The State of Education in Texas | House Public Education, 5.11.2026

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Texas Policy Research submitted the following written testimony to all members of the Texas House Committee on Public Education ahead of its interim hearing.

• Committee: House Committee on Public Education
• Hearing Date: May 11, 2026
• Context: 89th Legislature, Interim
• Subject: The State of Public Education in Texas
• Position: Informational
• Texas Liberty Compact: Universal School Choice · Streamline & Modernize the Texas Code · Limit Local Spending & Debt
• Submitted By: Jeramy Kitchen
• Entity: Texas Policy Research Action (TPRA)

The text below reproduces the testimony as submitted to the committee.
The submitted document linked above is the authoritative version.

Chairman Buckley and Members of the Committee,

Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony regarding the current state of public education in Texas.

Texas families are increasingly demanding flexibility, accountability, and educational options that better reflect the unique needs of their children. While the state continues to invest record amounts of taxpayer dollars into public education, outcomes remain mixed, administrative growth continues, and many parents still feel disconnected from decisions impacting their children's education. Texas should continue moving toward a system where education funding follows the student, not institutions. Parents, not bureaucracies, are best positioned to determine the educational environment that works for their child. While the passage of Education Savings Accounts marked a significant political shift, Texas still maintains a bifurcated education finance structure that prioritizes systems over students. True competition and innovation require funding portability and long-term structural reform.

The committee should also carefully examine the growing administrative burden placed on school districts. Too often, districts are required to navigate layers of mandates, reporting requirements, compliance measures, and regulations that divert resources away from classrooms and teachers. Streamlining statutory and regulatory provisions should focus on reducing bureaucracy, empowering local flexibility, and allowing educators to prioritize instruction over paperwork.

At the same time, lawmakers should recognize that more spending alone does not guarantee better educational outcomes. Texas has substantially increased public education funding over time, yet academic performance, literacy, and student preparedness remain concerns. Policymakers should focus less on inputs and more on measurable outcomes, innovation, and parental satisfaction.

The role of technology and artificial intelligence in education also deserves careful consideration. AI may offer opportunities to enhance individualized learning, reduce administrative workloads, and expand access to educational tools. However, Texas should avoid reflexive overregulation that stifles innovation or creates barriers for educators and entrepreneurs seeking to responsibly integrate emerging technologies into the classroom.

Additionally, Texas should revisit longstanding structural issues within school finance, including the recapture system. Many taxpayers increasingly feel disconnected from how their local property taxes are collected and redistributed across the state. Transparency and simplicity in school finance are critical to rebuilding trust in the system.

Finally, Texas should prioritize policies that reward educational excellence and innovation. Merit-based approaches that recognize high-performing teachers and successful instructional models deserve consideration, particularly as schools compete to attract and retain talented educators.

Texas has an opportunity to modernize education policy in a way that prioritizes students, empowers parents, reduces bureaucracy, and encourages innovation while maintaining accountability for taxpayer dollars.

Thank you for your consideration.

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Sources

• Texas 2024 NAEP Results Highlight Need for Academic Improvement, Texas Education Agency, January 2025
• 2024 Reading State Snapshot Report: Texas, Grade 4, National Center for Education Statistics
• 2024 Reading State Snapshot Report: Texas, Grade 8, National Center for Education Statistics
• Texas' new $8.5B school funding bill explained, The Texas Tribune, June 2025

Related TPR Work

• HB 2: A Massive Expansion of Government-Run Education
• Strong Demand for School Choice Meets Structural Limits in Texas
• Texas Releases First Education Freedom Accounts Report
• Texas Regulatory Review Finds Outdated Rules at TEA
• Texas Students Improve in Math as Reading Stalls
• Midland ISD Lawsuit Challenges Texas School Finance

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