With vouchers fast-tracked, other Texas public education issues to watch this session
From teacher pay and preparation to special education and DEI, here are issues Texas lawmakers are prioritizing this legislative session.
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As Texas gets redder, John Cornyn could face toughest primary season of his career
Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has hinted at a possible run, has more support than the four-term senator among Republicans, polling shows.
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Texas Legislature 2025
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health care
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School choice, vouchers and the future of Texas education
Vouchers would let parents use public funds to pay for their kids’ private education. Learn about how they could work and the political battle around them. Full Story
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![Lorenzo G Alarcon Elementary School received Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to create a calming and quiet room with the school counselor in San Elizario, Texas on July 23, 2024.]()
Credit: Justin Hamel for The Texas Tribune -
Legislature considers paying much more for school safety
Texas law requires an armed officer at each school. Districts are asking lawmakers to pay the full yearly cost, which they say is $100 per student. Full Story
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![Two DPS officers test classroom doors and patrol the campus at Dalton Elementary School on the first day of school in Uvalde on Sept. 6, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune
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Here’s how much Ted Cruz and Colin Allred raised in their U.S. Senate race
Updated fundraising figures show that the Senate candidates have fundraised a combined $193 million. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, left, and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune -
Project 2025 adviser takes the reins at EPA region including Texas
Scott Mason IV, a former deputy energy secretary for Oklahoma and member of the Cherokee nation, is the new administrator for the region that covers Texas and four neighboring states. Full Story
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![An operational pumpjack neighbors a trailer home in Gardendale on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune
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Spring forward? Maybe not in Texas as lawmakers mull ending daylight saving time.
Lawmakers here and in Washington have long debated ending the practice of changing the clocks twice a year. Full Story
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![The Texas Capitol on Feb. 1, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott wants to set a high bar for local tax increases
Local officials, school advocates and tax policy experts said such a proposal could have dire impacts on basic services. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks about the recent 88th Legislative Session to an audience at the Texas Public Policy Foundation offices in Austin, on June 2, 2023. Abbott recounted policy victories in regards to fentanyl and the border crisis, as well as limiting gender-affirming care and banning DEI practices in higher education. Abbott ended the event by promising to call a special session for school choice, after the current special session for property tax resolves.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Texas reports new measles outbreak in West Texas
The outbreak in Gaines County, with a population of about 22,000, has grown since two cases were reported in January. All those who contracted measles were unvaccinated, health officials said. Full Story
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![An empty emergency room at Goodall-Witcher Hospital in Clifton on August 3, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune
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Texas’ social media law takes another hit with temporary blocks on three more provisions
The new injunction prohibits advertising and age verification restrictions in the SCOPE Act, which aims to make social media safer for teenagers. Full Story
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![Sophomore Alexis Phan does her Algebra 2 homework remotely from her home in Pflugerville on Nov. 16, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
UT-Dallas students launch alternative newspaper after clash with administration
Students at the university created their own news organization — The Retrograde — after they reached an impasse with administrators regarding oversight and the firing of the campus newspaper’s editor-in-chief. Full Story
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![Gregorio Olivares Gutierrez, editor-in-chief of the University of Texas at Dallas’s new student newspaper The Retrograde, hands out copies of the first edition of the newspaper to students at the UTD student union on January 29, 2025.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Why oil and gas companies want state oversight for carbon dioxide injection
Environmentalists are worried the state — known for a lax approach to regulation — is not prepared for the added responsibility of regulating certain carbon capture projects. Full Story
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![Story caption:
Once the carbon dioxide is captured, the gas is compressed and transported, usually through pipelines, to a storage location, which is later injected into deep underground rock formations where it can be permanently stored.
Original alt-text:
Petra Nova CCS Facility at NRG Power Plant in Richmond on May 18, 2018.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Trish Badger
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Foster child death linked to state-contracted home prompts criminal investigation
The Greenville-based treatment center has closed after the death of an 11-year-old boy the day before Thanksgiving. Full Story
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![The Thompson’s Residential Treatment Center in Greenville, Texas on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025.]()
Credit: Emil T. Lippe for The Texas Tribune -
Nearly 900 Texas children are waitlisted for a mental health program billed as an alternative to foster care
Despite a long waitlist, the number of children served in the YES Waiver program has declined because of provider shortages. Full Story
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![YES Waiver Participant Quin Heston and his mother, Nidia Chairez Heston, stand outside their home in Austin on Jan. 27, 2025.]()
Credit: Julia Zeddies for The Texas Tribune -
Donald Trump’s immigration executive orders: Tracking the most impactful changes
ProPublica and The Texas Tribune took a snapshot of the blitz of executive orders Trump has signed since taking office by tallying nearly three dozen from his first day. Full Story
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![Silhouetted speaker U.S. President Donald J. Trump on stage facing bright lights, with raised arms and two transparent screens on either side.]()
Credit: Leah Millis/Reuters
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Border Patrol chief calls report that agents will board buses to check students’ citizenship “absurd”
The chief’s comments came after Alice ISD sent a letter to parents Wednesday warning students may be detained and possibly deported if they can’t prove they’re in the country legally. The letter was later removed from the district’s website. Full Story
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![A school bus waits at an intersection while driving its morning pickup route before dawn on Sept. 12, 2023 in West Odessa.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Texas bill that lets families use tax dollars for private schools swiftly sails through Senate
Senate Bill 2 now heads to the House, where top officials say they have the support to create education savings accounts. Full Story
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![Members of the Texas Senate take up Senate Bill 2, regarding school vouchers, during the 89th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature in Austin on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
Houston man pardoned by Trump arrested on child sex charge
Andrew Taake received a six-year sentence for assaulting officers on Jan. 6. He was arrested Thursday on an outstanding charge of soliciting a minor. Full Story
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![Newly pardoned Jan. 6 rioter Andrew Taake has been re-arrested in Houston.]()
Credit: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
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Health care access and economic insecurity top a list of challenges for Texas children
A San Antonio panel discussed the results of a new survey on the well-being of Texas children Thursday and proposed solutions to the state’s ongoing challenges. Full Story
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![A student walks down the hallway at Cactus Elementary School in Cactus on Jan. 28, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Inmates in this Texas program are leaving prison with jobs — and lower chances of reincarceration
Faced with more immediate funding needs, state officials haven’t asked for more money for rehabilitation programs, such as STRIVE, next budget cycle. Full Story
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![STRIVE graduate Melyna Rodriguez wipes a tear during the graduation ceremony inside the chapel at the Patrick O'Daniel Unit in Gatesville, Texas on January 28, 2025.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers may ban certain lessons at state colleges under expanded DEI crackdown
Legislators are expected to take up a $360 million proposal that would change the landscape of financial aid in the state. Full Story
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![Students walk through Texas State University campus Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018, in San Marcos, Texas.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune - More News