Reporting on Texas schools, universities, and education policy -- funding fights, school choice, and university governance.
Gary VanDeaver, the former rural superintendent who fought private school vouchers in 2023 who was one of only two House Republicans to vote no when they passed in 2025, will take over the Texas Association of School Boards on Oct. 1.
Heights Elementary School in Texas City Independent School District has been designated a 2026 Texas Lone Star Ribbon School, one of just 25 public schools in the state to receive the honor this year, according to a Sept. 22 news release from the office of state Rep. Terri Leo Wilson.
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) announced on April 23, 2026, the appointment of a five-member Board of Managers and a new superintendent to assume oversight of Lake Worth Independent School District (LWISD).
On Tuesday, the state announced the first distribution of Texas Education Freedom Account (TEFA) funds, with awards going to more than 42,000 Texas families under a program administered by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.
Voters in nearly 60 Texas counties will decide on 109 individual school bond propositions in the May 2026 election cycle, totaling $11.6 billion in requested principal debt.
Texas 2036, a nonpartisan policy organization, released a three-part video series last week explaining the state's upcoming transition away from the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) exam and toward a new through-year testing model, as Texas public schools simultaneously begin administering STAAR for the 2025-26 academic year.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Government Reform & Oversight Coalition (GROC) released its first major research report on April 7 regarding the state’s school bond process and taxpayer burden.
Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock announced on April 2 that more than 274,000 students applied for Texas Education Freedom Accounts during the program’s first year.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation announced on March 26 that Texas Tech University Chancellor Brandon Creighton and Texas A&M University Chancellor Glenn Hegar will co-headline a special keynote conversation during the Thursday, April 9 breakfast session of the 2026 Texas Policy Summit.