Here They Come What to know: Several money-hungry school districts in the DFW region are angling for a major tax increase. In fact, “[s]even school districts” are pushing voter-approval tax rate elections, or VATREs, that threaten to spike homeowners’ property tax bills. The TPPF take: Government schools don’t need any more money. They need to learn how to...
Cashing In What to know: Public school superintendents are among the state’s highest-paid government employees. So much so that: “The average 2024-25 salary for a big district superintendent was $372,664,” which nearly exceeds the President of the United States’ annual salary ($400,000). The TPPF take: Superintendents are cashing in at the expense of others. Namely, students, teachers,...
Getting Technical What to know: Proposition 1 on the November constitutional elections ballot in Texas would secure funding for Texas State Technical College and its 11 campuses. The TPPF take: TSTC focuses exclusively on technical education, aligning its programs with the demands of Texas’ dynamic economy. “Texas faces a looming workforce crisis, with projected shortages of 7,000 plumbers, 4,500...
More Water What to know: Early voting has begun for the November elections. The TPPF take: Texas faces serious water challenges. “Consider that Texas’ population will increase by an estimated 73% by 2070 to 51.5 million, while water supplies are projected to decrease by about 18%,” says TPPF’s Larry French. “Inaction is not an option. Cities, farms, and industry...
Mob Rule? What to know: A left-wing internet mob convinced an Austin farm to cancel an event with young people from the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Liberty Leadership Council The TPPF take: Words like “fascist” aren’t just insults; they’re weapons. “When you call someone Hitler or label them a fascist, you’re not debating policy — you’re signaling that elimination...
Unaffordable, Unlivable, and Unrecognizable What to know: The average Travis County homeowner will pay $10,823 in local property taxes this year—the highest in Texas. Even still, the city of Austin wants voters to approve a massive 20.2% tax rate hike in November because, according to one council member, “spending big dollars on city services is worth the tax...
Tossing Out TML What to know: Dallas City Council members recently stopped paying membership dues to taxpayer-funded lobby groups, like the Texas Municipal League and others, and instead directed that nearly $100,000 to transportation projects and paying down debt. The TPPF take: Less money for lobbyists means more money for core services. “Taxpayer-funded lobby groups have made a...
It’s a Crosswalk What to know: Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered Austin (and other cities) to remove the rainbow crosswalk at Fourth and Congress avenues. The TPPF take: It’s not a political billboard, it’s a crosswalk. “The city of Austin authorized these ‘decorative street markings’ over the past several years,” says TPPF’s Sherry Sylvester. “But, as Abbott rightly points out,...
That’s Not How History Works What to know: The Texas State Board of Education approved new History materials for grades 3-8 in September. Leftist groups objected, saying they focus too much on Texas and the U.S. The TPPF take: The Texas Council for Social Studies opposes the new curriculum. “TXCSS has a long record of promoting left-wing ideas,” says...
No Longer in Charge What to know: The Texas Supreme Court has signaled that it plans to end the American Bar Association’s authority to accredit law schools. The TPPF take: The ABA has strayed far from its role as an impartial arbiter of educational quality. “The ABA’s recent controversies—condemning the Trump administration’s battles with judges and law firms,...
Columbus Day Reconsidered What to know: President Donald Trump issued a Columbus Day proclamation to “reclaim Columbus Day” for Americans. The TPPF take: Columbus Day is a holiday for all Americans. “We live in a New World made fit for us and our posterity because Columbus saw a horizon and went beyond it,” says TPPF’s Joshua Treviño. “We live in a...
Moneyball What to know: A physics magazine has a new piece showing that a college’s name, image and likeness (NIL) policies can boost its win/loss record. The TPPF take: Oklahoma football coach Mike Gundy is in hot water for saying the same thing. “When Gundy pointed out that Oregon had spent over $40 million on NIL, while Oklahoma...