Education

HB 206 requires Texas school districts to wait at least five years between elections seeking voter approval for new school bonds. Specifically, it prohibits a district from holding a bond election earlier than the fifth anniversary of the date of any prior bond election in that district. This provision directly affects all Texas public school districts that need voter approval to issue bonds for school construction or improvements. The law mandates a minimum five-year interval between such elections, reducing how frequently districts can request bond funding from voters.

This bill proposes a constitutional amendment to raise the voter approval threshold for school district bond elections in Texas from a simple majority (50%+1) to three-fifths (60%) of voters. It directly affects Texas school districts seeking to issue bonds for building construction or equipment, requiring broader voter support for such bond measures. The amendment would change the Texas Constitution's Article VII, Section 3(e-1), specifically for bond-related ad valorem taxes. The amendment must be approved by voters in a statewide election on May 2, 2026, to take effect.

HB 132 repeals the Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office, established by HB 14 in the 2025 legislative session. It directs the comptroller to transfer all funds previously allocated to this office to the Texas Education Agency. The funds will be used to reduce the state's compression percentage under the education funding formula, which lowers the amount the state must contribute to public school budgets. This change directly affects state budget allocations for public education by redirecting previously designated funds. The bill does not create new policy but modifies existing financial mechanisms.

HB 148 prohibits Texas public schools from using artificial intelligence to score open-ended written responses (like essays) on state-mandated student assessments. It directly affects public school students, school districts, and the Texas Education Agency by banning AI scoring for all assessments under Section 39.023 of the Education Code and related systems. The bill adds a specific legal requirement to the Education Code, explicitly stating that AI scoring of constructed responses is not permitted. It takes effect for the 2026-2027 school year, applying to all assessments administered during that period.

HB 114 prohibits school districts and charter districts from having their bonds guaranteed or underwritten using money from the permanent school fund. It directly affects public school districts and charter districts by banning this specific financial mechanism for new bonds approved after September 1, 2025. Existing bonds approved before that date remain guaranteed until maturity under a grandfather clause. The bill amends the Education Code to remove language allowing such guarantees and makes technical updates to related charter school funding provisions.