The founders of our great state of Texas were immigrant newcomers from Virginia and Tennessee – Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston, and Davy Crockett among them – attracted to free land, opportunity and adventure in what was then northern Mexico.
Am I one of the few millennials interested in the Texas budget? Many of my peers don’t appreciate how the state’s investment decisions will determine the future Texas that we all inherit. With pre-legislative session budget hearings just beginning, now is
Nearly two years after the filing of a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Texas school finance system, District Court Judge John Dietz issued his final ruling. Not surprisingly, for those who follow education issues in Texas, he found
This week PDK/Gallup released the findings of their 46th annual Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools. The nationwide poll, administered to 1,001 Americans, asked questions on important education policy issues such as school funding, teacher
By Megan Randall Texas jails and prisons have become today’s de facto treatment centers for Texans with mental illness. In local Texas county jails, for example, up to 40 percent of bookings in 2013 were for individuals who had previously received
Many of the programs and interventions funded outside of the school finance formulas are directed towards improving the academic success of economically disadvantaged students and those at-risk of dropping out. In 2011, over $647 million for those programs was cut
The Legislative Budget Board just released their annual Texas Fact Book, which shows how Texas ranks compared to other states, and our education rankings are nothing to be proud of. Texas has more public elementary and secondary schools than any
By Jeanie Donovan Nearly 3,500 high poverty Texas schools now have an opportunity to provide free meals–breakfast and lunch–to all students without having to collect school meal applications through a new federal option called Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). The Texas Department of
The annual rankings of state Pre-K programs by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) once again shows that Texas ranks at the bottom in quality standards measures compared to 53 programs in 40 states. Of the 10
Last week, a House budget subcommittee addressed improving budget transparency by making the Texas budget less reliant on dedicated General Revenue balances. CPPP testified on the importance of finding ongoing ways to invest in public schools, higher education, health and human services,
