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. Full Story
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![Third graders jump rope on the playground in San Antonio on May 9, 2018.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
Rafael Cruz, father of Ted Cruz, wants Texas to require school lessons about “evil” of communism
The prominent right-wing pastor told state lawmakers that an anti-communist curriculum is crucial to reaffirming that America is a “Christian country.” Full Story
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![Rafael Cruz, father of U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, testifies before the K-12 Senate education committee on March 11, 2025.]()
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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. Full Story
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![Superintendent Salvador Cavazos runs Valere Public Schools’ three charter campuses.]()
Credit: Lauren Crow for ProPublica and The Texas Tribune -
Texas may change how schools select library books. Critics say it could lead to more bans.
Senate Bill 13 would create school library advisory councils largely made up of parents. It would give school boards, rather than librarians, the final say over new books. Full Story
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![Shelves filled with books at a school library in San Marcos.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
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. Full Story
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![Odessa High School students walk between classes Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 in Odessa.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
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. Full Story
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![Robb Elementary in Uvalde, on July 11, 2022.]()
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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. Full Story
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![Children draw self-portraits at the Rowlett Public Library in Rowlett, TX on October 26, 2023. The self portrait is part of a “hero’s journey” activity run by the mothers where the daughters think about who they are, what makes them special, and what they want to become.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
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. Full Story
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![Students enter a classroom at 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 -
“We’re in competition”: An East Texas school district faces hard choices as education options grow
The Lufkin school district says it must do a better job of promoting itself amid growing competition from charter schools and homeschooling. Full Story
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![Students get onto a bus following classes at Lufkin High School in Lufkin on Jan. 27, 2023. Public school officials in rural areas like Lufkin face budget challenges because of proposed school choice legislation, which provides taxpayer-funded alternatives to sending a child to a local public school.]()
Credit: Callaghan O'Hare for The Texas Tribune -
Republican lawmaker files bills to ban DEI in Texas K-12 public schools
Sen. Brandon Creighton has filed bills that would ban diversity, equity and inclusion policies related to hiring and programming, while creating ways for parents to complain about violations to the DEI ban. Full Story
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![Passing period at United South High School in Laredo on Oct. 23, 2018.]()
Credit: Rachel Zein for The Texas Tribune -
Overhaul of schools’ STAAR test proposed by Texas House bill
The bill would require the state to reduce the test’s length, prioritize post-secondary preparation and launch a revamped version by 2026. Full Story
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![A calculator and a test sheet on a desk at Elsik High School in 2018.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House wants to give public schools $220 more per student
The proposal, filed Thursday, comes well short of the increase school administrators and education advocates have been asking for. Full Story
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![Nimitz Middle School students take part in a class activity Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 in Odessa.]()
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Under Texas House bill, value of education savings accounts would be tied to public school funding
The proposal sets a few possible points of contention between the House and Senate, including how much money should families get through the program. Full Story
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![Corina Pannabecker teaches first grade at Ogden Elementary in San Antonio on April 30, 2018.]()
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National leaders mount pressure campaign on Texas House GOP to pass voucher bill
Supporters of voucher-like education savings accounts are trying to press their advantage early and build a sense of inevitability. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks with Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows, during ‘Parent Empowerment Night’ at San Antonio Christian School, in San Antonio, Texas, on February, 17, 2025. The governor has made the polarizing school voucher bill, Senate Bill 2, a top priority for this year’s legislative session.]()
Credit: Scott Stephen Ball for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Teacher Retirement System leader says Senate voucher proposal would not harm retirement funds
A recent budget analysis noted the Texas Senate’s voucher bill could affect the fund if it leads students and teachers to leave public schools. Full Story
Credit: John Jordan/The Texas Tribune -
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. Full Story
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![Third grade teacher Eran McGowan watches students demonstrate their answers to the class at the Eddie Bernice Johnson STEM Academy in Dallas, Texas on Feb. 5, 2024.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo for The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: The ins and outs of the debate over school choice and vouchers
In this week’s episode, we discuss the details of the plan to let parents use state funds to pay for their children’s private schooling. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at ‘Parent Empowerment Night’ at San Antonio Christian School, in San Antonio, Texas, on Feb. 17, 2025.]()
Credit: Scott Stephen Ball for The Texas Tribune -
Alief ISD’s pre-K center was built with younger kids in mind
Alief Independent School District is among a growing number of districts across the country to spend money on buildings tailored to 4- and 5-year-olds. Full Story
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Gov. Abbott orders TEA probe of Houston school for calling a student by chosen name and pronouns
The governor also called on lawmakers to prohibit the practice at all schools. 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.]()
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In quest to infuse more religion into Texas schools, advocates say courts are now on their side
Past efforts to allow more religion in public schools have been hamstrung by legal challenges. But those on the religious right feel empowered by recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Full Story
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![A christian bible sits on a representatives desk on the house floor on first day of the 88th legislature, Jan 10, 2023.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune
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