Texas School Finance: Basics and Reform

March 31, 2016

Vance Ginn, Ph.D., is an accomplished economist finding free-market solutions that let people prosper. He is founder and president of Ginn Economic Consulting where he provides high-quality research and trusted insights on how to affect change at the federal, state, and local levels. Ginn’s experience includes time in public policy, government, and academia. He is chief economist at Pelican Institute for Public Policy and a senior fellow at several think tanks, including at Americans for Tax Reform, Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF), and Young Americans for Liberty.

Texas spends $61 billion on PK-12 education annually. Where does this money come from? Where does it go? And how can we improve the system for future generations? Read the full report here.

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Bring Home the Mississippi Miracle: A Texas Triumph in Early Literacy

Bring Home the Mississippi Miracle: A Texas Triumph in Early Literacy Texas lacks a coherent third-grade literacy standard and statewide implementation system. Restoring a mastery-based promotion gate and aligning coaching, screening, and funding can reverse stagnating reading outcomes. Key points: Texas removed its third-grade promotion requirement, weakening the connection between reading mastery and grade advancement....

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K-12 Education

Amarillo teachers make the most of high-quality instructional materials

At Eastridge Elementary School, Principal Genie Baca’s teachers have enough challenges. Their students are mostly refugees, recent immigrants from countries such as Somalia, Yemen, Vietnam and Burma, among many others. The parents are often shift workers at local meatpacking or poultry processing facilities, meaning that no one’s home to ensure the children are fed and...

July 1, 2024

Higher Education

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(Not) Cheaper by the Dozen | Debunking 12 Common Myths About Higher Education Myth 1: A’s and B’s Are Marks of Distinction in College, With C’s Signifying Average Performance. Reality: According to GradeInflation.com, as well as other later surveys, in the early 1960s, the percentage of A’s awarded in colleges nationwide was 15%. But today,...

May 21, 2026

Texas School Finance: Basics and Reform

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The Honorable Kent Grusendorf

The Honorable Talmadge Heflin

Michael Barba

Vance Ginn, Ph.D.