Sweeping and sudden funding changes this year put two revered after-school programs for low-income Texans and a rural teacher training initiative at risk of closure.
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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Investigations
Some Texas private schools hire relatives and enrich insiders. Soon they can do it with taxpayer money.
An investigation by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found more than 60 instances of nepotism, self-dealing and conflicts of interest among 27 private schools that likely would have violated state laws had the schools been public.
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Public Education
Midland school board votes to restore school name honoring Confederate general
Five years ago, during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, the board voted to change the high school to Legacy High. On Tuesday, it reversed course.
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Uvalde school shooting
After local agencies release Uvalde shooting records, calls continue for Texas DPS to follow suit
Local records released this week — after a yearslong lawsuit —affirm previous reporting about law enforcement’s flawed response to Texas’ deadliest school shooting.
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Demographics
Five years after shedding Confederate moniker, a West Texas high school may be Lee High again
The Midland school district rebranded Robert E. Lee High as Legacy High in 2020, part of a nationwide trend to distance public places from the Confederacy.
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Politics
Harris County leader wants voters to extend child care efforts as pandemic funding runs out
The debate over whether to ask voters to cover the program comes as the nation’s third-largest county faces a projected $270M budget shortfall.
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Public Education
A fight to save an Austin middle school puts families at odds with Texas over how to rate schools
Legislators have a chance this summer to replace the STAAR test. What they come up with will decide the fate of schools like Dobie Middle School, where low test scores have pushed the Austin district to intervene.
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Health care
Mental health programs could bear the brunt of $600M federal cuts to Texas schools
Federal cuts and a lack of dedicated mental health funding from the state could erode programs to address chronic absenteeism, crises and more.
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Public Education
Texas Education Agency to release schools’ 2024 performance ratings after court ruling
An appeals court granted the state approval to release the ratings after doing the same for 2023 scores in April.
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Texas Legislature 2025
Texas’ public ed funding boost brings some relief but erodes districts’ independence, school leaders say
A law providing $8.5 billion in new funding for Texas public schools lacks the spending flexibility that previously let districts address their campuses’ needs as they saw fit.
