Last week, the Leander ISD board approved a contract of employment for the district’s new superintendent, Dan Troxell. “Congratulations Dr. Troxell,” LISD Board President Will Streit said at the meeting. “It’s no surprise to anyone who has heard us speak over the past few weeks how excited we are, how thrilled we ...

Establishing a school-based food pantry called the Energy Bar, spearheading an environmental campaign that redistributed 2,750 pairs of shoes, and raising funds for cancer research are just some of the ways the students selected to receive the State Board of Education’s Student Heroes Award helped their classmates and communities this year. Begun in 2015, the Student Heroes Award recognizes public ...

Senator Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville) and State Representative Trent Ashby (R-Lufkin) have once again filed legislation aimed at addressing the arbitrary small school adjustment formula in our state's school finance system. Senate Bill 678 and House Bill 1390 will help create a level playing field for small districts that are expected to provide the same quality education as their larger counterparts. 479 Districts ...

Much has been written in the past few years about school choice.  Those individuals who promote the idea have a definite mindset that includes, among other things, the thought that parents should be supported if they have a belief that better schools are available for their children.  In turn, the argument holds that the State has the responsibility ...

Authored by fellow property tax committee member Sen. Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe) and amended by Sen. Bettencourt to require a super-majority 60 percent voting threshold for local taxing units to assess property tax increases, the bill is already being credited with stopping a $100 million proposed tax increase for Dallas ISD.    Share Your Program at the 2017 TASA Midwinter ...

Many of us have enjoyed Charles Dickens’s opening lines in “A Tale of Two Cities” which describe the political and human turmoil occurring at the time of the French Revolution.  We shuddered at the confluence of events in the movie “the Perfect Storm”, where a cold front, remnants of a hurricane and a ...

After being named one of three finalists in January for the prestigious Texas Computer Education Association’s Golden Apple awards, Stephenville ISD’s Brianna Hodges has been selected as Texas’ Instructional Technology Specialist of the Year. 489 Districts Have Passed Resolutions Opposing A-F Ratings  As of February 7, TASA had confirmations from 489 school districts as ...

Texas State Teachers Association President Ovidia Molina issued the following statement on Gov. Abbott’s State of the State address: If Gov. Abbott thinks that House Bill 3 solved the school finance and teacher pay problem in Texas, he is sadly mistaken. House Bill 3 was a good start, but the governor and the Legislature must do more. Despite the extra ...

Repost!  There are many articles today about the 19 recommendations on school safety from the Senate Select Committee on Violence in Schools and School Security. These resulted from interim charges* related to school safety given to the committee. The Senate Select Committee on Violence in Schools and School Security is pleased to submit its final interim report with recommendations for ...

To be eligible for full funding, school districts must offer in-person instruction  to families that desire it.  Given the need to ensure school systems have flexibility and financial security to provide instruction while they adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Texas Education Agency announced today it will extend the current minimum funding guarantee established for the pandemic ...

The State Board of Education gave preliminary approval Friday to biology curriculum for public high school students that challenges the theory of evolution. The vote gives the Texas Education Agency the OK to post the curriculum changes, which are similar to standards already in place, to the Texas Register so that the public can offer input. 479 Districts Have Passed Resolutions ...

Repost!  The headline, Texas going in wrong direction of school funding, in the Dallas Morning News this morning suggests that things are worse than we thought and presents several points from a study by Center on Budget and Policy Priorities to support this position. This headline suggests that things are worse than we thought and presents several points from ...

The move, which will be reflecting on 175 students starting in August, is being enforced through the transportation service provided in Del Rio by Comstock ISD and by Brackettville ISD The interpretation of a state law that prevents school districts from transporting students across district lines without meeting specific requirements has prompted legal action by San Felipe Del Rio CISD. The ...

Last week, while reviewing the revised revenue projection template that will reflect the impact of the 84th Legislature on individual school districts funding, I reviewed a new tab in the template, “Comparisons”.  It compares your total M&O revenue today (2015) with the total revenue before cuts were made by the 2011 Legislature.  You can easily look ...

As the 85th Texas Legislative session is under way, school districts across the state are wondering if equality in state funding will transpire from this session.   For over 30 years, state legislators have penalized school districts with less than 1,600 students and less then 300 square miles by arbitrarily funding the cost per student at a much lower rate then those ...

Voucher opponents took issue with taxpayer dollars going to less regulated private schools, while proponents said parents can best choose which schools meet their needs and values at a Texas Tribune event. Amid the ongoing special legislative session, school voucher supporters and opponents debated public school funding and private school accountability during a Texas Tribune event Wednesday in Austin.  ...

Repost!  School administrators must keep an eye on “property tax relief”. I have no faith in property tax relief that doesn’t require creating alternative revenue sources. So far, we have heard a lot about tax relief, but very little about where funding for public schools will come from if not from property taxes. My school ...

Updated post!  If you are a student of Texas public school funding, being able to view the presentation of the School Funding Case represents a fantastic learning opportunity. Additionally, reading articles and commentary from across the state posted on TexasISD.com adds even more to the experience.  Here is the link to Supreme Court ...

Bullard Independent School District played the part of host for local school board members, as well as members of the East Texas community, to have an opportunity to learn about and discuss the upcoming session of the Texas legislature and its impact on Texas Public Education, among other topics, at the Legislative Summit event, held Thursday, Jan. 12, at Bullard Elementary ...

The Groesbeck ISD has gone into “survival mode” after Texas legislators approved a scaled-back school funding bill before adjourning. The Legislature approved about $560 million in extra funding for schools and retired teachers, a fraction of the $1.8 billion the House originally sought to spend.

Happy New Year! I hope you are ready to make a difference; I feel there will soon be many opportunities to participate in the legislation that will be developed, even though it is much quieter than last session. “Lawmakers have coalesced behind school finance and property taxes as top priorities. . . However, “This year, with hours to go before ...

WASHINGTON – Historic investment from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law headed to all 50 states in effort to transform America’s school bus fleet. The Biden-Harris Administration announced the Fiscal Year 2022 recipients of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, awarding $50,980,000 from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to Texas ...

Barbers Hill decries erosion of local control in school financing system Since the implementation of the Texas school financing system known as Robin Hood three decades ago, Barbers Hill ISD has remitted nearly one-third of a billion dollars in recapture payments to the state. That means roughly 30 cents of every tax dollar Barbers Hill collects is spent elsewhere, and not ...

I am sharing a memo from Phil Worsham, Superintendent of Joaquin ISD, related to what he calls “31 years of funding injustice.” Superintendents from Joaquin, Shelbyville, Tenaha, Timpson and Excelsior discussed the impact of the funding level for small schools in Texas after a meeting with the Equity Center Executive Director, Dr. Wayne Pierce.   Many of our funding ...

PA Ed Policy Roundup for July 9, 2015: Senate Rejects School Voucher Amendment During ESEA Debate     "Both the Senate and House versions of education legislation address what critics of No Child Left Behind have opposed for years — a punitive system of testing overseen by the federal government — in favor of more local control.  While both bills retain ...

Repost! - DISCOVER THE TRUE IMPACT OF FUNDING GAPS - Do you want to be able to describe your district's financial position to your taxpayers in your own words?  Do you want to be able to use your own comparisons and examples?  Then The Equity Center has the tool for you.  They have created ...

Reports from the Conference Committee for CSHB3 state that all Texas teachers and staff would get raises under House-approved school funding bill. An excellent article by Rebecka Allen, the government reporter with the Dallas Morning News is, All Texas teachers and staff would get raises under House-approved school funding bill. “Nothing is off the table. We’re starting ...

Since the implementation of the Texas school financing system known as Robin Hood three decades ago, Barbers Hill ISD has remitted nearly one-third of a billion dollars in recapture payments to the state. That means roughly 30 cents of every tax dollar Barbers Hill collects is spent elsewhere, and not always on educating students. That recaptured money -- $305 million so far ...

05.04.2015 — Today Austin ISD announced that it, along with many other school districts and business leaders, will hold a press conference Wednesday, May 6, to send a unified message about the need for adequate funding for Texas public schools. All Texas districts are invited to participate. A Call to Action: Funding for Public Education Press Conference 11:30 a.m., Wednesday, May 6 (...

Roads and schools — two topics of perpetual concern to Texans — were debated again on Wednesday by state lawmakers in a pair of legislative hearings, both focused on where taxpayers should be spending their money. As the Tribune’sKiah Collierreports, Senate Republicans appeared sold on a private school choice program at a Wednesday meeting of the chamber's ...

Repost!  The state property values (PVS) that determine the level of state funding for each school district was released January 31. The primary purpose of the PVS is to help ensure equitable distribution of state funding for public education. Government Code Section 403.302 requires the Comptroller's office to conduct a study to determine the total taxable value of all property ...

Legacy public school consulting firm Moak Casey welcomes associate commissioner and chief school finance officer for the Texas Education Agency (TEA) Leo Lopez. Lopez, who will take the role of chief financial officer in August 2022, is the latest to join the new powerhouse executive team at the firm, which serves school district leaders and policymakers in school finance and accountability. ...

El Paso school district officials hope education funding for local students will improve after a judge Thursday ruled that the Texas school finance system was unconstitutional. State District Judge John Dietz issued a written ruling that the state's "Robin Hood" formula does not provide adequate funding or distribute it fairly among school districts in wealthy and poor areas of ...

El Paso school district officials hope education funding for local students will improve after a judge Thursday ruled that the Texas school finance system was unconstitutional. State District Judge John Dietz issued a written ruling that the state's "Robin Hood" formula does not provide adequate funding or distribute it fairly among school districts in wealthy and poor areas of ...

From Equity Center:  We wanted to share the following Op-Ed that appeared in The Dallas Morning News yesterday. As the author states, "what you see isn't necessarily what you get" in terms of whether or not currently proposed legislative solutions will resolve the issues outlined in Judge John Dietz's August 28, 2014, district court ruling. Texas' ...

The chart in this article is worth a 1,000 words - js - During their first meeting since the end of session, the Senate Education committee met to discuss two of their interim charges. During the hearing, the committee heard from a number of charter school advocates, many of whom spoke about the need for facility funding for ...

Repost from yesterday! I read some articles this morning that would lead you to believe the current mega sized powerball lottery is a windfall to Texas public school districts. I don’t think so. However, many continue to believe it as this San Antonio reporter states, Texas School Fund is Guaranteed Winner in Tonight's Powerball Drawing: The vast ...

Public school funding will be a hot topic when lawmakers get back to work in January and big changes could be coming. When kids go back to class this week, school leaders drill a message of perfect attendance. There's a reason for that. School funding is attached to how many butts are in seats when the first bell rings. ...

I suggest you start this very busy legislative week by listening to these clips of comments made during the Texas Tribune Symposium on Public Education held last Friday in Houston. I think you will get the drift that thinking about public school funding is considered a first step in fixing the broken Texas Public School funding system; everything else will ...

The Texas Senate early Monday approved a bill, 21-10, that would inject about $530 million into the public education system while creating a so-called school choice system that would redirect state money to help special education students pay for private school tuition. The bill, however, faces an uncertain fate — the Senate has made it clear that House Bill 21 dies if ...

House Bill 22, the bill that proposes to extend Additional State Aid for Tax Reduction (ASATR) is scheduled to be heard on the House floor on Friday, August 4.  The bill proposes to funnel approximately $356 million to nearly 150 school districts over the next two years.  Based on the difference between estimated and actual costs in the just-ending ...

In an increasingly complex era of public school finance, and with no end in sight to the troubles in our state’s school funding system, districts across Texas are faced with looking to their taxpayers for support as state funding dwindles. This convoluted funding system seems to have shifted the burden of school finance away from the state’...

Going into the 2019 legislative session, Raise Your Hand Texas commissioned a statewide poll of Texans’ perspectives and expectations for education.  The survey reveals that Texans strongly believe our local school districts teachers and students need more support, Texans also believe that it is our state leaders who bear the responsibility for making certain students get the education opportunities ...

AUSTIN (KXAN) — This week, a new poll from Change Research asked more than 1,000 Texas voters to weigh in on school voucher programs. The poll shows voters are split on having a school voucher program in Texas, 46% said they supported the idea, 43% opposed it, and 11% said they were not sure. However, when it comes to funding, 82% responded they are concerned the ...

AUSTIN (KXAN) — This week, a new poll from Change Research asked more than 1,000 Texas voters to weigh in on school voucher programs. The poll shows voters are split on having a school voucher program in Texas, 46% said they supported the idea, 43% opposed it, and 11% said they were not sure. However, when it comes to funding, 82% responded they are concerned the ...

WHITE OAK, Texas — U.S. Senator John Cornyn announced on Thursday that three school districts in East Texas have been awarded federal grants totaling almost $1 million to improve student safety.  According to a press release, the funding comes from the Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs and Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, which ...

The State of Texas has filed suit to stop the voters of the city of Denton from banning fracking. A vote to ban fracking passed with a 59% favorable vote. However, the following day the Texas General Land Office filed suit to stop the city from doing this. It will cost the state more in funds for schools. In his suit ...

Repost - I posted more articles today dealing with the Houston accident. - js - I drove a school bus several years and later supervised buses as superintendent. Yellow dog school buses are very safe for transporting students. They are equipped with many safety features, however, most do not have seat belts. I have heard it stated that ...

Last week I introduced our readers to the Equity Center’s “Interactive School Funding Gap Calculator”. I desire for everyone to have a better and deeper understanding of the issues in Texas school funding and this tool is an effective way of accomplishing this task.  The key is that it begins with your individual district and ...

Property tax relief is inextricably tied to improved school funding. Locally elected, locally accountable school board members know that property tax restraints cannot be addressed in isolation without detrimental effects to Texas schools. Over the past decade, the Texas Legislature has shifted more and more of the burden for funding the state’s public schools onto the shoulders of ...

Several Houston districts have joined others across the state in signing a letter to oppose one element of the latest school finance reform bill. The letter, released May 8, was sent to the legislative Conference Committee deliberating House Bill 3. That bill would calculate school funding using property values from the current year rather than the existing practice of using prior year ...

Almost $1 million in funds will help allay parents' fears thanks to federal grants to improve school safety measures for three East Texas school districts. Diboll ISD is receiving $234,956, Westwood ISD is receiving $194,907 and White Oak ISD is receiving $500,000. “Diboll ISD is very excited and appreciative of the opportunities this grant will provide to enhance the safety and security of ...

Almost $1 million in funds will help allay parents’ fears thanks to federal grants to improve school safety measures for three East Texas school districts. Diboll ISD is receiving $234,956, Westwood ISD is receiving $194,907 and White Oak ISD is receiving $500,000. “Diboll ISD is very excited and appreciative of the opportunities this grant will provide to enhance the safety and security ...

KATY, Texas – The Texas Senate Committee on Education had a marathon meeting Tuesday discussing SB1. The proposal written by Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, would establish an education savings account. If passed and signed into law, the program would be housed in the state comptroller’s office with $500 billion from the general fund. SB 1 would give $8,000 of taxpayer dollars to participating ...

Texas is getting closer to seeing 100 school districts across the state ditch the traditional 5-day school week and adopt a 4-day week. And there is a chance, the state will move past 100 districts adopting that plan soon. Abernathy ISD is just the latest school districting voting to move to a 4-day school week starting in the 2024-2025 school year. The ...

Rep. Trent Ashby (Lufkin) has filed House Bill 645 which removes the punitive feature of the small schools formula. Last week the superintendents from Joaquin, Shelbyville, Tenaha, Timpson and Excelsior released the following report: Superintendents from Joaquin, Shelbyville, Tenaha, Timpson and Excelsior discussed the impact of the funding level for small schools in Texas after a meeting with the Equity Center ...

Yesterday,The New York Times reported the Kansas state Senate passed Governor Sam Brownback's plan to overhaul public school funding.  Brownback's proposal essentially scraps the current school funding formula, which the Governor claims is too complex and directs too much away from the classroom learning, opting instead for a district block grant. The proposed "block grants" would ...

Repost!  The significance of the House’s decision to address school finance is that, up until yesterday, their consensus was  “....we probably won’t do anything”,  so to decide to make an attempt at improving the funding system for Texas schools is huge.   Also understand that the competition for that $3 billion is ...

SAN ANGELO, Texas - The San Angelo Independent School District hosted the Equity Center, a school finance research and advocacy organization in Texas, which focused on unfairness in the school's finance system during Monday evening's school board meeting. The center brought Region XV school districts up to date on the school finance system, the upcoming Supreme Court ...

Repost!  This title is an eye catcher: The Pandemic Is Driving America's Schools Toward A Financial Meltdown. As an educator, I am very sensitive to this subject; a financial meltdown creates a serious scenario for me. Then, the paragraph below really caught my attention. "I think we're about to see a school funding crisis unlike anything we ...

What good is the ability to easily create revenue projections if you can’t view the results? That is why we have added a variety of reports to the School Funding Wizard. We have a standard and familiar Summary of Finance Report that contains links to detail reports for different allotments or programs, such as Special Education allotments ...

Despite increased education funding from House Bill 3, the 2019 school finance law, Texas this year fell farther behind the national average in two key indicators, per-student spending and teacher pay, the National Education Association’s latest report on state-by-state education spending shows. Texas now trails the national average in per-student funding per average daily attendance (ADA) by almost $3,300, NEA estimates, ...

[Texas Education Agency Updates]       You are receiving this information because you are subscribed to Public School Funding Updates for Texas Education Agency. Please do not reply to this message. This is a broadcast email sent to all Foundation School Program (FSP) State Funding bulletin members. The Tax Information Survey (TIS) for the 2020–2021 school year will be ...

Parents of Fort Worth school district elementary students won’t have to buy school supplies for the 2021-2022 school year, district officials announced Tuesday. Deputy superintendent Karen Molinar said the supplies of all enrolled elementary school students will be paid for by federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds being provided to the district to address the impact ...

By Andy Yanez | 5:25 PM Nov 3, 2021 CDT | Updated 5:28 PM Nov 3, 2021 CDT Following Proposition A in Pearland ISD passing with more than 61% of voter support, according to unofficial results for Brazoria County, the district is celebrating the financial support that will allow it to focus on remaining competitive with neighboring districts, according to district officials. With the ...

School districts face financial challenges adhering to state-mandated school safety requirements  BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - School districts across the state say they’re struggling to find room in their budgets for recent school safety requirements enacted by the Texas State Legislature.  Following the tragedy at Uvalde, the legislature sought to implement measures designed to make Texas schools ...

School districts face financial challenges adhering to state-mandated school safety requirements  BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - School districts across the state say they’re struggling to find room in their budgets for recent school safety requirements enacted by the Texas State Legislature.  Following the tragedy at Uvalde, the legislature sought to implement measures designed to make Texas schools ...

AUSTIN, Texas — Public school districts across Texas are warning of budget deficits as they workshop their 2024-25 budgets. Bastrop Independent School District Superintendent Barry Edwards sent a letter to families and staff last week warning of a budget shortfall of nearly $8 million for the 2024-25 school year. Edwards said several factors are contributing to the deficit, including the end ...

School funding, concealed handguns and treatment of gay students were hot topics during a candidate forum at Furr’s Friday hosted by the Texas Democratic Women of the South Plains.

Repost: I added "List of Data Needed for Setting Tax Rates" - js School districts across the state are beginning the process of adopting budgets and tax rates for the 2014/2015 school year. The volume of data as well as the notification processes are extensive. As a result, I believe the public schools of Texas are the most transparent form of ...

The six Angelina County superintendents wish to correct a couple of errors reported in a recent article, “Dumpster fires, other mistaken notions.” Mr. Marchand addressed lack of funding for charter schools by comparing PCA funding to the county traditional public schools. The data reported was incorrect. “Using data from the latest Texas Academic Performance Report from the ...

A new national study of how states pay for public education gave Florida an “F” for “Effort,” and ranked it near the bottom of states in how it spends tax dollars for education. The Education Law Center compared equity in school funding for all 50 states in a study called “Is School Funding Fair? America&...

Repost from yesterday - js - I have some thoughts on two issues I want to share with you today. The transgender bathroom issue is being used as a politically motivated wedge to bond voters ideologically to Lt. Governor Patrick. Transgender cases are a local concern and districts have been dealing with transgender issues for years. Secondly, I feel the ...

This is a repost! - With funding tighter than the last legislative session, lawmakers are not expected to inject much money into public education. For now, some are backing a plan to increase money to all school districts through the general appropriations bill.  With the 2017 session underway, Texas lawmakers will have to decide just how — and whether — ...

Lower-than-expected kindergarten enrollment has left the Bryan school district with a funding shortfall for the 2016-2017 school year and uncertainty about how to make up the deficit.  According to a financial report presented to the Bryan school board recently, district officials anticipated a 1.7 percent increase in student enrollment when setting the 2016-2017 budget based on historical trends and up-to-date ...

Repost!  Last week saw boards (now over 234) adopting resolutions opposing A-F. It is apparent that school boards are concerned, not with being held accountable, but with the unfair A-F reporting system.Our education system needs accountability, however, the goals need to be static. Financially the implications are that there are not enough resources to adequately and equitably fund public ...

From TASB Governmental Relations - Dax Gonzalez -  The Senate Finance Committee met on Tuesday to consider various Article III (Education) budget items included in the Senate’s proposed budget bill, Senate Bill 1. The committee listened to invited testimony from the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) regarding the proposed education budget. After an overview, Sen. Royce West (...

Acknowledging that an overhaul of the state’s troubled school finance system won’t happen by the end of the legislative session, public school advocates are pushing lawmakers to patch up gaping holes in the system for now.  “The chances of us fixing it all right now are pretty small. Some of these changes … what ...

The day before the House is slated to consider its big school finance fix, the Senate education panel weighed even loftier changes to the complicated and outdated school funding formula on Tuesday.  Sen. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood and chairman of the Senate Education Committee, has proposed a package of bills that would make substantial changes to funding formula, including ...

The Texas Senate Education Committee passed a bill that would create a "private school choice" program to subsidize private school tuition for kids with special needs, and a bill to study the school finance system.  The Senate Education Committee got two major bills out of the way Friday, passing legislation that would create a "private school choice" program and ...

Couple things you should know related to your public schools, property taxes, and the politics surrounding it. “School choice” sounds reasonable enough but it is nothing more than a happy, feel-good term serving as a cover for those behind the scheme to privatize your public schools. Other terms for “choice” include vouchers, scholarships, grants, and tax ...

Repost!  The bond list and TRE list have been updated! The reviews of yesterday’s school district elections have positive statements about how voters feel about public schools”. Consider the following headlines and article comments from newspapers across the state: Spring Branch Bond approval hits 80% - That is big. Eighty percent of the Spring Branch voters support ...

Parents, taxpayers and school board members like me tend to get sticker shock when we learn how much money our school districts have to send back to the state as part of the recapture, or “Robin Hood,” program. This often-criticized element of our school-finance system redistributes locally collected property taxes to the state to distribute to lower-wealth districts ...

Last Wednesday the House passed its budget (HB 1), which included funding for its package of school finance bills — the primary being HB 3, which will head to the floor for a vote this Wednesday. (You can read more on our take on the budgets and other legislative news in Friday’s Hotline.) So it was the Senate’...

Families in Frisco won't have to cough up $200 for their kids to participate in high school sports next year, the school district announced this week. Since 2017, Frisco ISD has been one of only a few area school districts that have a "pay-to-play" policy for middle and high school sports. Over the next year, the district announced, it will ...

Facing uncertainty in Texas education funding, the Austin school board Monday night is slated to adopt a $1.65 billion spending plan for the 2020-21 school year. The trustees’ decision will come one day before the Texas Education Agency announces guidance for how it will allocate funding to districts. School funding is tied to attendance, but with some families pledging to ...

Fearing an exodus of students from Texas’s public schools and a loss of funding because of the pandemic, an advocacy organization has launched a statewide campaign to shore up support for schools with a five-figure marketing and social media campaign.  The Austin-based public school advocacy organization Raise Your Hand Texas also plans to activate its large grassroots ...

Joseph Frilot said when he graduated as valedictorian of his Houston public high school in 2010, he could count on his hand how many of his 200 fellow classmates were planning to go to college. Now a teacher at IDEA Montopolis—one of five charter schools operated by IDEA Public Schools in Austin—he said he wished his community had ...

In the wake of the Uvalde, TX shooting, school security has been on everyone’s mind. The necessary funding from federal and state legislatures, the need for updates in infrastructure, and the gun-control debate have been sparked heavily in recent months. The Texas School Security Center (TxSSC) and the Texas Education Agency (TEA) have already handed out the requirements ...

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The Texas House of Representatives on Thursday voted to prohibit state money from funding private school vouchers or education savings accounts. The move is a setback to one of Gov. Greg Abbott’s top priorities to provide “school choice” with state-funded private school tuition subsidies. The House approved State Rep. Abel Herrero’s amendment to the state budget ...

Jefferson County — Texas Speaker of the House Dade Phelan is looking for a way to help school districts comply with a new state law. That law is a pillar of the Lone Star State's effort to harden security at schools. The mandate went into effect September 1, and requires districts to put an armed officer on all their campuses. ...

With the Ken Paxton impeachment trial officially over, the pressing concern of school funding was at the forefront of the discussion during Aledo ISD’s Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 19. During the legislative session earlier this spring, state legislators took until the final days of the session to agree upon state-wide property tax cuts. The state treasury ...

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - After failing to pass additional funding for new school safety requirements in four legislative special sessions, the Texas Education Agency opened up a grant in December 2023 for school districts struggling to cover the associated costs. The Safety and Facilities Enhancement (SAFE) grant is for school districts facing financial stress from the state’s school safety requirements. ...

In partnership with the Texas Rural Education Association, the Rural School District Cohort Program provides funding to rural school districts in Texas to directly support and help scale up their meal programs, as well as create opportunities for collaboration among districts. Nationally, Texas has more rural schools than any other state, with more than 20% of all campuses located in rural ...

It is revenue projection time for the 15/16 school year. With the release of the comptroller’s Property Value Study on Friday, administrators now have the first actual number for 15/16 revenue projections. (An explanation for those who do not work with these numbers: It takes a full year for the data to be collected and studied which means this year&...

Thursday, after school program providers asked Texas lawmakers for more funding. This comes as Congress is preparing to vote on a bill that would eliminate the same funding at the federal level. If passed, HR 5 would impact about 12,000 Austin kids by pulling the funding for their after-school programs. Nationwide, this resolution could impact 1.6 million kids who turn to these programs ...

Twenty-five schools in Aldine, Alief, Galena Park, Houston, Pasadena, Sheldon and a state charter school will receive a share of $650,000 in after school funding as the 2015-2016 school year begins. The program called the Partnership Project is administered by the Center for After-School, Summer and Expanded Learning for Kids, or CASE for Kids, a division of Harris County Department of ...

Oral arguments in an education-funding lawsuit involving six groups representing school districts, parents, and other groups in Texas took place on September 1.  Attorneys for more than 600 districts suing the state told the state’s Supreme Court schools are underfunded and the distribution of funding is unfair. According to the lawsuit, the inequity in funding has been a problem ...

This is a sad day for Texas and for the future of our great state.  The economic prosperity of Texas in the coming years is tied directly to the quality of our public schools. But today’s unexpected and troubling ruling by the Texas Supreme Court jeopardizes that future success. Our schools must be adequately and equitably funded ...

Local school officials are figuring out what comes next following last week's Texas Supreme Court decision over public education funding.  For years school districts have claimed the state funding system is inadequate, and previous court cases ended up in their favor. Most recently, a host of school districts filed a lawsuit against the state claiming as much.  ...