TEXAS AFT LEGISLATIVE HOTLINE--FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2009 (copyright 2009 Texas AFT)   * Approved:  Texas Plan Using Stimulus Funds to Aid Districts, Raise Teacher Pay * Proposed: Federal Regulations for Access to "Race to the Top" Reform Grants * Texas AFT Report on Notable Laws Enacted in 2009 Legislative Session Now Available    Approved–Texas Plan for Use of Federal Dollars to Aid Districts, Raise Teacher Pay:  U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan this afternoon announced his approval of the Texas application for education stimulus funds submitted by Gov. Rick Perry on July 1. More than $2 billion will be available immediately thanks to this decision, Duncan said. As his press release noted, "Today's funding is being made available per Texas's successful completion of Part 1 of the State Stabilization Application."   The Texas application specified that $1.87 billion of the federal "Education Stabilization" funds would be used to increase in state formula aid to school districts under the Foundation School Program, as provided by SB 1 and HB 3646, the two-year budget and school-finance bills passed by the legislature in May. Under these two bills, school districts must use a portion of their new state aid to provide a pay raise of at least $800 a year above step for all classroom teachers and full-time counselors, librarians, school nurses, and speech pathologists. This state requirement was specifically noted by Gov. Perry in the Texas stimulus application approved by Secretary Duncan today.   We will have a full report on the impact of federal approval of the Texas stimulus plan in an upcoming hotline. Meanwhile, the Associated Press is reporting the story as follows:   "The money approved Friday will go to school districts for use, at least in part, in a state-mandated $800 bonus for teachers and other professional employees.   "Gov. Rick Perry applied for the money last month, and Texas lawmakers wrote a state budget allocating most of it to school districts with the proviso that it go to a teacher pay raise. Some school districts had been reluctant to budget the money amid questions over whether the allocation would be approved.   "A spokesman from U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards said the state will have to reapply for a second part of the request--about $1.4 billion. That was slated to help replenish the Permanent School Fund, which has taken a hit since the recession started."   Proposed--New Federal Regulations on Access to "Race to the Top" Reform Grants: AFT will judge the proposed federal regulations for the $4.35 billion "Race to the Top" fund released today by how much the program helps students, whether it is fair to teachers, whether it is transparent to the public, and whether it requires shared responsibility.   AFT President Randi Weingarten, Executive Vice President Lorretta Johnson, and ten local and state AFT leaders were among the 125 invited guests at a U.S. Education Department event at which President Barack Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan spoke about the new fund and their shared commitment to improve public education.   The Race to the Top fund will provide grants to encourage and reward states for plans in four core education-reform areas aimed at improving teacher and principal quality, academic standards, data collection, and turning around low-performing schools.   The Education Department has listed 19 criteria on which to judge grant proposals. "We are going to use our own four criteria when reviewing the department's plan," Weingarten says. "They are: Does it help kids? Is it fair and helpful to educators? Is it transparent? And does it require shared responsibility? If the answer is 'yes' for each, then we have a real chance of improving the quality of teaching and learning and raising student achievement."   Weingarten says AFT will withhold final judgment until the final regulations are issued, following the 30-day comment period, of which AFT leaders will take full advantage. Texas AFT will join AFT in closely scrutinizing and commenting on the proposed rules.    "Will we agree with everything? I doubt it. But hopefully we will agree that teacher evaluations must be improved the right way. We need meaningful, fair, and multiple measures for supporting and evaluating teachers so that evaluations aren't based on one observation by a principal or one standardized test score," Weingarten says. "But both the president and Secretary Duncan understand that teachers are essential to education reform and that their voices need to be heard as we launch this major offensive to improve public education."   Weingarten says she is pleased that the administration wants to implement reform with teachers, not to them. "Emphasizing the importance of obtaining teacher union support and a sign-off by local union leaders on the application is an initial down payment on fulfilling this commitment," she says.   Notable Bills of 2009 Legislative Session: On Texas AFT's Web site today you will find a summary of significant new laws enacted by the Texas legisature in its 81st regular session this spring. You'll find the compendium of notable new laws at http://www.texasaft.org. Please note that the analysis will be updated from time to time as implementation of these new laws unfolds--and today’s announcement by Secretary Duncan of the approval of the Texas plan for the use of education-stimulus dollars is a prime example of the type of new development that will be covered as the analysis is updated.