TEA Annual Report Just Released

The Texas Education Agency’s annual report was released last week. It indicates perstudent funding in the 2021-2022 school year averaged $14,928 per student, up 42% since 2011. However, state funding has only risen slightly in the past decade, while local funding has increased substantially.

Texas public schools educate 5.518 million students while employing 371,778 teachers on 9,054 campuses, according to the report.

Compared to other states, Texas ranked 33rd in reading among fourth graders, and 41st among eighth grade readers, which were improvements over previous years. Texas public school students ranked 14th in math for fourth graders, down two slots, and 25th among eighth graders, up seven slots.

Border Standoff Continues in Eagle Pass Despite a 5-4 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that U.S. Border Patrol agents can cut razor wire placed along the Texas-Mexico border to deter migrants from crossing the Rio Grande, Texas National Guard members and state troopers continue to lay down wire as a convoy of protestors from across the country heads to Eagle Pass. The Texas Tribune reported Gov. Greg Abbott has been joined by 25 Republican governors who support his claim the state has the right to supersede the federal government’s constitutionally mandated rights to control the nation’s border because of the migrant “invasion.”

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick also defended ignoring the high court ruling.

“We believe, constitutionally, we are right. We have a right to defend our citizens. We have a right to defend this country,” he said on Fox News.

Immigration rights groups say claims that immigrants are part of an invasion could lead to increased border vigilantism and violence.

Whistleblower Lawsuit Against Paxton Can Continue 

The legal saga of a whistleblower lawsuit filed against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will continue despite his efforts to have it thrown out, even though the Texas Supreme Court issued an emergency ruling to delay his testimony temporarily, the Austin American-Statesman reported. Travis County state District Court Judge Catherine Mauzy ruled that the case, brought by four former top aides to Paxton who allege wrongdoing on the part of the attorney general, can move forward despite Paxton saying he will not contest the suit and will comply with any settlement agreement issued by the court.

TJ Turner, an attorney for the whistleblowers, said Paxton is attempting to avoid taking the stand.

“This is just the latest parlor trick in OAG’s quiver that they’ve deployed to avoid what the Attorney General fears most, and that’s testifying under oath,” Turner said, referring to the Office of the Attorney General.

Mauzy noted Paxton has been willing to concede the whistleblowers’ case but simultaneously maintain his innocence.

“Those seem to me to be contradictory positions,” she said.