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Legislative Focus Areas

Committed to meeting the needs of our community, the New Caney ISD Board of Trustees Legislative Affairs Committee has identified legislative focus areas for consideration by the Texas Legislature that align with the priority goals of the Board of Trustees. The committee met during the spring of the 2025-26 school year to discuss issues that could be considered by state lawmakers in the next legislative session, as well as areas where action by the state could help New Caney ISD better serve students and the community. The four major areas addressed by the legislative priorities are school safety and security, teaching and learning, staff recruitment and retention, and fast growth student enrollment. These focus areas were approved by the Board of Trustees in June 2026. 

School Safety and Security

Ensuring safe and secure learning environments remains a fundamental responsibility of public schools. New Caney ISD supports policies that strengthen campus safety, support the well-being of students and staff, and enable schools to respond effectively to emerging safety challenges while maintaining positive and supportive school climates. The Texas legislature could consider: 

  • supporting continued funding for the School Safety Allotment, ensuring allocations remain sufficient and flexible over time to meet the evolving safety needs of schools. Updating state law to allow school districts to exercise discretion in making disciplinary decisions regarding vaping related offenses.

  • regulating the sale and marketing of hemp-derived THC products, including age restrictions and reasonable distance requirements from school campuses, to reduce student access and protect school environments.

Teaching and Learning

New Caney ISD is committed to providing high-quality educational opportunities that prepare every student for future success. The school district supports policies that promote strong instructional programs, remove unnecessary barriers to effective teaching and learning, and ensure schools have the flexibility and resources needed to meet the diverse academic needs of all students. The Texas legislature could consider:

  • funding the development of programs or entities to serve students with the most intensive behavioral and academic support needs and/or establishing appropriate funding mechanisms that enable school districts to provide services that require intensive staffing and interventions.
  • preserving the intent of HB 1842 (84th Legislative Session) by maintaining District of Innovation as a meaningful, locally governed framework for responsible flexibility.
  • aligning full-day pre-K funding with state instructional requirements while expanding eligibility to include the children of all school district employees.
  • reducing redundant state reporting requirements for special education departments, enabling staff to focus on providing services to students.
  • reducing reliance on standardized assessments in the state’s accountability system, and emphasizing locally relevant, non-testing factors that have value for students, parents, and teachers.

Staff Recruitment and Retention

Attracting and retaining highly qualified educators and staff is essential to student success. New Caney ISD supports policies that strengthen the educator workforce by reducing barriers to entering and remaining in the profession, improving working conditions, and ensuring schools have the flexibility and support needed to recruit and retain talented employees. The Texas legislature could consider:

  • modernizing and equitably increasing the state’s contribution toward public school employee health insurance to provide sustainable, long-term support for all Texas educators and school employees, reduce reliance on temporary stabilization funding, and address rising healthcare costs regardless of a district’s participation in TRS ActiveCare or an alternative health plan.
  • providing school districts greater flexibility in addressing staff shortages, including expanded authority to issue local school district teaching and administrator permits and the ability to hire qualified candidates who are actively completing certification requirements.
  • removing inhibitive waiting periods and limits regarding certification testing for prospective teachers currently required by the State Board for Educator Certification.

Fast Growth Student Enrollment

Rapid enrollment growth creates both opportunities and challenges for school districts as they work to meet the needs of expanding communities. New Caney ISD supports policies that ensure state funding systems and facilities planning tools adequately reflect the realities of fast-growing districts so schools can continue providing high-quality educational environments for all students. The Texas legislature could consider:

  • ensuring that any new statutory or regulatory requirements placed on public schools are accompanied by sufficient ongoing funding and implementation flexibility so districts can meet state expectations without reducing instructional programs, student services, staffing, or other local priorities.
  • ensuring that any future increases in the homestead exemption are accompanied by uniform, fully funded, and permanent hold-harmless provisions that allow school districts to accurately estimate the tax impacts of bond propositions and other financial decisions.
  • preserving school districts’ authority to manage and retire bond debt early when fiscally advantageous, ensuring flexibility to reduce interest costs and protect taxpayers.
  • ensuring any changes to property taxes preserve predictable school funding and local control, allowing districts to meet the unique needs of their students and communities.
  • ensuring that any changes to election date policies preserve local discretion to choose the most appropriate and fiscally prudent timing for bond elections.
  • eliminating or significantly increasing the Fast Growth Allotment cap so fast-growing school districts receive full, non-prorated funding for new student enrollment. This will allow districts to meet immediate classroom, staffing, transportation, and facility needs without diverting resources from existing students.
  • providing additional funding for measures that facilitate relief for fast-growth school districts, including the:
    • Instructional Facilities Allotment
    • New Instructional Facilities Allotment
  • clarifying requirements for public notice and disclosures related to bond referenda and the local tax implications of the bond issuance process.
  • converting to a school finance system that funds districts based on student enrollment rather than average daily attendance, improving revenue stability and aligning funding with the actual costs of educating all enrolled students.