Big Price Tag
What to know: Houston ISD is planning a $4.4 billion bond election for the Nov. 5 ballot.
The TPPF take: Houston ISD officials won’t explain how they arrived at that massive total for their bond proposal.
“Over $9 million of your tax dollars has been spent to plan a bond, and the ISD now claims all of the details are too confidential to share?” asks TPPF’s Jorge Borrego. “This is a blatant attempt to hide their financial dealings from taxpayers. Such actions undermine public trust and raise serious concerns about who truly benefits from these taxpayer-funded expenditures.”
For more on Houston ISD, click here.
Teacher Raises
What to know: Some Texas teachers are getting raises this year; some aren’t. Many districts say they’re facing financial troubles.
TPPF Take: At a Texas Association of School Boards conference recently, Texas school board members were told to “weaponize” teacher pay raises.
“The firm Moak Casey was brought into TASB’s Summer Leadership Institute in San Antonio from July 12 through 15,” says TPPF’s Roy Maynard. “In that conference, according to our source, Moak Casey CEO Buck Gilcrease told board members from throughout the state that raises for teachers should be withheld this year as a way to leverage an agenda with lawmakers.”
For more on teacher raises, click here.
Right to Repair
What to know: More and more “right to repair” laws are moving through state legislatures.
The TPPF take: TPPF’s Better Tech for Tomorrow campaign released new research on giving Texans the right to repair their own property.
“America was founded on a fundamental right to and respect for property,” says TPPF’s Zach Whiting. “When manufacturers engineer hurdles to the use and enjoyment of personal property, including the right to repair, they violate the basic tenants of freedom and liberty. A right to repair framework recalibrates this and promotes personal property rights, gives consumers more choices, and unleashes economic growth.”
For more on the right to repair, click here.