Early voting now underway
Early voting is now underway for the Nov. 7 general election. Voters will decide the fate of 14 proposed amendments, including measures to provide property tax relief and raise the homestead exemption to $100,000.
A nonpartisan explanation of what each proposition entails has been produced by the Texas Legislative Council and can be found at https://tinyurl. com/5n946d32.
There are also bond elections for school districts across the state, as well as municipal and school board elections, depending on where you live. Contact your county’s election administrator or check the county’s website to see what local elections are being held.
HOUSE UNVEILS LIMITED SCHOOL CHOICE PLAN The Republican chair of the Texas House public education committee has filed a bill that increases education funding with one-time bonuses for school employees as well as education savings accounts on a limited basis, The Dallas Morning News reported.
The Senate has already passed a voucher plan in this third session, but the House has balked, with opposition coming from rural Republicans and most Democrats. State Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, has said he would not call for a committee meeting unless Gov. Greg Abbott includes teacher pay raises and school financing as agenda items for this session. Abbott has maintained he wouldn’t do so until the Legislature passed a voucher plan, or what he terms “school choice.”
“We continue to have productive conversations with House members,” Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris told The News “The governor looks forward to reaching an agreement on school choice, at which point he will gladly expand the call.”
Meanwhile, House Democrats last week released their own plan to revamp school funding, which would provide a $15,000 bonus for Texas school employees, admittedly a long shot.
“We have this bill today because it is the opposite of a voucher scam,” said Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston. “We need the money that’s in this bill because that is the future of Texas.”
The bill would also increase per-student school funding by almost $2,800. The likelihood of passage is slim in the GOP-dominated House.
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 and Cedar Park. Email [email protected].
