The state’s top leaders have been saying for weeks that they are in sync, and here’s the surprise: Their initial proposals look like they are actually in sync.
school finance
Posted in
Politics
Texas House proposes massive increase for public school funding
The proposed budget would increase state funds for education by about 17 percent but cut funding for health and human services by about 3 percent.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Analysis: Big things can happen in Texas without court orders, sometimes
It usually takes a court order to move Texas lawmakers to make big changes to major programs like school finance. But it’s possible, if top leaders are united, to go big without a judicial push.
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Politics
Point of Order: How Dan Huberty wants to fix school finance
In our new podcast, Point of Order, Evan Smith asks Dan Huberty, chairman of the House Public Education Committee, what it will take — and what it will cost — for state lawmakers to solve the state’s most intractable problem.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Analysis: Without new state money, is it still school finance reform?
Lawmakers are taking on school finance and property tax reform — gnarly policy issues that are expensive to tackle even if the state decides enough money is already being spent on public education in Texas.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Texas school finance panel approves final report to lawmakers
The Texas Commission on Public School Finance — created last year to scrutinize the way the state funds K-12 education — finalized a report on Wednesday that includes more than 30 recommended improvements.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Analysis: You can’t fix Texas school finance until you agree on the meaning of “fix”
Changing the way public schools are funded is hard even when everyone agrees on the problem. But Texas lawmakers will first have to figure out if they’re aiming to lower property taxes, increase spending on public education — or just change how the money is distributed.
Posted in
Public Education
Gov. Greg Abbott’s proposal would provide more tax relief than new school funding
His pitch is one of a long list of recommendations a state school finance panel will send to lawmakers later this month.
Posted in
Politics
Analysis: These Texas candidates are about to find out what they’ve really won!
The campaigns were long and hard, and now we know the winners. Let’s look at what they’re in for once they take office in 2019.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2019
Analysis: A tight-fisted Texas Legislature with expensive ambitions
State lawmakers are loath to raise taxes, but they need to find money somewhere if they want to give local school property taxpayers a break — a primary goal for many of the state’s top leaders.
