Texas Tribune

Texas Tribune

2/28/2025, 11:15:28 PM

Texas universities could lose $400 million in state funding as state lawmakers continue to rail against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and propose cuts to the state budget. “If they don’t kick DEI out of their schools, they’re going to get a lot less,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said at a public speaking event last week. Universities say they use the funding in question to pay student services and academic programs at a time when they are unable to increase tuition revenues: trib.it/Trf7bh Republican state senators have also threatened to not boost university funding over claims that colleges have violated the state’s ban on DEI offices and practices: trib.it/Dy4Q5A

Texas Tribune

2/28/2025, 7:09:34 PM

Texas leaders are defending a Black state official after a lawmaker’s public interrogation of the state’s DEI hiring practices left her in tears. State Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, pressed Texas Water Development Board Chair L’Oreal Stepney for answers about a strategic plan that mentions diversity during a discussion of state funding for the agency. After a moment Stepney then found herself defending not only her agency’s work, but her own qualifications and dedication to Texas. Hours later, Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows praised and called for respect for L’Oreal. On social media, Abbott wrote, “There is no one better and no one I have more confidence in to lead and implement our water solutions than TWDB Chairwoman L'Oreal Stepney.” Last year, Abbott issued an executive order telling state agencies to stop considering DEI initiatives in hiring, fueling tensions over how state hiring and funding decisions should be made. Read more: trib.it/ufQsBE

Texas Tribune

2/26/2025, 10:33:53 PM

Fights over how to create a school voucher program and cut property taxes are brewing in the Texas House and Senate. Both chambers are proposing to spend $1 billion to establish education savings accounts that families could use for private school tuition and other educational expenses, but the plans differ when it comes to how much money students would receive, which applicants would take priority and how the program would accommodate students with disabilities. Read more about the House’s version: trib.it/anDOSN The House and Senate will also have to agree on how to spend $3.5 billion for tax cuts. A House proposal would spread out tax relief across homeowners and business owners, while a Senate proposal would give targeted tax breaks to homeowners in the form of a boost to the state’s homestead exemption: trib.it/ZdVGZv Recently, we’ve been tracking several key pieces of legislation that would: - Expand the state’s DEI ban to K-12 public schools: trib.it/Ch1Jw2 - Require an overhaul of the state’s STAAR test by 2026 to prioritize post-secondary education: trib.it/jM1a37 - Give public school teachers free pre-K and raises based on experience and performance: trib.it/ltKeJL - Make it easier to convert office space into apartments and condos: trib.it/obbNg8 As discussions about diversifying school options continue, Lufkin school district leaders decided to close two schools last week to cope with lower enrollment. This highlights the choices school communities must make amid increasing competition from charter schools and homeschooling: trib.it/MjyIex

Texas Tribune

2/20/2025, 3:57:16 PM

New: The Texas House unveiled its version of legislation that would create a school voucher program. Under the state representatives’ proposal, participating families would qualify to get 85% of the amount the state gives public schools, plus the amount collected by local school districts, for each attending student. The House also unveiled a bill that would increase funding for public schools. Bookmark and check this story later for more details as our reporters read through the proposal: trib.it/H78aJD Passing a school voucher program is a Republican priority and one of Gov. Greg Abbott’s emergency items. The Senate has already passed its own bill. The two chambers will have to agree on changes or a compromise proposal. Read more about the Senate’s version here: trib.it/jjMOEh

Texas Tribune

2/17/2025, 5:17:08 PM

We’ve been reporting on both the politics and policies unfolding in the Texas Legislature. Here’s a rundown. In political news, assignments for Texas House committees were finally made public. Republican state representatives will chair all committees, while Democrats will lead half of the newly created subcommittees: https://trib.it/DI7B6z Here’s how a pair of lawsuits brought down laws that banned outside spending in the House leadership race, allowing for more political mudslinging and raising questions about ethics rules: https://trib.it/ebX8iP Texas’ top Republicans tread carefully as they push an aggressive agenda. The success of the legislative session depends on how well Burrows, Patrick, and Abbott work together amid their evolving political dynamic. https://trib.it/aD3LOf And here’s more about the bills and policies being proposed. Advocates against abuse see a number of proposed bills as opportunities to strengthen Texas law as it relates to domestic and sexual violence: https://trib.it/Qusd8k Texas moves to tighten bail laws, limiting release for some defendants. Legislation approved by a Senate committee would make it harder for certain suspects to secure bail, keeping more in jail pre-trial. https://trib.it/33ySNl Lawmakers are prioritizing teacher pay, special education, DEI, and educator preparation this session. With vouchers moving quickly, we explore what’s next for Texas public education. https://trib.it/cSF2gT Want more roundups of our latest Lege coverage? Give this update a 👍 to let us know! Stay tuned, we’ll have more news and updates later this week.

Texas Tribune

2/10/2025, 8:53:22 PM

Welcome to the 5th week of Texas’ legislative session. A possible school voucher-like program has gotten lots of attention, but state leaders are also taking up other issues. Daylight savings time — Texas lawmakers have filed various bills to eliminate the decades-long practice of changing the clocks twice a year. Under one of the bills, Texans would remain on standard time year-round: trib.it/AsfRLi Local property taxes — Gov. Greg Abbott wants ​​school districts and local governments to win approval from a two-thirds majority of voters if they want to raise their tax rates. Local officials and tax policy experts say this could hurt localities’ ability to keep up with demand for services such as roads, schools and public safety, as the state booms: trib.it/46xpeU Texas colleges — Republican lawmakers want to ensure universities are complying with a ban on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, limit the influence of professors on their campuses and crack down on antisemitism in the wake of pro-Palestinian protests. They are also looking to end in-state tuition for undocumented students: trib.it/UO22FD Border security — After President Donald Trump won the 2024 election, Texas leaders touted cutting back on border security spending that the state decided to increase during Biden’s presidency. Now they’re proposing spending another $6.5 billion over the next two years: trib.it/FNMFZZ Want more roundups of our recent Lege coverage? React with a thumbs up to this update to let us know. We’ll be back with more news and updates later this week.

Texas Tribune

2/6/2025, 2:30:49 AM

New: Senators approved Senate Bill 2, advancing legislation to allow Texas families to use tax dollars to fund their children’s private schooling. Under SB 2, qualifying families could receive the following through state-managed education savings accounts: - $10,000 a year per student to pay for tuition at an accredited private school and related expenses like textbooks, transportation and therapy - $11,500 per student for children with disabilities - $2,000 a year per student for home-schooling families who participate in the program - $2,500 per year for home-schooling students with disabilities could receive for therapy, a provision lawmakers added into the bill Wednesday Any child able to attend or already attending a public school, including pre-K, could apply. So could families with children already attending private schools. If demand exceeds the available funding, the bill would reserve the majority of the program’s spots for children with disabilities and children from households whose annual income is up to 500% of the federal poverty level. That would include any four-person household earning less than roughly $156,000. SB 2 now goes to the Texas House for approval. Similar legislation has failed in past years, but top state officials say they now have enough votes to create education savings accounts. Read more details: https://trib.it/99lqjn

Texas Tribune

2/5/2025, 6:41:55 PM

Happening now: The Senate gaveled in today at noon and is set to debate legislation that would create a school voucher program. Senators could give legislation allowing parents to use public taxpayer dollars to fund their children’s private school tuition preliminary approval soon after discussion ends. You can watch the debate here: trib.it/sT6zFa Texas budget experts recently concluded in their fiscal analysis of the legislation, Senate Bill 2, that public schools, which receive money based on attendance, may experience a decrease in funding due to students leaving the public education system to participate in the voucher program. You can read more about what school vouchers are and how they might change the state’s educational landscape here: trib.it/u0C9gQ We’ll update you if senators vote on SB 2.

Texas Tribune

2/3/2025, 5:17:33 PM

Gov. Greg Abbott announced the emergency items he wants lawmakers to prioritize this legislative session: - Stiffening the state’s bail laws - Cutting property taxes - Teacher pay raises - Allowing the use of taxpayer dollars to pay for private schooling - Beefing up vocational career training programs for students after high school - Investing in the state’s water infrastructure - Creating a cybersecurity hub in San Antonio Within the first 60 days of the session, lawmakers can only pass legislation on topics deemed emergency items. Abbott also called for policies that restrict immigration, the rights of transgender Texans and that would ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs in any entities that receive taxpayer money. Read more about the vision for the state that Abbott outlined during his Sunday State of the State address: trib.it/xUD43t

Texas Tribune

1/29/2025, 11:36:16 PM

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick today released his top 25 priorities for the session, including property tax cuts, shoring up the state’s electric grid and water supply and infusing religion into public schools. Here’s more details on the lieutenant governor’s priorities: trib.it/pz4yC1 ICYMI, Texas senators are fast-tracking a major school voucher bill that would give families $10,000 a year per student for private school tuition. Supporters of the program say it aims to prioritize low-income families, but Democrats criticized its high income threshold, which would allow a two-person household making roughly $105,750 to qualify as low income. The Senate could pass the bill as early as next week if Gov. Greg Abbott declares the school voucher bill an emergency item. The House has not yet filed its priority voucher bill. Read more here: trib.it/Xq6DP2 And for the latest episode of TribCast, we spoke with Jeremy Mazur of Texas 2036 about his finding that the state has more than $150 billion in water needs. Listen to the full episode here: trib.it/7x079q