Dis-Comforting
What to know: Comfort ISD is a small school district located in the heart of the Hill Country that’s eyeing massive new debt. This May, the district—whose 2024-25 student enrollment totaled just 1,072 kids and has shrank over the last 3 years—will ask voters to approve “a $47.3 million bond election,” which does not include interest costs.
The TPPF take: School district debt is out of control.
“School districts statewide are on a borrowing binge, as evidenced by the latest debt data. Comfort ISD’s move to add $44,000+ in new debt per student is just the latest illustration of the system’s excesses,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “One unfortunate consequence of the government’s spending splurge is dramatically higher taxes, which continue to squeeze family budgets.”
For more on local spending, click here.
Education Freedom
What to know: Texas’ new school choice program—the Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA)—is now live, and thousands of families are applying.
The TPPF take: Signing up for educational freedom is easy.
“I was expecting a rather long and tedious process (as most things seem to be) but was pleasantly surprised to find how easy it was to apply,” says TPPF’s Steve Rowe. “From start to finish, the application took me about 10 minutes and required only a few pieces of information. Every Texan with school-age children should take 10 minutes out of their day to apply for this incredible program.”
For more on school choice in Texas, click here.
Voter ID
What to know: When pressed about why Democrats oppose voter ID laws, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries couldn’t come up with any evidence of voter suppression.
The TPPF take: Our election system depends on clear rules and basic verification.
“Voter ID plays a straightforward role in that process by confirming the person casting a ballot is who they claim to be,” says TPPF’s Josh Findlay. “You cannot board a plane, pick up a prescription, or open a bank account without proving who you are. These are some of the most serious responsibilities and transactions in everyday life. Voting, the most consequential civic act in our republic, should not be the one place where verification suddenly becomes controversial.”
For more on voter ID laws, click here.