Next week, our schools will open to serve 80,000 more students than last year, bringing the total number of children in Texas’ public schools to nearly 5 million. Public school
Devastating budget cuts to family planning in 2011 caused widespread collateral damage, leaving 147,000 Texas women without services and the women’s health safety net in tatters. This session, the Legislature
Texas’ annual sales tax holiday is this weekend – August 9-11. Retailers will not collect state or local sales tax on most clothing, footwear, and school supplies priced under $100.
Millions of Texans rely on Medicaid and CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) for their health care coverage. Unfortunately, the 2014-15 state budget fails to undo the deepest cuts made to
On November 1, four million Texans will see a cut in their food assistance benefits when a temporary boost to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food
As the third called legislative session begins, legislators are still finalizing the highway funding part of the Texas state budget for 2014 and 2015–the two-year budget period that begins September
Dear Friends, Today is my last day at CPPP. I want to thank all our friends and supporters who have fought with us over this past decade for a better
What can be done to address the barriers that often make it difficult for disadvantaged children to succeed in school? Noted education researcher Helen Ladd of Duke University proposes three
That’s the big question these days for anyone interested in food and nutrition policy. The simple response is “which Farm Bill?” Since the 1970’s federal farm and nutrition policy has
Texas lost its top ranking as an attractive location for business in CNBC’s annual list because of its poor “quality of life” performance. Texas fell to #41 in that category
By Eric Bybee Texas has the fourth-highest rate of teen pregnancy in the nation, with a total of 48,586 teen births in 2010. Parenthood is a leading cause of school
As predicted, this session’s debates around school choice were used as a distraction from discussing real solutions to the state’s education challenges. Fortunately, all the different voucher proposals, which would
