“Texas school children deserve an academically rigorous assessment, but there is little evidence the TAKS tests will be much different from the TAAS,” says Chris Patterson, TPPF Director of Education Research and author of the study. “Texas needs a world-class test, not one reflecting the low standards of the past.”
Local Government
When Government Lobbies Itself: Why Texas Should Ban Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying
Texas local governments use taxpayer dollars to hire lobbyists to influence state legislation—creating conflicts of interest, distorting democratic accountability, and undermining the interests of Texas taxpayers. Key points: Taxpayer-funded lobbying expenditures more than doubled from the 85th to the 89th Legislature, now reaching as high as $111.5 million. Taxpayer-funded lobbyists consistently opposed legislation involving property...
April 6, 2026