Legislative staffers Tuesday received a one-page report detailing changes to Senate Bill 3, which would exclude rural counties from participating in the private school subsidy programs and limit overall participation.
Aliyya Swaby
Aliyya Swaby was the public education reporter for The Texas Tribune, where she worked from 2016 to 2021. Previously she worked at the hyperlocal nonprofit New Haven Independent, where she covered education, zoning and transit for two years. After graduating from Yale University in 2013, she spent a year freelance reporting in Panama on social issues affecting black Panamanian communities. She was an Education Writers Association finalist in 2017 for beat reporting and a Livingston Awards finalist in 2019 for a series on school desegregation.
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Public Education
House committee approves $1.6 billion school finance measure
The House Public Education Committee voted 10-1 to approve Chairman Dan Huberty’s school finance bill, which would mean gains for most, but major losses for some.
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Politics
Rural “school choice” letter campaign sparks confusion, accusations inside Texas Capitol
An advocacy group says thousands of letters sent to rural lawmakers suggests widespread support for legislation that would create education savings accounts. But lawmakers — and some constituents — say the letters are dubious.
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Public Education
Senate Education Committee passes school choice legislation
In a 7-3 vote, the Senate Education Committee passed a bill that would create two public programs subsidizing private school tuition and homeschooling expenses.
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Public Education
School choice bill proponents, foes debate what’s best for families
Tuesday’s Senate Education Committee debate on private school subsidies lasted more than seven hours and saw experts on both sides arguing they knew best how to educate black and Latino Texas students.
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Public Education
Watch Senate Education Committee discuss school choice legislation
The Senate’s public education committee will hear testimony on the leading “private school choice bill” for the first time this session, Tuesday at 9 a.m.
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Public Education
Trump budget cuts would hit Texas education service programs hard
President Trump’s proposed budget would cut about $14 million from Texas programs designed to provide tutoring, mentorship and counseling for low-income students.
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Public Education
Education committee chairs push major edits to A-F ratings for schools
House Public Education Committee Chairman Dan Huberty and Senate Education Committee Chairman Larry Taylor filed bills to help make the A-F accountability system more palatable to educators, who say grading their schools won’t help them serve students better.
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Public Education
Senate panel tentatively votes to defund Abbott’s pre-K program
The Senate Finance Committee gave initial approval to budget items that would cut $180 million from state-funded pre-K in favor of a $40 million public-private partnership.
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Public Education
Public charters fight uphill battle for facilities funding
Charter schools, seeking more state money, want the public to know that they’re public schools, too.
