State officials began sending out the first notices to families awarded education vouchers last week, the Houston Chronicle reported. In the first round, 42,644 qualified, mostly students with special needs who are considered the highest priority.
More than a quarter-million students have applied to the state’s voucher program, with a lottery determining who gets a spot. Initial funding for the program is $1 billion, and it is projected to support 100,000 students in its first year.
The program offers taxpayer money to help pay for private and homeschool education. The amount of each voucher awarded in the initial round varied, from $2,000 each for the 11,000 children applying for homeschool funding to an average of $15,585 for parents who documented their children’s special educational needs.
Smokable hemp ban temporarily blocked
A ban on the sale of natural smokeable hemp products has been blocked, possibly until the end of April, by a Travis County district judge. A court hearing is set for this week.
The Texas Tribune reported that lawyers for the hemp industry argue that state agencies overstepped their constitutional authority by imposing new testing requirements that created a 0.3% total THC threshold. The industry says that effectively eliminated smokeable products by essentially rewriting the statutory definitions of hemp created by legislators in 2019.
While that 2019 law also limited THC levels to 0.3%, manufacturers got around it by cultivating hemp plants with another type of THC called THCA, which produces a high when ignited. The newly written limits on any type of THC mirror those that will be imposed by the federal government in November.
Appeals court rules for Ten Commandments in classrooms
A federal appeals court last week ordered public school districts to place copies of the Ten Commandments in classrooms, the Austin America-Statesman reported. Parents and a group of faith leaders in nine school districts sued over a 2025 law that requires public schools to post donated posters of the Ten Commandment in classrooms.
By a split vote, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided the law does not violate the U.S. Constitution, overturning a San Antonio federal judge’s ruling last year. The case could be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Students are neither catechized on the Commandments nor taught to adopt them,” the judges wrote. “Nor are teachers commanded to proselytize students who ask about the displays or contradict students who disagree with them.”
Six judges on the appeals court dissented, with Judge Leslie H. Southwick writing that “S.B. 10 is facially unconstitutional under the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses.”
STAAR ends after this spring
After about 15 years, this spring marks one of the final times Texas students will take the STAAR, according to the Chronicle. Beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, that end-of-year assessment will be replaced by three shorter tests.
Backers of the change say it will reduce classroom time spent preparing for the test and be a more accurate measure of students’ progress. Critics say the changes will still place too much emphasis and classroom time preparing for the tests.
“The only evidence is that it will create more testing,” said state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, Gov. Greg Abbott’s Democratic challenger for governor. “We’re going from 15 tests to 51 tests by the time a kid’s done with eighth grade. It’s outrageous.”
The new Student Success Tool will provide three tests through the school year, instead of a single high-stakes test at the end of the year. Results will be available within 48 hours of each test, unlike STAAR results, which are usually released in mid-June, months after students take the test.
Workplace fatalities dipped slightly in 2024
The Texas Department of Insurance has reported that 557 workplace fatalities were reported in 2024, the latest year for which statistics are available. That is down slightly from the 564 workplace fatalities reported in 2023. More than 90% of the fatalities occurred in the private sector.
The most fatalities were reported in the trade, transportation and utilities sector at 175; construction fatalities, with 128, followed. The most common occupation involving fatalities was motor vehicle operators
A total of 75 fatalities were due to violent acts in 2024.
Men accounted for 92% of the 557 total incidents in 2024.
Texas economy hits record $2.9 trillion
The Texas economy expanded to $2.9 trillion in 2025, growing faster than the nation as a whole at a 2.5% rate, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The state maintained its ranks as the world’s eighth-largest economy, based on preliminary estimates from the International Monetary Fund.
“The Texas economy expanded to a record high of $2.9 trillion thanks to the productivity of our skilled workforce and the entrepreneurs and businesses investing here with confidence,” said Greg Abbott.
The state’s economy has grown by 46% over the past 11 years.
Wildfire risks in Panhandle, West Texas rise
Dry windy conditions across West Texas and the Panhandle are rising, the Statesman reported, leading to increased risk of wildfires. The National Weather Service has issued red flag warnings from Canada to Mexico, including those areas in Texas.
“A red flag warning means a combination of warm temperatures, very low humidity, dry vegetation, and strong winds. These conditions can quickly spark and spread wildfires, and in this environment, even a small fire can grow rapidly, so extra caution is critical,” Mary Wasson, meteorologist with the San Antonio Express-News reported.
The Texas A&M Forest Service reports that 9 out of 10 wildfires in Texas are human-caused and therefore preventable. Burn bans are now in effect in 102 Texas counties, and wildfire preparedness is at Level 2, with Level 5 being the highest risk.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.
