Texas Education Agency

S A C unset dvisory ommission

Staff Report with Final Results

Texas Education Agency

July 2015

Sunset Advisory Commission

Senator Jane Nelson

Representative Four Price

Chair

Vice Chair

Senator Brian Birdwell Senator Donna Campbell Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa Senator Charles Schwertner Dawn Buckingham, M.D.

Representative Cindy Burkett Representative Harold V. Dutton, Jr. Representative Larry Gonzales Representative Richard Pe?a Raymond Tom Luce

Ken Levine

Director

Cover Photo: The Texas State Capitol was completed in 1888. With the Goddess of Liberty atop the dome, the Texas State Capitol Building is 19 feet taller than the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. The photo shows the north facade of the Capitol. The gardens in the foreground sit atop a 667,000 square foot underground structure, the Capitol Extension, which houses many legislators' offices and committee rooms. Photo Credit: Janet Wood

Texas Education Agency

Sunset Staff Report with Final Results July 2015

This document is intended to compile all recommendations and action taken by the Sunset Advisory Commission for an agency under Sunset review. The following explains how the document is expanded and reissued to include responses from agency staff and the public.

? .Sunset Staff Report, October 2014 ? Sunset staff develops a separate report on each individual agency, or on a group of related agencies. Each report contains both statutory and management recommendations developed after the staff 's extensive evaluation of the agency.

? .Sunset Staff Report with Hearing Material, November 2014 ? Adds responses from agency staff and the public to Sunset staff recommendations, as well as new issues raised for consideration by the Sunset Commission at its public hearing.

? .Sunset Staff Report with Decision Material, December 2014 ? Adds additional responses, testimony, or new issues raised during and after the public hearing for consideration by the Sunset Commission at its decision meeting.

? Sunset Staff Report with Commission Decisions, December 2014 ? Adds the decisions of the Sunset Commission on staff recommendations and new issues. Statutory changes adopted by the Commission are presented to the Legislature in the agency's Sunset bill.

? .Sunset Staff Report with Final Results, July 2015 ? Adds action taken by the Legislature on Sunset Commission recommendations and new provisions added by the Legislature to the agency's Sunset bill.

Table of Contents

Summary of Final Results

(Following the Table of Contents)

Page

Summary

................................................................................................................................... 1

Status of 2012 Sunset Commission Recommendations

................................................................................................................................... 7

Agency at a Glance

................................................................................................................................... 15

Issues/Recommendations

1 While TEA Has Improved Oversight of Its Large and Complex Student Assessment Contract, Further Work Is Needed......................................................... 21 Commission Decision (page 30c) Final Results (page 30c)

2 TEA Does Not Effectively Manage Public Involvement to Obtain the Greatest Value From Its Stakeholder Input............................................................... 31 Commission Decision (page 34c) Final Results (page 34c)

3 Regulating the Private Driver Training Industry Does Not Match TEA's Public Education Mission.......................................................................................... 35 Commission Decision (page 40f) Final Results (page 40f)

4 Outdated and Unnecessary Statutory Provisions Divert TEA's Focus From Its Core Functions..................................................................................................... 41 Commission Decision (page 50g) Final Results (page 50g)

Page

5 TEA Lacks Authority and Flexibility in Annexing a School District, Especially an Imminently Insolvent District.............................................................. 51 Commission Decision (page 56c) Final Results (page 56c)

6 Educator Certification Can Be Overseen by the Commissioner of Education Without the Need for a Separate Board................................................... 57 Commission Decision (page 62d) Final Results (page 62d)

7 Elements of Educator Certification Do Not Conform to Commonly Applied Licensing Practices....................................................................................... 63 Commission Decision (page 66d) Final Results (page 66d)

8 Elements of the Regulation of Educator Preparation Programs Do Not Conform to Commonly Applied Licensing Practices................................................ 67 Commission Decision (page 70d) Final Results (page 70d)

9 TEA's Statute Does Not Reflect Standard Elements of Sunset Reviews................... 71 Commission Decision (page 74a) Final Results (page 74a)

10 Texas Has a Continuing Need for the Texas Education Agency............................... 75 Commission Decision (page 78b) Final Results (page 78b)

New Issues

................................................................................................................................... 79 Commission Decision (page 83)

Page

Provisions Added by the Legislature

................................................................................................................................... 85

Appendices

Appendix A -- Driver Training Fees in Statute........................................................ 87

Appendix B -- Texas Education Agency Reporting Requirements........................... 89

Appendix C -- Equal Employment Opportunity Statistics...................................... 95

Appendix D -- Historically Underutilized Businesses Statistics............................... 97

Appendix E -- Sunset Staff Recommendations for the Commissioner of

Education's Powers and Duties......................................................... 101

Appendix F -- Sunset Staff Recommendations for the Texas

Education Agency's Powers and Duties............................................ 107

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download