Pennsylvania GOP megadonor Jeff Yass kicked in another $4 million to Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this year to boost the governor’s bid to unseat Texas House Republicans who oppose private school vouchers. The April 3 donation, revealed this week in a campaign finance report filed by Abbott, was Yass’ second major contribution to the GOP governor this election cycle. The billionaire TikTok investor donated $6 million to Abbott in December, believed to be the largest single political donation in Texas history.  Yass’ more recent $4 million contribution was part of a haul of nearly $30 million Abbott reported over the first half of the year, an eye-popping figure for a governor who is not on the ballot this year.  Abbott has established himself as the most prolific fundraiser in the state’s political history. He ended June with more than $51 million in his campaign account, even after spending some $12 million on his crusade to secure a pro-voucher majority in the Texas House. view article

On Wednesday, Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath recommended SBOE members approve the opening of Infinite Minds in Arlington, Pathway Academy in Big Spring, The Texas Girls School in Austin, Unparalleled Preparatory Academy in Manor and Visionary STEM Academy in Terrell.  The SBOE is slated to hold a preliminary vote Wednesday and will decide Friday whether to move the charter schools’ applications forward. If it does, the applications will return to the TEA for a final review.Representatives from each of the schools also gave presentations to the 15-member body. Some of the schools would focus on making STEM careers more accessible to students and equipping them with entrepreneurship skills while at least one other would place a heavy emphasis on literacy.  The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors. Become one.  The timing of the new charter proposals frustrated some teacher advocacy groups and public education advocates, who say the new schools would siphon state funds away from traditional school districts.  State lawmakers failed to approve additional funds for public schools during last year’s legislative session amid the fight for school vouchers, which would allow families to use taxpayer dollars to pay for private and religious schools. read more

ill lead to a Character and Career Academy at Liberty-Eylau Middle School. (Staff Photo by Mallory Wyatt) TEXARKANA, Texas -- Liberty-Eylau Independent School District held a signing ceremony at its administrative center yesterday afternoon. Superintendent Jeff Wright and Dr. Robert C.K. Harper, CEO and founder of the HOPE Initiative, signed a memorandum of understanding signifying the start of a partnership between the two entities. "I view article

The Austin school district is hoping to draw Mendez Middle School students back to the campus over the summer through a series of new programs about filmmaking, music, cooking and school tutoring, among other things. School district Trustee Ofelia Zapata, who represents Mendez's area, has dubbed the initiative the “Love Hub,” which will serve as a community space for students in Dove Springs — a South Austin neighborhood tucked in between Interstate 35 to the west and the winding Onion Creek to the east. Zapata hopes the hub will also introduce something she says has been lacking at the school: parent inclusion. “I should be able to go into any school and feel the same culture of welcoming,” Zapata told the American-Statesman. “That is how you're going to engage parents. They're going to feel good. They're going to want to be there.” view article

The Houston ISD Superintendent slammed a recent report alleging that the former charter school founder funneled Texas taxpayer dollars out of state. Third Future, the network of charter schools founded by HISD superintendent Mike Miles, responded Wednesday to allegations that the organization had illicitly funneled Texas public school funding to its Colorado schools. The organization strongly denied any accusations of impropriety, echoing Miles' own response earlier that clarified that the financial dealings described in Spectrum's report, including administrative fees, are common practice for charter schools. "Since our central office is located in Colorado, most paper checks and bills are sent to this location and then deposited into separate bank accounts. Each school has its own bank account. A check meant for a Texas school may arrive in Colorado, but it is promptly deposited into that school’s Texas bank account," the statement read. view article

Called Harmony Science Academy-Leander, the school is set to open for the 2025-26 school year. The school will accept students from pre-K through sixth grade during its first year. A new grade will be added each year, and an additional school building will be built to serve students through 12th grade, according to a May 9 HPS press release. Once fully built out in the 2027-28 school year, the 26-acre campus located at 3250 Hero Way, Leander, will include two buildings, a soccer field and a football field. “This campus will be home to many scholars, who will graduate from Harmony and lead their communities as some of the best and brightest,” HPS-CTX Superintendent Mustafa Altindag said. view article

Spectrum News’ Brett Shipp reported that Colorado-based Third Future Schools, which Miles founded and led until he was appointed to lead Houston ISD last summer, sent millions in taxpayer money from its school in Odessa to another network school in Colorado that needed financial assistance. The Texas Education Agency says it is reviewing the matter. view article