The latest public education news from The Texas Tribune.
State officials would like to lower local school property taxes, but they've got a secret: Some of those local school tax revenues make it easier to balance a tight state budget. Full Story
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Students in Mesquite and El Paso schools were sent to truancy court despite a new state law stressing alternatives to criminal charges, several advocacy groups allege. Full Story
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In a bipartisan sparring match, members of the House Public Education Committee challenged proponents of using taxpayer dollars — or tax breaks — to help parents send their kids to private or parochial schools. Full Story
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The Texas Education Agency has dismissed a complaint alleging that Harmony Public Schools engaged in financial malfeasance and other misconduct. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Edu newsletter: A new audit finds charters and their management organizations pose risks to federal funds, schools address clown threats and an interview with Noah De Lissovoy of the University of Texas at Austin’s College of Education. Full Story
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Faced with growing state attention on improper student-teacher relationships, the Texas Education Agency is asking lawmakers for hundreds of thousands of additional dollars to help investigate them — plus new legislation. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Edu newsletter: A divisive political climate complicates efforts to teach about the elections, an Alabama school requires a background check before having lunch with a child and an interview with Anthony Brown and Louis Harrison of the University of Texas at Austin. Full Story
Texas House budget and public education leaders said Wednesday that the best way to overhaul the state’s school finance system is to increase the base amount of money it gives to each district per student. Full Story
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The state’s escalating dependence on local tax dollars to fund public schools is expected to be a focus during a joint hearing of two House committees Wednesday and Thursday. Full Story
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Rice University's marching band used its halftime performance in a Friday night football game against Baylor University to mock Baylor's recent sexual assault scandal. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Edu newsletter: A national shift away from student suspensions to different models of discipline management, a kerfuffle over a proposed Mexican-American studies textbook and an interview with Jennifer Ransom Rice of the Texas Cultural Trust. Full Story
At a marathon hearing of the Senate Education Committee Wednesday, GOP senators debated how, not whether, to give Texas families taxpayer money to pay for private, religious or home schools. Full Story
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A new documentary titled "Starving the Beast" claims Texas officials have maneuvered higher education into a business rather than a public good. Full Story
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Hispanic advocates, activists and elected officials from across the state on Tuesday called on the Texas Board of Education to reject a proposed Mexican-American studies textbook they blasted as racist. Full Story
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The publisher of a proposed Mexican-American studies textbook that scholars, elected officials and Hispanic activists have decried as racist and inaccurate is defending the high school text ahead of a public hearing. Full Story
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Inspired by "Humans of New York," an Austin charter school gives students a safe space to share their experiences and adults a chance to read kids' surprising perspectives. Full Story
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More than 3,200 Texas students who were studying at 10 ITT Tech campuses may have to start their educations over. However, they may be able to get student loans forgiven, or switch to community colleges. Full Story
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Saying that a proposed Mexican-American studies textbook is "dripping with racism and intolerance," a group of educators and students is calling for the State Board of Education to reject the controversial book. Full Story
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To improve pre-kindergarten education, Texas schools should keep class sizes small and student-teacher ratios low, according to a newly released state report. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Edu newsletter: Survey shows adults can't agree on what to prioritize in K-12 education, turning to alternate tools to help English language learners and an interview with Ted Graf of the Headwaters School in Austin. Full Story