Golden Pennies

About Golden Pennies

One of the biggest education stories in Texas in 2023 was the governor’s push to create a school-voucher-like program. And all signs point to that story continuing to be a major political driver in 2024.At the heart of that debate is a decision about how Texas should fund education. But it’s hard to have a true debate on the topic because the state’s current school funding formula is so complicated and convoluted that very few people truly understand it.TPR Education Reporter Camille Phillips spent a year analyzing nearly two decades of school finance data, researching laws and policies, and visiting schools so that Texans could have the information they need to have that debate. She discovered that the Texas school finance system continues to favor some districts over others — and it might not be the districts you expect.Read the entire series, and see photos and data visualizations here.

Publisher

Camille Phillips

Category

education · news

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

25 Feb 2024

Latest episode

26 Feb 2024

Latest episodes

4 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   26 Feb 2024

   E1: A 50-year-old court case still shapes Texas school funding today

   San Antonio families have been fighting for school funding equity for 50 years. But wide disparities in funding still exist.

2. 

   25 Feb 2024

   E2: Why Texas school funding still isn’t fair

   According to a TPR analysis of state data, even with recapture,today’s school funding system still isn’t fair. And, because the funding system is also really complicated, the ways it’s unfair aren’t very well understood.

3. 

   25 Feb 2024

   E3: Urban school districts in Texas struggle to make ends meet despite record property wealth

   Pretty much everything costs more than it did in 2019. But in Texas, the state’s public schools are still getting the same amount they were four years ago.

4. 

   25 Feb 2024

   E4: ‘We didn’t make the rules:’ Texas school finance law gives some districts a big advantage

   An obscure element of the Texas school finance system called Golden Pennies leaves a handful of districts with far more money than they need.

Contact Golden Pennies

Guest appearances

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Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.