In the past, personalities got in the way of policy at the Texas Capitol. This year, state leaders refused to let that happen.
school finance
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Texas Legislature 2019
Texas House, Senate pass school finance bill mandating teacher raises and cutting taxes
The $11.6 billion school finance and property tax reform bill is now poised to head to Gov. Greg Abbott.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Analysis: Texas legislators had a successful session, but not a historic one
Lawmakers delivered on their promises of school finance and property tax reforms, agreeing to spend $11.6 billion on a combination of education changes and tax cuts. It’s big, but is it really “transformative”?
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Texas Legislature 2019
Teacher raises and all-day pre-K: Here’s what’s in the Texas Legislature’s landmark school finance bill
The $11.6 billion legislation is on a path to the governor’s desk and includes property tax cuts, a hike in per-student funding and money to ease the state’s reliance on the “Robin Hood” program.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Analysis: Texas lawmakers struggling to find a lovable tax
Even in a legislative session that began with estimates of a generous increase in state revenue, lawmakers spent a lot of time talking about big, big tax bills — all the way to the end.
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Public Education
Can pay raises help rural Texas districts like Buffalo retain teachers?
Starting teacher pay in Buffalo is thousands below the state average, and it’s hard to attract people from outside the small town. The district’s superintendent hopes school finance reform will help.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Analysis: No bills are finally dead yet, but some are starting to smell funny
One of the big bills of the session — a sales- for property-tax swap — was put on ice this week. Lots of other bills are ready for their post-session burials, too, but keep your eyes open. In the Texas Legislature, dead legislation has a way of coming back to life.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Texas Senate approves school finance reform bill but opts not to fund it with a sales tax hike
The chambers will need to negotiate how to give teachers pay raises, whether to adjust how students take standardized tests and how to provide long-term property tax relief for Texans.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Analysis: Betting a whole legislative session on one big issue
The pieces are in place. There’s a month to go. And the three leaders who bet big on school finance, education and property taxes are in a familiar place, imploring reluctant legislators to take the kinds of high-stakes votes that make and break political careers.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Gov. Greg Abbott, legislative leaders assert confidence as deadline to cut property taxes nears
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen did not close the door on passing a sales tax swap with a simple majority instead of the current approach requiring two-thirds support of lawmakers and voter approval.
