JADEN EDISON/The Texas Tribune

The Texas Tribune
Texas Senate reveals $8 billion school funding plan as it seeks middle ground with House
Sen. Brandon Creighton, who chairs the Senate’s education committee, called his version of House Bill 2, an $8 billion investment into Texas public schools, “exciting and historic,” adding that the bill would encompass more funding “than any public education package that we’ve ever passed.”
 
With vouchers fast-tracked, other Texas public education issues to watch this session
Senate Bill 2, which would allow families to use taxpayer dollars to fund their children’s private school tuition, now awaits a vote in the House where similar legislation repeatedly hit a dead end two years ago. But while the Senate has moved swiftly on vouchers, state officials and education advoc
 
Legal rights groups urge school leaders not to adopt Texas’ Bible-infused curriculum
“Bluebonnet Learning is comprised of instructional materials that have a broad base of topics including history, literature, the arts and culture which, when contextually relevant, can include religious topics sampling from a wide range of faiths,” the statement said. “The materials include content
 
Texas senators fast-track school voucher bill for full vote
A 9-2 Republican majority on the committee pushed the bill forward days before Gov. Greg Abbott takes the stage Sunday for his State of the State speech. It is expected that Abbott will declare the school voucher bill — his top legislative priority in recent years — an “emergency item,” allowing law
 
Texas is slashing $607 million in Medicaid funding from program for students with disabilities
More than 775,000 students receive special education services in Texas, according to the Texas Education Agency. It is not as clear how many of them are eligible for Medicaid, though school district officials say many of the kids who directly benefit from SHARS come from low-income families.
 
Texas education commissioner calls for student cellphone ban in schools
“If it were in my power, I would have already banned them in all schools in the state,” Morath said. “So I would encourage you to consider that as a matter of public policy going forward for our students and our teachers.”
 
Texas school districts say upgrades to the state’s student data reporting system could hurt funding
Each of Texas’ more than 1,200 school districts is required to regularly submit data to the state, including information on attendance, enrollment, students who receive special education, children experiencing homelessness and the number of kids who have completed a college preparatory course. State
 
Schools hiring more teachers without traditional training. They hope Texas will pay to prepare them.
That was before the COVID-19 pandemic, which left many longtime educators worried about their health and feeling underappreciated, underresourced and burnt out. They walked out of the classroom in droves, accelerating teacher shortages at a time when students were returning to in-person learning and
 
Texas schools got billions in federal pandemic relief, but it is coming to an end as classes begin
The money allowed the district to upgrade antiquated heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.
 
Texas State Board of Education fields concerns about Christian bias in proposed K-12 curriculum
The curriculum promotes, for example, lessons on Leonardo Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” alongside the Gospel of Matthew, which centers on Jesus’ crucifixion and its atonement for human sin. References also include the parable of the good Samaritan in a social studies unit and the teaching of “do unto