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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The amount of paperwork required by federal and |
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state education agencies causes an undue burden on teachers, |
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especially those in special education, whose time and efforts would |
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be better spent focused on the needs of their students; and |
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WHEREAS, Countless teachers pursue a career in education |
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because they want to make a meaningful difference in the lives of |
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children; federal requirements, however, impede that worthwhile |
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goal by overwhelming educators who are working hard to create |
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lesson plans, grade assignments, and give individualized attention |
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to pupils and their parents; by adding unmanageable and often |
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redundant paperwork to already overloaded schedules, the |
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government creates a disincentive for teachers to remain in their |
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chosen field; and |
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WHEREAS, The IDEA Paperwork Reduction Act of 2002, which the |
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United States Congress failed to pass, aimed to reduce overall |
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paperwork for teachers by more than 50 percent by eliminating |
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redundancies between federal and state agencies and using |
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technology to create a more streamlined process; these proposals |
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are worthy of reconsideration in order to improve upon the |
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inefficient and onerous system currently in place; and |
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WHEREAS, Our best educators serve as role models, motivators, |
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listeners, and mentors, and it is incumbent on the government to |
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promote efficiency and quality in our education system by |
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eliminating unnecessary paperwork and allowing teachers to focus on |
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their students; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby respectfully urge the United States Congress to reduce the |
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amount of paperwork required of teachers by federal law; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
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the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of |
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Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the |
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members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that |
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this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a |
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memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |