Jill Dutton, Brent Money advance to runoff for Texas House special election
Five Republicans and one Democrat were on the ballot for the ruby-red seat, but most of the drama has focused on two GOP candidates, Dutton and Money. Full Story
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![Republicans Jill Dutton and Brent Money are running in a special election for state House District 2 seat, empty since former state Rep. Brian Slaton, R-Royse City, was expelled from the House.]()
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Proposition 9 would increase pensions for retired teachers and public school employees
If approved by voters on Nov. 7, the proposal would allocate $3.3 billion to the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, increasing pensions between 2% and 6%. Full Story
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![Retired educator Joe Ramirez sits at a desk surrounded by walls of photos and awards in his Austin home on Nov. 2, 2023.]()
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Private schools are ready to expand into smaller communities if Texas adopts voucher program
With rural Texas relatively underserved by private schools, the potential for expansion could play a role in the debate over whether to let families use taxpayer money to pay for private education. Full Story
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![A student's school supplies on the first day of in-person classes in Texas on Sept. 8, 2020.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Public education advocates propose alternatives to STAAR test, push for more pathways for teachers
As Gov. Greg Abbott expands his special session agenda to include public education funding, some still take issue with the governor tying new money for teacher raises and school safety to a voucher program. Full Story
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With 22 portable classrooms on one campus, a growing Texas school district is asking voters for $2 billion
Conroe is one of the fastest growing school districts in the state. It and other districts say they need voters to OK bonds to keep up with the influx of students. Full Story
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![A cluster of portable classrooms at Nimitz Middle School is seen pictured Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 in Odessa.]()
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School voucher supporters and opponents debate public school funding, private school accountability
Voucher opponents took issue with taxpayer dollars going to less regulated private schools, while proponents said parents can best choose which schools meet their needs and values at a Texas Tribune event. Full Story
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‘They just tried to scare us’: Anti-abortion centers teach sex ed inside some Texas public schools
The groups work in dozens of school districts across the state, but some public health experts say their curricula can be misleading and biased. Full Story
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![The South Texas Pregnancy Care Center in Seguin.]()
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First day of school comes with mixed student emotions after Texas took over Houston ISD
Thousands of Houston-area students returned to radically different campuses Monday as a new era begins in Texas’ largest school district. Full Story
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![Kamden Terry, 17, reflects on his high school experience before going to football practice on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023, in Houston. (Joseph Bui for Houston Landing)]()
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U.S. Department of Education reaffirms Baylor’s religious exemption in response to sexual harassment complaints
The university had asked the federal agency to dismiss sexual harassment complaints by LGBTQ+ students, arguing that the claims infringed on the school’s religious tenets. Full Story
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![The Old Main building behind the Burleson Quadrangle at Baylor University in Waco on Dec. 23, 2020.]()
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After property-tax deal, Speaker Dade Phelan weighs in on leadership relations, next special session, reelection
Rapport among the state’s top three Republicans has greatly improved, the House leader said, but another relationship-testing special session awaits on contentious education issues. Full Story
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![House Speaker Dade Phelan gavels in the session on May 29, 2023.]()
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Texas A&M University System regents name Mark Welsh interim president of flagship campus
The board also gave university lawyers the green light to negotiate a possible settlement with Kathleen McElroy after the university bungled the hiring of the journalism professor. Full Story
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![Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp attends the special meeting of the Board of Regents on Sunday, July 30, 2023 at the Texas A&M campus in College Station. Next to him is Ray Bonilla, Texas A&M's general counsel.]()
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New school safety laws seek to add armed guards, chaplains and mental health training. Here’s what you need to know.
Experts say many of the changes will bolster school safety but some requirements may be challenging for public schools to implement by the upcoming school year with limited funding and staffing constraints. Full Story
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![Austin Police Department officer Cory Ehrler monitors the entrance to Ridgetop Elementary School in Austin, Texas shortly after classes start on the Monday following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. As the 83rd Legislature approaches, Texas lawmakers are considering making firearms more available to teachers and other school personnel. The Texas Tribune (Smith: School Security). Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune.]()
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Texans have many educational credentials to choose from to begin a career. Here’s how to navigate them.
Texans who aren’t sure about college have several pathways to well-paying jobs. Here’s how those programs prepare people for careers when a four-year degree may not fit. Full Story
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![21-year-old Violet Fields measures Nora Hernandez-Mondragon’s blood pressure before class at the Leander Campus of Austin Community College on Oct. 4. The students were participating in a healthcare apprenticeship program for Baylor Scott & White employees.]()
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Texas colleges offer job training for students with disabilities. Here’s how to use those programs.
Students with disabilities can succeed in college with the right kind of help. There are programs that can support them. The programs help them live on their own, find jobs, and make a difference where they live. Full Story
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![Students walk to class on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station on Nov. 15, 2022.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan join forces on property taxes. It might help the push for school vouchers.
Phelan announced the formation of a House committee that could set the tone in favor of vouchers ahead of an expected special session on education. The move comes weeks after Abbott sided with Phelan on a plan to lower property taxes. Full Story
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![Newly-elected House Speaker Dade Phelan greets Gov. Greg Abbott before speaking to the Texas House during opening ceremonies as the 2021 Texas Legislature gets down to work in Austin on Jan. 12, 2021.]()
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No teacher raises. A failed school voucher push. Armed guards. Here’s what changed for public education this legislative session.
Lawmakers sacrificed school funding to block school vouchers, but the issue could be debated again in a special session. Districts will get new funds for school safety, though Uvalde families were ultimately left disappointed with inaction on gun restrictions. Full Story
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![Students in Mrs. Cazares' third-grade class on the first day of in-person classes at Highland Village Elementary on Sept. 8, 2020.]()
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Texas lawmakers OK bill that aims to keep sexually explicit material out of school libraries
Approved by both chambers, the bill is now on its way to the governor. Unless he vetoes it, the bill will become law, which means book vendors will have to assign ratings to books based on depictions or references to sex. Full Story
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![Vandegrift High School's library in Austin on March 2, 2022.]()
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Texas Senate passes school safety bill that would require districts to bolster their active-shooter plans
Both chambers have said school safety is a priority this session after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at a Uvalde elementary school last year. Full Story
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![A police officer monitors Maplewood Elementary School in Austin a week following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.]()
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Texas House’s version of the Senate’s voucher bill would change eligibility to the program and replace the STAAR test
The Texas House’s education committee is soon expected to discuss the new version of Senate Bill 8, which was heavily modified to sway votes in the lower chamber. Full Story
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![House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, gavels the House into session on the House floor during session at the state Capitol in Austin on April 11, 2023.]()
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A former NFL player persuaded politicians that his child ID kits help find missing kids. There’s no evidence they do.
Texas is among at least 11 states that have agreed to distribute fingerprinting kits sold by Kenny Hansmire’s Waco-based National Child Identification Program. Some are spending millions even though similar kits are available for free. Full Story
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Credit: Lauren Crow for The Texas Tribune and ProPublica