Connecting today’s news with the research & opinion you need

What to Know: “Thousands of [Dallas-area] families lined up to receive groceries at a Texas food bank this weekend, some queuing for as long as 12 hours…” In spite of this obvious economic hardship however, North Texas school districts are not letting up on taxpayers. For instance, Dallas ISD just asked voters to approve “the biggest bond request in Texas history” while Fort Worth ISD and Arlington ISD both held tax increase elections.

The TPPF Take: School districts are gorging on tax dollars while Texas families are struggling to put food on the table.

“School district spending is out of control. Districts have shown no ability to restrain their appetite for public money, even as thousands of Texas families crowd area food banks. It’s unconscionable and it needs to stop,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “State lawmakers need to put school districts on a diet.”

What to Know: The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission recently announced it plans to significantly increase, in some cases quadruple, setback rules limiting where oil and gas can be harvested.

The TPPF Take: The proposed rules are completely arbitrary and would all but kill the state’s energy industry — and have real consequences for Coloradoans.

“This move would be a death blow to the state’s second-largest industry, which is already facing an uphill battle thanks to the COVID-19 shutdowns,” says TPPF’s Jason Isaac. “Oil and gas production employs more than 30,000 Coloradoans, supports hundreds of thousands of additional jobs, and produces 5-10 percent of the state’s economy.”

What to Know: Austin-area students, likes students throughout the nation, are falling behind because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The TPPF Take: Texas must respond by opening up learning opportunities to all students.

“There is no one ideal education delivery system,” says TPPF’s Emily Sass. “Virtual education will not, and should not, replace the role of teachers in student’s lives; rather, it should extend it. Nor should this modality be imposed upon students regardless of student or family preferences. Especially, but not only, in a time when safety is a concern for teachers, students, and their families, districts should be able to offer education in modalities that meet different student needs.”