Happy April 1st, y’all!

This past weekend, I joined over a thousand DFW residents at Dallas’ “No Kings” protest at city hall.

I spoke with a retired school teacher from Oak Cliff, and heard from several speakers who shared uplifting messages about the importance of community and mobilizing voters this election year. Did you attend a “No Kings” demonstration this weekend? Let me know.

Now for the news! Today we’ll take a look at what happens now that private school voucher applications are finally closed, and the role the Texas Legislature will play next year in expanding the program. You’ll also learn more about Dallas ISD offering free, universal pre-K starting next year.

Missed last week’s edition? Read it here.

Photo via Shutterstock

Texas Education Freedom Accounts were a top priority for Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Legislature last year. 

After a fraught process that faced a lawsuit, controversy over applicant data, and hurdles for students with disabilities, the application window for the state’s new private school voucher program is now closed. So what happens next?

With more than 250,000 applications submitted, the program’s demand has far exceeded the $1 billion funding lawmakers allotted for the program, meaning not all applicants will receive aid.

The voucher program awards taxpayer funds to families to use toward private school tuition or homeschool fees. Students will be awarded around $10,000 each if selected for the program. Students with disabilities, meanwhile, will qualify for up to $30,000, and homeschoolers are only eligible for $2,000. 

If the average applicant seeks $10,000, that means that less than half of all applicants will be accepted.

So now, the Texas comptroller’s office will run a lottery system to determine which students ultimately receive the limited funding—the highest priority goes to students with disabilities and lower-income families—and who will go on a waitlist.

Photo via Shutterstock

Dallas Independent School District (ISD) will join Arlington and Fort Worth ISDs in offering universal, free pre-K classes starting next school year.

The district’s school board voted unanimously Thursday evening to approve a universal pre-K program for all 3- and 4-year-olds without any debate.

Previously, free pre-K in Dallas ISD was only reserved for families that met specific federal, state, and district guidelines, which included low-income families, non-English speakers, children of Dallas ISD teachers, homeless students, students in foster care, or households with an active-military parent. 

All other students were charged tuition if additional spots were available.

Byron Sanders, a Dallas ISD board member, shared his excitement over the proposal prior to last week’s meeting.

“If you don’t know—the most important developmental times of a human being’s brain are before they turn nine,” he said in a statement. “What you do in those early years, fairly and unfairly, plays a huge role in the rest of your life. Pre-K is probably the most important ‘grades’ of an education journey.”

Sanders added that providing universal, free pre-K closes a gap for families that didn’t qualify for free classes, yet couldn’t afford tuition.

🧑‍🏫More and more Texas teachers are leaving the profession: A new report from the University of Houston’s Education Research Center shows that Texas isn’t just facing a shortage hiring new teachers, but veteran teachers are also leaving the profession at record numbers. (Chron)

🎥SXSW documentary about higher education in Florida hits close to home for Texans:  A new documentary about the right-wing takeover of a public liberal arts college in Florida reflects on what has taken place at Texas universities over the last year. (Texas Standard)

🇵🇸UTD suspends pro-Palestine group: A University of Texas at Dallas student group dedicated to raising support and awareness for Palestine has been suspended for a year following conflict over a demonstration that took place in May 2025. (Dallas Observer)

A new month means a new book, and over the next few weeks we’ll be reading “The Freedom Writers Diary.” I’m a little embarrassed to say that while I grew up loving the 2007 movie “Freedom Writers” based on this book, I’ve never actually read it. So I’m excited to dive in for the first time. 

This book was banned in Conroe, Fort Worth, and Plano ISDs in 2023. It’s a collection of journals by 150 at-risk students and their teacher at a school in California in the 90s. Here are some questions to consider as you begin this non-fiction work:

1. What are your first impressions of the students and Erin Gruwell, as well as their experiences?

2. What role do stereotypes play in how the students see themselves and others?

3. How does writing serve as an outlet for the students early on?

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Katie Serrano. The TexEd Report is happily free to read for everyone. Your financial support means a lot to us. Donate here.

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