NEWS
Texas schools to receive $2.2 billion next biennium
Because of strong investment returns, the State Board of Education (SBOE) voted to increase the funding provided for school operations, instructional materials and technology to $2.212 billion in the 2020-2021 biennium, an increase of $172 million over its preliminary spending rate decision. This figure includes $55 million that the School Land Board agreed to send to the SBOE.
Both the education board and land board oversee the Permanent School Fund (PSF). The SBOE oversees investments of $34 billion, while the land board oversees about $9 billion. For the first time in the Permanent School Fund’s 160+ year history, the land board in August decided to bypass the SBOE and send funds only to the Available School Fund (ASF). Funds distributed through the SBOE are given a direct route to every classroom funding textbooks and technology.
The $600 million in land board funds will be unavailable to help fund new textbooks and technology unless the legislature intervenes and adds ASF dollars to the Technology and Instructional Materials Fund, something the legislature has not done historically. The SBOE has been strongly encouraging the land board to reconsider its earlier decision.
In a meeting Monday, the three-member School Land Board maintained its initial $600 million decision but voted to send an additional $55 million to the PSF-SBOE.
“We appreciate the School Land Board’s decision to send some funds to the SBOE. This funding will help pay for the purchase of technology and new instructional material for our largest call for textbooks for English and Spanish language arts and reading,” said State Board of Education Chair Donna Bahorich.
“The State Board of Education and our Permanent School Fund investment staff have worked hard to produce the maximum return for our students. Due to outpacing expectations for rate of return over several years, we felt comfortable increasing our PSF-SBOE distribution rate for the next biennium from 2.75 percent to 2.9 percent,” she said.
“Land board funds will increase the distribution rate to the Available School Fund to a total of 2.981 percent. The percentage distribution is calculated from the asset base that includes all SBOE-managed assets and SLB discretionary real assets investments and cash in the state treasury derived from property belong to the fund,” Bahorich explained. “However, because the land board did not reverse its initial decision, the overall distribution by the SBOE will result in about $259 million less than the $2.47 billion released this biennium. Without the legislature adding support, the Technology and Instructional Materials Fund will not cover the needs in the classroom the 2020-2021 biennium.”
There was a small turnout for the Oct 29 town hall meeting to explain the new emergency transportation plan being offered to residential utility customers in the City of Bowie.
About 25 citizens attended the session at the community center where Will Winters of MASA discussed the plan that will offered to customers and paid for through a $7.75 fee collected on the city utility bill. Every meter is auto enrolled in the plan, but customers can opt out by filling out a form on the city website or at the city finance office.
Customers will have until Nov. 11 as the deadline to opt out before the fee becomes effective on Dec. 1. There also is a process in effective to opt out at a later time. Opting out in the first 90 days qualifies you for a full bill credit refund, but after 90 days, previous fees are non-refundable.
(Top image – Bowie citizens listen to MASA representative Will Winters about details of the program at the city hall MASA meeting Oct. 29.)
Read the full article in your Thursday Bowie News.
The Supertunia Tiara duo debuted in 2025 and in this brief amount of time has become the darling of the landscape. The love and admiration from gardeners across the country including my area of West Georgia and East Alabama has been nothing short of wow.
As much as gardeners treasure their Supertunia Vista Bubblegum petunias, Supertunia Pink Tiara and Blue Tiara are here to say look at me! Oh yes, and both are building a trophy case with awards.
At first, it would seem the Supertunia Tiara Petunias were designed with the artist gardener in mind. While that could be true it is most likely that these petunias are so unique and beautiful that any combination or application you try simply looks ready for canvas.
Read the full Garden Guy column in your Thursday Bowie News.
The Bowie City Council approved a $950,000 project to improve the walking path at Pelham Park on Oct. 27.
Bowie Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Janis Crawley said the upcoming project will repave 26,277 square feet of pathway in concrete, spanning about 0.6 miles in length.
The work covers the trail section northeast of the Blade, curving past the soccer fields and toward the swimming pool.
Another section goes around the pool and sport courts, then back down toward the Blade. The project will also widen the trail section to eight feet and add a new 36-foot bridge.
Read the full story in your Thursday Bowie News.
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