Confusion Grows Around TEFA Program
Andrea Chevalier, director of governmental relations for TCASE, told the Tribune that policymakers should consider ways to make the process more efficient so that districts are not forced to divert limited resources from students already receiving services. Chevalier said the current process places additional strain on districts at a time when special education programs already face staffing shortages and funding gaps.
Meanwhile, a follow-up story from the Texas Tribune the following day said the state comptroller’s office clarified aspects of the program after questions raised in the earlier reporting. The office said it is reviewing how the law is interpreted to determine whether families who miss the evaluation requirement this year could still qualify for higher funding levels in the future.
A story by Houston Public Media focused on similar confusion among families in the Houston area who are seeking voucher funding for students with disabilities. The story described parents struggling to determine what documentation is required to qualify for the higher funding tier and turning to school districts for help navigating the process, even though districts are not responsible for administering the voucher program.
TCASE President-Elect Gwen Coffey, assistant superintendent for special education in Katy ISD, said districts are seeing a noticeable increase in requests for evaluations as families try to meet the voucher timeline. Coffey said districts want to support families but must still follow federal timelines and procedures required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Coffey was not speaking on behalf of her district, but had much to say about the pressure on school districts.
Coffey says parents have asked her district to prioritize their child's evaluations in order to meet the voucher program's tight deadline, adding that she's heard of several “fairly nasty" interactions by phone and email between families seeking IEPs and district employees. They've tried to educate families new to the system who have tried to pressure district diagnosticians to complete the evaluation by the deadline, Coffey said.
Together, the three stories highlight a central issue emerging during the early rollout of TEFA: while families are eager to access the new funding, the program’s interaction with federal special education evaluation processes has created confusion for parents and additional workload for public school districts responsible for conducting those assessments.
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Process Outlined for IDEA-B LEA MOE Reviews
TEA also said its MOE calculation tools for school districts and charter schools have been updated for the fiscal year 2025 compliance cycle and pointed school systems to an additional data sources document to support internal calculations. The agency said systems should compare their own calculations with TEA’s results once the reviews are released and then decide whether to accept the review or respond with exceptions or adjustments.
The letter also highlights several response pathways for systems that need to challenge or clarify their results. TEA said allowable submissions might include federal statutory exceptions, MOE voluntary reduction, SHARS Reimbursement Survey reporting errors and PEIMS reporting errors supported by auditor documentation. The agency also said new training slide decks on exceptions and PEIMS errors are available on the IDEA-B LEA MOE webpage, with an additional Zoom training scheduled for April 2.
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Nominations Open for TCASE Board
Serving on the board is a significant commitment. It requires dedication, time and a willingness to actively participate in meetings and discussions. It also comes with leadership development, networking and the feeling of rewarding impact on the field and personal growth.
Positions to be filled are:
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Three general board member positions (3-year term);
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One secretary/treasurer (2-year term;
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One president-elect position. The presidential track is a 3-year term, with succession to President and Past President. To be eligible for this position, you must have served on the board for at least one year;
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The possibility of another partial term once a selection of the president-elect occurs (presidential track candidates must serve at least one year on the board and often come from the current board).
Submit your nominations by March 25. Questions? E-mail Theresa Parsons at theresa@tcase.org.
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Panelists Offer Cautionary Tale on Vouchers
In Arizona, advocates said the state’s universal voucher program is projected to cost about $1 billion, while in Ohio lawmakers expanded vouchers even as public schools were not fully funded. Wisconsin panelists said decades of incremental policy changes have broadened eligibility without improving outcomes.
Despite those concerns, panelists said organizing, litigation and data-driven advocacy can still shape policy. Advocates highlighted grassroots organizing, transparency efforts and legal challenges as key strategies for protecting public school funding as voucher programs expand.