Out of Control
What to know: Barbers Hill ISD, a small suburban school district located in western Chambers County, will soon ask voters to approve “a $95 million bond package [to] upgrade the district’s athletics facilities.” In 2024, the district’s debt outstanding totaled $562.1 million or $72,781 per student enrolled.
The TPPF take: School district debt is spiraling out of control.
“For years, school districts have been on an absolute borrowing binge—and much of it is unrelated to reading, writing, and arithmetic. There is a tremendous amount of abuse in the current system,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “The next Texas Legislature must get school district debt under control and reinvigorate some measure of fiscal discipline.”
For more on local debt, click here.
Islamist Influence
What to know: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), saying it’s a “radical terrorist organization that exists to usurp governmental power and establish dominion through Sharia law.”
The TPPF take: Gov. Greg Abbott’s decisive proclamation designating CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations was the right call.
“CAIR, which claims to be a civil-rights nonprofit, and the Muslim Brotherhood, a Sunni Islamist organization with decades of documented ties to terrorism, have for years advanced agendas that are antithetical to the rule of law and the safety of our citizens,” says TPPF’s Brian Phillips. “While CAIR hides behind its non-profit designation, ongoing litigation has forced disclosure of foreign donations tied to governments with histories of supporting extremist causes, particularly Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait.”
For more on CAIR, click here.
Love and Marriage
What to know: Despite what pop culture tells us, marriage and motherhood may just be the real keys to women’s happiness.
The TPPF take: Love may be subjective, but the data isn’t.
“For adults, marriage is linked to significantly higher levels of overall well-being,” says TPPF’s Hannah Bruck. “One study says 61% of married adults ages 25 to 50 report they are ‘thriving,’ compared to 45% of never-married adults, a gap that has persisted across more than a decade of data. Longitudinal research further shows that married individuals experience lower levels of depression and loneliness, and higher levels of meaning and purpose in life, even after accounting for income, education, and prior happiness.”
For more on marriage, click here.