The ATPE Governmental Relations team recaps the past week’s education news, legislative and election updates, and regulatory developments.

• Coming soon: The ATPE Member Advocate Program (ATPE-MAP)
• Only 10 days remain to confirm your voter registration for the Nov. 5 General Election
• TRS board meets; plus, nominations due Nov. 4 for open active administrator seat on TRS-Care advisory committee
• TEA, Permanent School Fund Corporation present appropriations requests for next biennium
• House Appropriations meeting covers SHARS policy change effective Oct. 1 that reduces special ed funding available to districts

ATPE-MAP: In the coming weeks, ATPE will launch a new benefit that will jumpstart your ability to advocate for public education at the local and state levels: the ATPE Member Advocate Program, aka ATPE-MAP. ATPE-MAP participants can earn CPE credit and a new microcredential, as well as unlock eligibility to participate in ATPE Capitol Expeditions during the legislative session. Learn more about this new opportunity and approach to in-person advocacy on atpenews.org!

ELECTION DATES: Just 10 days remain to confirm your voter registration for the 2024 General Election. Be sure to visit votetexas.gov to make sure you’re set to vote pro-public education. In the meantime, here’s ATPE Governmental Relations Director Monty Exter to explain why your vote is so critical: 

Share your own video encouraging Texas educators to vote.

TRS: ATPE Lobbyist Heather Sheffield covered the Sept. 19–20 Teacher Retirement System (TRS) Board of Trustees meeting and has provided a full report here on Teach the Vote. In addition, the TRS board is currently seeking nominations to fill an active administrator seat on the TRS-Care Retirees Advisory Committee (RAC), which holds public meetings on retiree group coverage, recommends minimum standards and plan features, and recommends changes to rules and legislation impacting TRS-Care. The nomination deadline is Nov. 4; learn more in this blog post. 

STATE BUDGET: In preparation for the upcoming legislative session, state agencies are presenting their appropriations requests to the Legislative Budget Board (LBB). The requests are taken into consideration as the House Appropriations and Senate Finance committees build the state’s budget for the next biennium. On Wednesday, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the Permanent School Fund (PSF) Corporation presented their appropriations requests to the LBB. ATPE Lobbyist Heather Sheffield has coverage in this blog post.

APPROPRIATIONS: Tuesday’s House Appropriations Committee meeting offered some interesting discussion on the rigor of career and technical education (CTE) standards, as well as extensive discussion of imminent changes to the requirements for School Health and Related Services (SHARS) funding. The headline: Issues that were largely kept from school districts could now result in up to $532 million less in funding available for them to cover the cost of special education services. Learn more in this blog post by ATPE Lobbyist Heather Sheffield.