In her bid for the governor's seat, Rep. Gina Hinojosa is advocating against school closures and school district takeovers. view article

Critical race theory and identity politics research is lavishly funded in Aggieland.  Texas Scorecard has previously reported on the Race and Ethnic Studies Institute (RESI) and its professors, whose output runs the gamut of left-wing grievance studies.  As part of the initial reporting on RESI, Texas Scorecard filed an open records request for its budgets over the past five years.  Based on those records, RESI receives $100,000 in annual support from Texas A&M for “Operating funds.”   It has also received a series of smaller amounts for “tuition support,” “dean’s initiatives,” “payroll support,” and “salary support.”   With this funding, RESI’s advisory board, faculty affiliates, and graduate student affiliates produce grievance-studies-themed content. RESI financially supports this content through a series of fellowships and grants.   Texas A&M did not respond to multiple, detailed requests for comment. A question regarding future plans for this institute was asked multiple times. view article

Republican leaders say the spending restraint will help preserve funding for priorities while supporting additional property tax relief.  Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and House Speaker Dustin Burrows are directing most state agencies to reduce their baseline budget requests by 3 percent, as Republicans push for meaningful property tax relief during the upcoming legislative session.  In joint guidance issued to state agencies, institutions of higher education, and other state entities, the three leaders outlined priorities for preparing Legislative Appropriations Requests for the 2028–29 biennium.   The guidance calls on agencies to reduce their base appropriation requests by 3 percent, while exempting several priorities, including the Foundation School Program, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, foster care, adoption assistance, and the Texas Education Savings Account Program. view article

Pine Tree ISD Superintendent Steve Clugston will not appear on the November ballot after falling short of the required signatures needed to run for Texas Senate District 1, a seat currently held by Republican State Sen. Bryan Hughes. Clugston had planned to run as a conservative independent. He said he submitted 640 signatures to the Texas Secretary of State, but the state invalidated 162 of them, leaving him with 478 — short of the 500 required to qualify. It was not immediately clear why the state invalidated the signatures. view article

Daniel Hamlin will assume the position on Aug. 16, ahead of the upcoming semester. view article

After much deliberation and debate in the 89th Regular Session, the Texas Legislature approved Senate Bill 2 (SB2) in 2025, the state’s first-ever universal voucher program. This new $1 billion taxpayer-funded program is structured as an Education Savings Account (ESA), allowing eligible students to use $10,330 in fiscal year 2027 for private school expenses. Homeschooled students will be eligible to receive approximately $2,000, and students with special education needs will get up to $30,000. Texas parents will be able to use vouchers for the first time beginning in the 2026-27 school year. view article

The Republican National Committee chairman discusses why the party is holding its first-ever midterm convention, what delegates can expect, and the role the Texas GOP will play. view article

Nearly 73,000 education freedom accounts received initial funding Wednesday as part of Texas’ new school choice program.    The Texas Education Freedom Account (TEFA) program allows eligible families to use state funds for approved educational products and services. Participation in the program is determined through a lottery system based on the student and family needs.   Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock said the program includes both private school and homeschool families in the first group to receive funding from the program.   Homeschool families will receive their full annual $2,000 award, while private school students will receive the first 25 percent now, with the remainder being awarded throughout the rest of the school year. view article

Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock announced Wednesday he plans to step down from his post later this month, dealing a shakeup to the agency as it rolls out the state’s fledgling private school voucher program.  Gov. Greg Abbott shared a copy of Hancock’s resignation letter on Wednesday and thanked the former state senator for his service. view article

Gov. Greg Abbott chose the former GOP lawmaker for the role last year, giving him the reins of Texas’ $1 billion school voucher rollout. Hancock was defeated in his bid for a full term in March.  Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock will step down from his post as Texas’ chief financial officer at the end of July, according to a resignation letter he submitted to Gov. Greg Abbott Wednesday.  Hancock’s departure notice, first reported by Texas Bullpen and confirmed by Abbott, comes one year to the day after he took over the agency. He was chosen by the governor after the previous comptroller, Glenn Hegar, stepped down to become the chancellor of the Texas A&M University System.  Hancock oversaw the beginning of the state’s $1 billion program to offer parents vouchers to send their kids to private schools, one of the agency’s biggest and newest responsibilities.  view article

While touting Texas’ economic growth, Abbott warns that rapid data center expansion cannot come at the expense of Texans. view article

Benjamin Flores, the Democratic nominee for Texas land commissioner, said Friday that he is in remission, two weeks after his campaign revealed he had been diagnosed with leukemia.  Flores provided the update on his health while addressing Texas Democratic Convention attendees in Corpus Christi. He has said he intends to remain in the race while he receives treatment at MD Anderson in Houston.  In a statement announcing his diagnosis earlier this month, Flores said his mother “taught me to never bow down.” view article

A required reading list before the State Board of Education would present a predominantly Christian perspective to public school students, Jewish leaders say. view article

The outgoing lawmakers have cast doubt on whether their respective primary opponents, Ken Paxton and James Talarico, can win in November. view article

Priorities for Republican leadership last legislative session have either been stuck in the courts or left to linger in the state rulemaking process.  Last year, Texas became the first state to require warning labels on thousands of food and beverages containing common 44 dyes or additives, cleared the way for ivermectin to be sold without a prescription and approved a $3 billion fund for dementia research. All three were headline-making in their own right.  But nine months later, all three bills — considered health priorities by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows — have run aground, either stuck in the courts or left to linger in the state agency rulemaking process.   Of the three, the Dementia Prevention Research Institute (DPRIT) has been the only one sidetracked from the get-go, blocked for now by a lawsuit filed by two voters who claim there were voting irregularities last fall when Texans overwhelmingly approved it. P view article

Stopping Sharia, eliminating property taxes, and closing the primary are among the GOP's priorities for 2027.  Signaling where grassroots activists want lawmakers to focus efforts in the next session, the Republican Party of Texas announced Thursday the eight legislative priorities chosen by delegates at last weekend’s state convention.  According to a letter sent to State Republican Executive Committee members by new Chair D’rinda Randall, the list still awaits formal review by the Legislative Priorities Committee, but these are the issues that rose to the top of delegate voting. view article

Gov. Greg Abbott and state party leaders want a Texas law allowing only registered Republicans to vote in GOP primaries.  During the Texas Republican Convention last week, Gov. Greg Abbott publicly backed a push to close primaries and require voters to register with a party.  “We are going to make clear that in the future, only Republicans vote in Republican primaries,” he said Friday, addressing the convention in Houston. view article

Texas senators approved a bill April 23 that they said would save seniors and people with disabilities about $950 on their annual property tax bills. Senate Bill 23, by Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, would raise tax exemptions to $200,000 for homes owned by people who are over 65 years old or have a disability.  The current homestead exemption is $100,000 for most homeowners and $110,000 for seniors and people with disabilities.    SB 23 would apply only to taxes levied by public school districts. The state would spend $1.2 billion to ensure districts do not lose revenue due to the increased exemption, Bettencourt said.  "It’s a win for the taxpayer, it’s a win for the school districts—and we’re spending our surplus to do it," Bettencourt said on the Senate floor. "[Seniors and people with disabilities] are the people that need our help the most to stay in their homes, and I think it’s a fabulous investment."   view article

Texas State Rep. Gina Hinojosa came through North Texas on a tour to “save Texas public schools.” She speaks with Lone Star Politics about the stakes ahead of the election and her promise to fire the Texas Education Commissioner on day one, if she defeats incumbent Governor Abbott. view article

HOUSTON—The Republican Party of Texas will have new leadership after delegates elected D’Rinda Randall as party chair and David Covey as vice chair during Senate district caucus meetings Friday at the state convention in Houston.  Randall defeated incumbent Chairman Abraham George, under whom she had served as vice chair.  Under Texas law, the party’s chair and vice chair must be of opposite genders. With Randall elected chair, delegates selected Covey to serve as vice chair.  The leadership elections came as thousands of delegates gathered in Houston to adopt the party platform, select legislative priorities, and chart the party’s course ahead of the 2026 general election and the 2027 legislative session. view article

The Republican Party of Texas’ meeting in Houston offered a look at the state GOP’s next chapter and messaging heading into the fall’s midterm elections. view article

State Representative Gina Hinojosa says she’ll put a stop to state takeovers of local school districts if she’s elected governor of Texas.  The Austin Democrat held a press conference on Monday at a closed elementary school in downtown Austin. Hinojosa is challenging Republican Governor Greg Abbott in November, and she’s making public education a focus of her campaign.  On Monday, she called for the removal of Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath, head of the Texas Education Agency.State Representative Gina Hinojosa says she’ll put a stop to state takeovers of local school districts if she’s elected governor of Texas.  The Austin Democrat held a press conference on Monday at a closed elementary school in downtown Austin. Hinojosa is challenging Republican Governor Greg Abbott in November, and she’s making public education a focus of her campaign.  On Monday, she called for the removal of Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath, head of the Texas Education Agency. view article

Committee members examined allegations that cities have failed to update local ordinances while discussing potential "Death Star 2.0" reforms ahead of the next legislative session.   Texas lawmakers are examining whether local governments are complying with a state law designed to prevent cities and counties from regulating in areas already governed by state law—and whether stronger enforcement tools are needed to ensure compliance    The Texas House Select Committee on Governmental Oversight held its first hearing Thursday to review implementation of the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act, a 2023 law that limits local regulations in broad areas of state law. Supporters say the measure helps businesses by ensuring consistent rules across Texas, while opponents argue it restricts local control. view article

The Republican said he agreed to speak at the event prior to Clayton Tucker’s involvement because it was “the right thing to do.” Both are critics of data center construction in Texas.  At least 248 data centers are currently planned to be built in Texas, almost half of which are set to be built in unincorporated areas, a Texas Tribune analysis found. The state currently has 335 existing data centers. view article

The spot will stream throughout the Spurs-Knicks series on ESPN+, depicting Gov. Greg Abbott as a basketball-playing string puppet committing “turnover after turnover of our money to his donors.” view article

Republicans are grappling with a stunning Democratic upset: a swing of 30+ points away from the G.O.P. in a deeply conservative part of the state. While the race was local, political operatives are already gaming out the impact on the midterms, how it could scramble the fundraising race, and what it portends for the Hispanic vote in the age of ICE. view article

The former state senator will leave office July 17 after overseeing seven statewide elections and a high-profile legal fight over Texas' primary system.  Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson announced Tuesday that she will step down from the position on July 17, ending a three-and-a-half-year tenure leading the state’s elections and business filings agency.  “It has been an honor to serve the people of Texas in this role,” Nelson said in a statement. “My time as Secretary came at an important moment for Texas, and I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish as an agency in under four years.”  Gov. Greg Abbott praised Nelson’s service, calling her “a true champion for the people of Texas and an extraordinary Secretary of State.”  “I am deeply grateful for her long and loyal service and outstanding leadership,” Abbott said. “She has represented our state with grace and honor across the globe, and Texas is better because of it.” view article

Texas is growing older faster than the rest of the nation. While the number of young people in the U.S. has shrunk, the population of children in Texas has grown.  The population of Texans age 65 and older grew faster than any other age group since the start of the decade, growing by 3.8% from 2023 to 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. They grew faster than working-age adults and children under the age of 18.  Their numbers show that people are living longer than in past generations. And, as they age, they'll increasingly rely on those of working age, a population that isn’t growing as quickly, said Holly Heard, vice president of data and analytics at Texas 2036.  In Texas, which has the highest levels of people without health insurance, elder Texans will likely face more ailments as they age.   view article

The state House Public Education Committee on Tuesday considered more than 30 bills aimed at making Texas public schools safer, including measures that would put more armed personnel on campuses and give districts money for sweeping security changes. The Legislature has made improving school safety a priority this session after 10 people, mostly students, were shot and killed at Santa Fe High School 10 months ago. The shooting spurred roundtable discussions and studies among policymakers, lawmakers and Gov. Greg Abbott in the immediate aftermath. “Out of that loss, we have an opportunity to devote ourselves and commit ourselves to seeing that their loss was not in vain and that future students, future teachers, future families in this state will, if at all possible, not have to experience what these individuals experienced,” said Rep. Greg Bonnen, R-Friendswood, during Tuesday’s hearing. view article

Property tax reform has been a top priority for Texas lawmakers from the start of the 86th legislative session. The early filing of identical, wide-reaching bills in the House and Senate in January—Senate Bill 2 and House Bill 2—sparked debate on the topic and earned pushback from many local entities that could be affected by the proposals. The twin bills propose to lower the cap for local entities’ annual tax revenue growth from 8 percent to 2.5 percent and to improve efficiency and transparency in the tax system. The proposals were fast-tracked for debate in both chambers after Gov. Greg Abbott declared property tax an emergency item in February, and dozens of related bills have been filed in their wake. view article

Hillary Clinton and Helen Keller are back on the lesson plan after a vote by the Texas State Board of Education. The committee voted 12-2, with one abstention, on Tuesday to continue teaching students about Clinton in high school history classes, according to State Board of Education Director Debbie Ratcliffe. The board also voted to keep Keller on the curriculum. The vote reverses a September preliminary decision to cut the women, along with 1964 Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater and several other historical figures, from the required curriculum. The board said then that the change was intended to streamline the curriculum for its 5.4 million students at the recommendation of volunteer work groups. view article

School finance was the big-ticket item this legislative session, said Emett Alvarez, Victoria Democrats Club president. "Education should be important to everyone," Alvarez said. "We are all taxpayers and are affected by it one way or the other." The Victoria County Democratic Party will host its club meeting Tuesday at VeraCruz Restaurant, 3110 N. Navarro St. Guest speakers will be Dwight Harris, former president of the Victoria chapter of the Texas American Federation of Teachers, and Ray Thomas, who is running for chief justice of the 13th Court of Appeals. view article

Will there ever come a day when our state leaders and lawmakers want to make Texas as good a place for children as it is for business? The 85th legislative session didn't seem often inclined in that direction, particularly in matters related to educating the state's schoolchildren. A massive funding failure for prekindergarten students. The state Senate's defeatist response to a solid House attempt at school finance reform. Out-of-proportion talk about vouchers for those attending private schools. But let's not overlook a couple of bright spots. Thanks to skillful work by three North Texas lawmakers, the state's youngest learners should eventually get the gift of better-prepared teachers. view article

Back in March, James Dickey, then the chairman of the Travis County Republican Party, showed up at the state Capitol to testify in support of House Bill 1911 — a proposal known as constitutional carry, or the ability to carry firearms without a license. It was a top legislative priority for the state GOP, and Dickey brought a message tailored for the Republicans on the House panel considering it: Don't forget the platform. "The plank which said we should have constitutional carry scored a 95 percent approval rate, outscoring over 80 percent of the other planks in the option," Dickey said, referring to the party platform — a 26-page document outlining the party's positions that is approved by delegates to its biennial conventions. Constitutional carry, Dickey added, "is something very clearly wanted by the most active members of the Republican Party in Texas." view article

Contention over where transgender people use the restroom has clouded much of the 2017 legislative session and has expanded to cover other issues such as property tax policy and school finance as lawmakers push to complete their work by Monday. After Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick served notice that the scaled-back version of the so-called bathroom bill recently approved by the Texas House was a non-starter in the Senate, the upper chamber in the predawn hours Wednesday made an end-run effort to save the stronger measure that fell victim to legislative deadlines. But by the time the sun rose over the Capitol, it was clear that the House would kill the measure again. view article