Lt. Governor Patrick Announces Third Installment of Interim Charges



 

AUSTIN – Today, Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick announced interim charges for Education, Higher Education and the Intergovernmental Relations Committees. Interim charges for more committees will be announced Tuesday.

All the interim charges reflect the concerns and priorities of Texans across the state and include input from every senator.

“The Education Committee will continue our work to make Texas’ schools the best in the nation. I have asked the committee to study the implementation of school choice options in other states including the impact on student performance and local district budgets in order to determine the best school choice plan to serve Texas students,” Patrick said. “The committee will also study the continued implementation of Senate Bill 2 (83R) including the expansion, revocation and approval of public school charters. I also am asking the committee to determine if current teacher preparation programs are adequate for the modern classroom.

“The Higher Education Committee will monitor the implementation of House Bill 5 (83R) and the projected preparation of Texas high school students for postsecondary education and workforce training. This includes the review of the 60×30 TX higher education plan — 60% of jobs require some secondary education by 2030 — including, but not limited to, dual credit, credit transferability, and fields of study. The committee will also study performance-based funding for higher education institutions while keeping the student debt ratio lower than other states.

“The Inter-Governmental Relations (IGR) Committee will review and identify concerns related to municipal annexation as well as maintaining the integrity of local ordinances. The IGR Committee will also look for ways to improve disaster readiness, regional cooperation and rebuilding efforts.

“These charges are critical to assure that good Texas schools are available to every Texas child and that our academic institutions can educate and train the workforce Texas needs to continue to compete in the global marketplace,” Patrick concluded.

 

ATTACHMENT:

(PDF) 84th Senate Interim Charges, Part 3 (464KB, PDF)