Greetings PTA leader,

Across Texas, PTA leaders are creating moments that matter—welcoming new families, supporting educators, and reminding communities that schools are more than just buildings; they’re the heart of our neighborhoods. Your commitment continues to inspire and uplift during a time when it’s needed most.

Public education is under relentless pressure, but PTA remains a steady force for good—building trust, fostering connection, and making schools feel like home for every family.

As we look ahead, our LAUNCH theme—Make New Connections for a Bright Tomorrow—invites us to focus on relationships, lead with empathy, and continue creating meaningful change that lasts well beyond this school year.

Thank you for all you do to make that bright tomorrow possible.

Passing a balanced budget for the 2026-27 cycle, which starts in September, is the only thing the Texas Constitution requires lawmakers to do during their regular two-year legislative session.

The Texas Senate approved SB 1, its two-year, $336 billion budget proposal, in a 31-0 vote on March 26. For education funding, the bill authorizes public school funding, includes money to increase teacher pay, fund a school voucher program, and cut school property taxes. The budget was sent to the House, which approved its own $337.4 billion version on April 11th. Although there aren’t a lot of differences between the two plans, budget writers from the House and Senate have started private negotiations to approve a final version. When the negotiators are done, they will submit a “conference committee report,” which must be voted on by both houses, typically in mid to late May.

That final budget bill will be sent to Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature, expected in June.

So, what’s in the budget bills as of now?

Property tax relief

      Of the $51 billion in the budget set aside for tax cuts, some $44.5 billion will go toward maintaining property tax cuts lawmakers have enacted since 2019. That includes billions of dollars sent to school districts to replace funds districts would have otherwise collected in property taxes, thus lowering tax rates — a tax-cut method known as “compression.”  State law requires Texas to put more money toward compressing school districts’ tax rates every two years as long as property values grow, so tax-cut spending is expected to grow in the future.
Legislators also have $3.5 billion set aside to pay for new tax cuts — expected in the form of another bump in the homestead exemption, more compression, and tax cuts for businesses.
The budget would have $6.5 billion in new money for property tax relief, including another $3 billion toward compression. It includes $700 million for business tax relief. The House committee’s budget bill does not specifically earmark funding for the increased homestead exemption that is being advocated by the Senate. Senators passed a proposal (SB 4) earlier this year to raise the homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000, and to $150,000 for older Texans.

Teacher pay, school safety and vouchers

      The largest piece of the budget focuses on public schools. The bill funds the Foundation School Program, which directs funding to schools, at $75.6 billion.
The funding includes billions earmarked for teacher pay and $500 million to address school safety needs (See SB 260 item below).
Governor Abbott’s top priority this session was for the Legislature to pass a voucher proposal that would direct public dollars to private schools. Both Senate and House versions have earmarked $1 billion for vouchers in the 2026-27 school year.
Lawmakers, in HB 2, want to increase the base amount of money public schools receive for each student by $395, from $6,160 per pupil to $6,555. That amount, known as the basic allotment, has not changed since 2019.
The Senate similarly approved a spending bump for public schools, but focused its increase on targeted teacher raises based on years of experience and student performance.

Mental health

      New state mobile youth crisis outreach teams, which would provide counseling services to youth in their homes and at schools, would receive $772.8 million.

In a 142-5 vote, the House on April 17, 2025 gave approval to $8 billion in school funding legislation that would increase school districts’ base money per student, raise teacher salaries, and limit the use of educators without formal classroom training. HB 2 would also allocate more funding to the special education needs of children with disabilities.

During hours of debate, some members heralded the bill as a meaningful investment in public education, while others supported the legislation but contended that it scarcely meets the needs of districts that are contending with challenges of budget deficits, teacher shortages, and school closures.

The bill would increase the basic allotment by $395 — from $6,160 to $6,555—and would automatically increase the basic allotment every two years by tying it to property value growth. Forty-percent of the allotment would go to salaries for school staff. Higher salary increases would go to teachers with more than a decade of classroom experience.

HB 2 is now waiting for Senate consideration. So far this session, instead of increasing the basic allotment, the Senate has promoted targeted funding in areas like teacher pay, school security and special education.

SB 2, the Senate version of the voucher, or education savings account, bill was passed by the Senate on February 5. After passage, SB 2 was sent from the Senate to the House, and referred to the House Public Education Committee.  That committee heard the bill and voted it out on April 3rd, after making some changes to the Senate version.  

What were the major changes? The House Public Education Committee proposed a $1 billion spending cap for the first two years of a potential education savings accounts program following concerns from critics that lawmakers were underestimating how much money the state could spend in the program’s initial rollout. Other changes included removing the expiration date on a provision that would cap how much of the voucher budget could be reserved for wealthy recipients; a requirement for private schools to have been accredited for at least two years before joining the program, aimed at preventing “pop-up” private schools; and more oversight authority for the state auditor to review the actions of organizations that administer the program.

The money can be used for private school tuition and other school-related expenses, including textbooks, transportation, and therapy. Up to 20% of the program could go to families who earn 500% or more of the poverty rate, which would be about $160,000 or more for a family of four. Participants in the voucher program would receive an amount equal to 85% of what public schools receive for each student through state and local funding — approximately between $10,300 and $10,900 per year for each child, according to legislative analysis.

Children with disabilities would be eligible for the same funding as other students, plus up to $30,000 in additional money, based on what the state would spend on special education services for that student in public school. Home-schoolers could receive up to $2,000 per year.

Any school-age child eligible to attend a public school, including those already enrolled in a private school, can join in the program.

A few days before the vote, there was a bipartisan effort to offer an amendment that would require a statewide election for voter approval of school vouchers. Rep. Talarico offered that amendment, but in a party-line vote, it failed, 86-62. 

Other amendments were offered throughout the day, but all failed on party lines. The debate went on late into the night, and around 2 a.m., April 17, the House passed SB 2, 86-63. Rep. Gary VanDeaver and Rep. Dade Phelan were the only Republicans voting against the bill. 

The Senate on April 24, 2025, by a vote of 19-12, concurred in the House amendments to SB 2. The bill will now go to the governor for his signature. Upon his signature, the program will officially start in the 2026-27 school year.

Many Texas school districts have moved their first day of classes to earlier dates in August, often days or weeks before the tax holiday weekend. As a result, parents in these districts have not been able to take advantage of the tax-free weekend to prepare their children for the start of school. SB 1415 would move the tax-free weekend for school supplies and clothing to the first Friday in August. SB 1415 passed by the full Senate on April 10th, was sent to the House, and passed by the full House on April 29, by a vote of 146-0. The Senate will need to concur, and then the bill will go to the governor for signature.

After the passage of HB 3 by the 88th Legislature, which addressed multiple school safety measures, public school districts needed additional funding to adequately fulfill these school safety requirements.

SB 260 amends the Education Code to change the amount of the school safety allotment to which a public school district is entitled:

    -    by increasing from $10 to $14 the base amount for each student in average daily attendance; and

    -    by increasing from $15,000 to $37,000 the amount per campus.

The bill requires each district, not later than December 1 of each year, to submit to the Texas Education Agency a report accounting for the expenditure of funds received under the school safety allotment.

HB 1481 by Rep. Fairly was passed by the House on April 24, 2025. With a vote of 128 to 17.  The bill as substituted in committee would prohibit the use of student cellphones that would restrict cellphone usage for the school day. The bill will now go to the Senate for its consideration.

HB 1644 would remove criminal penalties for possessing fentanyl and xylazine test strips, which are a critical tool for preventing overdoses. The bill doesn’t legalize drug use but offers a practical tool to help save lives by offering individuals a way to avoid unintentional overdoses. HB 1644 passed the House on April 23 and has been referred to the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice.

The house committee on public education will soon take up HB 4, this session’s best opportunity to reform school accountability and student assessment.

There will be a committee substitute for HB 4, the language of which is not yet available, that would require testing reform by replacing the STAAR test with a nationally norm-referenced, through-year progress monitoring system for math, reading, and science. The goal is to provide real-time, user-friendly feedback to parents, students, and teachers, allowing immediate transparency of student progress. It proposes to simplify assessments to meet minimum federal testing requirements and would eliminate stand-alone writing exams.

Accountability measures would require annual A–F ratings for campuses and districts, to ensure consistency and reliability. The bill as drafted would incorporate local indicators focused on: workforce development, early childhood readiness, student engagement in extra/co-curricular activities, advancement opportunities for high-achieving students, and quality teacher development.

The Senate has passed SB 1962, a bill with similar proposals for assessment and accountability. The bill analysis says that SB 1962 ends the STAAR test and replaces it with a shorter test that is better designed to support student learning, removes legal grounds for challenging A-F ratings, and prohibits school districts from using taxpayer funds to challenge state actions except for rule challenges or where explicitly authorized. 

A judge ruled this month that the Texas Education Agency can release its 2023 A-F school accountability ratings for the state's public school districts. The TEA had been enjoined from assigning ratings after 120 school districts sued, alleging that when the agency updated the formula to calculate ratings starting in 2023, it did not provide enough advance notice about the changes.

Ethridge Elementary PTA

At Ethridge Elementary in Lewisville ISD, advocacy is all about communication. This year, the PTA kept families informed and engaged on key public education issues.

They shared information on school funding, the "school of choice" debate, and two important funding elections—a VATRE in November 2023 and a Bond in May 2024. Their efforts to educate the community helped encourage voter turnout, support the Bond and VATRE passage, and spur advocacy letters from LISD families to the Legislature.

Ethridge PTA also represented their school at Texas PTA's Rally Day, sharing legislative priorities with lawmakers and bringing those messages back to their community. They reminded families to vote and stay involved at every level

Leadership matters: Anna Peters, their PTA president, served on both the Superintendent's Parent Advisory Committee and the district's Key Communicators Committee, ensuring timely updates were shared across the campus.

Ethridge PTA proves that advocacy starts with connection—and that when families are informed, they take action.

Rachael Abell
Texas PTA VP Advocacy

PTA leaders across Texas each bring their distinct personalities and approaches to their roles. Whether assertive, cooperative, compassionate, or strategic, they all share a common commitment: to act in the best interest of children. Advocacy takes many forms, but the dedication to supporting our students and schools is a universal thread that unites all our PTA leaders.

Continue recruiting members. Our influence is directly related to the number of members we have when speaking to legislators.

How are your membership efforts going? What about others in your community? Check the Local Roster!

Know someone who cares about supporting students, teachers, and the future workforce? Encourage them to join a PTA! Membership provides resources and programs that make a real difference in schools and communities.