6 Texas Funding and Legislative Moves to Watch in 2025
As we begin the new year, it’s an ideal time to explore the funding opportunities on the horizon to support Texas initiatives and requirements to improve student acceleration, enhance postsecondary programming, and support innovative learning strategies. Here’s an overview of key Texas initiatives and funding streams you can leverage as you close out the 2024–25 school year––plus, a look at what we may expect from the 2025 legislative session.
Funding State Initiatives
1. Accelerated Instruction and Teacher Incentive Allotment Program (TIA)
The ) program has provided over $575 million in funding to 597 school districts since the 2019–20 school year. TIA funding celebrates top-performing educators with compensation and recognition through teacher designations.
Not only does the TIA directly support and uplift Texas teachers, but schools can bypass state supplemental instruction requirements when an identified student is assigned to a TIA-certified teacher in the following school year. This offers schools flexibility in programming and saves funding on contracting for supplemental instruction and materials. Applications for the current TIA application cycle are now open for districts to create or expand their system plans until April 15, 2025.
Did you know? You can incorporate Edmentum's TIA-approved solutions, —Exact Path and Study Island— as 3rd party pre-tests and post-tests to create your Texas local designation system. .
2. College, Career, or Military Readiness Outcomes Bonus (CCMR OB) and Accountability
Schools should pay special attention to their College, Career, or Military Readiness (CCMR) programming due to the recent changes in the related , which have been raised from 60 to 88 percent for schools to receive an “A” grade. Schools successfully providing CCMR programming can meet accountability requirements and gain valuable bonus funding through the .
The CCMR OB is an annual funding initiative designed to reward districts for preparing students for life beyond high school. Bonuses are awarded for the performance of CCMR graduates exceeding a percentage threshold of three different student groups. Districts exceeding these thresholds receive annual funding to support and expand college- and career-readiness initiatives, in turn raising their accountability scores.
Do you need help expanding your CCMR programming? Edmentum’s TEKS-aligned Courseware includes a wide range of core and career-focused courses, along with test-preparation resources for TSIA, SAT, ACT, and industry certifications. Learn more about how Edmentum can support your CCMR initiatives.
3. Innovation and Acceleration with Learning Acceleration Support Opportunities (LASO) Grants, Cycle 4
Texas is gearing up for the fourth round of its LASO (Learning Acceleration Support Opportunities) grant program, anticipated to launch in early 2025. Based on the structure of previous rounds, the following grant categories may be expected to include:
- Blended Learning: Support for integrating technology and traditional teaching methods
- Early College High School: Programs enabling students to earn college credits while completing high school
- School Action Fund: Assistance for school transformation and innovation initiatives
- Strong Foundations: Focus on foundational literacy and numeracy
- Technology Lending: Programs to expand student access to technology
Edmentum can support your upcoming LASO summer learning program this year with solutions for credit recovery, intervention and skill recovery, successful grade transitions, test readiness, and early literacy to help students catch up and get ahead. Learn more about our summer learning solutions.
Looking Ahead: 2025 Legislative Session
Texas’ biennial legislative session has begun, and a 140-day whirlwind is expected to bring about significant changes to education funding and policies, with an estimated $24 billion surplus in August. Keep an eye on the following hot topics that could affect future school funding.
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Governor Abbott has long supported creating an education savings accounts (ESAs) program and may finally see them come to fruition this legislative session. The Texas Republican party has been split on this program in recent years, but the 2024 election has tentatively allowed for the support needed to pass it this session. Gov. Abbott’s current proposal sets aside $1 billion for the program.
Increased School Funding
Additional school funding has been closely intertwined with the ESA debate. During the last legislative session in 2023, more than a $4 billion education spending boost was held, contingent upon the passage of an ESA program. With the expected passage of the program, schools may finally soon see the delayed increase.
Senate Committee Recommendations: Early Childhood, Testing, and Accountability
The Texas Senate Committee on Education released its interim report before the start of the legislative session with some recommendations including to: (a) expand the Early Education Allotment so that pre-K–4 students generate additional funding to provide school systems more resources for evidence-based acceleration strategies; (b) reinstate the release of annual A–F accountability ratings; and (c) continue the Texas Through-Year Assessment Pilot (TTAP).
Edmentum can help you prepare for coming challenges and opportunities.
The funding landscape is constantly changing, and districts need to stay ahead of new challenges and opportunities as they arise throughout the year. Edmentum’s flexible Texas-aligned solutions can support you. Check out our Funding Toolkit for insights and ideas on navigating the education funding landscape.
Our dedicated Texas team is ready to help you build measurable learning gains with our TIA-approved solutions, expand your college- and career-readiness initiatives, equip your educators with the right tools and adapt to shifting accountability requirements.We’re excited to be your partners on this journey! If you have any questions or need assistance along the way, feel free to reach out—we're here to help!
See how Edmentum is helping districts like Navasota ISD provide individualized instruction for all students.