Klein Education Association

Don't forget! Nominations close Friday!
We are looking for a new Vice President and a new Secretary for KEA! If you are interested, please nominate
yourself using this link: https://forms.gle/HG7Qaq5sAwirNb2L7

Feel free to reach out with any questions you may have!

We are looking for a new Vice President and a new Secretary for KEA! Our
executive board does a lot of work keeping our organization going, but it is
rewarding and we have fun doing it! If you are interested, please nominate
yourself using this link: https://forms.gle/HG7Qaq5sAwirNb2L7

Nominations will be open for 1 week, then look for voting link!

We are looking for a new Vice President and a new Secretary for KEA! Our
executive board does a lot of work keeping our organization going, but it is
rewarding and we have fun doing it! If you are interested, please nominate
yourself using this link: https://forms.gle/HG7Qaq5sAwirNb2L7

Nominations will be open for 1 week, then look for voting link!

Texas schools are hurting financially. Abbott should call a special session | Editorial Editorial | Texas school districts are hurting financially. Abbott should call a special session.

Don't forget tomorrow's social! Hope to see a bunch of you there!

Hello, KEA family! I hope everyone made it through the storms safely. Please reach out if there is anything we can do to help!

Klein Education Association One Vision, One Voice.

Join us for a fabulous end of year social!!!! Please RSVP so we know how many to expect!
RSVP at bit.ly/EOYsocial

Congratulations to our state ESP of the year! Our very own, Novella McGinnis!!!!!

Our Klein Education Association delegates (along with our future voter in training) at the Region HOD! We feel so honored to have our very own, Novella McGinnis, voted as our region ESP of the year!!!! She is an amazing person to work with and always dedicated to helping students, teachers, girl scouts, and everyone she knows!!!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfuWiovwNGzX_sxVUkLqJsayfsd_cqNE7LGBdi827cR1nduYQ/viewform

We're ready to have some fun and share some information!

Still lots of space of the bus! All are welcome, just let us know ASAP so we can plan your lunch!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScebK9mi5gjffroFo4Ubdr0QpWQgOnF_O_csTPR-Fuyi4lpww/viewform

Saturday, October 7th we will embark on a journey to make our voices heard! We have chartered a bus and will have snacks and lunch. Priority will be given to our members, but all are welcome if we have room! If you are a community member, we will let you know if a seat is available by October 2nd! Please RSVP ASAP so we can plan!

ETA: Sign up link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScebK9mi5gjffroFo4Ubdr0QpWQgOnF_O_csTPR-Fuyi4lpww/viewform

Saturday, October 7th we will embark on a journey to make our voices heard! We have chartered a bus and will have snacks and lunch. Priority will be given to our members, but all are welcome if we have room! If you are a community member, we will let you know if a seat is available by October 2nd! Please RSVP ASAP so we can plan!

Yesterday, the first called special session of the 88th Texas Legislature finally adjourned with the Senate adjourning sine die. To recap, no legislation passed during the first called session as the House quickly adjourned after passing its bills, with a take it or leave it approach to the Senate. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick refused to pass any house bill related to the Governor’s proclamation and continued to work the entire 30 day special to no end. Also, before the veto deadline, the Governor took retribution on many House Republicans by vetoing their passed bills with reasoning that those issues should be addressed after school choice is passed in Texas, being code for leveraging those bills in a future special session for passing vouchers.



Today, the second called special session convened in both chambers to address the Governor’s proclamation with the following items for consideration:



Legislation to cut property-tax rates solely by reducing the school district maximum compressed tax rate in order to provide lasting property-tax relief for Texas taxpayers.


Legislation to put Texas on a pathway to eliminating school district maintenance and operations property taxes.


Both chambers referred bills related to these charges to its respective committee and the committees voted the bills out today. The House is expected to pass its bills on Friday as it has recessed until then. The House will then reconvene next week after the July 4th holiday. The Senate went back into session today and passed SJR 1 and SB 1, the constitutional amendment and enacting legislation that will increase the homestead exemption to $100,000 and includes a hold harmless for school districts.



TSTA is currently analyzing the various bills related to the Governor’s call but anticipate the elimination of M&O property taxes and any compression will ultimately harm public school funding streams in Texas. Without a way to fill in the void left by any tax relief plan passed, school districts in Texas will be on a path to a fiscal cliff that will harm our students, families, and employees in the public school system.



It is unclear yet if the Governor will add bills to this call related to school choice or vouchers. This special could be moving very quickly or may stall like the last one, so stay tuned to future updates and possible calls to action during this second special. It is still anticipated a voucher session will be coming at the end of summer or early fall.

This is an update from yesterday’s report as significant developments occurred in the public school arena at the Texas Capitol. House Speaker Dade Phelan announced a newly formed Select Committee on Educational Opportunity & Enrichment to start work immediately to develop a “workable roadmap” for legislation in the House in an upcoming special session and named the following members of the committee:

Member Vote on Herrero Amendment
Rep. Brad Buckley (Chair)
PNV
Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins (Vice Chair)
YES
Rep. Trent Ashby
YES
Rep. Keith Bell
YES
Rep. Harold V. Dutton, Jr.
PNV
Rep. James B. Frank
NO
Rep. Cody Harris
PNV
Rep. Cole Hefner
NO
Rep. Gina Hinojosa
YES
Rep. Ken King
YES
Rep. Oscar Longoria
YES
Rep. Will Metcalf
NO
Rep. Matt Shaheen
NO
Rep. James Talarico
YES
Rep. Gary VanDeaver
YES

The Herrero Amendment was the anti-voucher rider to the budget which stated no tax dollars could be used to pay for any voucher scheme passed by the legislature, however the amendment was stricken in conference committee. But the vote is certainly a good indication of how members will vote on a voucher bill. Based on this vote, there appears to be a majority to keep a voucher bill pending in committee if this is the committee bills are referred to in future special sessions on the issue. At this time, the committee is not scheduled to meet, but keep a look out for calls to action this summer.

The other late breaking news from yesterday was the announcement that Governor Abbott is extending full time virtual education options for Texas students and has directed TEA Commissioner Mike Morath to waive specific requirements for school districts or open-enrollment charter schools to be able to continue to offer virtual instruction for students in grades 3 to 12 through the Virtual School Network for the next two school years and receive full funding for the students enrolled.

The bills related to this issue all died at the end of session, and it appears the Governor might be attempting to make law by executive order. TSTA is researching the issue to determine if the Governor’s actions are legal.

Today the House was supposed to work, but late last night it adjourned until Monday. With today being the calendar deadline for house committees to report out senate bills, SB 8 is procedurally dead for the regular session. There are nine days left of session and many bills to watch to ensure a voucher is not added in conference committee or on a senate bill before Tuesday’s deadline for the full House to hear senate bills on second reading. Thank you to everyone who helped in keeping this bill bottled up in committee and making noise to protect our public schools and keep public funds in public education!

Take action NOW against SB 8, the voucher bill up in House Public Education Monday with invited testimony only, and submit comments to the Committee through the Texas House of Representatives website by visiting: https://comments.house.texas.gov/home?c=c400

SB 8 CREATES THE LARGEST VOUCHER PROGRAM IN THE NATION! KEEP PUBLIC FUNDS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS!

It diverts much needed funding from our public schools to unaccountable private schools
It erodes the rights of parents of special needs students and fails to maintain protections under IDEA federal laws
It does not prioritize parental choice, just a private school’s choice in which students to serveIt replaces STAAR with a different exam, without deemphasizing standardized tests in our A-F accountability system
It gives the TEA Commissioner too much authority



Texas public schools are under attack, and we need to stand up against out-of-state school vendors looking to defund our local public schools!

House Public Comment The purpose of this form is to aid Texas residents in electronically submitting public comments to House committees on measures or matters included on public hearing notices.

Join us for EOY social next Friday at Top Golf!

KEA will be hosting a legislative update on April 20. Please join us so that you can stay informed of what is happening in our legislature this session and discuss the issues. Please RSVP here! All are welcome! https://forms.gle/GAcEEsjHCBzbU8fR9

Members that are PK-2 Teachers! Flash contest!!! Enter tonight for a chance to win this virtual PD! It includes TPT coupons and freebies! Other grade opportunities coming soon!!! Fill out this form ASAP! Drawing late tonight! Winners will be notified in the morning! https://forms.gle/CMwKvR8wEVJ3BPxW9

The Senate Ed Committee is set to vote on SB 8 this Wed. Plz write your senator to tell them that vouchers are wrong for our students!

Tell your senator: NO to vouchers, YES to public education and students!

Click Here to RSVP for the upcoming Game Night Social in Building A at Samuel Matthews Park.
RSVP by February 1, 2023
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfitjU702Ji-z3q4mYaGaZLY6_J63Hbuc9jRPBPRKVNQmmyTA/viewform

Congratulations to our amazing vice president, Kimberly Jackson. You are fantastic and we are so proud of you!!!

Candidate forum!
This year, they have added a content expert. We're excited to see what the candidates have to say and to see how this expert is able to contribute to the discussion!

Thank you to all of our fabulous cafeteria staff, custodians, and other ESP's that were able to attend our first ever ESP Appreciation luncheon last weekend. We are so grateful for all you do for us!

Our KEA board loves attending these events! We'd love to see you there to get to know the candidates for school board!

We would like to thank Cathy Arellano for showing our KEA members that she values teacher input by speaking with us this evening. We feel that she has the best interest of students and teachers in Klein and has shown her deep connection with our unique community. We appreciate that she has offered open communication for concerns, feedback, and celebrations. She has a strong record of advocating for students' success. Please reach out if you would like any more information, flyers, or yard signs. Cathy4Klein