Relating to the abolition of the Texas Education Agency and elimination of the position of commissioner of education, the transfer of powers and duties to the State Board of Education and the comptroller of public accounts, and the elimination of public school accountability and assessment systems.

89th Legislature (2025) Introduced by Andy Hopper and 14 co-sponsors

Bill eliminates Texas Education Agency and standardized school accountability/testing systems, transferring duties to State Board of Education and Comptroller.

Referred to Public Education

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Legislative bill overview

HB 2657 proposes to eliminate the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the position of Commissioner of Education, transferring their responsibilities to the State Board of Education and the Comptroller of Public Accounts. The bill would also eliminate the state's public school accountability and assessment systems, including standardized testing frameworks currently used to measure school performance.

Why is this important

This legislation would fundamentally restructure how Texas oversees and evaluates its public education system. The elimination of accountability and assessment systems would remove the primary mechanism through which the state currently measures student achievement, school effectiveness, and educational quality across the state's roughly 9 million public school students.

Potential points of contention

Accountability void: Removing assessment systems eliminates data on student learning outcomes, making it difficult for parents, policymakers, and districts to identify struggling schools or measure educational progress

Administrative capacity: The State Board of Education and Comptroller's office would assume significant new duties; unclear whether they have adequate staffing and expertise to manage statewide K-12 education operations currently handled by TEA

Federal compliance: Texas receives federal education funding tied to accountability measures; eliminating these systems could jeopardize federal dollars and create conflicts with federal education law requirements

District autonomy vs. state oversight: Reduced state assessment may increase local control but could widen disparities between well-resourced and under-resourced districts without standardized performance data