House Public Education Committee meeting, Oct. 28, 2019.

We won't see familiar images of the Texas House Public Education Committee meeting in person anytime soon. In accordance with procedures released in July for carrying out "distanced" interim committee business during the pandemic, the committee posted five formal requests for information on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Four of the requests reflect the interim charges assigned to the committee by House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, while the fifth request relates to COVID-19. Anyone can submit information to the committee by September 30, 2020. Here is a summary of the requests:

1: The committee seeks information related to interim charge 1, which is related to monitoring and oversight of relevant agencies, programs, and the implementation of a slew of bills passed in recent legislative sessions. These include bills and rule-making related to school finance (House Bill 3, mentor teacher allotment, teacher incentive allotment, etc.), accountability and testing (STAAR, A-F ratings, district-charter partnerships), and school safety and mental health in schools. The formal request also includes several questions that the committee seeks answers to that largely relate to school finance, including a specific emphasis on teacher pay, and the efficacy of charter schools and district-charter partnerships.

2: This request seeks information related to interim charge 2, which seeks to determine barriers to providing a digital learning environment for all children. Specific questions related to this request ask where gaps in internet coverage exist and how internet providers may fill these gaps.

3: With regard to interim charge 3, the committee is seeking information related to the Texas Education Agency's compliance with the U.S. Department of Education in correcting their errors related to special education. This includes the implementation of TEA's Special Education Strategic Plan and other requirements the state has come out of compliance with, such as annual maintenance of financial support.

4: This request will not likely apply to many educators and the general public, as it is related to the committee's fourth interim charge of monitoring the State Auditor's review of agencies and programs.

COVID-19: The committee has posted seven questions to gather information on the pandemic. These include whether public schools are ensuring the health and safety of students, what plans are in place for on-campus COVID-19 testing, what plans are being made for athletics this fall, what projected enrollment might look like for 2020-2021, whether there is a noticeable impact on staff retention, if funding has already been impacted, and how the pandemic has specifically impacted the finances of small and rural school districts.

ATPE encourages educators to participate in this information-gathering process. Stay tuned to Teach the Vote for more information and news on ATPE's submissions to the committee and other House committees that have requested education-related information.