State Sen. Dan Patrick files bill to end CSCOPE lesson plans

AUSTIN — On Wednesday, State Sen. Dan Patrick filed Senate Bill 41 that prohibits the use of CSCOPE lesson plans. Senator Patrick has asked Governor Perry to add this important issue to the call of the special session.
During the 2013 legislative session, Senator Patrick led the charge to put an end to CSCOPE lesson plans. He passed legislation (SB 1406) that gave the State Board of Education the authority to review the CSCOPE lesson plans. Before the bill passed, the Texas Education Service Centers Curriculum Collaborative (TESCCC) decided to stop producing CSCOPE lesson plans. With this agreement and bill enacted into law, he believed the issue was settled.
Recently, Texas Education Agency attorneys have stated that the CSCOPE lesson plans are public domain and potentially available to anyone despite the fact that they are a licensed product. Senator Patrick disagrees with that analysis and is pursuing that legal argument.
Another concern of Senator Patrick relates to the operation of TESCCC. As a result, Senator Patrick has asked the State Auditor to perform an audit of the contracting practices of the CSCOPE governing board.
Among the concerns outlined in his letter to State Auditor John Keel are the facts that the Education Service Centers failed to comply with state law requiring a bidding process and the adoption of formal contracts with state government vendors.
“Texans deserve an open and transparent state government and that is particularly true of our public education system,” said Patrick. “The curriculum in our classrooms must be open to public scrutiny as well as the contracts to publish them.”
“The vast majority of parents, teachers, and legislators have made it clear they want CSCOPE out of their schools. I stand with them and intend to make sure no one tries to slide CSCOPE lesson plans under the classroom door, ” said Patrick.