Texas Republicans who defied Gov. Greg Abbott on school vouchers face mounting primary attacks
As promised, the governor is going after members of his own party after some of them tanked his top legislative priority. Full Story
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![A protester, left, pauses to leave a boot at the steps of the Governor's Mansion during a rally to "boot vouchers" on Oct. 7, 2023. Hundreds gathered to protest two days before a special session was slated to begin on Oct. 9, 2023.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
An East Texas school district’s flagpole raises questions about America’s separation of church and state
The LaPoynor school district frequently flies a Christian flag, but may not be running afoul of the Constitution because it says students are choosing to raise it. Full Story
![A solid purple flag flies alongside the U.S. and Texas flags outside of LaPoynor School, part of LaPoynor ISD, in LaRue on Jan. 18, 2024.]()
Credit: Leslie Nemec for The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ new school safety law mostly addresses the Justice Department’s advice. But funding fixes is still an issue.
Lawmakers passed House Bill 3 last year to address some of the issues that led to the botched police response during the Uvalde school shooting. Full Story
![Memorial crosses outside Robb Elementary in Uvalde on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. The now-closed school was the site of the May 2022 mass shooting that left 19 children and two teachers dead.]()
Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune -
Uvalde victims’ families get official acknowledgement of botched shooting response — but some want criminal charges
Some relatives of the 21 people killed in Texas’ deadliest school shooting are demanding criminal charges after federal officials say delayed police response cost lives. Full Story
![Kimberly Mata-Rubio, mother of Alexandria Rubio, one of the children killed in the 2022 Uvalde mass shooting, speaks to media after DOJ officials detailed failures in the law enforcement response to the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde.]()
Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune -
Appeals court blocks Texas from enforcing book rating law
Plaintiffs claimed that the 2023 law, which required book vendors to rate the explicitness of sexual references in materials sold to schools, was unconstitutionally broad. Full Story
![Vandegrift High School's library on March 2, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune -
School voucher supporter gave Gov. Greg Abbott $6 million in December
The contribution is the largest single campaign donation in Texas history, according to Abbott’s campaign. Full Story
![Gov. Greg Abbott answer questions from the press after receiving the state’s eleventh consecutive Governor’s Cup, awarded to states with high job creation rates and business growth, at the Governor’s Mansion on March 1, 2023.]()
Credit: Leila Saidane/The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ school ratings remain in limbo as the state and school districts fight over how strict the grading should be
Dozens of school districts sued the Texas Education Agency last fall, claiming revisions to the state’s accountability system would hurt them. Full Story
![STAAR themed decorations adorn the hallways of Wharton Elementary School in Wharton on April 21, 2018.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Grieving Houston-area students’ well-being at stake as federal COVID-19 funds fade
The federal stimulus money that helped fund many mental health positions in Texas schools will end in the fall of 2024. Full Story
![Laura Ortega visits her husband Eliberto Ortega’s grave on Día de los Muertos along with their seven-year-old son to pay their respects, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, in Houston. Eliberto died of cardiac arrest while sick with the coronavirus in July 2021. (Marie D. De Jesús / Houston Landing)]()
Credit: Marie D. De Jesús/Houston Landing -
Vouchers, border security, abortion: The issues you heard about in 2023 will continue to be hotly debated in 2024
After nearly a year’s worth of legislative sessions, several issues are poised to dominate Texas politics this year. Here’s a look at how things ended on several fronts last year — and where they’re headed next. Full Story
![The Texas Capitol in Austin on Oct. 19, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy for The Texas Tribune -
Diversity offices on college campuses will soon be illegal in Texas, as 30 new laws go into effect
Other new laws make changes to the tax code, criminal justice and health care systems. Full Story
![Students head to class on the second day of the semester at San Jacinto College's North Campus in Houston on Aug. 26, 2014.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Reports about police actions in U.S. mass shootings lack standardization and often leave unanswered questions
A lack of national standards leads to wide variability in after-action examinations of law enforcement’s response, ProPublica, The Texas Tribune and FRONTLINE found. Full Story
![After-action reports can vary widely in what they examine and what information they release because there is no national standard for how they should be conducted.]()
Credit: Compilation image by The Texas Tribune and ProPublica -
Texans grapple with numerous challenges, yet many are actively seeking solutions
Across the state, people are looking for ways to make Texas a better place to live as they tackle hunger, rural “brain drain,” health care obstacles and other impediments. Full Story
![Volunteers prepare fresh vegetables donated by the Dewey Prairie Garden for distribution at the Lord’s Pantry of Leon County in Buffalo, Texas, on June 29, 2023.]()
Credit: Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribune -
How Gov. Greg Abbott lost a yearlong fight to create school vouchers
The governor projected confidence throughout 2023 that vouchers would pass. But his insistence on universal eligibility ensured his failure to convince 21 House Republican holdouts. Full Story
![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks on the north steps of the State Capitol to supporters at a Texas Public Policy Foundation Parent Empowerment rally on March 21, 2023. Abbott has called lawmakers to Austin for a special session Monday targeted at passing private school vouchers.]()
Credit: Ricardo Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via REUTERS -
Struggling to find teachers close to home, some Texas schools are looking overseas for help
Public schools got little help from lawmakers this year to address the state’s chronic teacher shortage, so they’ve turned to other creative solutions — like leaning on cultural exchange programs to recruit international teachers. Full Story
![Ilona Cabudsan in front of Aldine ISD's Hambrick Middle School, in Houston, on Dec. 18, 2023.]()
Credit: Joseph Bui for The Texas Tribune -
A Texas high school is piloting the state’s first-ever Asian American studies course. Could politics stand in its way?
The course highlights Asian Americans’ contributions in U.S. history. It also seeks to offer an honest look at the mistreatment, like the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. Full Story
![Round Rock High School junior Indira Moparthi studies on her laptop after school on Dec. 13, 2023. Moparthi is one of dozens of students who are enrolled in Round Rock High School's first ever Asian American Ethnic Studies course this semester.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ debate over school chaplains escalates school board culture wars
A new law lets schools use safety funds to pay for unlicensed chaplains working in mental health roles. Supporters say it helps address student mental health while critics blast it as a Christian nationalist attempt to convert children to a specific form of faith. Full Story
![Odessa High School students walk between classes on Sept. 13, 2023, in Odessa.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
I’m a Texas homeowner. When will I see my tax cut?
Tax policy is messy. Here are a few tips to help you understand what the recent voter-approved tax cuts mean for your mortgage. Full Story
![Homes along central Longview's Centenary Drive on Friday Dec. 17, 2021.]()
Credit: Michael Cavazos for The Texas Tribune -
Texas superintendents say lack of school safety funding may lead to budget cuts
The fourth special legislative session this year ended without any increased funding for school safety — even though public schools have complained for months they don’t have enough money to meet new safety mandates approved this year. Full Story
![An Austin Independent School District police vehicle sits outside of McCallum High School in Austin, on Dec. 28, 2012.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune -
Abbott mum on another special session as he charges into voucher opponents’ primary battles
Abbott is promising to continue the fight for “school choice” but staying mum on whether that means he will call another special session as he has previously threatened. Full Story
![Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs a bill banning COVID-19 vaccine mandates, at the Governor's Mansion in Austin on Nov. 10, 2023.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
“Someone tell me what to do”
Across the country, states require more training to prepare students and teachers for mass shootings than for those expected to protect them. The differences were clear in Uvalde, where children and officers waited on opposite sides of the door. Full Story
![Collage by ProPublica. Body camera stills obtained by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Collage by ProPublica. Body camera stills obtained by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune
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