Education Newsfeed

After Gov. Greg Abbott and his allies in the Texas Legislature hijacked $4.5 billion in additional public education funding in a failed attempt to force the passage of universal private school voucher legislation in the 88th legislative session, public schools across Texas have paid the price as communities have seen a wave of mass layoffs, school closures, and growing budget deficits.

Across the state, dozens of school districts held Voter-Approval Tax Rate Elections (VATREs) this week seeking to generate additional local and state revenue to provide educators and school employees with enhanced raises and help meet other pressing needs such as school safety and security. These VATREs are necessary because state funding for public education has remained stagnant since 2019 despite historic inflation during that time.

Charter schools in Texas have become synonymous with instability, especially as the state has a 30-34% closure rate for charter schools according to a new report from the National Center for Charter School Accountability and the Network for Public Education.

The Texas Legislature has shown itself to be incapable of walking and chewing gum at the same time, prioritizing property tax relief over fully funding public education in the past several years, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, historic inflation, and record-breaking state budget surpluses. The implications for our public schools have been dire.