Local governments in Texas finish their spending plans and set their tax rates in August, an annual exercise that includes some hot topics in this pandemic year, like police spending, public schools and property taxes.
Public Education
Explore The Texas Tribune’s coverage of public education, from K-12 schools and funding to teachers, students, and policies shaping classrooms across Texas.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Gov. Greg Abbott says local health officials can shut down schools only in limited circumstances
Abbott said local health authorities can’t shut down in-person instruction before school starts, but an outbreak on campus once students have arrived could prompt a closure.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Conservative think tank leader says schools should reopen since most Texans dying from COVID-19 are elderly or Hispanic
In an interview, Vance Ginn said the intention of his Twitter thread was to outline the more thorough data provided by the state. He also said his tweet with a GIF was “woefully taken out of context out of bad faith.”
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TribCast
TribCast: Texas revises coronavirus death tally as school reopening chaos continues
On this week’s TribCast, Alexa talks to Ross, Aliyya and Emma about the state’s bad relationship with data and the latest pingponging guidance on how and when schools can reopen during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Reopening Texas Schools
Custodians, cafeteria workers and bus drivers also fear returning to Texas schools
Texas schools employ almost as many support staff members as they do teachers, often in hourly or part-time jobs with low pay. The state has offered limited guidance on how to protect them on the job.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas attorney general says local health authorities cannot “indiscriminately” shut down schools
After Paxton’s guidance, the Texas Education Agency reversed course and announced that the state won’t fund schools that remain closed under a local public health mandate.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas families now have until Aug. 21 to apply for food aid to make up for school meals
The families of more than 20% of the 3.6 million eligible school children across the state have yet to apply for federal aid under the Pandemic EBT program.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas fifth and eighth graders won’t have to pass STAAR test to move on to the next grade
Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday that Texas students must take the state standardized test next spring, but fifth and eighth graders can graduate without passing it.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Harris County orders schools closed until Sept. 8
The order could extend further, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said.
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Coronavirus in Texas
As school reopenings falter, some Texas parents hire private teachers. Others can only afford to cross their fingers.
With the safe reopening of schools this fall in doubt, parents with the resources are setting up “learning pods” or seeking other options. But the do-it-yourself approach to education threatens to leave behind students of color and poorer families.