Letter to Commissioner Mike Morath and the TEA regarding funding for Hold Harmless
December 21, 2020December 18, 2020
Commissioner Michael Morath
Texas Education Agency
1701 N. Congress Avenue
Austin, Texas 78701
Dear Commissioner Morath,
We write you today to respectfully request that the Texas Education Agency (TEA) continue the Hold Harmless Guarantee for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year. An extension of the Hold Harmless would ensure our public school systems have continued flexibility and financial security to continue to provide academic instruction and programs while adjusting to the ongoing challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our school districts need full funding so they can continue to focus on student learning and mental health, employing and retaining staff to maintain programs, and keeping everyone healthy and safe.
The ongoing conditions and uncertainty of the pandemic into 2021 demands further stability for public education. TEA previously indicated it would monitor whether further adjustments to the Hold Harmless will need to be addressed for the second semester, but has not indicated if this important and necessary funding will be extended. Meanwhile, our districts are facing deadlines to make critical decisions regarding their budgets, including consequences to staffing and programs, if the Hold Harmless does not continue.
An extended Hold Harmless will allow districts the security to ensure that they can fulfill the commitments in their budgets. Districts have seen losses in enrollment due to the pandemic and anticipate those losses to be compounded by traditionally lower enrollment in the second semester despite their diligent efforts. The combination of lower enrollment and lower attendance in the spring makes the next six months extremely onerous without continuation of the Hold Harmless. Despite any such enrollment loss, ongoing budget and other education commitments and obligations remain.
The impact of COVID-19 has resulted in a learning loss for students whose education has been disrupted for the second school year in a row. Using Hurricane Katrina as an example, it has been reported that students in that crisis suffered significant learning loss. We do not yet know the long-term learning loss of the pandemic, but we do know that schools will need intervention strategies to address the learning slides that are reflected in assessments from the beginning of this school year. Potential reductions in staff, programs, and services due to loss of funding if the Hold Harmless is not extended will have a direct impact on some of the most vulnerable students and will have a long-lasting negative effect on their educational attainment.
Unfortunately, waiting for the 87th Legislative Session to mitigate the damage from such preventable loss of funding will be too late to help students this school year. The budget passed by the 86th Legislature is more than sufficient to fund the Hold Harmless Guarantee for the full current school year. Our urgent concern is that, if the Hold Harmless is not extended for the second semester, the process of making difficult and harmful decisions to reduce staffing, in addition to cutting programs for students, may be forced on school districts immediately. We must not let this happen.
We respectfully ask TEA to continue the Hold Harmless for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year.
Your thoughtful consideration and prompt action on this request in furtherance of your continued service to the education, safety, and development of our students is sincerely appreciated.
Sincerely,
Representative Steve Allison
House District 121
Representative Alma A. Allen
House District 131
Representative Rafael Anchia
House District 103
Representative Trent Ashby
House District 57
Representative Ernest Bailes
House District 18
Representative Michelle Beckley
House District 65
Representative Keith Bell
House District 4
Representative Diego Bernal
House District 123
Representative César Blanco
House District 76
Representative Dwayne Bohac
House District 138
Representative John Bucy III
House District 136
Representative DeWayne Burns
House District 58
Representative Angie Chen Button
House District 112
Representative Cecil Bell
House District 3
Representative Terry Canales
House District 40
Representative Sheryl Cole
House District 46
Representative Nicole Collier
House District 95
Representative Philip Cortez
House District 117
Representative John Cyrier
House District 17
Representative Drew Darby
House District 72
Representative Alex Dominguez
House District 37
Representative John Frullo
House District 84
Representative Gary Gates
House District 28
Representative Barbara Gervin-Hawkins
House District 120
Representative Mary Gonzalez
House District 75
Representative Vikki Goodwin
House District 47
Representative Bobby Guerra
House District 41
Representative Roland Gutierrez
House District 119
Representative Sam Harless
House District 126
Representative Cody Harris
House District 8
Representative Cole Hefner
House District 5
Representative Ana Hernandez
House District 143
Representative Able Herrero
House District 34
Representative Gina Hinojosa
House District 49
Representative Donna Howard
House District 48
Representative Celia Israel
House District 50
Representative Jarvis Johnson
House District 139
Representative Julie Johnson
House District 115
Representative Kyle Kacal
House District 12
Representative Stan Lambert
House District 71
Representative Brooks Landgraf
House District 81
Representative Lyle Larson
House District 122
Representative Jeff Leach
House District 67
Representative Ben Leman
House District 13
Representative Oscar Longoria
House District 35
Representative Ray Lopez
House District 125
Representative J.M. Lozano
House District 43
Representative Armando Martinez
House District 39
Representative Trey Martinez Fischer
House District 116
Representative Will Metcalf
House District 16
Representative Terry Meza
House District 105
Representative Ina Minjarez
House District 124
Representative Joe Moody
House District 78
Representative Christina Morales
House District 145
Representative Andrew Murr
House District 53
Representative Lina Ortega
House District 77
Representative Leo Pacheco
House District 118
Representative Tan Parker
House District 63
Representative Jared Patterson
House District 106
Representative Mary Ann Perez
House District 114
Representative Four Price
House District 87
Representative Richard Pena Raymond
House District 42
Representative John Raney
House District 14
Representative Ron Reynolds
House District 27
Representative Eddy Rodriguez
House District 51
Representative Ramon Romero
House District 90
Representative Carl Sherman
House District 109
Representative Hugh Shine
House District 55
Representative-Elect Shelby Slawson
House District 59
Representative Reggie Smith
House District 62
Representative John Smithee
House District 86
Representative Drew Springer
House District 68
Representative Lynn Stuckey
House District 64
Representative James Talarico
House District 52
Representative Ed Thompson
House District 29
Representative Senfronia Thompson
House District 141
