.png)
STATE CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS
Austin, Houston and San Antonio-area districts.
“Permanently posting the Ten Commandments in every Texas public-school classroom — rendering them unavoidable — is plainly unconstitutional,” one of the suits states.
The plaintiffs are parents from Jewish, Christian, Unitarian Universalist and Hindu faiths, plus some who are nonreligious. They are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Church and Faith.
The new law, which would take effect in September if a court doesn’t halt it, would require all publicly funded schools to hang a 16-by-20inch framed poster of the Ten Commandment in a “conspicuous place” in every classroom.
First Texas case of West Nile reported
The first case of West Nile illness in Texas this year has been reported by the Department of State Health Services in a resident of Brazos County.
West Nile is transmitted by mosquitoes and 80% of people exposed do not get sick, but the rest can have symptoms such as fever, nausea, headaches, muscle fatigue and muscle and joint pain. Fewer than 1% suffer more serious symptoms, including some fatalities.
“Texans should be aware that mosquitoes transmit disease, and some of these illnesses, like West Nile and dengue, can be severe,” said Department of State Health Services Commissioner Jennifer A. Shuford. “But taking steps to prevent mosquito bites and eliminating mosquito breeding areas around homes are proactive measures that can reduce the risk of mosquito-borne illness.”
Several steps can be taken to avoid West Nile, including wearing long sleeves and pants, using insect repellent and removing standing water in outside containers.
A total of 455 cases of West Nile disease were reported in 2024, including 56 deaths.
Adult education programs squeezed by funding freeze
A federal hold on funding for adult education programs is affecting Texans enrolled in such programs as General Educational Development classes, workforce training and instruction in English, according to The Texas Standard.
The radio program – aired on National Public Radio stations in Texas – reported $78 million the state was slated to receive for these programs this month has been paused.
Sharon Bonney, CEO of the national Coalition on Adult Basic Education, said people enrolled in adult-education programs could have their studies interrupted in the next few weeks.
“Closures will start immediately,” Bonney said. “We’ve already heard from a number of local programs. This is going to be acrossthe- board mass closures and layoffs.” tion as part of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act, passed in 2014.
Northeast Texas farmer plans run against Abbott
A former firefighter and farmer from Wood County plans to run next year as a Democrat against Abbott, the Houston Chronicle reported. Bobby Cole is vowing to “take back the government for working people of the state.”
“Republicans have spent 30 years in office and working men and women have been having to pay the cost,” said Cole, 55. “It has to stop.”
Cole retired as a firefighter in Texarkana and later in Plano. He maintains a family farm in Quitman where they raise 300 head of cattle andalsochickens. Abbott has been governor since 2014 and has already announced plans to run for reelection.
Funding boost for schools comes with strings attached
Texas lawmakers are providing public schools with $8.5 billion in new funding, but some school administrators say the money comes with provisions that limit their independence to a greater degree than previously, The Texas Tribune reported.
The largest portion of the new money goes for teacher raises, with districts having little discretion on who gets the increases. Lawmakers did not significantly raise the base amount school districts receive, leaving some districts struggling to pay for non-teacher items, such as rising operational costs and compensation for support staff.
Some educators said that while they are grateful for the teacher pay raises, they are disappointed in a lack of flexibility in how money is spent.
“I think that that’s really, really dangerous when you don’t trust leaders in public education to do the best they can for kids,” said Megan Simoneau, an educator of 21 years who teaches high school math in the Leander Independent School District.
All that “most teachers, and most principals, and most superintendents are really attempting to do, is do the best they possibly can for the students, and the families, and their communities,” she added.
