The infestation of Norwegian rats in a state building where health regulators work is not only a big, embarrassing mess — it’s a metaphor for a persistent problem in Texas government.
school finance
Posted in
In Harvey's Wake
School superintendents hit by Harvey ask lawmakers for help with recovery costs
At a House Public Education Committee hearing Thursday, superintendents rattled off long lists of unexpected costs they incurred after Hurricane Harvey swept through the Texas coast.
Posted in
Public Education
New school finance commission member discusses the road ahead
Doug Killian, the current superintendent of Pflugerville ISD, was recently named to the Texas Legislature’s interim commission to study school finance. Read what he had to say about the challenges facing the commission.
Posted in
In Harvey's Wake
Texas offers funding boost to schools with lower attendance post-Harvey
The Texas Education Agency is offering state funding to as many as 157 school districts and charter schools that saw lower attendance or closed facilities due to the storm, which could ultimately cost the state an estimated $400 million.
Posted in
Public Education
In historic win, charters getting state funding for facilities for the first time
For the first time in Texas, charter schools will receive funding from the state to pay for leasing and maintaining buildings and facilities. That has charter advocates excited — and their critics furious.
Posted in
In Harvey's Wake
In beleaguered La Marque schools, Harvey stirs up old anxieties
Last year, the state forced Texas City ISD to annex, or absorb, its neighboring district. After months of work, efforts to improve conditions for students from annexed La Marque ISD hit a significant speed bump: Hurricane Harvey.
Posted in
Public Education
At one small rural school, less state money means everyone does more
At Coleman High School, the failure of legislation to raise teacher pay and fix the school finance system at the Capitol means another year of finding creative ways to attract new teachers and do more for the students.
Posted in
Public Education
“Disappointed” House accepts Senate’s changes to school finance bill
The Texas House voted Tuesday to swallow a bitter pill and accept a version of a school finance bill that had $1.5 billion less in funding for schools than the lower chamber initially approved.
Posted inState Government
Analysis: It’s never the ending that you expect
The Texas Legislature’s special session ended with a bang, but it wasn’t the sound of the property tax bill the governor was hoping for. Will he call state lawmakers back for more?
Posted inState Government
As chambers negotiate on property taxes, intra-Republican tensions flare
Lawmakers moved closer Monday to giving some — but not all — Texans more say over the property taxes they must pay cities, counties and special-purpose districts each year.
