Texas
Bills aimed at bolstering Texas’ workforce education advance
More money and support for workforce training in rural areas and early college programs across Texas advanced in the Capitol this week.
They are among lawmakers’ efforts aimed at preparing young Texans for high-demand jobs this session. Gov. Greg Abbott’s emergency priority list includes a funding boost for career training programs in high school, from early college to partnerships in rural areas.
On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Education K-16 advanced a bill that would increase funding to public schools for more students to receive job training and mentorship opportunities through Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools, or P-TECH programs.
To address needs in rural areas, the House on Wednesday passed a bill to fund rural workforce development programs.
“Without an intentional systemwide effort to increase credential attainment for our young people, we will not be able to adequately fill the jobs that are being created in North Texas. And we will not adequately be able to sustain the economic growth that we’re seeing in North Texas,” said Katrina Fraser, the Commit Partnership’s director of postsecondary education policy.
But time is running out for lawmakers to pass legislation as the session’s final day approaches on June 2. A $7.7 billion proposal for schools is set for a Senate hearing Thursday, a month after the House passed its version of the bill.
About 60% of jobs in Texas will require education beyond a high school diploma in five years; however, less than 40% of Texans earn a degree or credential within six years of graduating high school, according to state data. About a third of workers have skills for those jobs, according to the Texas Workforce Commission’s labor market data.
Some Texas districts, including Dallas ISD, offer P-TECH programs that allow students to earn college credit — and even an associates degree — while in high school. Public schools that do so could see their funding triple from $50 to $150 per student enrolled in P-TECH under House Bill 120, introduced by Rep. Keith Bell, R-Forney.
“This bill responds to Governor Greg Abbott’s emergency item to improve and expand career training programs for Texas high school students,” according to Bell’s March 6 Facebook post. “Our legislature must continue creating multiple pathways to career success!”
A statewide high school advising program would be established and overseen by the Texas Education Agency to work with districts’ advisers, according to the bill. The bill would limit each district adviser who is participating in the TEA program to work with no more than 200 students, prioritizing grades 11 and 12.
Education advocates say access to such advisers boost students’ chances for success and financial stability, but high student-to-counselor ratios and limited resources hinder that support.
The schools would partner directly with colleges, employers and local workforce boards to support students’ transitions to college or careers. TEA’s program would support system-level collaboration and adviser training.
Schools would also receive $40,000 per full-time adviser through a new allotment created by the bill. Additionally, a grant funding program created by the bill would give districts $50,000 for having junior ROTC programs.
Rural programs could partner with colleges and universities to provide students job training for regional workforce needs — such as agriculture, maintenance or transportation — through a new Rural Pathway Excellence Partnership.
Bolstering the workforce in rural Texas
Another effort aims to boost workforce development in rural areas through a separate grant funding program.
The Rural Workforce Training Grant Program would support job-specific training and related services in counties with populations under 200,000. The grant amount is still undetermined, according to the Legislative Budget Board.
Many rural residents live below the poverty level or are retired, according to an analysis of House Bill 2545, introduced by Rep. Stan Gerdes, R-Smithville. Rural communities across Texas are losing population to urban and suburban areas due to a lack of opportunity, education and competitive local wages, according to the analysis.
Rural Texas contributes more than $200 billion to the state economy through agriculture, energy and a space industry, according to the think tank Texas 2036. But such areas lack access to health care, postsecondary education and internet, according to the group.
“They just do not have the resources,” said Grace Atkins, a Texas 2036 policy advisor.
Sustaining Texas’ prosperity requires increased access to career training for rural Texas’ over 4.7 million residents and 900,000 K-12 students, which is a larger rural population than in other rural areas nationwide, according to Texas 2036.
The nonprofit organizations Texans for Fiscal Responsibility and Texas Policy Research oppose the bill because it creates a new state-run program that picks “winners and losers” through grants instead of creating policies to “reduce barriers, red-tape and taxes for rural businesses,” according to statements from the groups.
The Texas Workforce Commission would award grants to public, private or nonprofit organizations that provide on-the-job training, apprenticeships, workforce education courses and other related activities, according to the bill. Eligible groups would include business associations, political subdivisions, local workforce development boards and educational institutions.
The grants could be used for training materials, instructor fees, wraparound expenses, facility fees, outreach, mentoring and other costs, according to the bill.
This reporting is part of the Future of North Texas, a community-funded journalism initiative supported by the Commit Partnership, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, the McCune-Losinger Family Fund, The Meadows Foundation, the Perot Foundation, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and the University of Texas at Dallas. The News retains full editorial control of this coverage.
Texas
How to Watch Temple vs North Texas: Live Stream NCAA College Football, TV Channel
The North Texas Mean Green (10-1) looks for a program-record 11th win and a spot in the American championship game on Friday afternoon when they host a Temple Owls (5-6) squad still trying to become bowl eligible after three straight losses.
How to Watch Temple vs North Texas
- When: Friday, November 28, 2025
- Time: 3:30 PM ET
- TV Channel: ESPN
- Live Stream: Fubo (try for free)
North Texas won its fifth straight game on Saturday night, rolling to a 56-24 road victory at Rice after erasing an early 14-0 deficit. Drew Mestemaker threw for 469 yards, finishing 19-of-23 with three touchdowns, and also ran for a score. Caleb Hawkins ran for 97 yards and three TDs on 20 carries, and Ashton Gray also had a rushing touchdown. Wyatt Young had a huge night with eight catches for 295 yards and two scores, and Tre Williams III caught a TD pass.
Temple’s slide continued on Saturday with a 37-13 loss to visiting Tulane. Evan Simon threw for 168 yards and two touchdowns, but the running game was limited to just 20 yards. Colin Chase and Peter Clarke made scoring catches in the loss. Simon absorbed four sacks before he was pulled from the game.
Eric Morris was announced on Tuesday as the new head coach at Oklahoma State and will leave North Texas at the end of the season. The Mean Green haven’t won a conference title since the 2004 Sun Belt championship and have a simple win-and-in scenario to reach the American championship game. They are 2-0 all-time against Temple, including a 24-17 road win on Nov. 30.
This is a great college football matchup that you will not want to miss; make sure to tune in and catch all the action.
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Texas
Guidelines for Texas’ controversial school voucher program released
TEXAS (KTRK) — The State Comptroller’s Office has released guidelines for the Texas Education Freedom Accounts. This program is also referred to as school choice or school vouchers, and has stirred up controversy.
It’s funded through $1B taxpayer dollars, and while proponents say it gives families the choice to pick the best education for their child, critics have said it takes money away from already underfunded and struggling public school systems.
This program is open to students in pre-K through high school. Standard students who wish to attend a state-approved private school can receive approximately $10,800 per child, per year.
Students with disabilities or additional learning needs must have their individual education program, or IEP, on file with the school district to be eligible for up to $30,000 per student, per year
And homeschooled children can get up to $2,000 per child, per year.
SEE ALSO: Private school vouchers are now law in Texas. Here’s how they will work
State law dictates that priority will be given to children who have siblings already in the program and based on income and the federal poverty line. If more students enroll than funding allows, a lottery will be instituted.
Eyewitness News previously reported that the funds would probably fund around 90,000 students, even though the Texas Education Agency estimated in 2024 that over 5 million school-aged children live in Texas.
The first important enrollment date comes for private schools and vendors who want to accept voucher students, and is part of the one billion dollars the state is pouring into it. The State Comptroller’s office says schools and vendors can start signing on through Odyssey on Dec. 9. Odyssey is the company the state selected to run the voucher lottery and operate a platform that allows families to spend the money awarded to them by the state.
The second important date comes for families, which is Feb. 4. That’s when families can start signing up students. The State Comptroller said this gives the state and families ample time to make decisions ahead of the 2026-27 school year
The State Comptroller said schools that wish to apply for the program must have a Texas location and have been accredited for at least two years, but this applies to schools both in and outside of Texas, so in theory, a program accredited outside of Texas could build a campus in the state this year and still be eligible.
SEE ALSO: ABC13 obtains exclusive HISD student enrollment records for 2025-26 school year
The state is also dictating that private schools wishing to be a part of the program will have to administer an assessment to voucher students in grades 3 through 12
The program will be monitored by the State Comptroller’s office, which will partner with a private group to audit the program at least once a year.
State education groups pushed the state to be more transparent about how families were spending money and where, though our partners at the Houston Chronicle note the state rejected those ideas.
For more news updates, follow Lileana Pearson on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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Texas
Pack Closes Maui Invitational with Loss to Texas – NC State University Athletics
The Longhorns hit 16 three-pointers, shooting 50 percent from long-range for the game. The 16 three-pointers tie for the most ever made by an NC State opponent.
The first 12 minutes of the game featured the two teams going back and forth, but with Texas holding a 25-23 the Longhorns went on an extended 20-7 run to take its largest lead of the game, 45-30, with 1:33 to play.
The Pack ended the half on a mini 7-2 run to go into the locker room down 10, 47-37.
NC State opened the second half on a 16-7 run to get within one on a Paul McNeil three-pointer with 15:09 to play.
Texas stayed in front though until Alyn Breed drove past the Longhorn defense to lay it in and give the Pack a 71-70 lead with 7:51 to go.
The lead was short-lived though as Texas immediately responded with a 10-0 spurt to retake the lead and the Pack was never able to get closer than five points the rest of the way.
Quadir Copeland led NC State with a career-high 28 points. He finished the game 10-of-14 from the field and also had a team-high six assists.
Ven-Allen Lubin finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 23 points and nine rebounds while Paul McNeil finished with 20 points.
It’s the first time NC State has had three players all score 20 or more points in the same game in more than 20 years.
NC State ended the game with a 46-20 advantage in points in the paint, but Texas had a 24-7 advantage in fast break points and the Longhorns shot 55.8 percent from the field and made 28 of its 34 free throw attempts.
NC State is back in action next Wednesday when it plays at Auburn as part of the ACC-SEC Challenge. Tipoff at Auburn is scheduled for 9:15 p.m. ET and the game will be televised on ESPN.
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