The latest Texas Education Agency news from The Texas Tribune.
The conservative House Freedom Caucus called for the Legislature to address "head on" a state statute they say impedes Texans' ability to work and makes it even harder for them to pay back their debt. Full Story
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The Texas Education Agency has posted its plan for overhauling the way it educates students with disabilities — while highlighting the agency's limitations on available funds. Full Story
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On Wednesday, Abbott outlined steps the state's education leaders should take to prevent tragedies like the Feb. 14 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 people dead. Full Story
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Districts often say they will only hire uncertified teachers for career and technology courses. But because there are no state restrictions, some experts are concerned that uncertified educators will teach core classes. Full Story
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An internal review of the Texas Education Agency's contracting regulations found this week that the agency needs a more concrete process for determining whether to bypass competitive bidding when it enters into a new contract. Full Story
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Take a look back at our 2017 public education coverage and read about how the Texas Legislature failed to overhaul the school finance system, how several Texas students and teachers are still recovering from a devastating hurricane, and more. Full Story
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Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath is not changing state standardized test dates for students affected by Hurricane Harvey, but he is waiving some requirements for certain students, his agency said Thursday. Full Story
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The TEA says it fired its new special education director because she didn't reveal that she had been accused of covering up sexual abuse allegations in a previous job. Laurie Kash believes she was fired because she uncovered an illegal agency contract. Full Story
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The firing comes two days after The Texas Tribune reported that Laurie Kash was facing a lawsuit over allegations that she covered up the sexual abuse of a 6-year-old student at a previous job. Full Story
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Texas' special education director is facing allegations from her old job in a small Oregon school district that she tried to cover up sexual abuse of a special education student. A civil suit was filed against her last Tuesday. Full Story
The Texas State Board of Education rejected yet another Mexican-American studies textbook in a preliminary vote. But members said they were open to the idea of creating an official elective course. Full Story
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The Texas State Board of Education is set to vote this week on whether a Mexican-American studies textbook and a Jewish Holocaust memoir should be the first state-approved materials for ethnic studies courses. Full Story
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Doug Killian, the current superintendent of Pflugerville ISD, was recently named to the Texas Legislature's interim commission to study school finance. Read what he had to say about the challenges facing the commission. Full Story
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Nearly a year after the Texas State Board of Education rejected a Mexican-American studies textbook proposal opponents called racist, an advocate involved in that fight is now working to get his own book approved by the state. Full Story
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The Texas Tribune wants to hear from families who were displaced by Hurricane Harvey and are trying to get their children back in school. Take our survey and tell us what's factoring into your decision on where to enroll your kids. Full Story
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Educators and advocates found it hard to concur on the Senate's version of House Bill 22, either finding it too restrictive and tied to standardized tests or not quite strict enough. Full Story
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Senate Bill 7 would punish school principals and superintendents who fail to report teachers with a history of inappropriate romantic or sexual relationships with students. Full Story
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We're pushing out our updated Texas Public Schools Explorer, which lets you easily find graduation rates, test scores and more for all of the 1,207 school districts and 8,673 public school campuses in Texas for the 2015-16 school year. Full Story
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As more students enroll in bilingual education programs in schools across Texas, districts have budgeted for a smaller workforce of bilingual certified educators, according to data in the Tribune's Public Schools Explorer. Full Story
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A reinterpretation of the state's school finance law will leave $100 million in the accounts of some of the state's property wealthy districts — and will leave a hole of that size in an already tight state budget. Full Story
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