Emboldened by court rulings and election victories, the Christian right is outspoken as it pushes its moral views through the Texas Legislature.
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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The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
Texas lawmakers and charter leaders push back on the $870K paid to Valere schools’ superintendent
The rebuke from lawmakers and charter school leaders came after an investigation from ProPublica and The Texas Tribune revealed that Salvador Cavazos, who oversees fewer than 1,000 students, is among the most well-paid superintendents in the country.
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Texas Legislature 2025
Legislature considers paying much more for school safety
Texas law requires an armed officer at each school. Districts are asking lawmakers to pay the full yearly cost, which they say is $100 per student.
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Texas Legislature 2025
Debate on House’s school voucher bill centers on a question: Should wealthy Texans be included?
The hearing on House Bill 3 started Tuesday and ended Wednesday morning. Hundreds of Texans waited overnight to testify.
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Texas Legislature 2025
Texas Democrats criticize school leaders for being too “nice” about their funding needs
Lawmakers this week listened to testimony on House Bill 2, which would raise schools’ base funding per student by $220 — a figure that falls short of what many Texans say is needed.
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Investigations
This charter school superintendent makes $870,000. He leads a district with 1,000 students.
On paper, Salvador Cavazos earns less than $300,000 to run Valere Public Schools, a small Texas charter network. But taxpayers likely aren’t aware that his total pay makes him one of the country’s highest-earning superintendents.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2025
Former Uvalde mayor files Texas bill to improve law enforcement response to mass shootings
The bill would require school districts and law enforcement to meet once a year to plan their response to an active shooter situation. It would also mandate annual multi-agency exercise drills on how to respond to an active shooter.
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Texas Legislature 2025
Voucher bills want to prioritize low-income families and be open to all students. Those goals might be at odds.
Neither of the Legislature’s voucher bills require private schools to accept certain students, which some warn could block the neediest children from access.
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Texas Legislature 2025
Texas Senate approves school funding proposal focused on teacher raises
Teachers with three and five years of experience would qualify for raises under Senate Bill 26. Instructors in smaller school districts would get bigger pay bumps.
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Texas Legislature 2025
Thin majority of Texas House signs on to support voucher bill
The 75 co-sponsors plus the bill’s author would provide enough votes to pass Gov. Abbott’s top priority measure in the 150-seat House.