Abbott Consolidates Power While STAAR Reform Hangs in the Balance
As Texas lawmakers return for a special session, attention is once again turning to public education — with STAAR Elimination officially listed on the call. This presents a critical opportunity to address long-standing problems in the state’s accountability system.
The Texas Senate Committee on Education K-16 met on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, to discuss SB 8. After hearing from the bill’s author and public testimony, the committee voted 9-0 to advance the bill. This means SB 8 now moves to the next step — a debate and vote by the full Texas Senate. If it passes there, it will move on to the Texas House for consideration.
Behind the scenes, an amendment to the STAAR Bill is now circulating in legislative offices. The amendment would pause all TEA “Turnaround” mandates, require greater transparency and accountability from the Commissioner, and establish stronger legislative oversight of the school accountability system. The amendment aims to curb harmful overreach seen in districts like Houston ISD, where the state takeover under Mike Miles has triggered mass teacher resignations and loss of local control, and in Austin ISD, where TEA penalized Webb, Dobie, and Burnet Middle Schools with a failing rating despite evidence of growth — undermining trust in the state’s accountability system.
Meanwhile, Governor Abbott is wasting no time in centralizing even more state power. In the wake of his successful private school voucher push, he’s now proposing a new law that would cap how much cities and counties can increase their local spending — a move experts warn will cripple fast-growing urban districts, including public schools already underfunded by over $10 billion since 2019.
Abbott’s voucher laws, property tax plan, and the escalating TEA overreach all point to a disturbing trend: stripping power from local communities while weakening our public education system.
Governor Abbott’s expanding control continues to threaten the very fabric of public education in Texas.
Read more:
Governor Abbott Announces Special Session Agenda
Overhauling STAAR test is back on the table this special session. But the clock is ticking.
More than 800 teachers left Houston ISD in the 2024-25 school year
A fight to save an Austin middle school puts families at odds with Texas over how to rate schools
Greg Abbott wants to drive down Texas property taxes by limiting local spending
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https://www.houstonchronicle.
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