The Brazosport ISD Board of Trustees officially adopted a set of legislative priorities aimed at enhancing educational funding, reforming assessment and accountability, supporting economic incentive programs, and improving the Teacher Retirement System of Texas during the October 29, 2024, BISD Board meeting. These priorities will guide the district’s advocacy efforts in the upcoming 2025 legislative session, reflecting the needs and interests of students, teachers, and the entire BISD community.

Our district is committed to advocating for legislation that ensures the long-term sustainability and success of public education. BISD encourages all stakeholders to join in supporting these priorities, working together to advocate for legislation that enhances educational outcomes, supports educators, and strengthens community resources.

BISD Key Legislative Priorities

Education Funding
The Board emphasized the need for increased financial support for Texas public schools. Key recommendations include raising the basic allotment per student, adjusting funding formulas for inflation, and moving to an enrollment-based funding model instead of attendance-based funding. Additional funding is sought for special education services, enhanced school safety measures, and a new allotment to support districts in recruiting and upskilling new talent. To address local challenges, BISD also advocates for a coastal funding index to help districts manage property and windstorm insurance costs.

• Invest in all students by increasing the basic allotment and index the formula to Inflation.
• Fund schools based on enrollment rather than attendance.
• Increase the Special Education Allotment; the current formula does not consider the actual costs for the intensity or specialized services required.
• Increase the School Safety Allotment and provide local control for student discipline measures.
• Create a new funding allotment for school districts to up-skill and attract new talent.
• Amend requirement that school districts include specific language on a bond election ballot.
• Create a coastal index for districts subject to property and windstorm Insurance premiums.

Assessment & Accountability
BISD calls for a comprehensive overhaul of the current A-F accountability system, proposing a new model that minimizes high-stakes testing and aligns with values important to local communities. The priorities also recommend limiting state assessments to only those required by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and advocate against any private school voucher system that would lack comparable accountability standards.

• Repeal the A-F accountability system and create a new comprehensive system that looks beyond high-stakes testing with flexibility measures that local communities value.
• Limit state assessments to those required to meet ESSA (federal) requirements
• Promote transparency and equity by opposing any voucher system for private
• institutions that are not held to the same accountability standards as public schools.

Economic Incentive Programs
The Board seeks amendments to the Job and Economic Transformation Initiative (JETI) Act to enable better distribution of tax incentives for school districts and communities. These proposed changes include adjusting wage requirements to the county average for manufacturing jobs and revising job requirements to align with previous legislative standards, promoting community and workforce development.

Amend the JETI Act as follows:

• Enable reasonable tax savings granted to the company to be shared with participating school districts to enhance incentives and benefits for schools, communities and workforce development.
• Adjust wage requirements to 100% of the average county manufacturing wages.
• Adjust jobs requirement back to previous legislation minimum requirement of 10 jobs

Teacher Retirement System of Texas
The Board’s priorities underscore the need for reforms to support retired educators, including an annual cost-of-living adjustment for all retirees. Additionally, BISD seeks policies allowing retired educators to return to work within school districts without impacting their retirement benefits and removing any additional penalties that districts pay when hiring retirees.

• Provide an annual cost-of-living adjustment for all retirees.
• Allow retirees the opportunity to return to work within school districts without negative impacts to their retirement benefits.
• Remove surcharge penalties that school districts have to pay TRS when hiring a retiree.