Public education

Texas lawmakers are boasting about ambitious education and property tax legislation they passed this year, but voters don't appear to be completely sold, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.

The high-priority bill boosts per-student funding and reduces property taxes across the state.

The bills would, among other things, strengthen mental health initiatives available to children, abolish the cap on how many school marshals can carry guns on public school campuses and allot money to school districts that can go toward “hardening” their campuses.

The Legislature committed about $223 million to pay off a federal financial penalty and will study the possibility of overhauling special education funding in 2021.

The marked difference between the 86th Legislature and its predecessors followed an election year that changed politicians' minds about who deserved their attention.

Senate Bill 12 would increase state, teacher and school district contributions to the pension fund over the next six years and give retired teachers a $2,000 supplemental check.

Completing negotiations that have taken place over the last few months, Texas House and Senate lawmakers accepted a compromise on a state spending plan for 2020-21.

The $11.6 billion school finance and property tax reform bill is now poised to head to Gov. Greg Abbott.

Lawmakers delivered on their promises of school finance and property tax reforms, agreeing to spend $11.6 billion on a combination of education changes and tax cuts. It's big, but is it really "transformative"?

The $11.6 billion legislation is on a path to the governor's desk and includes property tax cuts, a hike in per-student funding and money to ease the state's reliance on the "Robin Hood" program.

Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen announced they have finalized the details of the three bills that will accomplish their top policy goals.

Senate Bill 10, focused on connecting children to mental health services, was knocked out of contention with a parliamentary maneuver Tuesday night but was revived as an amendment to another bill hours later. It's one of several measures the state's GOP leaders championed in the wake of the deadly shooting last year at Santa Fe High School.

Tentative approval of the bill comes days after the one-year anniversary of a shooting at Santa Fe High School that left 10 dead and another 13 wounded.

Starting teacher pay in Buffalo is thousands below the state average, and it's hard to attract people from outside the small town. The district's superintendent hopes school finance reform will help.

“I don’t think twice about spending the money on those kids, other than it’s unfortunate that I have to do it," one teacher said.

After it failed to move out of the House Higher Education Committee on Monday, a proposal to bring back the annual game seems all but dead.

The chambers will need to negotiate how to give teachers pay raises, whether to adjust how students take standardized tests and how to provide long-term property tax relief for Texans.

The pieces are in place. There's a month to go. And the three leaders who bet big on school finance, education and property taxes are in a familiar place, imploring reluctant legislators to take the kinds of high-stakes votes that make and break political careers.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen did not close the door on passing a sales tax swap with a simple majority instead of the current approach requiring two-thirds support of lawmakers and voter approval.

The Senate Education Committee approved the school finance bill in a hurried meeting Wednesday. The full Senate is now expected to vote on the legislation Friday. Meanwhile, a House panel advanced a proposal to let voters decide whether a sales tax increase should fund property tax relief.