The State Board of Education on Nov, 18, 2016 approved the following recommendations to the 85th Texas Legislature.

  1.    Expand the State Board of Education’s authority listed under Texas Education Code §31.023 to review and approve instructional materials beyond 50% of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills coverage, factual errors and applicable physical specifications.

2.    Allocate funds to the State Board of Education to support the creation and implementation of a long-range plan as required by Texas Education Code §7.102(c)(1).  
 
3.    Ensure sufficient legislative appropriations to increase staffing at the Texas Education Agency, particularly in the curriculum division, to provide adequate personnel to oversee and support the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills review and implementation process and the textbook adoption process.
 
4.    Support the Texas Education Agency’s Legislative Appropriation Request Exceptional Item to improve student data privacy by: 1) providing resources to the agency to ensure the agency data systems maintain and improve student data privacy, 2) passing requirements for publishers and third-party suppliers to ensure student data privacy and 3) enacting student data privacy guidelines for local districts that include a requirement for local district to adopt a plan to protect student data privacy.
 
5.    Support the Texas Education Agency’s Legislative Appropriations Request Exceptional Item for E-Rate to support funding for high-speed internet infrastructure for classroom connectivity to improve student access to online resources for all Texas students.
 
6.    Remove the limitation on the agency listed under Texas Education Code §7.028 to undertake on-site monitoring of school districts and charters and provide funding for on-site monitoring.  
 
7.    Protect the public education funds/services to adequately identify and serve the needs of all special education students by identifying and not limiting the number of students served or funding.
 
8.   Conserve public free schools and prohibit public dollars from going to private schools or parents/guardians.