Texas teacher pay emerges as a sticking point between House and Senate
The Senate is proposing $5,000 raises for each teacher and librarian. The House is calling for raising minimum salaries and increasing benefits. Full Story
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![Speaker Dennis Bonnen and state Rep. Dan Huberty, R-Houston, with other House members hold a press conference to announce their school finance bill on Mar. 5, 2019.]()
Credit: Emree Weaver / The Texas Tribune -
Is STAAR too hard on young readers? The test is in lawmakers' crosshairs again.
Two years-old studies questioning the state's standardized test have gained traction in Texas, fueling the fire among educators and parents who argue the test is too high-stakes. Full Story
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![Daniel Saldana, 9th grade student at Elsik High school, looks up during a quiz about biomolecules during an afternoon intervention program on April 19, 2018.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House bill would put $9 billion into school finance reform and property tax relief
Members of the Texas House received their first look at the soon-to-be-filed proposal in a one-page summary circulating around the Texas Capitol Monday afternoon. Full Story
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![Rep. Dan Huberty R-Houston speaks to media after the House concurs on school finance bill on August 15, 2017]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate unanimously passes $5,000 teacher pay raises, adding librarians
The proposal faces an uphill climb in the lower chamber, with House Speaker Dennis Bonnen saying he prefers to give school districts flexibility on addressing teacher pay. Full Story
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![Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flowermound, introduces SB 3 on the Senate Floor on Mar. 4, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott raves about Dallas' teacher incentive pay program. But it's hard to replicate.
Dallas ISD spearheaded a program that floods its low-performing schools with the best resources, including highly rated educators who get paid large stipends. Lawmakers want to see it expanded. Full Story
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![Natasha Boone high fives a student as they went over a story the class was reading Jan. 14, 2019 at Edward Titche Elementary School in the Pleasant Grove area of Dallas*.]()
Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for The Texas Tribune -
Texans want voter approval of property tax hikes, says UT/TT Poll
Texans want local governments to get permission for property tax hikes over a set amount and don't think such a restriction would hobble services, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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Credit: Photo Illustration by Jeff Heimsath / Emily Albracht for The Texas Tribune -
Watch: A conversation on school segregation
On Feb. 26, we sat down for a conversation about the impact of school segregation on public education in San Antonio, moderated by the Tribune's Aliyya Swaby. Full Story
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Texas Senate panel advances $5,000 teacher pay raise proposal
The bill, which would cost $3.9 billion, received unanimous support from the Senate Finance Committee. Full Story
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![State Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, asks questions during a Senate Finance Committee hearing at the state Capitol on October 24, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Educators have been skeptical of Dan Patrick. Will they support his teacher pay raise plan?
The Texas lieutenant governor is proposing across-the-board $5,000 raises for teachers. It's a seismic shift for a lawmaker who spent the last legislative session backing proposals educators revile. Full Story
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![Lt. Governor Dan Patrick address the crowd at the Oath of Office Ceremony at the capitol grounds. Jan. 15, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr. / The Texas Tribune -
Teachers, tell us your thoughts about the Texas Legislature's proposed $5,000 pay raises
Texas lawmakers are considering a proposal that would increase teacher pay by $5,000. We want to talk to teachers about their salaries. Full Story
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![Coleman High School physics and computer science teacher Gary Strickland goes over classroom rules on the first day of school on Aug. 23, 2017. Strickland is a finalist for TASA's secondary teacher of the year award.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
Democrats lay out their priorities for Texas school finance as lawmakers await leadership-endorsed bill
The Texas House Democratic Caucus is calling for a $14.5 billion package that includes all-day pre-K, teacher raises and property tax relief. Full Story
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Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Watch: A conversation with state Sen. Larry Taylor
Our interview with state Sen. Larry Taylor, chair of the Education Committee, is moderated by Texas Tribune co-founder and CEO Evan Smith. Full Story
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![State Sen. and Senate Education Committee Chairman Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, discusses public education with Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith at a Tribune event in Austin on Feb. 21, 2019.]()
Credit: John Jordan/The Texas Tribune -
Texas' school finance system is unpopular and complex. Here's how it works.
Average Texans and lawmakers alike are going back to the basics on school finance, as the state Legislature prepares to tackle a longstanding challenge. Full Story
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![Tatum Roberts (left) and Olivia Mah work on their toothpick cubes in Melanie Martin's kindergarten class at Johnston-McQueen Elementary.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate proposes $3.7 billion for mandated teacher raises
Senate leaders say they will require districts to use the money to give $5,000 raises to each teacher. Full Story
![Lt. Governor Dan Patrick address the crowd at the Oath of Office Ceremony at the capitol grounds. Jan. 15, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr. / The Texas Tribune -
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. Full Story
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![House Speaker Dennis Bonnen presiding over his first votes as speaker of the house. Jan. 9, 2019. Miguel Gutierrez Jr. / The Texas Tribune.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr. / The Texas Tribune -
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. Full Story
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With strategic timing and some extra money, UT-Austin hopes it can encourage more low-income students to enroll
In the last six years, the number of needy students at UT-Austin — as measured by those who receive the federal Pell Grant — has decreased from 28 percent to 24 percent. Full Story
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![Tiffany Pham, a freshman nursing student at The University of Texas, was one of about 30 students who received an Impact Scholarship to UT. The scholarship recognizes students who have made an impact in their communities and covers the cost of tuition for four years at UT Austin.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding -
Gov. Greg Abbott advocates for state takeover of Houston ISD’s school board in scathing tweet
Abbott criticized the district's leadership as a "disaster." Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at the Resurgent Gathering of conservative party activists in Austin on August 3, 2018.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Watch Texas Tribune reporters discuss their project on school segregation
Watch as the Tribune's Alexa Ura and Aliyya Swaby discuss their reporting for the "Dis-Integration" series that examines the challenges school communities have faced in integrating their schools. Full Story
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Texas has failed to close educational gaps for kids of color. In Edgewood ISD, the fallout has lasted generations.
Edgewood ISD has faced consistent problems in preparing its students for college and the workforce. The district's struggles shine a light on Texas’ long record of neglecting schools that educate mostly students of color. Full Story
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![Carlos Lopez is a freshman at The University of Texas studying Biochemistry, while also holding down a part time job at HEB. He graduated high school from John F. Kennedy, a small school on the west side of San Antonio and feels unprepared for what he has experienced at UT. He studies at the Student Academic Center on campus, December 7, 2018. Although he feels his public education underprepared him for UT and an advisor suggested changing his major, he does not want to give up.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune