School voucher supporters bask in primary wins, say goals are within reach
Gov. Greg Abbott called the results “an unmistakable message.” His allies said the state is “closer than ever” to a voucher program. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks to students, parents and staff at Nolan Catholic High School in Fort Worth while trying to build support for school vouchers legislation on April 19, 2023.]()
Credit: Amanda McCoy/Fort Worth Star-Telegram via REUTERS -
Texas launches new property tax incentive program to lure new businesses
The Jobs, Energy, Technology, and Innovation program cuts property taxes for new manufacturing, research and development facilities. It replaces a shuttered program criticized for its impact on school finance. Full Story
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![Construction workers work on an office building on the corner or Metric and Parmer in Austin on June 18, 2020.]()
Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ new school safety law mostly addresses the Justice Department’s advice. But funding fixes is still an issue.
Lawmakers passed House Bill 3 last year to address some of the issues that led to the botched police response during the Uvalde school shooting. Full Story
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![Memorial crosses outside Robb Elementary in Uvalde on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. The now-closed school was the site of the May 2022 mass shooting that left 19 children and two teachers dead.]()
Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune -
Struggling to find teachers close to home, some Texas schools are looking overseas for help
Public schools got little help from lawmakers this year to address the state’s chronic teacher shortage, so they’ve turned to other creative solutions — like leaning on cultural exchange programs to recruit international teachers. Full Story
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![Ilona Cabudsan in front of Aldine ISD's Hambrick Middle School, in Houston, on Dec. 18, 2023.]()
Credit: Joseph Bui for The Texas Tribune -
Texas superintendents say lack of school safety funding may lead to budget cuts
The fourth special legislative session this year ended without any increased funding for school safety — even though public schools have complained for months they don’t have enough money to meet new safety mandates approved this year. Full Story
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![An Austin Independent School District police vehicle sits outside of McCallum High School in Austin, on Dec. 28, 2012.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune -
After school voucher bill falls apart, supporters and opponents get ready for future fights
The Texas House’s vote to block education savings accounts disappointed voucher advocates and likely spelled doom for additional public school funding. Both bands say they’ll keep pushing for their priorities during next year’s primary elections and the 2025 legislative session. Full Story
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![Students enter a classroom one one of the 11 Houston-area campuses of Yes Prep, a public charter school system serving 7,000 low-income students.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
With GOP priorities unfinished, Texas House plans to wrap fourth special session Tuesday
The decision to end work Tuesday leaves long odds for bills to boost school safety funding and make sure that election challenges don’t delay the implementation of property tax cuts, teacher pension raises and infrastructure spending. Full Story
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![House Speaker Dade Phelan stands at the dias during a special legislative session at the state capitol in Austin, Texas, on Nov. 17, 2023.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate passes its own school safety funding bill, but little time remains to get it across the finish line
Senate Bill 5 would send an extra $800 million to public schools for security upgrades over the next two years. But the measure is at risk of becoming the latest casualty of the rift between the Texas House and Senate. Full Story
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![A DPS police vehicle sits outside of Dalton Elementary School as students wait outside their classroom on the first day of school in Uvalde on Sept. 6, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott endorses reelection bids of 58 House members who voted for school vouchers
No members who voted against Abbott’s top legislative priority received the governor’s backing. Full Story
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![Gov. Abbott speaks to parents during an event hosted by the Parent Empowerment Coalition at Covenant Christian Academy in McAllen on April 12, 2023.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzales for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House votes to remove school vouchers from massive education bill
The outcome was an embarrassment to Gov. Greg Abbott, who spent seven months lobbying two dozen Republicans who signaled opposition to vouchers in April. Full Story
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![Bonham Middle School students enter the school’s cafeteria for lunch Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 in Odessa.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
School voucher critics remain largely unswayed during Texas House hearing
House Bill 1, which stagnated during the previous special session, finally received a hearing in the lower chamber, a crucial step that will decide whether the proposal gets a full vote. Full Story
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![Nimitz Middle School teachers Selena Olivares, center left, and Pricilla Martinez lead their 7th grade English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR) in an activity Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 in Odessa. Martinez said that due to the increased amount of families moving to the Permian Basin, they sometimes teach 38 to 40 kids per class. “It’s been six weeks and I still don’t know all of their names… Its embarrassing to me,” Martinez said.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
The Texas House’s new priority education bill offers concessions to sway voucher skeptics
The revised bill promises a significant funding increase for public schools and academic accountability measures for students participating in the proposed voucher program, two of the biggest requests from voucher opponents. Full Story
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![State Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Killeen, on the House floor on May 7, 2019.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa/The Texas Tribune -
Dark money nonprofit with ties to Texas billionaire works to defeat Midland school bond
Tim Dunn’s public policy groups have helped ensure that tax hike language is attached to every school bond ballot measure in the state. Now he is using that language to cast doubt on a bond in his hometown of Midland. Full Story
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Credit: Photo illustration by ProPublica. Source photographs: Brett Buchanan for The Texas Tribune, bond mailer obtained by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune. -
School leaders say Texas’ campus safety funding doesn’t cover new state mandates
A bill to increase the state’s support for school safety appears stalled in this month’s special legislative session. But even if it passes, superintendents warn it isn’t enough. Full Story
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![A lockdown device hangs on the wall inside a classroom at Nimitz Middle School Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 in Odessa.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Facing enrollment declines, Texas Catholic schools are leading supporters of school vouchers
The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops has been one of the staunchest voucher supporters, arguing it would increase access to religious education regardless of income level. Full Story
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![A classroom at Sacred Heart Parish School in Uvalde, on Aug. 14, 2022. The school is preparing for classes to begin the following day, a full month ahead of public schools in the Uvalde district.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy for The Texas Tribune -
With 22 portable classrooms on one campus, a growing Texas school district is asking voters for $2 billion
Conroe is one of the fastest growing school districts in the state. It and other districts say they need voters to OK bonds to keep up with the influx of students. Full Story
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![A cluster of portable classrooms at Nimitz Middle School is seen pictured Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 in Odessa.]()
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Voucher proposal spurs mix of excitement, wariness in Texas home schooling community
Parents of Texas’ growing population of home-schooled students are split over whether education savings accounts would give them much-needed financial help or represent an unwanted government involvement in their kids’ educations. Full Story
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![The Harris family works on homeschool curriculum in a study space Oct. 12, 2023 at the Austin Central Library.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
Texas House priority bill increases education spending in exchange for creating voucher program
House Bill 1 would make an educational savings account program available to 25,000 Texas students in its first year, with increased participation to follow. The governor’s office indicated that the proposal was lacking. Full Story
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![State representatives meet on the House floor at the state Capitol in Austin on Jan. 11, 2023.]()
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In West Texas, schools hope skeptical voters will OK debt to upgrade crumbling, overcrowded buildings
The West Texas ethos of low taxes and small government has been hard for school leaders to overcome. Voters have rejected bond issues in Midland and Odessa during the last decade. Full Story
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![Children in West Odessa line up to board their school bus before dawn on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023.]()
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Texas Senate unveils its priority school voucher bill
The proposal would give families who exit the state’s public education system access to $8,000 of taxpayer money each year to pay for their children’s private schooling. Full Story
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![Protesters holding signs and chanting, gathering in front of the Governor's Mansion during a rally against school vouchers on Oct. 7, 2023. Hundreds gathered to protest two days before a special session was slated to begin on Oct. 9, 2023.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune