Texas Education Agency - Austin, Texas

Calvin Antonetty

Not having the option to send a college or university a SEALED COPY of a GED transcript is just flat out wrong. Every reputable testing service or certification agency has a mail option. Almost every major college/university requires education verification through Parchment or a Sealed Official transcript mailed directly from said agency.

On top of not having this option up-front, the staff has been incredibly rude over the phone.

Danielle Williams

These reviews about the T.E.A. unfortunately confirm what I have known about the Texas education system for years now. It is corrupt and dysfunctional. So many atrocities have been overlooked by the agency and the welfare of the children, who are forced to attend, are at risk as a result.

Md Bhuiyan

Texas school system and school district. First of all this review is not for any particular school of education office, more about the education system and administration. The way schools are funded is not a sustainable system as it depends on the housing health of the school district. Unfortunately, people who has no school going children and have a house on the high end of the value range, pays a high tag to the school district without getting any benefit out of it. Also this create a visible discrepancy in the education system, where poor neighborhood with lower house price has lower education fund to promote better education. The taxing on the property owner should be stopped and state should take the responsibility of public school education.
Another important factor is the school bus, it a big tin can that gets very hot in summer and very cold in winter. Kids get toasted in summer and get into lots of health issues. What kind of first world country this is where they can not afford air conditioning in the school bus, whereas many third world countries provide air conditioning. The state regulation must impose setting up air conditioning in the school bus for the health safety of the children.

Elizabeth Martinez

Word of advice; If you're seeking immediate help from TEA, it's best to try calling their 'help' phone number instead of filling out a help request form. The online forms are a good system, but the help staff doesn't always respond right away, which is understandable since i'm sure they're constantly receiving questions and requests.

That being said, if you require assistance on the double, you're better off calling them. Yes, you do risk being put on hold, but few minutes of waiting is certainly better than waiting a few hours or a few days for an email response.

Jessica J Garza

The TEA does not care about our children, our families, or our communities. They are doing absolutely anything they can to NOT to protect our children. No virtual schooling during a pandemic, parents are allowed to send children who have been exposed to covid to quarantine AT school. The complete opposite of what quarantine is! My kids are so excited to be back at school but unfortunately I am seriously considering withdrawing them and home schooling.

Kate

Why in the world, with the new surgence of the Delta variant, would TEA not even require children, too young to be vaccinated, to quarantine when someone in their household tests positive for Covid? “As long as they aren’t showing symptoms” is reckless. With Delta, you can be contagious before ever showing symptoms, or even asymptomatic as many have now proven to be, even children. That just puts all of their classmates in danger. TEA needs to put the children and school employees’ health and well being first...before the money. Children under the vaccination age should be required to wear a mask and given the option of virtual learning, no matter their underlying health, as well as quarantine when someone in their household tests positive or in their classroom. It’s common sense. TEA needs to be more responsible with our children’s lives and be held accountable for negligence when being irresponsible. Come on, TEA, do the right thing.

Jelly

TEA does not value the life of Texas teachers or students. While they are working completely remotely, they are sending people back to schools DURING A LITERAL PANDEMIC. Schools are ill-equipped, and it's just impossible to manage that many people in a tiny space. Instead of spending money to reopen schools, they can continue to provide money for the staff that tirelessly works from home, and we can keep everyone's families safe. Breathing and life is a human right! We do not need to jeopardize this when students can still receive education from home!

Laura Bartholomew Young

TEA is not practicing what they preach. It is unreasonable to refuse to use public health data to decide when in-person instruction is safe for students AND school staff. Furthermore, it is hypocritical to threaten to withhold money from districts who need to teach virtually from a pandemic hotspot while TEA plans to work and meet remotely until January 2021! Please stop valuing politics and the testing machine over the literal lives of students and staff and their families.