Governor Greg Abbott announced the launch of the Texas Classroom Commission, a new teacher-driven advisory body designed to put public school educators at the center of shaping state education policy. Composed entirely of current and retired public school classroom teachers, the commission is tasked with developing practical, classroom-informed recommendations to bolster instruction, support educators, improve learning environments, and strengthen student achievement.
The group will deliver its findings directly to the Governor, the Texas Education Agency (TEA), and the Texas Legislature ahead of the 90th Legislative Session convening in January 2027. Speaking on the initiative, Governor Abbott emphasized the importance of centering frontline workers, stating, “Texas teachers know what their students need to succeed. By empowering those on the front lines of education, we will build on Texas’ success and ensure our state becomes the national leader in the education of our kids.”
The creation of the commission establishes a formal pathway for practitioners to directly influence upcoming legislative debates rather than relying solely on agency staff or traditional legislative committees. This practitioner-first approach arrives as Texas public schools navigate an intense transitional period, including ongoing adjustments following the 89th Legislature’s historic funding investments, permanent teacher pay raises, and expansions to the Teacher Incentive Allotment.
Rather than litigating past policy battles, the commission appears structured to evaluate how recent classroom interventions are operating in real-time, particularly as the state handles mixed academic indicators—such as recent standardized STAAR test results that demonstrated encouraging high school improvements alongside stalled elementary and middle school reading comprehension scores.
Courtney Boswell MacDonald of Kerrville has been tapped to chair the commission. A former math teacher in both Dallas ISD and Richardson ISD, MacDonald brings an extensive policy background to the role, currently serving as the chair of the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) alongside past tenures with the Senate Education Committee and as executive director for advocacy groups like Texans for Education Reform and Texas Aspires.
State leadership praised the appointment and the commission’s underlying mission, with Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows issuing joint statements highlighting the need to give teachers more direct authority and actionable input in Austin.
Policy organizations have also expressed optimism, with Mary Lynn Pruneda, director of education and workforce policy at the nonpartisan research group Texas 2036, calling the initiative a critical opportunity to partner with top teachers to elevate grade-level reading and math performance statewide. The commission is scheduled to begin its meetings in the coming weeks to finalize its regulatory roadmap.