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EMAT Dates

The educational materials ordering system known as EMAT will close at 12:00 p.m. CDT on April 1, 2019. School districts and open-enrollment charter schools (charter schools) should place orders for instructional materials needed during the 2018−19 school year before April 1, 2019. EMAT will reopen for ordering materials for the 2019−20 school year on May 1, 2019.

Allotment and TEKS Certification

School districts and charter schools are required to certify annually to the State Board of Education and the commissioner that, for each subject in the required curriculum other than physical education, students have access to instructional materials that cover all the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Districts and charter schools will be unable to order 2019−20 instructional materials through EMAT until the certification has been received by the Texas Education Agency (TEA).

The required Allotment and TEKS Certification is available in EMAT. Instructions to access and process the form are available on the EMAT announcement page.

The certification form must be presented to the local education agency’s (LEA’s) board of trustees or governing body. The superintendent, board president, and board secretary are required to sign the form before it is submitted to TEA. The signed certification form can be scanned and emailed to the TEA instructional materials mailbox at instructional.materials@tea.texas.gov.

Technology and Instructional Materials Allotment

The 2020−2021 biennial technology and instructional materials allotment will be calculated and made available in LEAs’ EMAT accounts when appropriations have been made by the 86^th Texas Legislature. The following options will be available to purchase instructional materials for the 2019−20 school year prior to that time:

• Any unexpended funds from previous years (carry-over funds) can be used to purchase materials.
• Districts and charter schools can spend local funds and be reimbursed through disbursements when their 2020−2021 biennial funding becomes available. However, school officials should be aware that the LEA will be responsible for any purchases that cause it to exceed its available EMAT balance (as it will stand after the 2020−2021 biennial allotments are added) or that are not for allowable allotment purchases.

Although the amount of each LEA’s allotment will be reflected in EMAT as early as possible this summer, the funds will not actually be available until after September 1, 2019. A delayed-payment option, authorized by the Texas Education Code, §31.0215, allows districts and charter schools to requisition and receive state-adopted instructional materials before the allotment funds for those materials are available, if the publisher of those materials has agreed to participate in the option. Information regarding which publishers will participate in the delayed-payment option will be available in EMAT when it opens for the new year. The delayed-payment option can be used for up to 80 percent of a district’s or charter school’s allotment. Once the 2020−2021 biennium funds become available, TEA will prioritize delayed-payment requisitions over any disbursement requests made directly by a district or charter school.

Accessible Instructional Materials

Districts and charter schools can order adopted accessible instructional materials (AIM) for students with print disabilities through EMAT at any time after it opens in May. Braille, large-print, and audio instructional materials remain the property of the state and are not paid for through a district’s or charter school’s allotment.

Districts and charter schools that choose to purchase non-adopted instructional materials should remember that, should braille, large-print, or audio versions be required by a student’s individualized education or 504 plan, the district or charter school is required to provide those using allotment or local funds.

If you have any questions, please contact the Instructional Materials Division at (512) 463-9601 or instructional.materials@tea.texas.gov.