The Texas Education Agency (TEA) issued guidance June 12 regarding implementation of the new Teacher Retention Allotment (TRA) and Support Staff Retention Allotment (SSRA) provisions in House Bill (HB) 2 by Rep. Brad Buckley (R-Salado), the school finance bill passed by the 89th Legislature. 

Although TEA’s “To the Administrator Addressed” letter cleared up some questions for public school employees, three specific areas remain unclear, and on June 18 ATPE formally requested clarification from Commissioner of Education Mike Morath in a letter sent to the commissioner. 

ATPE seeks clarification on: 

• A contradiction within the bill’s language regarding the eligibility of uncertified teachers for the TRA; 
• Which central office employees are considered to work in supervisory roles under HB 2 and therefore are not eligible for the TRA; and 
• The eligibility of school district employees with dual or multiple positions for the TRA (e.g., a librarian or instructional coordinator who teaches in an academic or career and technical education instructional setting for at least an average of four hours per day). 

The TEA guidance made it clear that the PEIMS code of 087 would be an indicator of eligibility for the TRA, but in the letter to TEA, ATPE Member Legal Services Director Judd Gibson points out that some employees are not categorized with this code but otherwise meet the bill’s definition of “classroom teacher.” 

ATPE will report back here on Teach the Vote regarding further TEA guidance. It is critical for all public school employees to pay close attention to communications from their district as well as their own 2025-26 paychecks. Eligible members may contact the ATPE Member Legal Services Department to request assistance with questions about their specific situation.