Latest News
Governor Abbott Announces Over $9.9 Million In Career Training Grants To Rio Grande Valley Schools
By Lone Star Standard Report | Aug 15, 2023
Governor Greg Abbott announced 20 Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) grants totaling more than $9.9 million to 11 schools in the Rio Grande Valley to support career and technical education (CTE) training programs. Presented by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), these grants will help schools purchase and install equipment needed to train more than 2,300 students for high-demand careers in healthcare, automotive services, welding, electronic engineering, construction management, culinary arts, public relations, and more.
Governor Abbott Announces Over $3.5 Million In Career Training Grants To North Texas Schools
By Lone Star Standard Report | Jul 13, 2023
Governor Greg Abbott announced eight Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) grants to support career and technical education (CTE) training by six North Texas-area educational institutions. Presented by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), the combined $3,511,598 in grants will help the schools purchase and install equipment to initially train 1,164 students for high-demand occupations.
Abbott makes school choice legislation 'one of his emergency items for the session’
By Lone Star Standard Report | May 20, 2023
As the debate over education heats up in Austin, Gov. Greg Abbott recently doubled down on his support for school choice legislation as the Texas House considers education saving account bills, offering his endorsement for a Senate proposal he says makes 5.5 million students in the state eligible.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott: 'The time is NOW for school choice in Texas'
By Lone Star Standard Report | May 13, 2023
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who made education savings accounts a priority earlier this year, has continued to publicly support school choice as Texas goes deeper into its legislative session.
King pushes bill that is 'good news for public education' while opposing education savings accounts
By Lone Star Standard Report | May 11, 2023
State Rep. Ken King (R-Canadian) has gone on record saying that Texas House Bill 100 is expected to provide $4.5 billion in public education funding, along with several other big reforms.
Patrick: 'The Texas Senate has now passed the strongest pushback on woke policies in higher education nationwide'
By Lone Star Standard Report | May 1, 2023
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R-TX) commended the Texas Senate for passing Senate Bill 17, which eliminates "discriminatory" diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and hiring practices from all state-funded college and university institutions in Texas.
American Federation for Children CEO on school choice: 'The future of Texas depends on it'
By Lone Star Standard Report | May 1, 2023
Tommy Schultz, CEO of American Federation for Children (AFC), is backing the school choice movement in Texas, citing data on the poor reading levels of students in Texas schools.
Harrison: 'Thirty other states have already passed school choice''
By Lone Star Standard Report | Apr 26, 2023
Texas Rep. Brian Harrison (R-Waxahachie) is carrying Sen. Mayes Middleton's (R-Galveston) education freedom bill in the Texas House.
Abbott: 'We are passing a law to ban DEI in our universities'
By Lone Star Standard Report | Apr 21, 2023
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has repeated his stance on eliminating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) practices and offices from Texas public universities.
Heritage Foundation president 'cautiously optimistic' on school choice measures
By Mary Lou Lang | Apr 19, 2023
Education savings accounts currently are under consideration in the Texas Legislature, and Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based think tank, told the Lone Star Standard he is "cautiously optimistic" some version of school choice will be passed this year.
Texas Tech professor: 'Results are in; they show unambiguously that school choice helps students, taxpayers and even existing government schools'
By Lone Star Standard Report | Apr 14, 2023
The battle for school choice in Texas is at a "pivotal stage," with Senate Bill 8, which establishes education savings accounts, clearing the Committee on Education and awaiting a floor vote, said Texas Tech Professor Alexander William Salter.
Texas legislator on universal school choice bill: ‘Thirty other states have already empowered parents with education freedom’
By Lone Star Standard Report | Apr 14, 2023
An education savings account bill is currently being debated and is facing challenges in the Texas House of Representatives after advancing in the Texas Senate.
Texas GOP adds budget rider: 'No funds appropriated by this Act may be expended for diversity, equity and inclusion'
By Andy Nghiem | Apr 7, 2023
Sen. Brandon Creighton (R-TX) has added a budget rider namely, "Prohibition on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Practices in the Special Provisions Relating Only to State Agencies of Higher Education." The special provision would ban any state funding for DEI offices or practices on public universities and colleges in Texas.
TPPF's Saving the Heartland of Texas: 'Rural communities in Texas are being decimated by a lack of job opportunities because workers lack the skills employers need'
By Lone Star Standard Report | Apr 4, 2023
In the Texas Public Policy Foundation's (TPPF) Saving the Heartland of Texas video series, parents and students living in rural areas speak about witnessing a loss of opportunity and lack of economic resources in their towns. Many rural towns do not have proper training options for young people to enter the workforce, leading many away from their hometowns and creating the "decimation" of small town economies. TPPF suggests a solution for this problem is universal education savings accounts that give parents the freedom to send their children to a workforce training school, trade school or community college and be better prepared to enter the workforce right out of high school.
Former U.S. senator advocates more opportunities for school choice
By Mary Lou Lang | Mar 20, 2023
Former U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm (R-Texas), an advocate for school choice, said in a phone interview with the Lone Star Standard that parents should have the right to select the school their children attend. He believes it will improve students' performance.
Texas Catholic bishops back school choice options
By T.H. Lawrence | Mar 20, 2023
The Texas Conference of Catholic Bishops supports school choice legislation, according to the group's executive director Jennifer Allmon.
Shaheen files school choice bill in Texas House: 'Parents know their child best and should have the freedom to choose'
By Zachary Richter | Mar 17, 2023
Texas Rep. Matt Shaheen (R-Plano) announced that he has filed a bill that will give parents more flexibility when choosing schools for their children.
Texas Policy Summit addresses school choice and ESAs, among other ‘issues that matter the most to our communities’
By Lone Star Standard Report | Mar 13, 2023
The Texas Policy Summit was recently held in Austin, where school choice was one of the main topics of discussion.
Supporters say Texas school choice could help ‘kick-start a reversal of teacher attrition and retirement’
By Sam Jackson | Mar 6, 2023
School choice legislation is on the table in several states, and proponents argue that it could wind up benefiting public school teachers.
Education policy expert says Texas 'will be short thousands of skilled workers by 2030'
By Sam Jackson | Feb 28, 2023
Two education experts, Jorge Borrego and Erin Davis Valdez, recently authored a report on Texas workers, which concluded that many young students are not "career-ready."
