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Let Your Voice Be Heard

What to Know: Texas Sen. Paul Bettencourt, chairman of the Senate Committee on Property Tax, is “encouraging everyone to protest their property appraisals this year.” Protesting your value is a good way to help minimize property tax increases. The deadline to file a protest is May 15th or 30 days after notice of your assessed value is mailed to you, whichever comes last.

The TPPF Take: Texans everywhere have seen huge spikes in their property appraisals over the years, helping to push tax bills ever-higher. Now is the time for everyone—new and experienced—to engage in the process and protest your value.

“Property tax increases have been on auto-pilot for too long. It’s time for Texans to take a stand, beginning with protesting their property appraisals. Only when enough taxpayers challenge the system will we ever realize fundamental change,” says TPPF’s James Quintero.

That About Covers It

What to Know: Texas educators say the odds of schools reopening in the fall are “somewhere between 0 and 100 percent,” which means the state’s ad hoc distance learning programs may continue.

The TPPF Take: There’s a 100 percent chance that many Texas students who want a more effective online K-12 public education won’t be allowed to get it.

“In 2013, the state of Texas passed a law prohibiting any new public school districts from offering full-time online education,” says TPPF’s Ron Simmons. “The law said only a handful of school districts who were already doing this could provide full-time online education in the future. As a result, only half a dozen of the state’s more than 1,000 public school districts are allowed by law to offer full-time online education.”

Job Markets

What to Know: May’s college graduates face a tighter-than-even job market and an uncertain future.

The TPPF Take: College students—and their parents—should carefully consider which college programs lead to successful careers.

“There is no one-size-fits-all answer to the ‘is college worth it’ question,” says TPPF’s Andrew Gillen. “Some programs are worth it, and some aren’t. TPPF now has a helpful web tool, which asks whether graduates from a program earn enough to repay the typical amount borrowed to attend that program.”