News & Updates

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ESAs would force taxpayers to subsidize private schools

Education savings accounts will force taxpayers to subsidize private schools that are not required to follow student safety guidelines, do not adhere to federal protections for students in special education, and are not transparent with their use of public dollars.

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Vouchers are not the answer for Texas students

A new report from the House Select Committee on Educational Opportunity and Enrichment provides recommendations on a number of issues related to education policy in Texas. The report includes discussion of a voucher program that would allow families to use taxpayer dollars to attend private or home schools.

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Tax bills reduce Robin Hood but classrooms are left in need of support

The property-tax legislation signed into law will help achieve a very important objective: It will reduce the amount of recapture paid by Texas taxpayers by 41 percent. There needs to be a balance between tax relief and more dollars for the classroom. Unfortunately, legislators have only completed half the job.

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HB 100 – School Finance Testimony

The Coalition provided testimony to the House Public Education Committee for House Bill 100, which increases the Basic Allotment, requires a teacher pay increase, and makes other changes to the school finance formulas.

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SB 9 Teacher Pay Raise Testimony

The Coalition provided testimony to the Senate Education Committee on Senate Bill 9, which relates to an across-the-board pay raise for teachers, nurses, counselors, and librarians.

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Senate Finance Committee Testimony – SB 1

The Coalition provided testimony to the Senate Finance Committee on the state budget, pointing out that recapture has reached nearly $5 billion per year and schools need help meeting the increased costs caused by a 14.5% rate of inflation.

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Texas Removes Record Robin Hood Revenue from School Districts

The state took $3.2 billion in local taxpayer funding out of school districts during the past year through Robin Hood recapture. This record-high amount of recapture came as school districts struggled to fully staff campuses and battled cost increases driven by high inflation.

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School Finance testimony in House

The Coalition provided testimony to the House Public Education Committee on school finance. Since HB 3, inflation has increased by 12%, while school funding has been flat. Since recapture was reduced by HB 3, it has increased by 25%.

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School Finance testimony in Senate

The Coalition provided testimony to the Senate Education Committee on school finance. Since HB 3, inflation has increased by 9%, while school funding has been flat. Since recapture was reduced by HB 3, it has increased by 22%.

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Balanced, measured approach needed for tax relief

The Coalition provided testimony to the Senate Finance Committee on property tax relief. Limitations to relief mean some taxpayers are paying more, while schools are not beneficiaries of the increased payments. Schools do not receive automatic increases, and a balanced approach is needed.

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Inflationary Costs Impact Schools

The Coalition provided testimony to the Senate Finance Committee as they studied the impact of inflation on state and local governments. Schools are struggling to keep up with inflationary costs and to attract and retain a highly qualified teaching workforce.

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March 2022 Primary Election Results

Texas voters had their say in the March 2022 Primary Election. While more than 25% of those registered to vote cast ballots in the 2020 Presidential Primary, only 17.3% of registered voters cast ballots in this Midterm Primary.

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Testimony on SB 1

The Texas Senate is seeking to provide taxpayers with additional property tax relief, but only on a temporary basis. The legislature must make sustainable investments in tax relief and in our schools.

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Recapture Takes Nearly $3 Billion From Local Schools

Texas school districts must send nearly $3 billion in local taxpayer funding to the state by Sunday under the state’s school finance law — a record amount that puts a crushing burden on taxpayers throughout the state while taking needed dollars away from their local schools.

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CSHB 1525 Limits Local Funding

The Texas Senate’s Committee Substitute for HB 1525 includes a limitation for how much local funding school district are allowed to spend on students.  The…

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