Topic: Policy

88th Texas Legislature: Good Bills of the Week

Publish Date: February 10, 2023

HB 1974 and SB 764 by Rep. Caroline Harris (R-Round Rock) and Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola), respectively, would establish a statewide Imagination Library program in partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library or a similar book distribution program to encourage children to develop a love of reading via monthly mailed books to children 5 years or younger. Parton has been a...

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Jan. 27, 2023: Raises for All Texas School Employees

Publish Date: February 2, 2023

Friday, Jan. 27, 2023 As Texas public schools beg for funding, Texas charter schools … buy luxury horse ranches. This year, National School Choice Week fell just a week after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick proclaimed before the Legislature that he and Gov. Greg Abbott are “all in” on “school choice.”    What’s normally a week in which voucher proponents and...

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2023 Poll Finds (Again) That Texans Love Their Public Schools

Publish Date: January 27, 2023

The Charles Butt Foundation has released its 2023 poll on Texans’ attitudes toward public education, and, once again, the results confirm what we already know: Texans overwhelmingly support and value their public schools and those who work in them.  Among the key findings of this year’s poll:  89% of Texans support increasing teacher salaries. 89% of Texas public school parents are...

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Iowa General Assembly Passes Controversial Private School Voucher Legislation

Publish Date: January 27, 2023

This past week, the Iowa General Assembly passed a bill to use public tax dollars to fund private school education scholarships. Gov. Kim Reynolds, an outspoken supporter of private school vouchers, signed the bill Tuesday, just hours after it was voted out of the Iowa Senate.  This school voucher bill is the third such push by Reynolds in as many...

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