The Texas GOP have set their targets for this legislative session and directly in their crosshairs is the education system in the state. Most prominent is the voucher proposal, recently passed by the Senate, and pushed by Governor Abbott which would provide...
Education
back to archiveDumb and Dumberer: Texas Republicans’ Plan for Public Education
For decades, Texas Republicans have been hoping you won’t notice how much public education is underfunded. Now that the far right is in the driver’s seat, we can clearly see it was a failure by design.
The Houston ISD Takeover Explained
On Wednesday, the Texas Education Agency officially announced they were taking over Houston ISD. The threat had been omnipresent for years, but in the past few weeks the drumbeat of a potential takeover of the state’s largest school district became deafening. The TEA...
Student Loan Relief Hits The Supreme Court
This morning, arguments will be heard at the Supreme Court challenging the legality of President Biden’s student debt relief plan. Over forty million borrowers could be impacted based on how the ultra-conservative court decides. Within weeks of announcing the relief...
Op-Ed: Collective Bargaining For Teachers Raises The Bar For All Of Us
Our public schools and education workforce are in crisis. Despite broad support for public schools and staff, 77 percent of educators considered leaving their job in 2022, up by 19 percent since 2020. A Texas American Federation of Teachers (AFT) survey showed...
Op-Ed: Ensuring Our Kids Have Schools That Help Them Thrive
Inevitably, you’ve seen the headlines about our public education system in crisis: Texas teachers are leaving in droves. Schools are struggling to fill all staff positions. Some districts are looking at closing campuses because there just isn’t enough money to keep...
Texas lawmaker proposes ‘age-appropriate’ book bill
There are still two months before the 88th Texas legislative session starts in early 2023. Still, Texas Republicans’ pre-filing records show banning more books in public schools and deciding what students can read in a classroom will be a top priority for the...
Charting Greg Abbott’s Charter School Affinity
As the campaign for governor churns into its final weeks, Greg Abbott has made a huge point of championing charter schools around the state. Charter schools are funded by the government but operated independently of the state. For conservatives in Texas, charter...
Education Remains a Driving Force in Texas Races
A handful of runoff races over the weekend means that election season in Texas is finally, and mercifully, over until November. Still, the runoff races highlighted the growing divisions over education that have spilled over into school board and college races. In...