For the first time, Abbott makes it clear which policy he supports. Bills that would allow parents to get state money to send their kids to schools outside of the state’s public education system have been floated previously, but top lawmakers believe the policies will pass this session.
school finance
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2023
Texas’ private and rural schools again brace for a showdown on school choice
Rural school leaders in Texas have been able to stave off the legislative priority of some of the state’s most prominent Republicans. But private school officials hope this year will be different.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2023
Most Texans support more school funding and teacher raises, new survey finds
As legislators begin to debate their public education priorities, the Charles Butt Foundation released a poll Tuesday showing Texans are mostly supportive of their public schools but are split on voucher-like programs.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2023
COVID-19 upended Texas schools’ finances. Now they’re calling for a new funding system.
Districts like Pflugerville ISD, which is struggling with a $12 million deficit and weighing school closures, say the pandemic and rising inflation have eroded the value of the state’s last effort to overhaul its public education finance system.
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Higher Education
Texas commission recommends tying community colleges’ state funding to their performance
State higher education leaders are pushing for the changes as community colleges face greater workforce demands and financial pressures. The commission’s report now goes to lawmakers, who are expected to file legislation on the matter next session.
Posted in
Unconventional Wisdom
Analysis: Texas government’s favorite local tax
State lawmakers will tell you they hate property taxes as much as anyone. But the state itself doesn’t levy the tax — local governments do. And lowering it in a meaningful way would require state officials to raise taxes or cut programs. For them, talking about it is easier than doing something.
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Politics
Texas voters will decide whether to lower some property tax bills in May election
If two propositions pass, the state will increase school funding to make up for revenues lost from a decrease in property taxes.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2021
With Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s blessing, lawmakers fast-track property tax cut proposal
Tax relief for property owners joins a packed to-do list for Texas lawmakers — which includes redistricting, COVID-19 vaccine mandates and a spending plan for $16 billion in federal stimulus dollars.
Posted in
Point of Order
Point of Order: What we learned from a year of disruption to public education in Texas
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to LaTonya Goffney, the superintendent of Aldine Independent School District, about public education’s disrupted year — pivoting online, learning loss, budget woes, and what it will take to put the whole thing back together by fall.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2021
A Texas economic incentive offers massive tax breaks to companies, but its renewal isn’t a done deal
Chapter 313, a decades-old law designed to lure companies to Texas with property tax breaks, expires in 2022. Lawmakers looking to renew it face opposition from critics who say it’s unfair to many Texas schools.
