Texas lawmakers have released their interim charges for 2026, outlining the issues they’ll focus on before the next legislative session. Interim charges act as a roadmap, helping committees investigate specific topics, gather information, and prepare legislation for the 90th Legislative Session, which starts January 12, 2027.
Education is at the center of both the Texas House and Senate agendas, with some overlapping priorities and several chamber-specific focuses that reflect current policy debates.
House and Senate: Shared Priorities
Both chambers are closely monitoring legislation affecting school funding, teacher retention, and student support services:
Public school finance and teacher pay: House Bill 2 includes the $4.2 billion Teacher Retention Allotment for statewide teacher raises. The House is also focused on closing the rural pay gap.
School discipline and mental health: HB 6 initiatives addressing behavioral supports and mental health services remain under review.
School choice programs: Senate Bill 2 established the Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA), which has received over 250,000 applications. Both chambers are tracking the program, with the Senate exploring expansion opportunities.
Teacher and leadership pipeline: Committees will evaluate retention strategies, misconduct reporting, and agency oversight, including the Texas Education Agency and State Board of Education.
These priorities reflect a shared interest in ensuring Texas schools are well-funded, staffed, and accountable to families and communities.
House-Specific Focus
Speaker Dustin Burrows outlined House priorities in a 53-page interim document, highlighting several areas unique to the chamber:
Technology and AI in schools: Exploring how emerging tools can enhance learning and support teachers.
Middle school outcomes: Reviewing academic supports and interventions to better prepare students for high school.
Special education expansion: Investigating factors behind a 72% rise in special education enrollment since 2017, reviewing funding impacts, and evaluating workforce preparation programs.
Policy monitoring: Includes HB 1481 (cell phone restrictions) and HB 8 (school assessments, performance ratings, and accountability plans).
The House appears particularly focused on equity and access, aiming to improve outcomes for rural students, middle schoolers, and students with special needs.
Senate-Specific Focus
The Senate has reorganized its education oversight, splitting the former K-16 Education Committee into separate Education and Higher Education committees. State Sen. Donna Campbell will chair the Education Committee for the remainder of the interim. Senate priorities include:
Parental control and curriculum oversight: Monitoring SB 12 (Parental Bill of Rights) and SB 13 (library access and book approvals).
Enrollment trends and scheduling: Evaluating declining enrollment, four-day school weeks, and hybrid instructional models.
Texas history and “exceptionalism”: Encouraging standards that emphasize American and Texas history in social studies curricula.
School partnerships and security: Reviewing rules for events linked to organizations designated as hostile or foreign actors, following recent controversies over Islamic Games events in Grapevine-Colleyville ISD and Cypress-Fairbanks ISD.
The Senate’s approach emphasizes parental oversight, historical curriculum content, and operational flexibility for schools.
Controversy Shapes the Agenda
Education policy in Texas is not just about funding and outcomes—it also reflects cultural and political debates. The controversy over schools hosting Islamic Games events, which involved organizations labeled as foreign threats by the governor, has influenced the Senate’s interim focus on partnerships and security. Meanwhile, curriculum standards promoting Texas and American history continue to generate attention across both chambers.
Looking Ahead
With the interim charges finalized, lawmakers have months to study these issues before the 2027 legislative session begins. Families, educators, and school districts can expect continued debate over:
Funding and teacher retention
Curriculum content and historical emphasis
Special education growth and support services
Technology integration and middle school outcomes
Parental control over school programs and library access
The filing period for bills opens November 9, 2026, setting the stage for months of legislative proposals that could reshape public education in Texas.
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