IMCAT - Concerns and Goals for 86th Legislative Session

• Allow flexibility to pay for all costs of textbook and technology expenses such as interstate shipping or inventory software

•  Do not divert monies from the fund to pay for other items. This includes projects by the Texas Education Agency, as this is money taken directly from students for books and technology. We believe all projects need their own funding stream, such as Open Education Resources and Instructional Material Quality Reviews. Currently, the money spent for these projects would otherwise be going to individual school districts. 

• Our organization would like to see the PSF managed by one entity rather than the current setup which is the General Land Office and the State Board of Education. The SBOE currently manages the largest share of the PSF.

•  Any support for studying or mandating items for publishers that increase quality control for software and other technology would be greatly appreciated.

Proclamation 2021

The SBOE issued Proclamation 2021 at its June 2019 meeting to call for English and Spanish prekindergarten systems. The adoption of materials under Proclamation 2021 is scheduled to occur in November 2020. The adopted materials are scheduled to go into classrooms in the 2021–22 school year. 

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Click here to be directed to the Proclamation 2021 webpage.

Proclamation 2022

The SBOE issued Proclamation 2022 at its April 2020 meeting to call for health and physical education instructional materials. The adoption of materials under Proclamation 2022 is scheduled to occur in November 2021. The adopted materials are scheduled to go into classrooms in the 2022–23 school year. 

Legislation requiring the state to pay interstate instructional materials (IM) shipping costs (House Bill [HB] 396, 86th Texas Legislature) became effective September 1, 2019. This requirement affects Proclamation 2020 contracts and any contracts for future proclamations. State-adopted publishers with contracts in place prior to September 1, 2019 are not affected by this legislative change and will continue to follow the freight requirements in existing publisher contracts.

Districts are now required to submit requests for disbursement on freight for EMAT requisitions weighing over 150 pounds. The information below provides guidance for the new requirement:

• Publishers must use FedEx for requisition shipments weighing less than or equal to 150 pounds. FedEx is responsible for invoicing TEA directly.

• Publishers must invoice Local Education Agencies (LEAs) directly for requisition shipments weighing over 150 pounds. LEAs must submit a disbursement request for reimbursement in order to access the state freight fund.

• LEAs may negotiate freight and designate a freight provider of their choice for shipments weighing over 150 pounds; however, if the publisher or its depository offers alternative shipping arrangements at similar or better terms than those designated by the LEA, the LEA shall not unreasonably deny the request.

Submitting freight requests as reimbursements to the LEA will allow LEAs to know the actual freight cost and avoid overages. Overage funds for freight must be returned to TEA. Submit an Instructional Materials Help Desk ticket with questions about freight overages.