New TSDS Core Collection: Teacher Vacancy Collection
| Date: | March 26, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Subject: | New TSDS Core Collection: Teacher Vacancy Collection |
| Category: | TSDS Data Submission |
| Next Steps: | Share with appropriate LEA, ESC, and vendor staff |
The ºÚÁÏÉç (TEA) is providing advance notice to school systems regarding the implementation of a new Texas Student Data System (TSDS) core collection: Teacher Vacancy Collection.
Overview of the Teacher Vacancy Collection
House Bill (HB) 2, 89th Legislature, added , which directs TEA to collect information from school systems regarding vacant teaching positions to support teacher retention and recruitment efforts statewide.
Beginning with the 2026-27 school year, TEA will implement the Teacher Vacancy Collection as a new TSDS core collection. School systems will report information on vacant teaching positions that occur between September 1 and August 31 of each school year. This collection will open in the fall of 2026 and will be due in September of 2027. School systems will report information about vacancies between September 1, 2026, and August 31, 2027.
The collection will be submitted annually and is due on the fourth Thursday of September. The first submission will be due on September 23, 2027.
Data to Be Reported
The Teacher Vacancy Collection will include information on vacant teaching positions. The information collected will include:
- Program assignment
- Instructional grade level range
- Academic subject area
- Vacancy date
- Posting information
The collection is focused on position-level data. All vacant teaching positions, whether or not the position is subsequently filled during the school year, will be reported.
Timeline and Key Dates
- March 26, 2026 – FAQ posted to HB2 Webpage
- March 31, 2026 – TSDS ESC Training
- July 21-22, 2026 – TSDS ESC Training
- August 3, 2026 – TSDS is ready to load Teacher Vacancy data to IODS.
- September 7, 2027 – Teacher Vacancy Collection available for school systems to mark as complete.
- September 23, 2027 – Teacher Vacancy Collection due date for school systems.
Training and Support
TEA will communicate additional implementation details through the TSDS ESC training offered on March 31, 2026. A summer training for ESCs will also be available on July 21-22. ESCs will also receive training from the TSDS Customer Engagement team. Vendors receive monthly webinar trainings. Additionally, an FAQ will be available on the HB2 webpage, and additional outreach to the field is underway.
Technical guidance, including data standards and validation rules, has been published in the .
Next Steps
School systems should coordinate with their vendors and internal data managers to ensure readiness for the Teacher Vacancy Collection.
Contact Information
Questions regarding the Teacher Vacancy Collection may be directed to TEA through the TSDS Incident Management System (TIMS) or future program-specific contact information that will be shared in subsequent communications.