Analysis: A state school finance system that can choke a city’s growth
A state that wants to grow by freeing economic engines from regulations and taxes is throttling its cities and school districts with regulations and taxes. Full Story
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Credit: The Texas Tribune -
House committee approves $1.6 billion school finance measure
The House Public Education Committee voted 10-1 to approve Chairman Dan Huberty's school finance bill, which would mean gains for most, but major losses for some. Full Story
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![House Committee on Public Education Chairman Dan Huberty at a hearing on March 21, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: The Texas Legislature giveth — and taketh away
Local governments and school districts battling the Texas Legislature over property taxes have a couple of things in common: They want local control over taxes and a more reliable partner in the state government. Full Story
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![State Rep. and Public Education Chairman Dan Huberty, R-Houston, speaks at a press conference unveiling the school finance bill on March 6, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
School leaders ask House not to cut state aid program in finance fix
School districts urged House lawmakers on Tuesday not to create winners and losers as they work to revamp the state's public school funding system. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dan Huberty, R-Houston, at a House Education Committee meeting on March 7, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
House leader announces $1.6B school funding plan
The top public education policymaker in the Texas House unveiled a $1.6 billion plan on Monday that he described as a first step to overhauling the state’s beleaguered school funding system. Full Story
![State Rep. and Public Education Chairman Dan Huberty, R-Houston, speaks at a press conference unveiling the school finance bill on March 6, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: With opposition to vouchers, public ed chairman is protecting legislators from voters
Lawmakers rarely get blamed for votes that never take place, and that's the basis for one of the oldest protection rackets in the legislative toolkit: Killing a controversial bill before it comes to the full House or Senate. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dan Huberty, R-Humble, newly appointed chair of the House Education Committee, talks public education at TTEvents on Feb. 28, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Huberty on school finance, school choice, A-F (video)
Full video of Evan Smith's 2/28 conversation with state Rep. Dan Huberty, R-Houston, the chairman of the House Public Education Committee. Full Story
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Analysis: Texas makes do with broken but legal school finance system
It’s a confusing time in school finance — a maelstrom of local and state governments trying to master a byzantine system that is faltering in every way but the most important one: The courts say it's broken, but constitutionally sound. Full Story
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Analysis: A $100 million reinterpretation of Texas school finance law
A reinterpretation of the state's school finance law will leave $100 million in the accounts of some of the state's property wealthy districts — and will leave a hole of that size in an already tight state budget. Full Story
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Analysis: Texas, a legislative sideshow to the main act in D.C.
The Texas Legislature is primed to go, but this is going to be a session outside the limelight. The Texans are busy, but the spotlight is on the new administration in Washington, D.C. Full Story
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![Gov. Abbott delivers his State of the State address in the House Chamber on Jan. 31, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate takes first step toward school finance overhaul
The Senate has tasked a new budget working group with coming up with ways to overhaul the state's school finance system. Full Story
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![Senate Committee on Education Chairman Sen. Larry Taylor R-Friendswood during a Aug 3, 2016 hearing]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Analysis: Spinning numbers in lawmakers’ proposed budgets
For lessons in how to speak positively about bad news — without telling lies — you might consider studying at the feet of the people who write the Texas budget. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
A conversation with Burrows and Darby (video)
Full video of Evan Smith's 1/19 conversation with state Reps. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, and Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, on the campus of Howard College in San Angelo. Full Story
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Analysis: Legislators start with a $5.3 billion difference of opinion
In their first-day numbers, the Texas Legislature's two chambers didn’t even agree on the size of the current budget. The House baked in some supplemental expenses that the Senate left that out. Full Story
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Analysis: Texas budget writers treasure that school tax you hate
In the midst of all the gloomy state budget news, this stuck out like a gold nugget in a cow patty: Rising property values in the state’s school districts translate into higher local tax revenue, cutting the state's obligation to education. Full Story
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With funding tight, legislators weigh options on school finance
With funding tighter than the previous legislative session, lawmakers are not expected to inject much more money into public education. For now, some are backing a plan to increase money to all school districts through the general appropriations bill. Full Story
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Explore thousands of Texas public schools
Use the Tribune's Texas Public Schools Explorer to find graduation rates, test scores and more for all of the 1,219 school districts and 8,646 public school campuses in Texas. Full Story
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School finance, testing fiasco topped 2016 education news
School districts lost a court case that could have forced the state to reform its school finance system, and federal officials toured Texas to investigate claims that special education services were arbitrarily capped. Full Story
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![Protesters at a press conference held by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in May, 2016 calling on Fort Worth Independent School District Superintendent Kent Scribner to resign over the district's bathroom guidelines for transgender students.]()
Credit: Laura Buckman for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Why rising property values don’t lower school taxes
Rising property values in Texas should have lowered school property tax rates. But they didn't, and you can thank the folks who write the state budget for that. Full Story
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Credit: The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: The state’s declining support for public education in Texas
Had the state kept its share of school funding constant for the past 10 years, voters might not be griping about rising property taxes. The state is spending more than it used to, but it's spending less per student. Full Story
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![Chairman of House Committee on Public Education Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock, R-Killeen, on April 14th, 2015.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera