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Kimmie Fink, a Liberty Hill ISD parent, is raising her children Catholic. But that doesn’t mean she wants the Ten Commandments displayed in their public school classrooms. 

“The Ten Commandments might match our children’s faith traditions, but we’re very well aware that Texas is an incredibly diverse state, and they can cause harm to children with other faiths—and trample on a parent’s right to guide the moral and religious upbringing of their own children,” Fink told Courier Texas.

She’s referring to Senate Bill 10, a new law the Texas Legislature passed in 2025 requiring a poster of the Ten Commandments that’s at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall be displayed in all public school classrooms. 

The  mandate has faced legal hurdles since it went into effect in September. Groups of parents and religious leaders have filed lawsuits over the law, alleging it violates the First Amendment, the separation of church and state, and amounts to lawmakers promoting Christianity over other faiths—including in Fink’s own district.

During Monday’s nine hour Committee on Public Education meeting, testifiers were asked to describe the current state of public education in Texas. Parents voiced their concerns about state takeovers, including at Fort Worth ISD, and widespread budget deficits in districts across the state.

State Rep. Gina Hinojsa (D-Austin), who is also the Democratic nominee for governor and is looking to unseat Republican incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott in November, was at the meeting. She discussed school closures, the STAAR exam, and AI regulations in schools. 

The committee members also discussed recent data from the Texas Education Agency showing one of the steepest declines in student enrollment at public schools in recent years.

Over 76,000 fewer students enrolled in Texas public schools during the 2024-2025 school year—the first decline seen since the 2020-2021 school year when 122,354 students left during the pandemic. This recent drop was fueled by a loss of 61,781 Hispanic students.

🤖Houston ISD’s AI plan sparks major pushback: Houston ISD’s new Future 2 model is raising big questions: from AI‑driven lessons to curriculum transparency to concerns about disinvestment in neighborhood schools. As nine campuses prepare to launch the program, families and educators are asking what this shift really means for students. (Courier Texas)

🎓Some Texas college tuition nears $100,000 a year: Tuition at several private universities in Texas—including Rice, SMU, and Baylor—is approaching the $100,000-a-year mark once tuition, housing, and living expenses are factored in. (Chron)

✂️Cuts and consolidations are coming to several University of Texas at Arlington programs: UTA announced the closure of several degree programs, including art history and anthropology. Others, like chemistry, geology, and mathematics, will merge. (Arlington Report)