What to know before applying for Texas’ education savings accounts next year

The Texas comptroller’s office has released a set of rules to govern the state’s $1 billion education savings account program, or ESAs. Accepted families will receive thousands of dollars in state funds to send their children to a private school or homeschool them. The overview: Accredited private schools and education vendors can begin applying to join the program as soon as Dec. 9, and applications will open for interested families Feb. 4. Most families accepted into the program will receive about $10,300 per student, which can be spent on tuition at accredited private prekindergarten or K-12 schools and related expenses. Homeschooled students will receive up to $2,000 per year, while students with disabilities will be eligible for up to $30,000 annually.
How Odyssey rose from tech startup to manager of Texas’ $1B school voucher program

When Texas chose a company to roll out the state’s $1 billion private school voucher program, it passed over more established vendors in favor of a four-year-old tech startup that said it could do it for almost half the cost. Now, Odyssey must execute on its promises to meet an aggressive timeline while avoiding missteps that have dogged other program launches. The New York-based company has rapidly expanded in recent years, launching programs in eight states that subsidize students’ private education costs with taxpayer dollars.
About 200 Texas A&M courses could change due to new restrictions on teaching gender, race

Faculty at Texas A&M University were told this week that roughly 200 courses in the College of Arts and Sciences could be affected by a new system policy restricting classroom discussions of race and gender, the implementation of which has already led administrators to direct a philosophy professor to remove Plato readings from a core course. The changes are being made days before the semester begins and after some students have registered to attend. The Texas Tribune obtained emails sent by college administrators showing the policy has already led to courses being cancelled or renumbered to remove them from core curriculum credit, with professors directed to alter course content or teach different classes.
Texas AG collects 1,100+ mystery seed packages from China, issues another warning

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is again warning Texans about mysterious packages of seeds being sent from China. Unsolicited packages of unidentified seeds began arriving in 2020 and continue to be sent to people across the state. The Texas Department of Agriculture is urging Texans who receive unsolicited seeds not to open the package, not to plant the seeds, and not to throw them into the trash, where they'll end up in a landfill. Since February 2025, the TDA said it has collected 1,101 seed packages sent to more than 100 locations across the state. The TDA said the seeds could pose a serious threat to the state's agricultural and environmental safety.
Health experts react as Andrew Huberman backs Trump admin’s new food pyramid

The Trump administration has taken a new approach to the food pyramid. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced new guidelines on Wednesday with an updated, inverted pyramid. The top of the pyramid, which is now the wider part of the structure, is built on meat, fats, fruits and vegetables, while whole grains are at the narrow bottom. T his follows HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s mission to "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA), aimed at addressing chronic disease, childhood illnesses and ultraprocessed foods.
Texas A&M tells professor to cut Plato, ‘race and gender ideology’ from syllabus

A professor at Texas A&M University was told by the school's philosophy department that he must drop class readings from his syllabus because they violate the school's new policy on "race ideology and gender ideology" in course content. Philosophy professor Martin Peterson submitted the syllabus for his Contemporary Moral Issues class for the spring 2026 semester to department leadership for review during the school's winter break. The syllabus included readings from Plato's Aristophanes' Myth of the Split Humans, Diotima's Ladder of Love and a textbook titled Ethics: Theory and Contemporary Issues, which were all flagged by the university.

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Dimmitt ISD to receive $218,000 for workforce development

December 0508:18 AM

Governor Greg Abbott announced Wednesday that Dimmitt ISD, along with five other school districts, will receive grant funds to support workforce development. Six dual credit grants totaling more than $1 million will go train students for high-demand, good-paying jobs after graduation. view article

Victoria ISD considers elementary modernization plan through potential bond election

December 0508:15 AM

The Victoria Independent School District has identified some areas of need regarding the elementary schools within the district. Several require roof renovations, along with other upgrades to achieve the board's desire of modernizing more elementary and middle schools in the district. A Bond Action Committee approached the school board with a proposed plan that would involve a bond election in May for at least $200 million for the various projects the board seeks. view article

Socorro ISD responds to questions on compliance with Texas armed officer mandate

December 0508:13 AM

KFOX14/CBS4 has been trying to get in contact with Socorro ISD to learn if it complies with Texas House Bill 3, which mandates an armed peace officer at every school campus. The law, effective in 2023, was updated by House Bill 121 during the most recent legislative session, which now allos the Texas Education Agency to commission officers to enhance school safety. view article

Fort Worth ISD to offer district-wide CPR training

December 0508:11 AM

The Fort Worth ISD announced on Thursday that it will offer district-wide CPR training and emergency planning as part of the American Heart Association's "district of lifesavers" program. The program aims to turn bystanders into lifesavers and double the survival rate from cardiac arrest outside of hospitals. view article

Harper ISD teacher arrested for allegedly recording student changing in his home

December 0508:11 AM

New details have been released after a Harper ISD Assistant Band Director was arrested for illegally recording a minor. On Thursday, Gillespie County released the full arrest affidavit of Pedro DeLuna III, who was arrested on Monday for allegedly recording a 15-year-old Harper High School student. view article

Bus aide recovering after rollover crash involving Somerset ISD school bus

December 0508:07 AM

A bus aide from Somerset ISD is recovering following a rollover crash early this morning. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the incident occurred around 5:45 a.m. on Highway 16 and Encino Drive when a vehicle pulled out in front of the bus. view article

Somerset ISD bus crash sends aide to hospital; students uninjured

December 0508:03 AM

An aide was rushed to the hospital early Thursday after a Somerset Independent School District bus was involved in an accident in Atascosa County, said district officials. The crash happened around 6 a.m. on Highway 16 near Encino Road. view article

Supreme Court allows Texas to use Trump-backed congressional map in midterms

December 0505:00 AM

The ruling is a major win for the Trump administration and Texas Republicans, who engineered the map to give the GOP control of 30 of the state’s 38 congressional districts. view article

Facing $37M budget deficit, Judson ISD hasn’t had a chief financial officer in more than a month

December 0409:46 AM

Despite being in financial straits, the school board for Judson Independent School District voted not to hire a candidate for chief financial officer. The role has been vacant for more than a month. District staff had recommended the board approve a candidate for the CFO position, but Judson trustees voted 4-3 against the hire after spending nearly four hours in closed session during a board meeting on Nov. 6. Board President Monica Ryan, who voted against filling the position, said the world of school district CFOs is very small, but she wants to wait on a new hire because the job is “very challenging even under normal circumstances.” view article

Texas’ “bathroom bill” is about to go into effect. Here’s what it does.

December 0408:40 AM

Senate Bill 8, which takes effect on Thursday, places new restrictions on which restrooms transgender people can use in certain government-owned buildings and schools. view article

New details emerge in arrest of McCollum High School teacher

December 0408:30 AM

A San Antonio high school teacher accused of sexually assaulting a student was placed behind bars on Wednesday, December 3, according to online jail records. The Bexar County Sheriff's Office made the arrest the day prior. view article

Former youth pastor at north Texas church sentenced to 12 years in federal prison on child pornography conviction

December 0408:30 AM

DALLAS — A former youth pastor in a north Texas church was sentenced Wednesday to 12 years in federal prison for receiving child pornography. This sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas. This investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Garland Police Department. According to the factual resume filed in the case, Joshua Earls, 30, of Garland, Texas, admitted that while he was a youth pastor, he established a relationship with a girl at his church, "Jane Doe," who was 16 years old at the time. Earls had pleaded guilty plea in October 2013 to one count of receiving child pornography. In addition to the 144-month federal prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Barbara M. G. Lynn also sentenced Earls to a lifetime of supervised release. view article

Fourth lawsuit filed against Celina ISD and former teacher over sexual misconduct allegations

December 0405:11 AM

Celina ISD now faces a fourth lawsuit over allegations that a former teacher recorded students changing in the boys’ locker room. And attorneys say new evidence shows the district may have been aware of the misconduct before it was reported Caleb Elliott, a former eighth-grade football coach at Moore Middle School in Celina ISD, was arrested in October after a student reported that Elliott was intentionally photographing boys “in various states of undress” in the locker room. Elliott now faces39 criminal charges, including eight federal charges of sexual exploitation of children. He has been in custody since Nov. 7. Texas House Rep. Mitch Little from Denton told reporters at a press conference outside the Collin County courthouse that multiple witnesses report another football coach at Moore Middle School confronted Elliott about his behavior before a student reported it to school principal Allison Ginn Oct.3. view article

Gov. Abbott, Secretary Kennedy Announce Funding for Rural Healthcare 

December 0405:08 AM

Appearing together at the state capitol, Gov. Greg Abbott and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the allotment of $500 million to develop rural healthcare in Texas. The action follows the passage of President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill in July, which allotted $50 billion for a Rural Health Transformation Program. In the new program, all states will be given half of the allotted dollars over the course of five years. The remainder will be distributed to states that fill out an application and submit proposals for how to use the funding. view article

Oncor Pushing $33 Billion Power Project Expansion

December 0405:01 AM

California-owned energy company Oncor has ties to the project expansion, a move expected to boost its profits at the expense of Texans. Records show that Oncor, the largest energy delivery company in Texas, played a pivotal role in transforming a regional reliability project into a statewide mega-expansion—one that will drive up Texans’ energy bills while benefiting the company financially. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which oversees Texas’ energy grid, approved the TX 765-kilovolt (kV) Strategic Transmission Expansion Plan Comparison (STEP) project in August. Experts say this was done without legislative or public consent and will burden Texas’ energy prices for years to come.The proposed plan includes three 765kV Extra-High Voltage (EHV) electric transmission lines going into the Permian Basin area, as well as two 765kV EHV transmission line projects to connect the western and eastern loop point-to-point electrical connections. view article

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Lawsuit alleges Celina ISD covered up misconduct by former coach

December 0405:00 AM

CELINA, Texas - Attorneys representing 17 families who filed a new civil lawsuit against the Celina ISD and former middle school coach Caleb Elliott sharply criticized the Celina Police Department on Wednesday, accusing investigators of prematurely closing their inquiry and overlooking evidence that others may have known about Elliott’s alleged misconduct. view article

Fort Bend ISD prepares to release a proposal to close and rezone elementary schools

December 0310:06 AM

Fort Bend ISD parents are bracing for school closures and rezoning after the district released a new timeline with its long-term boundary planning. On Monday, Fort Bend ISD board members met. The majority of the meeting was focused on the districts long-term boundary plan. view article

Troy Nehls is just the latest Texas Republican planning to exit Congress. Here are the others.

December 0309:32 AM

U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls, the Republican from Richmond, is the latest in a growing number of GOP lawmakers who have announced their departure from Congress at the end of their terms, possibly threatening the party's chances of holding on to control of the U.S. House. Nehls said he would retire at the end of his current term in 2027, making the announcement a day after the Thanksgiving holiday and just days after U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, announced she would resign in the middle of her term on Jan. 5. In Texas, several Republican lawmakers also have said they will leave the U.S. House at the end of their terms, with some retiring and at least one seeking a higher office. view article

Lawsuit accusing Tarrant County of racial gerrymandering dropped, one remains

December 0309:00 AM

A group of Tarrant County residents who sued over the county’s new commissioners court precinct map withdrew their lawsuit Monday. It’s not clear from court filings why the group that filed the case, titled Jackson et. al. v. Tarrant County, decided to drop it. But it ends one of two lawsuits accusing Tarrant County of illegal racial gerrymandering. KERA News has reached out to attorneys on both sides for comment. I n an emailed statement, Republican County Judge Tim O’Hare welcomed the news. “The Commissioners Court’s action to redistrict was constitutional from the outset and remains so,” he said. “With today’s legal development, Tarrant County will continue to stand as the best place to live and run a business in America.” view article

In school voucher rules, Texas lets families get more for pre-K but rejects additional reporting requirements

December 0308:40 AM

Texas’ chief financial officer on Tuesday finalized rules for the state’s private school voucher program, clearing up confusion about funding for pre-kindergarten students and setting official dates for schools and families to apply — but declining to change certain special education components or tack on additional reporting requirements. Private schools and vendors who currently participate in an existing state initiative for students with disabilities can apply on Dec. 9, while applications for nonparticipants are set to open shortly after. The state will then allow families to start applying on Feb. 4, the date Texas’ finance chief and Odyssey — the finance and technology company helping administer the program — had agreed upon in their contract. The application window would remain open until mid-March, according to the agreement. The state then aims to provide status updates for approved students in early May. view article

A slate of new Texas laws go into effect December and January. Here’s what to watch.

December 0308:40 AM

Dozens of new Texas laws will take effect in December and January, bringing wide-ranging changes to the state’s education system, law enforcement, taxes and more. Over 800 laws from this year’s regular legislative session already took effect on Sept. 1, but more measures from that period as well as the second special session will soon activate. Some also had to wait for voters’ approval, such as more tax exemption for businesses’ inventory. Notably, the legislation behind the Texas GOP’s mid-decade push to redraw the congressional map and get five more seats for President Donald Trump is supposed to take effect on Dec. 4. view article

Michael and Susan Dell donate $6.25 billion to fund ‘Trump Accounts’ for millions of American kids

December 0308:40 AM

Michael and Susan Dell on Tuesday announced that they are donating $6.25 billion to fund investment accounts for at least 25 million American children. The enormous pledge will go toward helping fund “Trump Accounts,” a new initiative that offers investment accounts for children. The “Trump Accounts” were established as part of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” and are set to launch in 2026. view article

NWS flags fast-moving system that could drop snow on North Texas

December 0308:34 AM

A quick-hitting blast of winter may sweep into North Texas and the Panhandle late Wednesday into Thursday, bringing a sudden drop in temperatures and the potential for up to an inch of snow in a few spots, the National Weather Service in Amarillo warns. view article

Kerr County was among dozens of Texas communities to turn down state flood money, saying it wasn’t enough

December 0308:32 AM

Texas earmarked $1.4 billion to help fund flood prevention projects. But after learning that so many communities turned down the money, two lawmakers who approved the program acknowledged it was flawed. view article

Days before Texas’ “bathroom bill” becomes law, questions remain about how it will be enforced

December 0308:30 AM

On Thursday, a new state law will add another layer of anxiety to Simon Shepherd’s already busy life: he has to worry — even more so than usual — about going to the bathroom. It’s not an entirely new concern, said Shepherd, a transgender man living in North Texas. He had a similar issue in high school, he said, when school administrators asked that he use the girl’s restroom until they eventually allowed him to use the boy’s restroom amid legal pushback. But that was almost 8 years before Senate Bill 8, which is designed to prevent trans people like him from using certain state-owned facilities matching their identifying gender. view article

Timpson ISD appoints new superintendent

December 0308:29 AM

Timpson ISD appointed its new superintendent Tuesday evening. Timpson ISD appointed Dr. Terry Everitt as its new superintendent at Tuesday’s school board meeting. Everitt was named the lone finalist at a board meeting in November. He will officially being his role at Timpson ISD at the start of the new semester in January. view article

Austin ISD selling two school sites in bid to lower budget gap

December 0308:25 AM

The Austin school district must sell two school properties this year to keep its $19.7 million deficit from ballooning. If the old Brooke or Rosedale campus properties fail to sell, district officials may have to go back to the drawing board to explore other ways to save money just months after a painful decision to close 10 schools because of budgetary and enrollment strains. view article

Austin ISD selling two school sites in bid to lower budget gap

December 0308:25 AM

Fort Bend ISD prepares to release a proposal to close and rezone elementary schools

December 0308:25 AM

On Monday, Fort Bend ISD board members met. The majority of the meeting was focused on the districts long-term boundary plan. Earlier this year, the district announced its looking to make changes mainly due to declining enrollment -- a plan that the district says could close schools and rezone students. view article

Videos show Waymo vehicles illegally passing Austin school buses 19 times this year

December 0308:24 AM

In November, on Austin’s South First Street, cameras caught a Waymo automated vehicle drive past an Austin Independent School District school bus’ flashing stop signs. At first, the driverless car stopped while a student crossed in front of it – but video shows the car accelerating forward before the student could cross the other lane of traffic or get out of the road. Just two days before, in north Austin, bus surveillance cameras also recorded a different Waymo illegally passing an AISD bus as students crossed the street. view article

14-year-old Lewisville ISD student killed crossing the street

December 0308:23 AM

A freshman student in the Lewisville Independent School District died after being struck by a pickup truck on Tuesday afternoon. view article

Former Harper ISD employee arrested in off campus recording incident involving minor

December 0308:13 AM

Harper ISD is notifying families after a former district employee was arrested in connection with an off-campus incident involving a minor. According to a statement from the district, Pedro DeLuna III, a former staff member, was arrested on Dec. 1, following allegations that he recorded invasive visual material of a 15-year-old girl. The alleged incident did not occur on school property and happened outside of school hours. view article

Hundreds of Texas voters flagged as potential noncitizens may have already proven their citizenship

December 0308:00 AM

The Secretary of State’s Office didn’t initially check with the Department of Public Safety, which collects proof of citizenship from people who register to vote through them. County election officials investigating the eligibility of 2,724 Texas voters flagged as potential noncitizens have so far found that hundreds of the voters registered through the state Department of Public Safety, which requires proof of citizenship from anyone registering to vote while obtaining a driver’s license or state ID. DPS keeps copies of the proof of citizenship that registrants provide, such as birth certificates or passports. The agency also keeps copies of proof of lawful presence in the U.S., such as green cards, provided by immigrants. view article

Katy ISD among school districts sued in new legal challenge of Texas Ten Commandments law

December 0305:07 AM

After receiving two favorable rulings from judges, a coalition of advocacy groups filed their third lawsuit Tuesday challenging a new state law that requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom in Texas. The new case was brought against 16 Texas school districts, adding Katy, Clear Creek, Deer Park, Pearland and Magnolia ISDs to the litigation. Courts have already barred the displays in Conroe, Houston, Fort Bend and Cypress-Fairbanks ISDs. The latest filing comes in an ongoing effort from groups such as the ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation. They represent families across the state who say placing posters of the Ten Commandments violates their First Amendment protections. All three cases have been filed in San Antonio federal court in the Western District of Texas. Tuesday’s filing is the first class-action lawsuit the groups have brought in the Ten Commandments litigation. T view article

Austin police say no foul play in Texas A&M student’s fatal fall as family seeks answers

December 0305:06 AM

Investigators say they don't suspect foul play in the death of Brianna Aguilera Austin authorities said Tuesday that an ongoing probe into the weekend falling death of Texas A&M student Brianna Aguilera continues to suggest the 19-year-old did not die by homicide, but also cautioned they have not reached any conclusions. view article

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