With a little more than a week left for this special session of the Texas Legislature, lawmakers are preparing closing arguments — and obituaries — for their pet issues.
school finance
Posted in
Public Education
Senate education chair: House school finance plan “not a long-term solution”
Senate Education Committee Chairman Larry Taylor said he would not accept the House’s proposal to put $1.8 billion into public schools, comparing it to driving a broken car into the ground.
Posted in
Public Education
House approves $1.8 billion package of school finance bills
The Texas House voted to approve a package of bills that would put $1.8 billion into public schools, increase funding for certain student groups and help out struggling small, rural schools.
Posted inState Government
Analysis: Texas House committee tries shock therapy on school finance
An eye-opening proposal to kill the local school property tax in order to force Texas lawmakers to build a new school finance system won unanimous approval Thursday from the House’s tax-writing Ways and Means Committee.
Posted in
Public Education
House backs bill putting $212 million toward retired teachers’ health care program
The Texas House voted Tuesday to use $212 million from the Rainy Day Fund, a savings account largely fed by oil and gas production taxes, to decrease premiums and deductibles for retired teachers in the state-run health insurance program.
Posted inState Government
With retired teachers’ health care at stake, legislators clash on fixes
The House and the Senate are figuring out whether they can compromise on exactly how to put $212 million into an underfunded health insurance program for retired teachers. Teachers say they’ll take their frustration to the polls.
Posted in
Public Education
Analysis: No, the Texas Legislature isn’t lowering your property taxes
Texas legislators would love to lower your property taxes, but none of the proposals they’re considering in the special session would do that.
Posted in
Public Education
Texas Senate approves teacher bonuses, benefits — but not pay raises
The Texas Senate passed a bill that would provide funding for teacher bonuses and retirement benefits, slashing a controversial provision that would require school districts to increase teacher salaries without additional state money.
Posted in
Public Education
Senate approves bills on “private school choice” and school finance study
The Texas Senate backed bills that would subsidize private school tuition and study the state’s school finance system.
Posted in
Health care
Texas Senate panel approves teacher bonuses, retirement benefits
The Texas Senate Finance Committee approved a bill Saturday that would put one-time influxes of money toward the Teacher Retirement System and teacher bonuses, and require districts to fund $1,000 in teacher pay raises.
