school finance

The Texas House on Wednesday is poised to debate a contentious bill that would create a program where public funds could be used towards private schools.

The Texas House Public Education Committee passed a sweeping school finance proposal on Thursday, along with a bill that would create a program allowing parents to use public funds to pay for private schools.

Next step will be action in the state House, where budget writers have different plans for distributing property tax help.

Months after passing sweeping changes to its reappraisal plan, the Tarrant Appraisal District board will meet March 12 to discuss whether some of those changes should be walked back. The meeting follows outcry from school district leaders who say the policies could lead to funding cuts.

While some see the split as a budget solution, hundreds of residents are demanding more information — and an election.

The Texas Education Agency says there’s time to fix problems before officially reported data is used to determine how much money districts get.

School board votes unanimously to join a program that will eliminate ‘lunch debt’ for four years at 10 campuses — at no cost to the district.

The funding crunch for Texas schools happened even as residents in Denton paid more in property taxes, which doesn’t automatically come back to Denton ISD campuses.

Senate Bill 5 would send an extra $800 million to public schools for security upgrades over the next two years. But the measure is at risk of becoming the latest casualty of the rift between the Texas House and Senate.

A bill to increase the state’s support for school safety appears stalled in this month’s special legislative session. But even if it passes, superintendents warn it isn’t enough.

Less than a third of $18 billion in aid has been used so far, with two years left to spend it.

Public schools across Texas are in limbo as they wait for word on how much funding they’ll receive from the state this semester.