Both chambers set aside $1 billion for a voucher-like education savings account program — double what was on the table two years ago — in a sign that supporters are emboldened after recent electoral gains.   view article

While the Lottery Commission says it can’t regulate sales to couriers, lawmakers want changes after two major jackpots were won using those services.   view article

Parents in the Socorro Independent School District (SISD) are expressing shock and concern over potential cuts to fine arts programs in elementary schools, which could take effect next year. Union officials and fine arts teachers have indicated that most elementary students may lose access to these programs. view article

A dual language enrichment program in Conroe ISD will continue after the superintendent had previously moved to end the program. The program's uncertainty had some parents upset. Some of the parents who support the program are breathing a sigh of relief, but the program's future is still unclear. view article

Budgeting and the 89th Texas Legislature were high on the list of priorities at College Station ISD’s Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday. As the legislative session progresses, one of the district’s big concerns is the basic allotment not increasing. The basic allotment is the minimum amount of money a school district receives per student from the state. It’s remained stagnant at $6,160 since 2019. view article

Budgeting and the 89th Texas Legislature were high on the list of priorities at College Station ISD’s Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday. As the legislative session progresses, one of the district’s big concerns is the basic allotment not increasing. The basic allotment is the minimum amount of money a school district receives per student from the state. It’s remained stagnant at $6,160 since 2019. view article

New funding requests, compounding costs and lower-than-projected property tax revenue has pushed the Austin school district’s budget deficit from $92 million to $110 million, prompting officials to implement a spending and hiring freeze, interim Chief Financial Officer Katrina Montgomery told board members. view article

New funding requests, compounding costs and lower-than-projected property tax revenue has pushed the Austin school district’s budget deficit from $92 million to $110 million, prompting officials to implement a spending and hiring freeze, interim Chief Financial Officer Katrina Montgomery told board members. view article

New funding requests, compounding costs and lower-than-projected property tax revenue has pushed the Austin school district’s budget deficit from $92 million to $110 million, prompting officials to implement a spending and hiring freeze, interim Chief Financial Officer Katrina Montgomery told board members. view article

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The quality of education a child receives in the early years sets the stage for future learning and academic achievement. Many students, at every level of education, need additional supports such as tutoring, special education, or language services to be successful academically. Our analysis of campus-level spending on educational programs found that when Texas cut education funding, low-income students and those in need of additional support lost the most.  view article

New funding requests, compounding costs and lower-than-projected property tax revenue has pushed the Austin school district’s budget deficit from $92 million to $110 million, prompting officials to implement a spending and hiring freeze, interim Chief Financial Officer Katrina Montgomery told board members. view article

The Socorro Independent School District (SISD) in El Paso is preparing to lay off employees as it grapples with a $38 million budget deficit. Interim Superintendent James Vasquez announced the impending layoffs in an email to teachers and staff, stating that the district must make these cuts to ensure financial stability for the 2025-2026 school year. view article

The Austin Independent School District (AISD) announced a districtwide spending and hiring freeze starting March 1 as it grapples with a worsening financial crisis. The decision follows the approval of the 2024-25 budget in June and aims to address a projected budget deficit that has ballooned from $78 million to $110 million, despite $26 million in cuts. view article

The Socorro Independent School District is planning to lay off employees, increase class sizes and cut programs in an effort to save itself from financial ruin. SISD employees late Friday received an email from Acting Superintendent James Vasquez informing them the district needs to reduce its budget by $38 million for the 2025-26 school year and will need to cut staff to do so. view article

fficials in the Fort Worth Independent School District are looking to turn over operations at a struggling middle school to Texas Wesleyan University as a part of an six-year-old partnership with the college. Fort Worth ISD’s board will consider a proposal to renew its partnership with the university to run the five campuses currently in the district’s Leadership Academy Network, and also to add Leonard Middle School to the network. view article

Austin ISD will institute a districtwide hiring freeze on March 1 as the school district tries to claw its way out of a financial hole that has grown deeper since the 2024-25 budget was approved in June. Though district officials initially anticipated a $78 million budget deficit, that figure climbed to $92 million. Now, it’s reached $110 million, despite Austin ISD already making $26 million in spending cuts. Only special education services will be exempt from the hiring freeze, according to a district spokesperson. view article

Interim Superintendent Karen Molinar knows Fort Worth ISD needs to close schools. She isn’t sure when or how many. However, she knows the district cannot keep stretching resources into too many classrooms with too few students. “We’re trying to staff 140 buildings when we do not need that many buildings,” Molinar told the Fort Worth ISD Council of PTAs during its annual luncheon Feb. 11. “When we do consolidate, we’re going to be able to increase the resources for our students.” view article

Fort Worth ISD is considering closing up to 25 schools to address a $17 million budget deficit, a move that has caught many parents by surprise. The district, which serves about 75,000 students, could undergo significant changes that many families say caught them off guard. view article

Following a Texas Supreme Court ruling denying the City of Houston’s appeal of a decision ordering the city to spend $100 million more on water drainage infrastructure, City Controller Chris Hollins warned that without significant cuts or increased revenue, he might not be able to certify the fiscal year 2026 budget this coming June.  view article

The multi-billion dollar bond was later rejected by voters, but questions have been raised about wording in the budget item.   view article

Texas’ population surpassed 31 million in 2024, state demographer Lloyd Potter told attendees at the two-day Water for Texas conference Jan. 28 in Austin. He stressed the importance of investing in infrastructure as people and businesses move to the state. “Water is one of the most urgent and important things for Texas right now. ... If you have people, you need water,” Potter said. “The people individually need water, and then all the infrastructure that comes with them needs water.” view article

In a typical school week, Delaila Constante makes more than a dozen calls to parents of students who are frequently absent from school. Last October, she made around 50 to 60 calls each week. view article

District administrators highlighted areas of priority for GISD in a Jan. 7 board workshop, which will be shared with the broader district community and legislators, to communicate what is important to the school district serving their constituents: view article

Big changes are coming to Northwest Independent School District after voters rejected funding proposals last November, and parents are just starting to hear about it. The district, which has some of the fastest growth in the region and serves roughly 34,000 students in Tarrant, Denton and Wise counties, is facing a massive $16 million budget shortfall. Now, tough decisions are being made to keep things afloat. view article

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott insisted Monday that he would accept nothing less than a robust, universal school choice voucher program, and he resisted calls to join the plan with blanket increases in public school funding. view article

Chronically absent students — those who missed at least 10% of their school days — are more likely to drop out, education advocates say.   view article

Jonathan Pastusek, Northwest ISD’s chief financial officer, recently likened his district’s current financial predicament to moving “big rocks.” Those big rocks include staffing adjustments, program efficiencies and budget reductions aimed at closing a $16 million budget shortfall for the 2025-26 school year. In November, district residents rejected an increased tax rate that would have raised enough revenue to cover the deficit. view article

Gov. Greg Abbott will lay out his legislative priorities Sunday night during his biennial State of the State address giving lawmakers marching orders on what topics he wants them to fast-track this session. view article

The Board of Trustees at the La Joya Independent School District approved a plan that would affect three of its elementary campuses. Board members met Wednesday to approve a plan to restart Evangelina Garza Elementary and Juan N. Seguin Elementary schools under the Accelerated Campus Excellence (ACE) model. According to La Joya ISD, the ACE model is a proven turnaround approach that has successfully transformed over 50 low-performing schools across Texas into high-performing campuses. view article

(AUSTIN) — Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar today applauded the Opioid Abatement Fund Council's (OAFC or Council) 2025 Grant Issuance Plan that could award up to $100 million in grants for approved proposals that respond to the statewide opioid crisis. view article

Round Rock ISD is expecting its 2024-2025 budget to turn from a deficit to a surplus. That change is due to the district selling 7.5 acres of property on Cypress Boulevard. During a school board meeting earlier this month, district leaders said that sale could give Round Rock ISD a surplus of more than $8 million. view article

North East ISD leaders are considering the closure of three schools for the upcoming academic year following months of deliberation. There will be a community meeting so the public will have an opportunity to give feedback on the proposed attendance boundaries. The closings are due to next year's budget restraints in the Northeast ISD. So the district is proposing the closure of Wilshire and Clear Spring Elementary Schools along with Driscoll Middle School. A letter was sent out to parents and students notifying them. view article

At least 100 people gathered at Wilshire Elementary on Wednesday evening to learn more about a North East Independent School District proposal to permanently close Wilshire and two other schools. NEISD Superintendent Sean Maika told parents, children, and other attendees that his recommendation to close Driscoll Middle School, Clear Spring Elementary and Wilshire Elementary comes after years of looking at ways to respond to declining enrollment view article

Houston ISD’s state-appointed board unanimously agreed Thursday night to put 17 district properties up for sale, with the vote coming after a community member was reportedly dragged out of her seat and arrested for repeatedly shouting at board members. view article

On Wednesday night, the Eanes Independent School District Board of Trustees passed a resolution to close Valley View Elementary in the upcoming 2025-2026 school year. Eanes ISD said the decision was part of a broader effort to help address a projected $3.3 million budget deficit in 2024-2025, that deficit will grow to $6.3 million in 2025-2026. The district cited this was due to a decline in student enrollment and a lack of funding from the state for public education. view article