Tag Archives: vouchers

What West Texas can do to improve their schools

Posted on July 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s an op-ed from the Statesman about one educator in West Texas who has had enough. My hero this week is Graydon Hicks, Fort Davis superintendent of schools. A West Texas publication published his open letter to Gov. Greg Abbott … Continue reading →

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House still opposes vouchers

Posted on June 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Keep on keeping on, y’all. The top House education leader said Sunday that “private school choice” is still dead in the lower chamber. “We only voted six times against it in the House,” House Public Education Committee Chairman Dan Huberty … Continue reading →

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Even the SBOE opposes vouchers and the bathroom bill

Posted on June 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

A rare bout of sanity. The Texas State Board of Education is known for its conservative ideals, but a majority of its Republican members said Tuesday they oppose GOP Gov. Greg Abbott’s demand that lawmakers pass a school voucher program … Continue reading →

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The special session could get a little testy

Posted on June 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Sow a little discord, Joe. We approve. Speaking to educators Wednesday, House Speaker Joe Straus took some jabs at the Senate for focusing on a bill to regulate public bathroom use instead of putting more than a billion dollars into … Continue reading →

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School finance bill is dead

Posted on May 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It started with this. State Rep. Dan Huberty said Wednesday that he would not accept the Senate’s changes to his school finance bill, launching a last-ditch effort to hammer out a compromise with less than a week left in the … Continue reading →

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Senate wrecks school finance bill

Posted on May 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It’s what they do. The Texas Senate has scrapped much of a proposal to revise how the state funds education in place of a plan to create a school voucher program for children with disabilities. The bill passed the Senate … Continue reading →

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Investigation requested into voucher astroturfing

Posted on April 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the Quorum Report: Following a criminal complaint by a GOP former lawmaker, an Austin representative has asked the Travis County District Attorney’s Office to look a letter-writing campaign that has deeply troubled rural Republicans in the Texas House who … Continue reading →

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One more thing about vouchers

Posted on April 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to enjoy this just a little bit more. The Texas House of Representatives all but killed Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s prized school choice bill Thursday, dealing the powerful Republican a major loss as he struggles to push his … Continue reading →

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House passes its budget

Posted on April 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Mostly shenanigan-free, with a nice little side order of shade for a few people who deserve it. After 15 and a half hours of debate on hundreds of amendments to the Texas House budget, lawmakers in the lower chamber passed … Continue reading →

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Vouchers get their Senate hearing

Posted on March 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again with this nonsense. Senate Bill 3, authored by Republican Sen. Larry Taylor of Friendswood, would establish educational savings accounts and tax credit scholarships to fund various costs associated with parents moving their children from traditional public … Continue reading →

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Patrick versus the House

Posted on March 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas House isn’t all onboard with Dan Patrick’s agenda, and our Lite Guv has his shorts in a bunch about it. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick celebrated a milestone Wednesday: His Senate had acted on all four of Gov. Greg … Continue reading →

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Abby Whitmire: Why I’m running for Humble ISD Board of Trustees

Posted on March 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As you know, I solicit guest posts from time to time. I am also working to follow the May 2017 elections more closely, to do my part for the renewed sense of purpose and desire to make a difference … Continue reading →

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Huberty says vouchers are dead this session

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Always nice to hear. The top education policy official in the Texas House said Tuesday that he would not allow the approval of school vouchers this legislative session, a blunt pronouncement that could be fatal to the prospects for legislation … Continue reading →

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Senate to begin studying school finance changes

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see what this looks like. Leaders in the Texas Senate are vowing to find ways to overhaul the state’s school finance system, saying a recent Texas Supreme Court decision granted them a prime opportunity to shake up the heavily … Continue reading →

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Meet the latest education scam

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Free money! What could possibly go wrong? An ambitious new player has emerged in the controversial effort to use taxpayer dollars to help Texas parents send their kids to private or religious schools. Texans for Education Opportunity, which launched in … Continue reading →

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Straus wants to study school finance

Posted on June 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I appreciate the effort, but I plan to keep my expectations low. Citing a recent Texas Supreme Court decision that upheld the state’s public school funding system while deeming it “undeniably imperfect,” state House Speaker Joe Straus on Thursday ordered … Continue reading →

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Eltife not running for re-election

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

He will be missed. After 23 years in elected office, state Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, said he will not run for re-election in 2016 to devote more time to family, friends, his work and his community. Eltife said he’s loved … Continue reading →

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Where the education reform bills stand

Posted on May 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, the attempt to take a first stab at school finance reform did not make it to the House floor. That doesn’t mean there wasn’t some action on school-related issues. This Chron story from the weekend recapped a … Continue reading →

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Senate passes a voucher bill

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Hopefully, this will die in the House. Some low-income families unhappy with their public schools would get help paying private school tuition under a plan that won tentative approval in the Texas Senate Monday. Senate Bill 4, which would use … Continue reading →

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Here comes the school finance bill

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a big deal. The House education chairman on Tuesday unveiled a $3 billion proposal he hopes will overhaul the way Texas funds public schools and derail a looming lawsuit in the process. “My objective when I began this was … Continue reading →

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Budget passes House as most amendments get pulled

Posted on April 2, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It was a long day in the House on Tuesday and Wednesday but not a terribly bloody one as many of the budget amendments and riders that had been queued up got withdrawn. A brief recap of the action: Border … Continue reading →

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Let the budgetary games begin

Posted on March 31, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The House takes up the budget today, with over 300 amendments and riders queued up for votes. A couple of things to watch for as the debate goes on: Killing vouchers. Lawmakers in the Texas House will have a chance … Continue reading →

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Hegar’s first revenue estimate is in

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how it holds up. Amid concerns that tumbling oil prices could push the Texas economy into a recession, Comptroller Glenn Hegar offered a cautiously optimistic tone on the future of the Texas economy Monday, announcing that lawmakers will … Continue reading →

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Wake me up in June

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

As we prepare for the 84th Legislative session to begin, let’s pause for a moment and see what we can expect. Greg Abbott wants to make the world safe for plastic bags. Dan Patrick wants to cut his property taxes, … Continue reading →

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The Lege is unlikely to do anything substantive on education this session

Posted on December 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, there will be lots of sound and fury, as well as various sideshow distractions, but in the end the main issue to resolve – school finance – will be at best “tweaked”. For anything more than that, we will … Continue reading →

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Texas asks for federal funding for pre-k vouchers

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure how I feel about this. Teacher groups are up in arms as Texas seeks millions from the federal government to fund a new pre-K voucher program that would begin next fall. Last month, the Texas Education Agency applied … Continue reading →

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Dan Patrick loves the poor folks

Posted on September 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

He says so himself, so it must be true. State Sen. Dan Patrick told a wealthy Houston business group Thursday that he would advocate for the poor and people of color if elected lieutenant governor in November, at one point … Continue reading →

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Where things stand with two weeks to go in the legislative session

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

With the Thursday midnight deadline for bills to pass on second reading in the House, I figured this would be a good time to take a look at the status of some major legislation and legislative priorities. There are two … Continue reading →

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SBOE passes anti-voucher resolution

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. The Texas State Board of Education voted 10-5 on Friday to urge the Legislature to reject proposals that would result in public funds being allocated for private educational institutions. The resolution, authored by Board of Education member … Continue reading →

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Charter bill passes Senate, voucher bill passes out of committee

Posted on April 13, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Score one for Sen. Dan Patrick. As colleagues praised Education Chairman Dan Patrick’s efforts at building consensus, a significantly altered version of his expansion of the state’s charter school system quickly passed out of the Senate Thursday afternoon. Patrick, R-Houston, … Continue reading →

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Patrick has his voucher hearing

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It went about as you’d expect. State Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, delivered an impassioned plea in support of what threatens to become a beleaguered tax credit scholarship plan during a Tuesday morning hearing on his legislation. “We are great enough … Continue reading →

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House debates its budget

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, yesterday was Budgetpalooza in the House. The House budget puts more money into public education and less into health and human services than a Senate proposal that passed the upper chamber last month. “No one is or … Continue reading →

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The prospects for increasing charter schools

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

According to the Trib, it’s trickier than it might look. Senate Bill 2, the centerpiece of Patrick’s plans for the session, is the most ambitious attempt to expand the state’s charter school system since it was established in 1995. To … Continue reading →

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Patrick files his own voucher bill

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I guess if you want something done right, you do it yourself. Ending speculation over when — or whether — his widely promoted school choice legislation would emerge, state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, has filed a bill creating a business … Continue reading →

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