The latest school finance news from The Texas Tribune.
As the Texas House and Senate haggle behind closed doors over a school finance plan we've updated our searchable database to include the latest proposals distributing the $4 billion in state funding cuts. Full Story
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At this morning's TribLive conversation, state Rep. Myra Crownover, R-Lake Dallas, and state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, expressed confidence that the House and Senate will agree to a school finance deal before the end of the regular session. Full Story
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Lawmakers made progress today on solving the current budget deficit but still haven't solved the major problem in the 2012-13 budget: school finance. Full Story
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The Legislature has just a few days to get the state budget, the most important bill of the session, passed and to the governor's desk. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports on the final items needed to send lawmakers home on time. Full Story
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One day after the education fiscal bill, SB 1581, died on the floor of the House, lawmakers are scrambling to reach a deal and keep the budget bill, HB 1, on track for approval by both chambers before the weekend deadline. The governor is among the optimists who think they'll finish their work without going into overtime. Full Story
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The death of a key education fiscal matters bill on the House floor tonight ensures that any changes to school finance formulas will happen in a conference committee — and adds fuel to speculation of a special session this summer. Full Story
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Senate Finance Chair Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, says there is still no consensus on education funding or SB 1811, a revenue bill that would balance the state budget. Meanwhile, GOP members of the House left a caucus meeting without divulging details of what they discussed and then the House postponed consideration of two fiscal bills critical to the budget until tomorrow. "So, we're stuck," Ogden said. Full Story
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Public school budget cuts are coming, but for now, school districts still don't know by how much. As Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, a special session on education funding could push decisions past school district deadlines. Full Story
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A new version of Rep. Scott Hochberg's school finance plan limits the total reductions in state funding for any individual district to 10 percent in 2012. Check our searchable database to see what the cuts will look for your district. Full Story
Nobody wanted to think about it in January. But as the middle of May approaches, with little more than two weeks left in the 82nd legislative session, a growing chorus of voices is asking: What happens if lawmakers can’t agree on school finance reform? Full Story
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With school districts across the state passing belt-tightening budgets due to cuts expected at the Legislature, Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports that some districts are gearing up for legal challenges. Full Story
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At a panel hosted by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, UT president Bill Powers, TPPF senior fellow Ronbald Trowbridge and speaker of the A&M faculty senate Robert Strawser discussed the conservative think tank's seven proposed reforms to higher education. Here is the full video. Full Story
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The Texas Senate talks education funding, revenue and Rainy Day spending as members debate suspending the rules to bring up their substitute for House Bill 1, the proposed budget for the next biennium. Full Story
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If the House has its way, there will be 7.8 billion fewer state dollars headed to Texas public schools. Here's our searchable database built from state Rep. Scott Hochberg’s projections of how the funding cuts would hit 1,024 school districts across the state. Full Story
We’ve collected and annotated the contracts of the 10 highest-paid school chiefs, as well as of those who lead the state’s 10 largest districts, for a total of 14, so readers can view their pay in the context of retirement perks, performance incentives and benefits like monthly automobile and cellphone allowances. Full Story
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We’ve annotated the contracts of the 10 highest-paid school superintendents, along with those who lead the state’s 10 largest districts, so readers can view their pay in the context of retirement benefits, performance incentives, and perks like automobile and cellphone allowances. Full Story
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The 2006 tax swap — lowering local school property taxes and creating a new business tax to make up the difference — is at the center of Texas' current budget troubles. The architects are still pointing fingers over what and whom to blame for the state's “structural deficit.” Full Story
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With budget gridlock in Washington, and massive education cuts at home, the Texas school districts that qualify for federal "Impact Aid" dollars are waging a war on two fronts. Full Story
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On the heels of a newly approved House budget that leaves public schools $7.8 billion short of what they're entitled to under current funding formulas, the House Public Education Committee today considered a round of school finance bills. Full Story
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The Texas public school finance system, responsible for underwriting the education of the nation’s second-largest student population, is notoriously byzantine. Here’s our layman’s guide to figuring it out. Full Story
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