More than four-fifths of Texas public schools received an ‘A’ rating for their financial practices, according to the Texas Education Agency, which released the final financial accountability ratings for the latest school year last week.
A total of 969 school districts and charter schools, or 81%, received the top rating for their financial management practices.
“By maintaining strong financial practices, these school systems are building brighter futures for the students and communities they serve,” a news release stated.
Ten percent of school districts got ‘B’ ratings, while 6% received ‘C’ ratings. Failing grades were given to 18 school districts and eight charter schools.
All Texas public school systems are required to share their financial accountability ratings with parents and taxpayers at public meetings. Individual results for a school district can be found at txschools.gov.
Federal ban on THC products signed into law
A spending deal signed into law last week to end the federal government shutdown includes a ban on nearly all THC products that could devastate the Texas hemp industry, the Houston Chronicle reported. The restrictions will not take effect for another year.
The legislation caps the amount of THC, the psychoactive ingredient found in both marijuana and hemp products, at 0.4 milligrams per package. That would force the removal of nearly all currently available hemp products found in stores across the state, including edibles, beverages and smokable versions of hemp.
An earlier attempt at the state level to ban hemp products was vetoed by Gov. Greg Abbott. After state legislators failed in two special sessions to produce ways to regulate hemp, Abbott issued an executive order banning its purchase by anyone under 21 years of age.
The hemp industry plans to fight the law, saying it jeopardizes U.S. farmers and threatens more than 300,000 jobs nationwide.
“The next year will be critical in determining the future of hemp,” Art Massolo, U.S. Hemp Roundtable President, said in a statement. “As a significant American industry, we are committed to sharing with Congress the real story about hemp.”
Approximately 8,000 retailers in Texas sell products derived from hemp, though a ban on electronic vapes that went into effect Sept. 1 wiped out an estimated 30% of their income.
Trump backs Abbott in reelection bid; Bell enters race
President Donald Trump endorsed Abbott’s unprecedented bid for a fourth term, praising his efforts to redraw congressional maps last summer, The Texas Tribune reported. Abbott responded to the early endorsement, saying he would work with Trump to “build a stronger, safer, more prosperous Texas and America.”
As the governor enters the race with almost $90 million in his campaign war chest, former U.S. Rep. Chris Bell of Houston has entered the race on the Democratic side. Bell ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2006, finishing second in a crowded race to then-Gov. Rick Perry.
Also running in the Democratic primary to date are state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, businessman Andrew White, and rancher Bobby Cole.
Abbott proposes wiping out local school property taxes
Abbott is proposing a state constitutional amendment to eliminate local school property taxes, which provides most of public school funding in Texas, the Chronicle reported.
“It’s time that we drive a stake through the heart of the ability of local property tax hikes in the future,” he said.
In the current biennial state budget, legislators allocated $51 billion for property tax relief, representing a fourth of the state’s total spending. Texas gets about one-third of its revenue from sales tax. The comptroller’s office last year concluded that to replace the $81 billion of property taxes collected in 2023, the state would have to increase the sales tax rate to 22%.
The state has had historic budget surpluses for the past several years, but some experts are warning that this could come to an end.
“The big carryover balances that we’ve had the last couple sessions are very, very, unusual,” said Shannon Halbrook, the director of Invest Texas at Every Texan. “If we have an economic downturn, how do we keep paying for the tax cuts that we’ve committed to?”
TxDOT says more public transit needed
A draft report from the Texas Department of Transportation says the state needs to boost public transportation in rural and smaller urban areas and add rail between the state’s major urban areas if Texas is going to continue to grow, the Texas Standard reported.
“We have almost 32 million Texans, millions of (jobs), thousands of companies locating to Texas in droves, headquarters, etc.,” said Caroline Mays, TxDOT’s director of planning and modal programs. “The fundamental need is, how do we address mobility needs for this growing Texas?”
While the state plans to spend $146 billion over the next decade to maintain and expand the state’s highway system, public transit funding has largely languished. The state spends nothing on public transit in major urban areas, reserving its limited funding for rural and smaller urban transit agencies.
“What I would tell you is that it’s foolish, shortsighted and moronic not to start making comprehensive plans when you know unquestionably that the population growth is going to double in the next 25 years,” state Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburgh, said.
Opportunities for kinship foster families boosted
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has eliminated 195 rules viewed as obstacles to Texas families fostering family members, the agency announced last week. A total of 75% of all administrative requirements have been eliminated, making it easier for relatives to become foster parents.
“By removing unnecessary barriers, we’re helping Texans open their homes to relatives in need,” said HHS Executive Commissioner Cecile Erwin Young. “These changes will give more children in foster care the opportunity to grow up in a familiar, loving environment.”
Regulation changes include:
• Streamline housing inspections to focus on the health and environmental safety of kinship foster homes.
• Eliminate unnecessary training requirements for kinship foster parents.
• Require less documentation for over-the-counter medications.Gary Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress.com.
