King Signs on to Legislation to Support Teachers

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Last week State Representative Phil King (R- Weatherford), at the request of schoolteachers and superintendents, signed on as co-author to HB 2491. In an effort to support teachers in the classroom, HB 2491 implements a two year moratorium to suspend all state mandated testing and assessments for a period ending September 30, 2013. In addition, superintendents may apply funds or appropriations originally intended for this testing to support teacher jobs and the resources they need.

King stated, “In these tough economic times and with the projected budget shortfall Texas is facing, it is important that we keep in mind how hard our educators work and not add to their workload with new mandates, especially in light of possible budget cuts to school districts.”

The cost for testing, which can easily go well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars in a school district, can be staggering.

“We have to change the way we are asking schools to do business and help them lower their costs,” King said, “This legislation is a step in the right direction.”