meeting of SBEC’s governing board.
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Impact on the Lottery
The Texas Lottery Commission estimates that it has lost $85 million in ticket sales during the pandemic, which translates to a $23 million loss to the Permanent School Fund, according to the Quorum Report’s Kimberly Reeves.
The commission discussed lottery data at its June 11 meeting. (webcast/report).
Federal Rule
U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos issued (June 11) an emergency rule that bans colleges and universities from providing federal coronavirus relief grants to noncitizens, including to undocumented aliens and those protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program. The grant program is designed to help students procure basics, such as food and shelter.
The rule, that follows guidance given by DeVos in April, has been widely criticized — including by citing the fact that the legislation creating the program did not limit the grants to U.S. citizens only.
Public comments on the rule, as a part of the process to making it permanent, are being accepted by the U.S. Department of Education