by Nicole Bradford
The next legislative session is around the corner, and school funding, teacher pay, safety, and mental health services continue to be discussion topics for Pearland ISD.
The 89th Texas Legislature is set to convene in regular session Jan. 14, 2025, until June 2.
Like other school districts, administrators in Pearland ISD have been discussing a list of legislative priorities for 2025.
“These are all from our listening circles as well as what the board believes are goals,” Superintendent Larry Berger told the board during an October discussion.
Goals on the list include increased funding to ensure smaller class sizes, especially for a growing number of students with higher needs, in addition to expanded early childhood programs to address learning gaps earlier.
Also important are programs to train teachers on classroom management and access to immediate behavior intervention resources.
“When we did parent surveys as part of the audit, one of the major findings I saw that bubbled to the top in almost every category was we have high behavior needs now,” Trustee Crystal Carbone said.
Behavior challenges are not limited to Pearland; experts say it is a nationwide issue and one of the reasons teachers are leaving the profession.
