Education
Gratitude to Sanofi Pasteur on Ethical Polio Vaccines
Sanofi Pasteur, one of the leading providers of polio vaccines, recently announced it will only use an ethical animal cell line to produce its stand-along polio vaccines Pentacel and Quadracel. The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops thanked Sanofi Pasteur. You can also, by writing them here.
Read MoreSine Die Report for the 86th Legislature
Sine Die Report on Priority Bills in the 86th Legislative Session Educate: Throughout the 2019 session, we educated and mobilized the laity to take an active role in supporting the bishops’ agenda. Specifically, we have published online briefs—available here—of the topics on our legislative agenda to explain Church teaching and how to improve state law.…
Read MoreAs amended, HB 21 improves school finance and offers choice for special needs students
Michael Barba The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops support HB 21 as amended by the Senate. The Principle of Parental Choice. We strongly support parental choice and we applaud Rep. Simmons for authoring this bill, both because it: 1. recognizes that parents are the primary educators of a child, and 2. provides opportunities for special needs…
Read MoreHB 1335: Parental choice helps children in foster care and with special needs, too
Michael Barba Associate Director of Public Policy My name is Michael Barba and I am testifying on HB 1335 on behalf of the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops. The Principle of Parental Choice. We strongly support parental choice and we applaud Rep. Simmons for authoring this bill, both because it: recognizes that parents are the…
Read MoreHB 3347: Support before- and after-school care
Michael Barba Associate Director of Public Policy The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops supports HB 3347. Analysis and Recommendation. Under HB 3347, the board of trustees of a school district can establish before-school and after-school programs for students in Elementary or Middle school. The programs would be maintained through public-private partnerships, and HB 3347 effectively makes…
Read MoreSB 2144: school finance reform needs student-centered equity
Michael Barba The Texas Conference of Catholic Bishops support SB 2144. This is the best first step toward addressing our school finance system, and runs parallel to our work: following the 2017 session, the bishops have charged the TCCB with providing recommendations upon how to improve the finance system. Our work will shed light on…
Read MoreHB 1799: Good cooperation to keep children safe in public and private schools
Lisette Allen The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops support of HB 1799. In our own operation of schools, we have established a program called Safe Environment, through which we train all staff how to recognize early signs of potential abuse and prevent it from occurring. We maintain policies governing adult-student interactions, including on social media.…
Read MoreHB 21: First step in addressing school finance reform
Michael Barba HB 21 makes adjustments to the finance system, especially by providing a new weight for dyslexic student and folding funds into the Basic Allotment. It is a first step toward addressing a fundamental problem in the system. The fundamental problem is that Texas collects revenue through a local property tax to fund a…
Read MoreParents Prepare Children To Head Back To Texas Catholic Schools
Over the next three weeks, more than 80,000 students will return to the 265 Catholic schools in Texas to start the 2015-2016 academic calendar. Anxiety tends to run high for both children and their parents at the beginning of every school year. However, the Texas Catholic Conference Department of Education has a few simple tips…
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