Public education

It's hard to gather support for the state's most persistent problems when you're also pressing forward with issues that divide and anger Republicans and Democrats. It's also business as usual in the Texas Legislature.

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Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have already signaled opposition to the proposal from Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen.

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Top Republican leaders have proposed raising the sales tax and using the money to lower local property tax rates. Wealthier Texans and businesses would likely benefit, while poorer Texans would likely pay more.

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Almost a year after the massacre at Santa Fe High School, state lawmakers are considering ways to make students and teachers feel safe in the classroom again.

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The Texas Legislature is in its biennial spasm of drama, with big bills stuck and some state leaders saying it will take a special session to get property taxes, school finance and all of that done. But they have six weeks to go, and they often do their big work on deadline.

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The state's top three leaders bet everything on public education and property taxes this year, but they can't get where they're going — especially if they want to cut property taxes — without bringing some Democrats to their side.

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It's not unusual for teachers to spend over $1,000 a month on health insurance.

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Watch video of our conversation in Fort Worth on improving higher education outcomes, moderated by the Tribune's Shannon Najmabadi.

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The state's "Big Three" unveiled the proposal in a joint statement. The idea would need approval from two-thirds of the House and Senate and a majority of Texas voters.

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The Senate budget also includes a $6.3 billion boost for public schools, about $4 billion of which would increase teachers’ and librarians’ annual salaries by $5,000.

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School finance reform could bring the privately operated public schools a windfall. But traditional public school advocates are still fighting the charters' expansion.

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How would lawmakers' proposals to provide property tax relief affect tax bills? It depends on where you live and what kind of home you own.

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A major flaw in the way Texas spends money on kids with disabilities might lose the state almost a quarter of its annual special education grant.

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The changes to the new rating system — which gives districts a letter grade in three categories: student achievement, school progress and closing the gaps — were finalized during the 2017 legislative session.

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Use our Texas public schools database to learn more about the state’s 1,200 districts and 8,759 public schools, including hundreds of charter schools and alternative campuses.

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The presidential candidate is walking a fine line on a tricky political issue. His wife, Amy O'Rourke, once launched a charter school and continues to be an advocate for the controversial education model.

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The legislation would increase per-student funding, mandate across-the-board teacher pay raises and reduce "Robin Hood" payments made by wealthy districts.

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The two-year plan, which must still pass the full Senate, includes a $9 billion infusion for public schools and property tax relief and up to $900 million in cuts to Medicaid.

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Texas lawmakers want to fix school finance, but they can't avoid looking for voter-pleasing side dishes, like property taxes and teacher pay raises, that could undermine the public education fixes.

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"I never anticipated that I would take a summer job at Wendy’s just so that I could replace a broken dishwasher,” said one high school English teacher who makes $45,000 per year.

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