A homestead exemption subtracts a certain amount from the appraised value of your home to arrive at the taxable value, on which your tax bill is based. Current law allows any
The chart below is based on one done in late February by State Representative Gene Wu, showing real (inflation-adjusted) spending per Texas student. The amounts for 2014 and 2015 reflect
Yesterday, I testified in support of HB 1383 in the House Pensions Committee meeting: “In retirement, Texas teachers rely almost exclusively on their TRS pension because the vast majority are
Yesterday the Senate Finance Committee unanimously approved CSSB 1 (Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 1), which would spend $94 billion in General Revenue and $195 billion in total money on
Wonder why there’s not enough money to pay for public schools or health care? One reason is that there are too many tax breaks that let special interests shirk paying
Stay up with what the cool kids are watching. A study on wealth inequality went viral on YouTube this week. Dan Ariely, best-selling author of Predictably Irrational, and a Harvard
“Texans believe in hard work that leads to a secure retirement. We provide our public servants a secure retirement through a decent pension. At the Center for Public Policy Priorities,
This week, I testified “on” SB 758 in a Senate Finance committee hearing because there are compelling reasons for and against undoing the Foundation School Program deferral – Deferring the FSP
The Texas House has approved the first of a few supplemental spending bills that will be enacted for state fiscal 2013, which ends this August. HB 10 authorizes $4.5 billion in
The charter school reforms offered in SB 2 put quantity ahead of quality in the name of offering school choice. Choice, flexibility, and innovation are important elements for an education
