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North Texas Democratic legislators outline priorities for legislative session

Caroline Love
/
KERA News

North Texas statehouse Democrats say other states are doing a better job of protecting their citizens — and that needs to change.

On Sunday, they outlined their priorities for the legislative session, including funding for public education, increased access to health care and local control. The legislative session begins on Tuesday.

Rep. John Bryant from Dallas said Texas ranks too low for public education spending and mental health care compared to other states in the nation.

Researchers at University Miami and Rutgers University last year ranked Texas 44 out of 48 for per-pupil spending during the 2020-2021 school year. A Forbes study put Texas at the bottom of the list for mental health care due to the large number of uninsured residents and other barriers to access. Texas had highest number of uninsured residents in 2023 according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Bryant said Republicans who are beholden to wealthy donors are to blame for these problems. He said the North Texas Democrats plan to tackle the issues in the legislative session that starts on Tuesday.

“We're here to fight for the public, and we're here to fight for a Texas that is built and run for everybody, not just for those billionaires,” Bryant said.

The Texas Tribune reported last year that billionaire Jeff Yass donated millions of dollars to Gov. Greg Abbott to help oust statehouse Republicans who voted against his school choice plan. Abbott says he has the votes to pass it this session.

The bill that failed to pass last session would have allowed families to use state funds for private school tuition through education savings accounts. Several rural Republicans voted with Democrats against the bill, saying it would hurt schools’ pocketbooks.

Opponents argue that school vouchers would derail public school funding in a state that hasn’t seen a funding increase since 2019. A House bill introduced during the last legislative session would’ve raised the basic allotment — the amount each district is given based on enrollment. But the bill died after lawmakers removed money to fund school vouchers.

The basic allotment remains $6,160 per student, and the lack of increased funding is a challenge, even for wealthier districts. Plano ISD has had a budget deficit for several years despite its property wealth. School board trustees voted last year to close four campuses for the 2025-2026 school year due to budget concerns. School districts in Irving and Richardson also closed campuses last year.

Rep. Mihaela Plesa, D-Dallas, whose district includes part of Plano ISD, said Abbott may be mistaken about the fate of school vouchers in the upcoming session.

“I keep hearing that Greg Abbott has the votes for the voucher vote, but once again, I keep saying that’s why we need public education in the state of Texas, because I can’t count them,” Plesa said. “I don’t see them.”

 Got a tip? Email Caroline Love at clove@kera.org.

Caroline Love is a Report For Americacorps member for KERA News.

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Caroline Love covers Collin County for KERA and is a member of the Report for America corps. Previously, Caroline covered daily news at Houston Public Media. She has a master's degree from Northwestern University with an emphasis on investigative social justice journalism. During grad school, she reported three feature stories for KERA. She also has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Texas Christian University and interned with KERA's Think in 2019.