Texas recently hit the cap on open-enrollment charter schools preventing the opening of many new charter schools to serve the nearly 17,000 students on a waiting list. This brief examines the charter school cap policies of 40 states and the District of Columbia, and recommends that Texas eliminate or raise the cap.
Local Government
Tracking Local Government Debt in Texas: 2016 – 2025
Local governments in Texas have accumulated excessive public debt. Strict reforms are necessary to restore fiscal discipline. Key points: In fiscal year 2025, local government borrowing reached nearly $561 billion in combined principal and interest, which is $17,706 in debt per capita. From 2016 to 2025, total local debt rose from $331.8 billion to $561...
November 9, 2026