Vol 4, Issue 5

Lawmakers rarely get blamed for votes that never take place, and that's the basis for one of the oldest protection rackets in the legislative toolkit: Killing a controversial bill before it comes to the full House or Senate.

Rural conservatives and homeschoolers are joining forces with public education advocates against Senate Bill 3, which pushes private school choice. Their state senators are not all on the same page.

State Sen. Don Huffines, R-Dallas, is expressing regret over a heated exchange he had Monday with a student about school choice. 

In this week’s Q&A, we interview Michael Roemer, recipient of the 2017 International Educator of the Year Award.

The Tribune presents a daylong symposium on public education in Texas featuring lawmakers and other officials on March 3 in Houston. For more information on the event, click here.

The full video from our conversation this week with state Rep. Dan Huberty, chairman of the House Public Education Committee, is now available online. To view, click here.

Texas teachers report that some parents are too afraid to drop off and pick up their children for fear of immigration officials and deportation.

Betsy DeVos has praised online-only schools in spite of research that suggests they attract and harm the most vulnerable students.

Lawmakers declined to vote on a bill that would cap the amount of income tax awarded to higher education, which would also limit funds for K-12 education.

Governor Scott Walker outlined a new budget that includes $11.5 billion for schools — the most the state has ever allocated towards K-12 education.

An initiative in New York will mentor students of color in mathematics, a field that still suffers from a lack of diversity.

After a Senate committee opted out of a public hearing for important education-related legislation, The Seattle Times called for more public input.