The most fundamental obligations of our schools is to teach our children to read and do math at grade level or above. Parents, students, taxpayers, and legislators have a right to know if our schools are teaching our students to read and do math at grade level. Now more than ever, Texans need accurate information about school performance, as taxpayers may be asked to invest an additional $5 billion per year—on top the $62 billion they are already spending—on public education.
Austin’s rising utility fees are taxes by another name
Rising utility bills are one of many factors exacerbating Austin’s well-documented affordability crisis. When Austin utility bills went up last winter, many residents probably didn’t even notice — mostly because the increase in fees was hidden by reductions in other costs. But here’s the truth: The city of Austin is squeezing its customers more than they know....