Brighter Texas
Texas schools play an essential role in our state. They educate the future entrepreneurs, scientists, and leaders, ensuring our state continues to thrive for generations to come. Under Governor Abbott’s leadership Texas is a national leader in education:
- #1 for Tier One research universities at 11, plus top-ranked universities for business, engineering, affordability, value, and more
- #1 for National Blue Ribbon schools at 31 in 2022
- One of the best high school graduation rates in the nation
- Third-highest graduation rate for Hispanic students
- Second-highest graduation rate for Black students
Education Freedom
In the current 88th Legislative Session, Governor Abbott made education freedom for all Texans an emergency item.
Governor Abbott has done more for public education than any other governor in Texas’ history. Working with the Texas Legislature, Governor Abbott has:
- Provided more funding for public education and teacher pay raises than ever
- Achieved an all-time high for statewide per-student funding through landmark school finance reforms
- Established the Teacher Incentive Allotment which has awarded over $55 million in pay raises to more than 6,200 exemplary teachers
- Created a limited Education Savings Account (ESA) for special needs students
Governor Abbott wants to ensure every parent can choose the best education path for their child by working with the Texas Legislature to:
- Expand school choice through Education Saving Accounts
- Restore parents’ right as the primary decisionmaker in all matters involving their child
- Require schools to better inform parents of their rights
- Expand parent access to curriculum, school libraries, and what their children are taught
- And more
Community Colleges
To build a strong Texas of tomorrow, our state must continue investing in a highly skilled workforce ready for the jobs of tomorrow. Governor Abbott has worked to ensure every Texan is prepared to succeed in high-demand industries like technology, healthcare, and energy.
In the 88th Legislative Session, Governor Abbott has made it a priority to fully implement the Texas Commission on Community College Finance recommendations:
- Performance-based funding system
- Access to financial aid
- Start-up grants for high-demand programs to quickly meet the needs of communities and Texas
School Safety
In the current 88th Legislative Session, Governor Abbott made school safety an emergency item.
Working with the Texas Legislature and state agencies, Governor Abbott has taken significant action to increase safety standards on school campuses across Texas, including:
- Established the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium (TCMHCC) to improve mental health for children and adolescents, including school-based services through the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) initiative
- Provided over $1 billion in funding for school safety since 2019
- Directed the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to create a new Chief of School Safety and Security to collaborate with state agencies for a safer environment for Texas students and faculty
- Expanded and accelerated the ability to report suspicious activity through the iWatchTexas reporting system
- Directed the Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) to conduct comprehensive school safety reviews to ensure all Texas public schools follow the appropriate procedures to maximized school safety
- Instructed the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERTT) programs to provide training to all school districts statewide, prioritizing school-based law enforcement
We cannot let another school year go by without making Texas schools safer. This session, Governor Abbott is working with the Texas Legislature to:
- Fund necessary school safety improvements on every campus, including technology upgrades, hardening equipment, and expanded mental health resources
- Expand and enhance the capabilities of the iWatchTexas program in school districts
- Codify the intruder detection audit process and require facilities use those standards
- Require schools to provide campus maps to local law enforcement to ensure they have the necessary resources to respond to a disaster
- Increase funds for TCHATT to ensure more Texas students can access the mental health services they need
- Use the newly created Chief of School Safety and Security to ensure compliance with all mandated school safety standards