this post was submitted on 17 Nov 2025
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Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan to cut property taxes will starve public schools while he sends state money to private schools.

Texas already ranks 47th in the nation in public school funding and pays teachers $10,000 less a year than the national average. No surprise then that Texas students trail the nation in reading and math scores, according to the Nation's Report Card, a nonprofit that analyzes testing data.

The Legislature increased public school funding by $8 billion for the next two years, but it was the first increase in state funding since 2019 and doesn't keep up with inflation. Lawmakers then promised to spend $1 billion in state tax revenue to send 100,000 kids to private schools.

Tying the hands of school boards will guarantee they will have to close more schools and cut more teachers, explained Clay Robison, spokesman for the Texas State Teachers Association.

"Abbott does not really care about public education; his focus now is on private schools, charter schools, and giving them all the tax dollars," he told me. "More teachers are going to quit."

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[–] Jolly_Platypus@lemmy.world 100 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Texans are going to get even dumber, if that were possible.

[–] falseWhite@lemmy.world 31 points 2 weeks ago

That's their goal. Dumb people are easy to manipulate and brainwash.

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 11 points 2 weeks ago

And meaner.

[–] etherphon@lemmy.world 55 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Lol, see you at number 50 in education Texas, when all those private schools cut corners and pocket money instead of teaching students.

[–] Tujio@lemmy.world 17 points 2 weeks ago (11 children)

I dunno. It's not like Mississippi and Missouri are doing anything right.

[–] SanctimoniousApe@lemmings.world 20 points 2 weeks ago

They don't have economies anywhere near the size of Texas. TX can easily afford to do the right thing, but instead chooses to do the right-wing thing.

[–] BrianTheeBiscuiteer@lemmy.world 13 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Thought I heard Mississippi was turning things around, partially by *gasp* failing kids that don't meet standards and holding them back a year.

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[–] BrianTheeBiscuiteer@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Nah, the private schools are for the rich kids to actually learn things so they have a lifelong advantage over the public school kids.

[–] etherphon@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago

By learning things I suppose you mean make connections because that's the real power in a place like that.

[–] Bronzebeard@lemmy.zip 4 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Nah, this is them setting up their caste system. The rich people send their kids to these private schools to be management, and all the plebs get underfunded shitty education and get to be their wage slaves.

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[–] PrincessLeiasCat@sh.itjust.works 54 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

A couple weeks ago here in TX we voted on 17 state constitutional amendments. I want to say 12-13 of those were some form of tax cut for the wealthy. I voted against all of them but they all passed. And they passed big, like 60-70% to 40-30%.

The wording they used to describe the amendments was very much skewed to make them sound wonderful. No negatives, only positives. For instance, something like this may have had the wording “more money for schools”.

On its face it seems like a good idea - fewer taxes for me, more money for schools - what could go wrong? I assume most folks just looked at it said “ok” without much additional thought.

It’s very frustrating to basically have the large majority of voters approve this, giving the state government reassurance that they can do whatever they want, when it’s an obvious lie.

Nothing they do is to help the “regular” people of Texas. It’s all tax breaks for businesses and the super wealthy and Christian Nationalism disguised as “parental choice”.

It’s absolutely disgusting.

[–] seanziepples@lemmy.world 15 points 2 weeks ago

Yeah I voted no for every single one. I think part of the problem is barely anybody showed up to vote.

[–] voxthefox@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 2 weeks ago

I posted about this a few weeks ago, it's so frustrating seeing texas tax situation get more and more regressive.

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 22 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

In Florida, the MAGAs are all pledging to end property taxes, which of course will help the wealthy property owners the most. Without an income tax OR property tax, what is supposed to pay for things like schools?

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 15 points 2 weeks ago

Welcome to the end of the Boomer economy.

[–] voracitude@lemmy.world 22 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

What did Texas do to Greg Abbott, for him to hate it this much?

[–] dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Oh, that's easy to explain. They dared to give people "not like Greg Abbott" a leg up.

[–] yeather@lemmy.ca 6 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

“A leg up”

“Greg Abbott”

Ironic

[–] _stranger_@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

Took his legs.

https://www.texastribune.org/2002/02/18/greg-abbott-as-plaintiff/

The Lorax knew what was up, but he didn't succeed in his plans.

[–] RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world 16 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

You have to respect his dedication to that 1 star rating, as advertised.

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[–] zaki_ft@lemmings.world 14 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I feel bad for anyone in the Texas public school system.

They are not getting a competitive education.

[–] AdolfSchmitler@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago

They'll be taught to blame a Democrat anytime something goes wrong in their lives

[–] 2piradians@lemmy.world 13 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

My SO is a teacher here in Texas. She's well aware of the budget hoarding Abbott has been at for years; districts are hurting and having to close schools to get by. State Congress also made cuts to homeowner taxes for schools.

It's especially amusing when Abbott touts pay raises for teachers. Their health insurance premiums increase, to the dollar, for the amount of the 'raise'.

I think the goal is to end secular education in the state. Fund the private/religious schools/charter schools (which in particular are a joke), and give the bogus vouchers for homeschooling. As others have said, they want an ignorant populace.

Hopefully when enough boomers die off we can turn things around.

[–] ArmchairAce1944@discuss.online 10 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

Waiting for boomers to die won't be as efficient as you think. Remember that both JD Vance and Stephen Miller are milliennials and you know how they are like.

[–] WoodScientist@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Yup. The Zoomer conservatives won't reform their ethics. They'll just replace the teachers of poor black kids with AI chat bots.

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[–] 2piradians@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

I know there are a lot of older gen X who follow suit with boomers, but there may still be hope for them when the Entitled Ones don't have such a voting impact. Same for Xennials (like me), Millennials, and so on. Remember Vance was flipped from being anti-Trump, for one.

Maybe it's wishful thinking, probably so, but I believe the post-Trump hangover and subsequent rebuilding is on the way. Eventually.

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[–] Artaca 3 points 2 weeks ago

I always assume the goal is to reduce education, likely increasing criminals who can get arrested and then work as free labor. No matter what it's dumb. Ugh.

[–] ArmchairAce1944@discuss.online 13 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (3 children)

One lesson from Canada.

Canada is experiencing a major problem with Healthcare... they have been doing a lot of privatization as of late and those private clinics are not only more expensive and less efficient. They are also public money recipients... and they are more expensive on the taxpayer than the public option.

So they are technically publicly funded and get money from clients and are complete shit...

[–] Jessvj93@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

Sounds like the CSU and UC....they have an open faucet on financial aid + loans, on top of private investment. But they literally cry poor and "it's too expensive" whenever it comes to benefitting the freaking students and staff.

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[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world 12 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I guess Texas is getting what they voted for

[–] Flocklesscrow@lemmy.zip 17 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Texas has been GOP governed for nearly 30 years.

The "please tread all over me" state.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

It's four big cities and four hundred oil baronies squashed into one state.

The politics varies heavily country to country.

[–] COASTER1921@lemmy.ml 10 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

On the bright side when the Kansas governor tried pulling this move they ended up voting in a Democrat governor.

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 2 weeks ago

That's not really a likely outcome in Texas of all places.

It has probably the most rigged elections of any state, which is how the GOP manages to have near-absolute control in spite of there actually being more registered Democrats than Republicans in the state.

Step 1. Promise to Cut taxes

Step 2. Not mention those tax cuts are going to hit local public school

Step 3. Realize within a year or 2 that the cuts are not sustainable

Step 4. Force a levy for "emergency school funding"

[–] yyprum@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

So does this asshole have kids? Because if so, it would be sooo surprising if they are accepted into said private schools and get all good grades. If he has kids they should be forced to attend the public schools, see what is what in reality.

[–] Sunflier@lemmy.world 25 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Well, private/non-public-facing institutions aren't bound by Titles 7 and 9. So, this means they can set up whites-only schools again.

These people haven't gone away, and school integration wasn't that long ago. Ruby Bridges and school integration happened within my mom's lifetime.

[–] BanMe@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

THIS is the point, right here. White Flight has turned into outright Need to Segregate. Now they have a way to do that, without calling it segregation. 60 years of progress down the drain.

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[–] Hazor@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

And Ruby Bridges is still alive. She's only 71 years old.

[–] yyprum@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Shit, putting things in perspective is always tough... Can you give me a more specific name for the title 7 and 9 thing? Not from US but want to search and learn more about it.

[–] Sunflier@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Title 7 of the Civil Rights Act, and Title 9 of the Civil Rights Act.

Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination in education programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance.

Title VII prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin. Race in education is burried in the public accommodations stuff, if I remember correctly.

*Edit: Fixed the links

**Edit 2: actually, no. Racial segregation was found unconstitutional in of itself in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 (1954). So, with a friendly SCOTUS, mixed with the change over to private schools, they're probably still thinking they could undo integration.

[–] Hazor@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Not that you need more edits, but: racial *segregation was found unconstitutional.

[–] Sunflier@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

Fixed. Woops. That'll teach me to stay up late and post while I'm tired.

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