House Bill 3 (HB 3) Implementation: College, Career, or Military Readiness CTE, Incentives for High School Models, and High School Equivalency

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DATE:  August 22, 2019
SUBJECT: House Bill 3 (HB 3) Implementation: College, Career, or Military Readiness CTE, Incentives for High School Models, and High School Equivalency
CATEGORY: Funding Implications
NEXT STEPS: Share with appropriate staff

This letter is to inform you of the College, Career, or Military Readiness (CCMR) sections established under HB 3. These sections of the bill provide funding for Career and Technical Education and Technology Applications, incentivize innovative high school models, and provide a subsidy to the Texas Workforce Commission for high school equivalency exams. Additional information about these sections of the bill are described below. Please share this information with your counselors, administrators, fiscal staff, PEIMS coordinators, and teachers.

Career and Technical Education and Technology Applications Funding

  • Goes into effect in the 2019-2020 school year
    • HB 3 funds high school CTE and Tech Apps courses taught in the middle school in grades 7 and 8.
      • This does not include funding to teach middle school students the College and Career Readiness (CCR) TEKS.
        • Districts deliver these TEKS either as add-ons to established courses or in stand alone courses such as Career Investigations and College and Career Readiness.
    • Investigating Careers, Adopted 2015.
      • College and Career Readiness
    • Technology Applications – including all high school computer science and related courses in CTE funding (whether offered in high school or down to 7th grade)
    • Requires at least 55% of funds to be spent on CTE (funding can now support CTE down to grade 7) 
    • Summer CTE grant program: $5 million to provide access to CTE over the summer
      • Grant applications will be released in fall of 2019

Innovative High School Models

  • Goes into effect in the 2019-2020 school year
    • New formula funding has been added to support the P-TECH and New Tech high school models
      • For each student enrolled in a P-TECH or New Tech high school, a district will receive $50 

Subsidy for High School Equivalency

  • Provides a subsidy for TEA to transfer to the Texas Workforce Commission to provide high school equivalency examinations for individuals who are 21 and older

For Further Information 
Learn more about these sections of HB 3 in our HB 3 in 30 webinar in CCMR. If you have any questions regarding HB 3, please contact HB3info@tea.texas.gov. or visit our website. 
If you have questions regarding College, Career, and Military Preparation, contact us at (512) 936-6060 or CCMP@tea.texas.gov

Sincerely, 
Heather Justice
Division Director, College, Career, and Military Preparation
Texas Education Agency