Hey y’all,

Welcome back to another edition of The TexEd Report!

Last Thursday, I covered a campaign rally in Deep Ellum for James Talarico. The 36-year-old Democrat from Round Rock is a former 6th grade English teacher in San Antonio who is running for US Senate in 2026. Throughout the night, several Dallas educators endorsed Talarico, sharing examples of his continued support for public education across our state. You’ll find more of my coverage from the event below.

We’ll also wrap up our conversation with educators who are continuing to navigate new bills that are reshaping education in Texas. This week, you’ll hear from teachers who share if the $8 billion school funding package lawmakers passed is enough to keep our public school classrooms running.

Plus, we’ll take a look at the continued impact of Charlie Kirk’s death on our college campuses in Texas.

If you missed last week’s edition, check it out.

Katie Serrano

DFW Political Correspondent, COURIER Texas

Educators rally behind James Talarico at Dallas campaign event

Photo by Matt Hennie

During US Senate candidate James Talarico’s recent campaign stop in Dallas, former state Rep. Carl Sherman had a message for attendees: We need more teachers in public service.

Sherman, along with state Rep. Aicha Davis (D-Dallas) and State Board of Education member Tiffany Clark (D-DeSoto), endorsed Talarico. They emphasized his support for public education in Texas throughout the event on Thursday.

“ I have spent the past 15 years serving our students as a teacher, counselor, a school board trustee, and now your representative at the State Board of Education,” Clark said. “Right now, public education is under attack. We need someone who is going to fight for working families and take on the billionaire mega donors who have sold out our kids and their families for their own interest.”

“ James has been on the front line for all of us. He pushed for teacher pay raises and stood firm when others tried to take money out of our public schools to fund vouchers. He has fought to make sure our youngest learners and their mental health are cared for. This is what it looks like when we put our students and our families first,” Clark added.

The Round Rock native is an outspoken advocate for public school funding in the legislature, and fought bills this year that brought more censorship and religion into public school classrooms.

Talarico was also the face of opposition to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s private school voucher program that became law this year.

Texas educators applaud increased public school funding, but question if it’s enough

Photo by Katie Serrano

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 2 into law this year, which boosts pay for teachers and support staff, adds funding for special education, and increases the basic per student allotment that helps pay for operational costs.

While teachers throughout the state said that they are grateful for any pay raise, some are voicing their concerns that the increase will not help the teacher shortage facing the state.

“ Of course we like having the couple hundred extra dollars a month to tack onto our paycheck, but I don’t think it increased teacher retention,” April Jones, who teaches Algebra 1 at Northeast ISD in San Antonio, told COURIER Texas. “I don’t see people scouring to be teachers for the extra money.”

The bill allots a $2,500 annual pay increase for teachers with three to four years of teaching experience and a $5,000 increase for teachers with five or more years of experience in districts with more than 5,000 students.

In districts with fewer than 5,000 students, teachers with three to four years of experience will receive a $4,000 annual pay bump, and teachers with more than five years of experience will receive an $8,000 increase.

Texas lawmakers want to honor Charlie Kirk by investigating free speech on college campuses

Top Republicans in the Texas Legislature, already cracking down on speech they don’t care for from professors and students, formed two committees to study “bias, discourse, and freedom of speech” on public college campuses.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows said the committees were created to honor the “life and legacy” of Kirk, who regularly appeared on college campuses, including several in Texas.

The committees—which claim to be bipartisan but are stacked with Republicans—will also consider measures to ensure political gatherings on college campuses are safe.

The creation of the Senate and House Select Committees on Civil Discourse & Freedom of Speech in Higher Education comes as Republican lawmakers across the state have called for the firing or expulsion of professors and students who criticized Kirk.

Watch More

🧑‍⚖️More school districts sue over Ten Commandments in classrooms, including in North Texas: A new lawsuit, filed in the same San Antonio district court as the initial lawsuit, names another 14 districts as defendants, including in Arlington, Azle, Fort Worth, Mansfield, and Northwest ISDs. (KERA)

🤖AI redefines cheating in Texas schools: Artificial intelligence use has become so prevalent in both college and high school that “assigning writing outside of the classroom is like asking students to cheat,” according to Texas teachers. (NBC DFW)

✝️North Texas school districts adopt Bluebonnet Learning, infusing more religion into schools: Out of 59 North Texas school districts, five adopted Bluebonnet Learning—state-sanctioned curriculum with religious ties—this school year. (CBS News)

The results are in!

Thanks to everyone who voted on October’s book. Next week, we’ll kick off the Texas Banned Book Club by reading a personal favorite of mine …

“The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini

This book was banned in Conroe ISD in 2023, and was the eighth most-banned book across the country during the 2023-24 school year, according to PEN America.

“The Kite Runner” is set in Afghanistan from the 1970s to early 2000s, and follows the story of Amir, a young boy from Kabul, and his loyal servant Hassan. The novel delves into themes of guilt, redemption, and the enduring effects of childhood experiences.

Be on the lookout for discussion prompts and questions in the weeks to come. And if you’ve already had the pleasure of reading “The Kite Runner,” let me know your thoughts on it being banned in our public schools.

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