Abbott, TEA announce funding adjustment

Mar. 29—AUSTIN — Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Education Agency announced via press release on Tuesday that school districts in Texas may be eligible for an adjustment in operational minutes requirements for certain attendance reporting periods during the 2021-2022 academic school year.

This means funding will be made available to school systems in Texas that have experienced attendance rate declines because of the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, given an emphasis on in-person instruction, the press release stated. This adjustment would apply to the first four reporting periods of the current school year.

"Providing this adjustment to the 2021-22 school year will ensure school systems have the funding they need to retain the best and brightest teachers and provide quality education to all public school students across Texas," Abbott stated in the press release. "We have made tremendous strides to return more of our students back to the classroom, and will continue in our efforts to do so."

Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath added in the press release: "In recent years, the Texas Legislature has taken steps both to significantly increase funding for Texas public schools, and also to focus the structure of the finance system firmly on the needs of our students. This adjustment further accounts for COVID-19-related learning disruptions, and is yet another way we're prioritizing the needs of our state's teachers and students."

In normal times, schools are funded based on the number of students enrolled and the daily attendance on campus, the press release detailed. TEA has continued to prioritize flexibility to ensure essential funding support for school systems, by providing full funding based on daily attendance, whether the attendance was in-person or remote.

For the current academic year, this operational minute adjustment will result in the exclusion of operational minutes during those instructional days that schools have low percentage attendance rates, to ensure school districts have the financial resources to provide a high quality education to all students in Texas. It does not hold a district harmless for losses of ADA due to enrollment declines.