CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — House Bill 2, a landmark education law investing billions into Texas public schools, is bringing significant changes to classroom staffing requirements across the state.
Starting next school year, districts like Corpus Christi Independent School District will be required to ensure every core subject teacher is fully certified, ending the practice of hiring uncertified teachers for these positions.
"By next school year, anybody teaching a core subject in elementary will have to be fully certified," said Dr. John Prezas, CCISD assistant superintendent for school leadership.
While elective classes like welding and Career and Technical Education are exempt from these requirements, the flexibility that allowed districts to create their own certification pathways will be significantly limited.
CCISD's Associate Teacher Program, which has helped the district combat ongoing teacher shortages, will be affected by these changes. The program allows anyone with a degree to become a teacher in CCISD while working toward certification.
"Anybody who has a degree can come be a teacher in CCISD and they work towards certification," Prezas said.
The program provides new educators with two years to certify, mentorship opportunities, and reimbursement for certification costs.
"It's our teacher pipeline. So we are able to grow our own teachers and we have them, we train them," Prezas said.
The program also helps create stability in classrooms by developing educators who are invested in the community.
"We have people who care about the kids, care about the schools, be part of the community," Prezas said.
With House Bill 2 tightening certification options, CCISD is requesting an extension from the state, hoping to delay implementation of the new rules until the 2029-2030 school year.
For districts across Texas, the challenge lies in finding balance between raising educational standards while keeping classrooms adequately staffed for the students who depend on them.
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