The highly publicized “Mississippi Miracle” — the implementation of teacher training, literacy coaches, and grade retention for struggling students that skyrocketed the state’s ranking from 49th in 2013 to nineth in 2024 — has created a well-earned outpouring of praise. Here at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, we have taken notice. In fact, the Lone...
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...
School bonds are one of the main instruments contributing to Texas’s local government debt, which is currently over half a trillion dollars. Key points: As of 2026, school bond debt in Texas is over $236 billion. In May of 2023, Texas passed 79% of the 245 bond proposals put on the ballot, costing taxpayers $22.9...