1.What happened to the Technology Allotment? Is it gone? SB 6 eliminates 32.005 in the Texas Education Code, but adds much of the same language to describe a new fund that will be called the Instructional Materials Allotment (IMA). The IMA may be used to purchase instructional materials AND technological equipment necessary to support the use of materials included on the list adopted by the commissioner; pay for the training of educational personnel directly involved in student learning in the appropriate use of instructional materials as well as technical support personnel as long as they support equipment that is directly involved in student learning; and pay to provide access to technological equipment for instructional use. It also allows districts to use the IMA to purchase any technological equipment as determined by the district.
2.Do districts lose the $30 per student that was provided in the Technology Allotment? SB 6 eliminate the Technology Allotment, but NOT technology funding. This bill creates a new revenue stream for districts to use to fund technology, the Instructional Materials Allotment. The IMA will have a broader scope than the Technology Allotment, but it gives districts flexibility with both the former Technology Allotment and the funds set aside to purchase textbooks. It actually opens all kinds of possibilities for schools.
3.How much money is appropriated for the Instructional Material Allotment? The funding for the IMA is a per-pupil allocation. The commissioner has the responsibility for determining the amount of the IMA each year. SB 6 calls for the legislature to appropriate 50% of the disbursement from the Permanent School Fund (PSF). The State Board of Education determines how much will be disbursed from the PSF. However, due to the current budget crises, the legislature was not able to appropriate the full 50%. $608 million was appropriated for the Instructional Materials Allotment (IMA) in HB 1 and $184 million was appropriated in HB 4, for a total of $792 million. The commissioner will consider several factors in determining each district’s IMA.
4.Can a district use the IMA to fund salaries for technology personnel? Yes. SB 6 allows a district to use the IMA to pay for personnel who will train teachers on the use of technology as well as technical support personnel as long as they support equipment that is directly involved in student learning.
5.Who decides how much of the IMA is spent on instructional materials and how much is spent on technological equipment or training? SB 6 requires a district to first make sure that the district has materials that are necessary to implement the new assessments for the school years 2012-2013. In 2013, SB 6 establishes an order in which the district shall use the IMA: 1. Instructional materials to teach the TEKS; 2. Any other instructional materials or technological equipment as determined by the district. The district should use these criteria in deciding how they should spend the IMA.
6.What is the Technology Lending Program? It is a grant program designed to help districts lend technological equipment to students who have no access to technology at home. The commissioner may use up to $10 million of the IMA to fund the program.
7.Who owns the instructional materials or equipment purchased with the IMA? SB 6 made it clear that districts own the instructional materials (whether printed or electronic) and technological equipment purchased with the IMA.
8.If a school district sells the printed materials and equipment that were purchase with the IMA, how can the proceeds be used? SB 6 stipulates that the proceeds of the sale of instructional materials or equipment that had been purchased by funds from the IMA must be used on items that can be bought with the IMA. SB 6 allows districts to dispose of items purchased with the IMA as long as they no longer are in need of the items, however a district may sell printed instructional materials only when they are no longer under adoption by the SBOE.
9.Can districts charge a student for instructional materials or technological equipment purchased by the district with funds from the IMA? No. However, districts may charge a student for any damaged or lost instructional materials or technological equipment. A district may offer the student an insurance policy for school purchased equipment so that in the event the equipment is lost, stolen, or damaged, the insurance will cover the cost for the lost or damaged equipment. However, if the equipment was purchased with IMA funds, the district may not require the student to purchase the policy.
10.How will the district report that they are utilizing the IMA funds to purchase items that are allowed in the education code? Districts must annually certify to the commissioner that the district has materials for the foundation courses. Additionally, SB 6 lists what type of instructional materials a district should use to determine if they have met the intent of the law. Include in the list are: materials on the SBOE and/or the commissioner’s list, open-source materials adopted by the SBOE or made available by other public schools, and materials developed or purchased by the school district. SB 6 also requires a school district to provide the title and publication information for any instructional materials purchased with IMA funds.
11.When using the IMA to purchase technological equipment, do districts have to choose from an approved list? No. SB allows districts to purchase the equipment they need that enables them to teach and students to learn the required curriculum.
12.What is included in the definition of “instructional materials”? SB 6 defines “instructional materials” as the following: content that conveys the TEKS of a subject in the public school curriculum through a medium or combination of media. It includes a book, supplementary materials, workbook, software, magnetic media, DVD, CD-ROM, computer courseware, online services, and open-source content.
13.What happened to the word “textbook”? SB 6 replaces the word “textbook” with “instructional materials” throughout this section of the TEC.
14. If a district purchases a book off the non-conforming list, do they still have to pay 30% of the book from local funds? No. Under SB 6, there are no conforming or non-conforming instructional materials. So there is no financial penalty.
15.Do districts still have to purchase a class-set of SBOE adopted instructional materials? SB 6 eliminates the language in HB 4294 that required districts to purchase a class-set of instructional materials.
16.Are the textbook credits still in place? SB 6 repeals the textbook credits.
17.Are districts required to purchase materials for each student? Districts are required to ensure that every student has access to instructional materials that cover all the TEKS for each subject. How they accomplish that is a local district decision. They might keep a textbook that is now out of adoption and supplement it with online materials. Or, they could provide a textbook for each student while they are at school, and provide them with access to online materials at home.
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Questions regarding Advocacy: Jennifer Bergland 512 450 5448
