Texas Ed Brief is created and curated by Allen Garner, a lifelong educator who worked in public schools for more than 35 years. His wife Stacey is a special education teacher, and together they raised their four children in East Texas schools.
This brief was built with a simple purpose: to equip Texas education leaders with clear, relevant, and actionable information to support quality decision-making. Each edition delivers real news, practical guidance, and insights that help strengthen outcomes for students across Texas schools.
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Allen GarnerEditor, Texas Ed Brief
News
FinanceStatewide
Ending School Property Taxes for Homeowners Would Cost Texas Nearly $9B a Year
Gov. Greg Abbott has pledged to eliminate school property taxes for homeowners if reelected. State officials put the cost at about $8.6B a year — the amount homeowners currently pay in school taxes — and chief revenue estimator Tetyana Melnyk said that figure could climb to $12B by 2032. The 2026-27 state budget already dedicates $51B to property tax relief. Abbott's campaign says the state would cover the full cost of replacing the lost revenue. Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins questioned whether the plan would harm schools, and Commissioner Mike Morath stressed the need for diverse revenue sources to fund education. Any such change would require a constitutional amendment, meaning significant legislative support and voter approval.
Why it matters
Every dollar of local homeowner tax replaced by the state is a dollar of district revenue that depends on the next appropriation instead of the local tax base. Superintendents and CFOs should be modeling what share of their M&O revenue this would shift to Austin and preparing questions for legislators about hold-harmless guarantees, growth adjustments, and local enrichment capacity before the session opens in January.
Source: Community Impact Newspaper
FinanceNational
Nov. 3 Brings a Record $53B in School Bond Requests Nationwide
Voters will weigh 373 school bond measures this November totaling nearly $53B in proposed borrowing for construction, facility upgrades, and safety improvements. Districts are asking for larger amounts than before the pandemic, driven by higher construction costs and bigger, more comprehensive projects — but voter approval rates have slipped from 82% in 2018 to 75% in 2024. Safety spending is increasingly common, with bond measures proposing security investments roughly doubling between 2018 and 2024. Smaller and lower-wealth districts face tougher odds because borrowing capacity depends heavily on local property values.
Why it matters
Texas districts on the Nov. 3 ballot — including Cy-Fair's $1.63B bond and Robinson ISD's scaled-back $81.2M package — are competing for voter confidence in a year of falling approval rates. The districts that win will be the ones that tie every proposition to a specific, visible need and show exactly what it costs the average homeowner.
Source: Education Week
ComplianceStatewide
Educator Misconduct Reports Triple in the First Year of SB 571
Reports filed on TEA's new Educator Misconduct Reporting Dashboard tripled in one year, reaching 19,766 during fiscal 2026 — an average of about 1,647 a month and roughly 6% of the state's public school teachers. Most reports came from superintendents. About 7,288 involved allegations of violence or injury to a child, and more than 3,000 involved sexual misconduct allegations. The surge follows SB 571, carried by Sen. Paul Bettencourt, which expanded reporting obligations and is aimed at transparency and accountability in misconduct cases. TEA says the dashboard is meant to help educators, employees, parents, and community members understand their legal reporting responsibilities.
Why it matters
These are reports filed, not findings — but with superintendents now the largest source, the volume is a direct measure of how seriously districts are taking the new obligations. HR directors should confirm their intake, investigation, and reporting timelines are documented and consistently followed, and that principals know exactly what triggers a report. A missed or late report is now the bigger compliance exposure.
Source: Killeen Daily Herald
FinanceHouston ISD
Houston ISD Loses Nearly 10,000 Students as Takeover Costs Mount
Houston ISD reported just over 155,600 students as of Sept. 4 — down nearly 10,000, or about 6%, from last year. The district had budgeted for a loss of about 4,000 students, equal to roughly a $50M shortfall, and is now cutting spending and reassigning staff. Since the 2023 state takeover, enrollment has fallen by about 21,000 students, costing an estimated $190M in state funding, while Superintendent Mike Miles' reforms have added an estimated $700,000 per school in first-year costs. "We have to make responsible decisions now so the District remains financially strong," Miles said. Campuses like Lamar High are already reporting shortfalls that threaten programs, and parents question whether academic gains can be sustained as HISD moves toward a return to local control.
Why it matters
Texas's largest district just missed its enrollment projection by more than double. Any district building next year's budget on last year's attendance trend should stress-test a steeper decline scenario now, and boards watching the takeover model should weigh whether its cost structure survives once the state steps back.
Sources: Houston Chronicle, The Texas Tribune, The Gilmer Mirror
WorkforceStatewide
Employee Health Plans Hit a Breaking Point in Pasadena and Round Rock
Pasadena ISD withdrew a proposal to move employees to TRS-ActiveCare after staff pushed back on sharply higher premiums and family coverage costs. The district's self-funded plan currently costs $322 per month per employee, while the proposed TRS-ActiveCare options carried premiums reported between $2,292 and $2,647. "I have heard your questions, frustrations, and concerns," Superintendent Toni Lopez said; the district will keep its current plan and provide monthly financial updates. In Round Rock ISD, the self-funded health plan faces a projected $13M shortfall by 2027. The district contributes $7,795 per employee and is proposing higher employee contributions, with joining TRS-ActiveCare also on the table.
Why it matters
Self-funded plans are running out of runway, and the obvious fallback — TRS-ActiveCare — can be far more expensive for families. Districts with self-funded plans should review claims trends and reserve levels now, and communicate early: Pasadena shows how fast a benefits proposal can turn into a staff-retention problem.
Sources: Houston Chronicle, Community Impact Newspaper
Special EducationHouston ISD
Houston's Special Education Overhaul: Early Gains, Heavy Disruption
Five weeks into Houston ISD's Special Education Success Program, district leaders report smaller classes and more specialized training and curriculum. The share of self-contained classrooms serving more than two grade levels has fallen from more than half to under a quarter, and nearly all classrooms meet target teacher-to-student ratios. The cost has been disruption: thousands of students reassigned to 150 campuses, more than 1,000 IEPs changed, more than 40 bus routes added, and more than 200 calls on the first day of school. Nine families have filed TEA complaints, and the overhaul faces state scrutiny and a federal investigation into possible discrimination against students with disabilities. Parents report mixed experiences, and disability advocates caution the classroom data may miss the effects of moving students farther from neighborhood schools.
Why it matters
Consolidating SPED programs can improve ratios, but more than 1,000 IEP changes in one move is a procedural-compliance risk on its own. Districts considering centralized programs should plan ARD documentation, transportation, and parent communication before the first reassignment — not after complaints arrive.
Source: Houston Chronicle
TechnologyStatewide
Districts Set Classroom Screen-Time Limits as Abbott Pushes for More
Texas districts are tightening classroom screen-time rules as Gov. Greg Abbott calls for broader limits on student technology use. Dallas ISD now recommends less than one hour a day for pre-K through second grade, under 90 minutes for grades three through five, and up to two hours for middle school. Richardson ISD has restricted passive screen use, including devices as rewards or as filler when students finish early. Abbott said technology should support specific lessons and assessments, "not as a substitute for teachers or other proven methods of learning." The push follows the statewide school cellphone ban, and an Auburn University survey found 85% of teachers believe students spend too much classroom time on screens.
Why it matters
With the governor weighing in, statewide screen-time expectations may be coming. Districts that set their own grade-band guidance now — and audit how devices are used, not just how long — will be ahead of any mandate and better positioned to defend their digital curriculum investments.
Source: Dallas News
Finance spotlight
$190MHISD state funding lost to enrollment decline since takeover
$8.6BAnnual homeowner school taxes Abbott pledges to eliminate
19,766Educator misconduct reports filed in FY2026
Superintendent vacancies
40
Live superintendent openings statewideSource: TASA Super Search, as of Sep. 25, 2026
Statutory deadline to adopt the tax rate as districts finalize FY26-27 plans following certified property values.
Voter Registration Deadline
Last day to register for the Nov. 3 election. State law requires high schools to offer eligible students registration opportunities.
Head Start English-Only Proposal Comment Period Closes
Final day for public comment on the federal proposal to require English-only instruction in Head Start classrooms.
TASB Superintendent of the Year Announced
Winner named at txEDCON in Houston, chosen from five statewide finalists.
Austin ISD Closure-Petition Validation Deadline
Deadline for Superintendent Segura to validate parent petitions to close Webb and Burnet middle schools.
Early Voting Begins Statewide
Early voting opens ahead of the Nov. 3 election, including tax-rate, VATRE, and bond votes.
Election Day: TRE, VATRE, and Bond Elections Statewide
Cy-Fair ISD's $1.63B bond and tax-rate election, Leander and Georgetown ISDs' VATREs, Robinson ISD's $81.2M bond, and Houston-area tax-rate elections go before voters.
Austin ISD Petitions Due to Commissioner Morath
Validated closure petitions for Webb and Burnet middle schools must reach the commissioner for final action.
Featured tool
The Budget Notebook
The EAR Budget Notebook is a comprehensive digital budgeting and financial management system designed specifically for Texas school districts. It provides one centralized location for organizing budget assumptions, revenue projections, expenditure plans, TEA reports, board presentations, supporting documentation, and other critical financial resources. Built by experienced Texas school finance leaders, the Budget Notebook streamlines the annual budget process, preserves institutional knowledge, improves collaboration, and helps superintendents, CFOs, and business managers make informed financial decisions with confidence.
TEA found the district financially "stabilized" after it resolved a $42M deficit and adopted a balanced FY2027 budget, ending conservatorship that began in March 2024.
Source: El Paso Times
GovernanceFort Worth ISD
Fort Worth Listening Sessions Flag Scripted Lessons, Trust
Across 41 sessions and 3,027 respondents, parents pushed back on the Cowtown 12 instructional framework; 21% named trust as a top district value. Superintendent Licata said the district "did not reach enough of our community."
Source: Star-Telegram
VouchersKaty ISD
Katy ISD Will Sell Courses on the TEFA Marketplace
The district plans to offer Legacy Virtual High School courses through the Odyssey marketplace at $400 per course for out-of-district students and $250 for in-district students.
Source: Houston Chronicle
FinanceLeander ISD
Leander ISD Takes a 3-Cent VATRE to Voters
Facing a $9.9M shortfall after $26M in cuts over two cycles, the district's VATRE would raise about $12M, with $5.3M of that subject to recapture.
Source: Community Impact Newspaper
DistrictsNorth East ISD
NEISD Narrows Closure List to Five Campuses
Up to four elementary schools could close by the end of 2026; Colonial Hills, Dellview, Oak Grove, Regency Place, and Montgomery are under review.
Source: Star-Telegram
DistrictsHarris County
Harris County Enrollment Falls Below 900,000
TEA data show a 3% decline — more than 26,000 students across 25 districts — the first time the county has dipped below 900,000 since 2013.
Source: KTRK-TV
SafetyRound Rock ISD
Round Rock ISD Extends Armed-Guard Exemption
Full HB 3 compliance would require 27 more officers at about $4M, so the district renewed its good-cause exemption for another year.
Source: Community Impact Newspaper
NationalPolicy
$1,700 Federal Tax-Credit Scholarships Launch in January
Treasury rules are still pending on public school participation and state oversight; one analysis found up to 92% of K-12 students could meet eligibility requirements.
Sources: Education Week, The 74
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