Rockwall ISD Board of Trustees Approves Rockwall ISD Legislative Priorities for the 89th Legislative Session

The Rockwall ISD Board of Trustees approved Rockwall ISD’s legislative priorities for the 89th Legislative Session that starts January 14, 2025. District leaders will begin sharing these legislative priorities this month with elected officials representing Rockwall ISD in the state legislature, advocating for the critical funding and support necessary to meet the needs of all students, teachers, and staff. The district also encourages Rockwall ISD stakeholders to join in this effort by sharing these priorities with elected officials and community members.

In summary, the priorities include:

1. Fully Fund Public Schools: Increase the basic student allotment by $1,495 to $7,655 per student to provide the same buying power afforded to public schools in 2019, adjusted for inflation. This will allow districts to address teacher and staff recruitment and retention through long-term competitive compensation outside of any one-time increase.

2. Fully Fund School Safety: Increase the School Safety Allotment to ensure armed officers at all campuses per state requirement without negatively the funding for other services.

3. Fully Fund Special Education: Adjust funding based on severity of services rather than instructional arrangement to fully support Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for special education students.

4. Inflation Index Funding: Create a Basic Allotment inflation index adjustment factor to adjust the basic student allotment to reflect changes in the consumer price index as determined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

5. Assessment and Accountability Priorities: Repeal the A-F grading system, which heavily relies on high-stakes tests (STAAR) and reduce state assessments by eliminating those not required by federal law, reducing testing time, and prohibiting standardized tests from serving as the primary indicator of student and school performance. Rockwall ISD advocates for non-high-stakes tests such as diagnostic reading, writing, and math assessment alternatives that measure growth in student performance.

To view the full details of the legislative priorities, go to www.rockwallisd.com.