The Texas PUC and ObamaCare

Houston’s Fat Cat Superintendents: The Hidden Benefits How Some of Texas’s Highest-Paid Public Employees Are Systematically Underreporting Their Compensation

Exorbitant and hidden superintendent pay reflects a culture of self-enrichment that has no place in Texas public schools, diverts taxpayer dollars from students, and betrays the public trust. Key points: The Texas Education Agency (TEA) understates the total compensation for some of Texas’s highest-paid superintendents. Though they oversee fewer people, many superintendents have drawn a...

Don’t Fence Me In: Tourism’s Role in Rural Economic Development

Editor’s Note: This is the latest part of a series on rural Texas and the challenges that rural Texans face. Over the next year, the Associated News Service will delve into the issues facing the Lone Star State’s 177 (out of 254) rural counties. AMARILLO—If you want to fall in love all over again with...

Tracking Local Government Debt in Texas: 2016 – 2025

Local governments in Texas have accumulated excessive public debt. Strict reforms are necessary to restore fiscal discipline. Key points: In fiscal year 2025, local government borrowing reached nearly $561 billion in combined principal and interest, which is $17,706 in debt per capita. From 2016 to 2025, total local debt rose from $331.8 billion to $561...