Below is a list of projects that benefit from these funds.
One of the top allocations for TEA is $48.5 million for a data privacy initiative for K-12 school systems in 2024. According to the agency’s original legislative appropriations request, the data privacy initiative will improve the ability of school systems within the state to prevent cyber attacks.
For example, potential uses of these funds include school systems receiving regular third-party cybersecurity risk assessments to identify how to strengthen internal defenses, having access to regional assistance teams to implement multifactor authentication and data backups and subsidized access to endpoint detection response and network detection response cyber-defense tools.
As for 2025, the state’s budget lists funding for the project as “UB” or “undistributed budget.” As soon as funding is allocated for the project, it will be reflected in budget documents.
Also allocated to the agency is $16.8 million in 2024 and $16.3 million in 2025 for data center and shared technology services and data center consolidation. According to the agency’s legislative appropriations request, investing in the Texas Department of Information Resources’ Data Center Services program will give the agency uninterrupted access to data and mainframe, server, network, data center operations, bulk print and mail technology as well as services through a hybrid cloud model that leverages two regionally diverse state data centers and multiple cloud providers.
Other notable budget allocations include:
- $1.3 million each in 2024 and 2025 for hardware and software infrastructure
- $1.4 million each in 2024 and 2025 for an educational materials textbook ordering system
- $1 million each in 2024 and 2025 for the CAPPS enterprise resource planning system
More information about the state’s budget can be found online.
