House Bill 2 Implementation: CTE Certification Reimbursement to Districts
| Date: | March 26, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Subject: | House Bill 2 (HB 2) Implementation: CTE Certification Reimbursement to Districts |
| Category: | CTE District Reimbursements |
| Next Steps: | Share with CTE directors, HR professionals, and other appropriate staff |
Overview
House Bill 2 (HB 2), 89th Texas Legislative Session, amended Texas Education Code (TEC), §29.190, the statute that authorizes the ¶¶ÒõÊÓƵ to subsidize the cost of approved industry-recognized certification examinations for eligible students and certain teachers, by revising subsections (a-1), (b), and (c). Under TEC, §29.190, TEA reimburses school districts for the cost of certification examinations paid by the district when a qualifying student completes a career and technology program or special education program and passes a cybersecurity-related certification exam.
House Bill 2 extends this reimbursement authority to include certification costs paid by districts for educators who are issued a standard certificate on or after September 1, 2025, in one of the following approved Career and Technical Education (CTE) areas:
- Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources: Grades 6-12
- Business and Finance: Grades 6-12
- Family and Consumer Sciences Composite: Grades 6-12
- Hospitality, Nutrition, and Food Sciences: Grades 8-12
- Human Development and Family Studies: Grades 8-12
- Health Science: Grades 6-12
- Marketing: Grades 6-12
- Technology Education: Grades 6-12
- Trade and Industrial Education: Grades 6-12
- Trade and Industrial Workforce Training: Grades 6-12
Certification costs eligible for reimbursement to districts include:
- Certification exam fees
- Certification application fees
- Fingerprinting fees
Who is Eligible?
Educators who are issued a standard certificate in one of the ten CTE areas listed above, during the timeframe of September 1, 2025, through June 1, 2026, are the population of educators eligible for the CTE Certification Reimbursement to Districts process.
CTE Certification Reimbursement Request Submissions:
Beginning with fiscal year 2026, districts will be able to request CTE certification reimbursements annually. Districts can complete the CTE Certification Reimbursement to Districts Form to request reimbursement of applicable fees they (districts) have paid for issuance of a standard certificate to eligible CTE-certified educators. For the 2026 fiscal year, districts can submit CTE certification reimbursement requests from March 26, 2026, through June 12, 2026.
please note that districts must submit one reimbursement request per eligible educator. Districts can submit all eligible educator reimbursements through the form here: .
This form has been designed in Qualtrics to streamline the information districts are required to provide and facilitate secure submission, review, and approval processes for districts and the agency.
A set amount of funds has been dedicated every fiscal year to support the CTE Reimbursements to Districts process. Districts can submit requests up to the June 12, 2026, submission deadline; after that, TEA will finalize its review and approve reimbursements to districts in the order received, until the annual funding limit is reached. There will then be one payout from TEA to all eligible districts by early August of each fiscal year.
Key Dates
The following dates outline the CTE reimbursement to districts submission, review, and distribution processes.
| DATE | EVENT |
|---|---|
| March 26, 2025 | To The Administrator Addressed (TAA) released explaining the CTE Reimbursement to Districts process |
| September 1, 2025 – June 1, 2026 | Timeframe for CTE standard certificates to be issued and considered eligible for districts to request reimbursement for related costs |
| June 12, 2026 | Deadline for districts to submit CTE reimbursement requests to TEA |
| August 1, 2026 | Districts may review their direct deposit reimbursements processed by TEA via their TEA Payment Report |
Additional Questions or Support
A Frequently Asked Questions document has been prepared to support districts with the CTE Reimbursement to Districts process. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact the Division of Educator Certification directly by telephone, at 512-936-8400, option 2, or with the Subject Line: CTE Certification Reimbursement to Districts – Request for Assistance.