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A New Day for Education

What to Know: The COVID-19 pandemic will force us to rethink public education and make more of it accessible online, experts say.

The TPPF Take: Texas should free more school districts to explore online options.

“Some states have been doing this routinely for years,” says TPPF’s Emily Sass. “Last year, Utah had 336,586 students enrolled in courses through its state online education network, and Florida requires every school district to have a virtual school liaison. In Texas, there are six school districts or charter schools that offer full-time online education. There could and should be more.”

Livin’ Large on the Public Dime

What to Know: Superintendent salaries are getting even bigger. New data from the Texas Education Agency shows that the highest paid superintendent’s base pay grew to almost $600,000 (excluding benefits) for the 2019-20 school year. Each of the top ten highest paid administrators’ base pay stood at more than $350,000 annually.

The TPPF Take: This is bad for students, bad for teachers and bad for the public.

“Soaring superintendent salaries take money away from the classroom and harm taxpayers at a time when they can least afford it,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “Texas lawmakers need to take a hard look at superintendent compensation packages next session and bring some commonsense reforms to bear. Teachers, students, and taxpayers are counting on it.”

Keep Families Together

What to Know: In Kentucky, COVID-19 panic (and an overzealous bank teller) led to a CPS investigation of a family in the middle of a move. The investigation quickly grew to include questions about homeschooling.

The TPPF Take: CPS investigations carry one of the most extreme consequences imposed by the state – termination of the relationship between a parent and child. CPS investigators should have to inform parents of their rights.

“Parents involved with Child Protective Services (CPS) do not enjoy many protections the public takes for granted such as the famous Miranda warning,” says TPPF’s Andrew Brown. “Texas should provide a Miranda-style notification of rights upon initial contact with CPS to reduce the risk of unnecessary trauma and to act in the best interests of children.”