Precollegiate enrollment figures are based on fall 2008 data reported by state officials for public elementary and secondary schools.
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|---|
| Republican |
| Senate: 12 Democrats 19 Republicans |
| House: 74 Democrats 76 Republicans |
| Enrollment: 4.7 million |
TEXAS Gov. Rick Perry has signed legislation that will make some significant changes in the state’s accountability system and budgeting requirements for schools, including tougher high school graduation standards and elimination of a requirement that school districts must spend 65 percent of their operating budgets on classroom instruction. He signed the bill on June 19.
But some high-profile bills failed in the session that ended June 1—including a proposal to lift the cap on the number of charter schools permitted, a request U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has made of all states.
The legislature, which meets every two years, approved $32 billion for K-12 education for the coming biennium, which starts Sept. 1. That’s about $500 million, or 1.6 percent, above the amount approved for the previous biennium. The state’s overall $87.1 billion general revenue fund for the coming biennium is $1.6 billion less than for the current one.
