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The Texas Senate has passed Senate Bill 13, authored by state Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, which grants parents greater authority over book selections in public school libraries. The bill, approved by a 23-8 vote, mandates that school boards, rather than librarians, have the final say on library materials. Paxton stated, “No child should pick up a book in their school library of all places and be exposed to inappropriate, harmful material within its pages.” Critics argue that this legislation could lead to increased censorship, particularly targeting books featuring people of color and LGBTQ+ characters. The bill also establishes local advisory councils composed mainly of parents to recommend book additions and removals, raising concerns about the potential impact on diverse literature availability. As book bans rise in Texas, with around 540 books banned in the 2023-24 school year, the implications of SB 13 are significant for educational access and representation.

 

Longview News-Journal

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President Donald Trump said on Friday that federal special education operations, currently spearheaded by the U.S. Department of Education, will move to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He also said he is aiming to move federal student loan and school nutrition program oversight from the Education Department to the Small Business Administration. “It’s going to be a great situation. I guarantee that in a few years from now… I think that you’re going to have tremendous results,” said Trump, while seated in the Oval Office of the White House. Relatedly, Education Secretary Linda McMahon wrote in a piece for Fox News that abolishing the department “will not happen tomorrow,” but that she plans to pave the way for Congress to take action. “We will systematically unwind unnecessary regulations and prepare to reassign the department’s other functions to the states or other agencies,” she added. Democrats on the House Education and Workforce Committee have introduced a resolution calling for transparency and information on plans for the Education Department. 

 

The Hill

Connecticut Post

K-12 Dive

K-12 Dive

Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz described school choice as "the civil rights issue of the 21st century" on a visit to the Capitol in Austin, where he backed moves by state lawmakers to introduce education savings accounts in Texas that would allocate taxpayer funds to parents who choose private schools or home-schooling for their child. Speaking to reporters, Sen. Cruz said that if "I believed it would destroy public schools, I would oppose choice", but insisted that competition would instead drive up standards in public schools.

 

Longview News-Journal

Board managers at Houston ISD have approved a new, locally-designed teacher evaluation system to replace the Texas Education Agency-designed Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System. Assessments under the new Teacher Excellence System, which will help determine teacher salaries, will evaluate teachers across four categories - quality of instruction, student outcomes, planning and professionalism, and campus action plan - with teachers to be sorted into rankings from Unsatisfactory to Exemplary under a forced distribution method. Michelle Williams, president of the Houston Education Association, warned that the "inequitable" system "penalizes teachers with high-achieving students, emerging bilingual students, and frankly, parents of children", while fears have been raised that the system incentivizes teachers not to support their colleagues.

 

KTRK-TV

This week's meeting of Midland ISD's board of trustees will see the board consider entering into an SB 1882 partnership with Third Future Schools to hand over the running of the Bonham, De Zavala, Henderson and Long elementary schools, with Third Future having already taken over the operation of Sam Houston Collegiate Preparatory Elementary and Lamar Elementary.

 

Star-Telegram

A presentation to Harlingen CISD board members from Ida Ambriz, assistant superintendent of business services, has revealed that the district's cash reserves have dipped from $21.2m to $17.5m, due to a $6m shortfall in state funding in February. Ms. Ambriz said officials "definitely do expect this fund balance to increase again by the end of March", with the drop having been "well forecasted". So far this year, she added, the district has collected $120m, including $80.9m in state funding and $35.7m from local property taxes, while expenditures have so far totaled $120.2m, leaving a shortfall of $206,000.

 

The Monitor

A Friday update from the Texas Department of State Health Services revealed that the state's measles outbreak has grown to 309 confirmed cases, with cases reported for the first time in Garza County, Hale County and Hockley County, all near the initial outbreak area in West Texas. The majority of cases (211) have been reported in Gaines County. The Department confirmed that 40 people have so far been hospitalized due to the outbreak, while one school-aged child has died. New Mexico and Oklahoma have now reported confirmed measles cases that are believed to be linked to the Texas outbreak.

 

Longview News-Journal

Star-Telegram

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram speaks to Larry D. Moore II, principal at Odessa's new IDEA Lopez campus, who describes the role as "the fulfillment of a dream". Moore, in his third year with IDEA Public Schools, credits the charter school organization with the speed of his professional development, saying: "I felt great very, very quickly. Teachers go through a training called New Teachers Institute, and it fills your toolbox with tips and tricks, not only for ways to improve culture and student buy-in in the classroom, but it also changes your thinking around how to get your kids to own the learning."

 

Star-Telegram

Amarillo ISD has announced that six teachers have been named as finalists for the 2025 District Teacher of the Year awards. The three finalists for the Secondary Teacher of the Year award are Jenna Boroughs from the Bowie 6th Grade Campus, Jennifer Towles from Caprock High School, and Jon Dennis from Travis 6th Grade Campus. The finalists for Elementary Teacher of the Year are Jessica Appel from Mesa Verde, Andrea Cash from Sleepy Hollow, and Jessica Runyon from South Lawn. The winners will be announced at the Lamar Lively Teacher of the Year breakfast on May 2.

 

Amarillo Globe News

Texas lawmakers are addressing the increasing number of uncertified teachers in public schools through House Bill 2, which aims to restrict their hiring. The bill mandates that districts certify K-5 math and reading teachers by fall 2026 and all other teachers by fall 2027. While the legislation seeks to improve teacher quality, some school leaders express concern about the potential shortage of qualified candidates. David Vroonland, former superintendent, warned: “Class sizes have to go up, programs have to disappear…. We won't have a choice.” The bill includes financial incentives for uncertified teachers to pursue certification, but experts like Michael Marder from UTeach caution that the measures may not be sufficient to resolve the ongoing teacher shortage.

 

Lufkin Daily News

Hutto ISD Superintendent Jeni Neatherlin has told a meeting of the Hutto Area Chamber of Commerce that the district is planning to develop a new transportation hub along Chris Kelley Boulevard, with the facility forming part of a $10m bond-funded initiative that includes the purchase of new school buses and other operational upgrades. Ms. Neatherlin noted that the hub "will pay for itself in 15 years in fuel costs alone".

 

Community Impact Newspaper

As Texas school districts confront budget deficits, concerns rise over potential cuts to special education services. Sarah Hardin, executive director of Arc of Greater Beaumont, expressed her worries, explaining: “Parents feel like money being pulled out of our public schools will be taken from special education.” Advocates gathered at the Capitol to urge lawmakers to address a $2bn funding gap affecting public schools. Sabrina Gonzalez Saucedo from Arc of Texas highlighted the ongoing neglect of students with disabilities, saying, “For too long, students with disabilities in Texas have been shortchanged.” Lawmakers are considering various bills to enhance funding, including a $400m proposal by Sen. Paul Bettencourt and a $1.8m boost in the Texas House. Hardin fears that without dedicated funding, special education services will be severely impacted, especially with the looming threat of school vouchers that could divert public funds away from public education.

 

Austin American-Statesman

UNICEF in Afghanistan has announced that it is in the process of constructing 165 schools across the country, benefiting more than 33,000 children, half of them girls. The schools are equipped with solar power systems to light the classrooms, and include separate latrine blocks and drilled water wells to provide students with safe water and hygienic handwashing spaces in their learning environment. High boundary walls mean the schools are safe havens for education. Currently, less than half of the country’s public schools have boundary walls, an important factor for girls’ attendance in particular. Enclosed schools are considered safe by parents, which improves girls’ attendance. The schools are being built with support from the the Government of Japan, and in partnership with the United Nations Development Program.

 

UNICEF

Italy's education ministry has mandated a ban on gender-neutral symbols in schools, citing their lack of clarity and violation of Italian grammar rules. The ministry said: "The use of non-compliant graphic signs... is contrary to linguistic norms." The decision may heighten tensions between the right-wing government, which emphasizes traditional values, and advocates for LGBTQ and women's rights. The Accademia della Crusca, the authority on the Italian language, has also advised against the use of gender-neutral symbols in official documents.

 

US News and World Report