Gov. Greg Abbott at one of his many appearances trying to sell Texans on school vouchers.

Texas News

Texas taxpayers will fund dozens of private schools that openly discriminate

The state has signed off on voucher funds for schools that exclude non-Christian and LGBTQ+ kids.

by Josephine Lee, The Texas Observer January 13, 2026January 13, 2026

The state has signed off on voucher funds for schools that exclude non-Christian and LGBTQ+ kids.

Levy speaks at a rally this year at the Texas Capitol.

Texas News

At the Texas AFL-CIO, a changing of the guard in a time of growth

‘No one has done more than Rick Levy for the modern-day labor movement in Texas.’

by Josephine Lee, The Texas Observer December 23, 2025December 23, 2025

News

Veterans who work Texas VA health system: ‘The dam’s gonna break’

Some vets say they’re being hurt as both workers and patients by Trump administration staffing decisions.

by Josephine Lee, The Texas Observer August 5, 2025September 1, 2025

News

Will Texas workers ever get a break from the summer heat?

A long-awaited hearing on a proposed OSHA heat protection rule is set for June 16, but workers are uncertain to get relief under Trump.

by Josephine Lee, The Texas Observer June 7, 2025July 31, 2025

News

Texas school districts slam the Senate’s school finance plan

‘It’s like your house being on fire, and the fire department showing up with a 12 ounce cup of water.’

by Josephine Lee, The Texas Observer May 19, 2025May 24, 2025

News

These librarians won’t let America’s fever hit Fahrenheit 451

A new documentary shows us our local guardians of intellectual freedom in battle.

by Josephine Lee, The Texas Observer March 23, 2025May 8, 2025

News

‘We’re not just some bureaucrats’: Education Department employees on how their work helps Texas students

Department of Education workers and union leaders in Texas say kids will pay the price for Trump’s decision to ‘break this system.’

by Josephine Lee, The Texas Observer March 22, 2025May 20, 2025

News

Texas’ public education bills: The good, the bad and the ugly

Conservative state lawmakers have filed hundreds of bills targeting the school finance system, LGBTQ+ students, undocumented immigrant children, and more.

by Josephine Lee, The Texas Observer February 1, 2025April 9, 2025

News

What Trump 2.0 could mean for public education

Houston native and education expert Diane Ravitch urges a fight for ‘the future of Texas, and for the future of the children’ under Trump’s proposed reforms.

by Josephine Lee, The Texas Observer December 3, 2024February 12, 2025

News

‘They bought a legislature’: What the GOP’s gains mean for vouchers in Texas

Republicans nearly ran the table in state House races, shoring up Governor Abbott’s school voucher majority for the 2025 session.

by Josephine Lee, The Texas Observer November 8, 2024May 23, 2025

News

In San Antonio, House races could determine future of public ed and vouchers

Abbott-induced financial crises in public school districts are at the center of key legislative elections in Bexar County and beyond.

by Josephine Lee, The Texas Observer October 24, 2024November 5, 2024

Food & Drink

Distillers want to decriminalize making booze at home

Modern moonshiners are caught between the interests of the federal government, spirits industry bigwigs, and even the Federalist Society.

by Josephine Lee, The Texas Observer May 11, 2024April 22, 2025

News

Abbott appointee slams brakes on American Indian/Native Studies course

The course was getting a first read after years of review. Then, the chair of the state Board of Education said he needed more time to assess it without ‘drama or controversy.’

by Josephine Lee, The Texas Observer February 2, 2024August 3, 2024

News

Working class perspectives on the ‘migrant crisis’

NYC Mayor Eric Adams was supposed to welcome immigrants bussed from Texas. That’s not what’s happened.

by Josephine Lee, The Texas Observer December 21, 2023September 15, 2024

News

Will Greg Abbott keep losing on school vouchers?

‘If Abbott calls a special session to get a voucher program, we’ve been told by a lot of House members that the opposition to a voucher program will increase.’

by Josephine Lee, The Texas Observer July 29, 2023July 14, 2024