Dripping Springs ISD has officially established its priorities for the state’s ongoing special session.
At its Oct. 23 meeting, the DSISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved Resolution #2024-08 and legislative priorities regarding the Texas 88th Legislature’s Third Special Session and how it affects Texas public schools.
The resolution states that the Board ofTrustees will work with elected officials to support legislation that aligns with the following priorities: Opposes the diversion of funds from Texas public schools, including new funds, for any school voucher, educational savings account, tax credit, or charter school program until the State of Texas funds its public schools above the national average.
Increases the basic allotment and establishes a mechanism for automatic, inflation-adjusted increases to the basic allotment every biennium to account for the increase in overall educational services to students, additional funding needed for special education programming, staff pay increases, and the full funding of state-mandated school safety standards.
Advocates for additional state funding for educator and staff compensation, employee health and retirement benefits through the Teacher Retirement System (TRS), and substantial financial aid and other programs as incentives for prospective teachers to enter the profession.
Supports for the establishment of a fair, transparent, and comprehensive accountability system that looks beyond highstakes multiple-choice exams to meaningful assessments that have value for students, parents, teachers, and community stakeholders with advance notice of implementation.
The resolution and legislative priorities are both available online at dsisdtx.us.
