House Bill 3 made sweeping changes to Texas education earlier this year, lowering property tax rates for Texas taxpayers and sending billions more in state dollars to school districts. Now, before districts can ask local taxpayers for higher M&O property tax rates through a tax ratification election (TRE), they must first conduct an efficiency audit. This is designed to ensure that a district is thoroughly evaluating its spending practices before asking to permanently increase tax rates and that taxpayers get a chance to review a district’s efficiency for themselves and make an informed decision.
Parent Empowerment Can Ease Those Back-to-School Blues
September signals the end of summer and the beginning of the academic year for millions of Texas students. While schoolkids may understandably be less excited than their parents about the back-to-school rush, parents may also be unhappy if they were fully aware of the quality of education their children are returning to. Sadly, there are...