Topic: Privatization

Texas Education Commissioner attempts to skirt the law with new rules on district partnerships with charter schools and nonprofits

Publish Date: July 12, 2019

A controversial state law passed in 2017—Senate Bill 1882—gave districts the ability to “partner” with charter schools and other nonprofit entities to take over campuses facing sanctions for low accountability ratings. The state also incentivized the practice by offering additional per-pupil funding for students on these campuses.  We’ve written on this issue extensively, particularly regarding the objections to turning over...

Read More

Your Weekly Briefing

Publish Date: June 24, 2019

SBOE Uses Veto to Stop Controversial Royal “Public” Schools Charter Applicant The founder of controversial Harmony Public Schools, which is one of the largest charter school chains in Texas, recently applied to open several new charter schools in Austin and the Alief area of Houston by August 2020 under the name of Royal Public Schools. The Commissioner of Education approved...

Read More

Your Weekly Briefing: School finance bill with local raises advances; News on virtual schools, charter schools and more.

Publish Date: April 5, 2019

Your Weekly Briefing ​Rep. Dan Huberty, author of the House school finance bill, watches as Rep. Chris Turn lays out his amendment guaranteeing local educator pay raises.  This week, the House threw down the gauntlet for public education by passing its school finance plan.  With about $6.3 billion in new public school spending and $2.3 property tax compression, HB 3 represents a...

Read More

House committee chair looks to review laws on accountability, district partnerships with charters

Publish Date: January 31, 2019

The first House Public Education Committee of the session gave us a good indication of some of the policy issues members will be looking at in the coming months—including a a review of two controversial laws governing the requirements for turning around (or closing) schools with Improvement Required (IR) accountability ratings. Committee Chair Dan Huberty outlined the schedule of topics...

Read More