Texas schools are wary of losing funding gains lawmakers provided in 2019
A school finance bill in 2019 boosted funding for districts, but the pandemic has since added layers of financial uncertainty. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/ed71d526fb42017119fc49152128bca7/Boyett%20AC%20TT%2018.jpg)
-
![Student Kaison Hockenbarger and Ms. Abigail Boyett go over his answers to a multiplication assignment in Schoology. Schoolog…]()
Credit: Alejandra Casas for The Texas Tribune -
Where parents and students in Texas can turn for help with mental health concerns
Reports of depression, anxiety and thoughts of suicide among Texas students are rising as the pandemic drags on. Here is a resource guide for those seeking help. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/365012c032240639ed14a50fb5494c15/Remote%20Learning%20COVID%20REUTERS%20TT%2001.jpg)
![A Texas elementary school student works on a laptop.]()
Credit: Erich Schlegel for USA Today Network via REUTERS -
Jordan’s story: Isolated, anxious and failing online classes, an 11-year-old Texas boy considered suicide
Months of remote learning were hard on the Frisco ISD student. Like other schoolchildren across the state, he experienced mental health issues, in large part due to social isolation during the pandemic. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/48a461db2c5591be1b1bb0a2e9b8133f/Judson%20HS%20AG%20TT%2006.jpg)
![Chairs are stacked on tables in a classroom at Judson High School in Converse on Aug. 11, 2020.]()
Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune -
Texas unveils plan to have all students take STAAR online by 2022
The report comes on the heels of Texas signing two, four-year contracts totaling $388 million with companies to develop and administer the standardized tests. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/4360abe3a03c1bc9dcc316f46a9331c5/Cris%20Hernandez%20Westfield%20HS%20AI%20TT%2015.jpg)
![U.S. History teacher Cris Hernandez remotely teaches a class in an empty classroom at Westfield High School on Sept 15, 2020.]()
Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune -
Texas hires two companies to run STAAR, moving toward statewide online testing
Contracts totaling $388 million have been awarded to Cambium Assessment and Pearson, a longtime player in testing Texas public school students, to develop and administer STAAR for the next four years. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/490cffb755af85c90b24f92bd05c06e0/STAAR%20PYH%20TT%2001.jpg)
![STAAR themed decorations adorn the hallways of Wharton Elementary School in Wharton on April 21, 2018.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Texas school sports moved indoors for the winter. So did the coronavirus.
Some states delayed winter sports, but Texas has allowed the games to go on with precautions. Medical experts say the transmission risks are simply too high. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/1aff1740fefec997e2d1ac3182db4a4d/Westwood%20HS%20Bball%20SF%20TT%2006.jpg)
![Westwood High School head coach Brad Hastings speaks to his team during a time out during a basketball game at Round Rock Hi…]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Texas school leaders urge state not to cut funding as they struggle with declining enrollment
Enrollment has fallen as schools and families grapple with pandemic closures and health concerns. Next semester, the declines could start hitting district budgets. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/8e143ce61f4685c4e5bbefd6d9f146cf/Premont%20ISD%20AG%20TT%2006.jpg)
![Desks are seated six feet away from each other at Premont Collegiate High School on Aug. 4, 2020 in Premont. Some desks, mar…]()
Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune -
This high school senior plans to be the first in her family to attend college. She has to finish virtual school first.
Isabel Suarez, a Pflugerville High School senior, cares for her two younger siblings while their mom is at work. She balances that with completing piles of homework assignments this fall during the pandemic. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/620ac57ba6e7457a17d14692bc7828c1/Isabel%20Suarez%20School%20JV%20TT%20004.jpg)
![Before the start of the school day, Isabel Suarez works on homework from her home in Pflugerville. Dec. 9, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Listen: She’s tutoring her siblings while learning remotely. How one Texas high school senior navigates the pandemic.
Spend a day with Isabel Suarez, an 18-year-old Pflugerville High School senior who's taking on the challenges of virtual school as well as tutoring her two younger siblings during the pandemic. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/aa05e5a15c79ef96a98dd838c54e4df5/Isabel%20Suarez%20School%20JV%20TT%20006.jpg)
![Isabel Suarez works on homework at her home in Pflugerville. Dec 9, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas students will still take STAAR tests in 2021, but schools won't be rated on them
State lawmakers had previously asked the Texas Education Agency to seek a federal waiver to cancel the standardized tests. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/899c10fd052f29c167bc07f438154c92/Ott%20Elementary%20COVID%20AG%20TT%2024.jpg)
![Desks are spaced out in a classroom at Ott Elementary School on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020 in San Antonio.]()
Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune -
A North Texas superintendent is openly defying the state mask mandate in schools. No one is stopping him.
The Texas Education Agency declined to take action, saying it's up to local enforcement. A county official tried to intervene but said it should be up to TEA to enforce. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/47daa8b5237f804f7c92e82500ec7b2d/Ott%20Elementary%20COVID%20AG%20TT%2015.jpg)
![School supplies are individually bagged in each cubbie in a classroom at Ott Elementary School on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020 in …]()
Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune -
Many Texas families say remote learning isn’t working and they want it fixed
A summer of delay and inconsistency from state political and education leaders left Texas schools little time to prepare for an academic year with millions of students learning from home. Now many of those kids are failing through no fault of their own. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/4a82a1d28439c638fdff9e99712debee/Hunter%20Remote%20Learning%20AI%20TT%2009.jpg)
![Hezekiah Hunter has been learning from home due to the pandemic and has struggled to manage the onslaught of assignments tha…]()
Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune -
68 members of the Texas House call for STAAR exams to be canceled this year
The state has yet to decide how the STAAR exam will be administered and used to rate school districts as the pandemic continues. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/0926dec47e170becb1033baf0cebead4/STAAR%20Testing%20Elsik%20High%20School%20PYH%2001.jpg)
![A calculator and a test sheet on a desk at Elsik High School in 2018.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
In this San Antonio classroom, a teacher divides her time between "roomies" and "zoomies"
Third grade teacher Abigail Boyett is responsible for simultaneously educating 10 students in person and 11 at home. It's a challenge many Texas teachers face this fall as schools adapt to the pandemic. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/22166a18f04d1b21e736de73c9b4e92f/Boyett%20AC%20TT%2015.jpg)
![Ms. Boyett demonstrates her student, Annabelle Lara, how to solve multiplication problems. Nov. 4, 2020.]()
Credit: Alejandra Casas for The Texas Tribune -
Alarming failure rates among Texas students fuel calls to get them back into classrooms
Most schools hoped this fall would see students make up academic ground lost last spring when the pandemic hit. Instead, districts are looking for ways to reverse plummeting grades and attendance among students learning at home. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/8cc1f57ac55ca6f9760cff0232e1eaa9/Cris%20Hernandez%20Westfield%20HS%20AI%2001.jpg)
![U.S. History teacher Cris Hernandez teaches a class remotely in an empty classroom at Westfield High School on Sept 15, 2020.]()
Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune -
Families of some special education students in Texas may be eligible for $1,500 in aid to offset pandemic challenges
The state program will help families pay for services like tutoring, therapy and digital resources. It is not a replacement for services students get through their school as part of their individualized education plan. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/0f26289a513bf7be59ad156d9e7e5d16/Jacobs%20Well%20Elementary%20JV%20TT%2012.jpg)
![Students sit at socially distance intervals in the lunch room at Jacob’s Well Elementary School in Wimberley on Sept 4, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Some Texas school districts are requiring in-person instruction again, leaving parents scrambling for options
As the numbers of people infected and hospitalized by the coronavirus tick back up across the state, dozens of Texas school districts eliminated the option for remote learning and forced students, faculty and staff to return to the classroom, with few exceptions. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/2b6e71615dc0f88f0b5b1f00dd82734d/Kasey%20Evans%20MF%20TT%2004.jpg)
![Kasey Evans with her children, Hunter Vandeberghe (cq), 7, Bella Evans, 3, and Michael Evans, 3, at her home on Oct. 17, 202…]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Texas schools tell teachers with medical risks they must return to classrooms during the pandemic
Several school districts are trying to accommodate teachers with health conditions who want to work from home, but many are being called back in as more students return to classrooms. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/934ee8182d00b37f20f6dd9644ca41fb/Joy%20Tucker%20MF%20TT%2008.jpg)
![Joy Tucker outside her home in Deer Park on Sept. 29, 2020.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Texas teachers are demanding that schools be safe before they return. But they have little leverage short of quitting.
As more students return to classrooms, school districts need teachers to show up as well. But many are reluctant, arguing that not enough is being done to keep faculty and students safe. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/916f5ea6c287710931e802d0162affd2/Dan%20Dawer%20PfISD%20AI%20TT%2006.jpg)
![Pflugerville Independent School District teacher Dan Dawer resigned from his school last week due to safety concerns. Dawer …]()
Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune -
With Texas schools struggling to find lost students, state offers temporary financial reprieve
The state parcels out school funding based on attendance, but many districts have seen sharp declines this fall. Local school officials are worried that they'll run out of money to pay for staff, facilities and other fixed expenses. Full Story
![Chairs are stacked on tables in a classroom at Judson High School in Converse on Aug. 11, 2020.]()
Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune