Education

Studies show that for every dollar spent on adult education, there’s a $60 return for the economy.

Latino children accounted for the vast majority of students who left public schools this year, according to a new analysis.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced an investigation yesterday into nearly 30 school districts, including Lubbock ISD, regarding Texas’ Senate Bills 10 and 11. Lubbock ISD released a statement saying it is in compliance with both state laws. A recent report from the University of Texas at Austin revealed that data centers could potentially account for 3-9 percent of the Texas' water use by 2040. KEDT's Rob Boscamp reports they currently represent less than 1%.

Families have until July 15 to opt in to the education savings accounts, or ESAs, which launches next school year.

This weekend's election saw one of the lowest turnouts for a municipal election in Lubbock County, with less than 7% of the registered voters casting a ballot. Our Brad Burt reports on results for Lubbock's mayor and city council districts 1, 3, and 5. Slaton Independent School District had two bond elections on the ballot, only one of which passed.

The Texas Comptroller's Office announced the first round of Texas Education Freedom Accounts awards this week, totalling more than 42,000 students in the first wave. The comptroller's office reports that about two-thirds of awarded students have a documented disability. Texas producers are facing sharp increases in fertilizer costs as a result of escalating conflicts in the Middle East. Texas Public Radio's Norma Martinez explains why the costs are on the rise despite strong domestic production.

A federal appeals court has upheld a Texas law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in every public-school classroom in the state. Houston Public Media’s Andrew Schneider reports the ruling has significant implications for long-established ideas of the separation of church and state. Meanwhile a federal grand jury in Lubbock has indicted 14 people from Texas and Eastern New Mexico under allegations of conspiracy to sell stolen crude oil across state lines.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the state can enforce its 2025 law requiring public schools to display donated posters of the Ten Commandments.

May 2 is Election Day for Lubbock County. A number of city and school board positions are on the ballot this year, including Lubbock’s mayor, proposed bond elections in Slaton ISD, and city council positions in several cities. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., find races and polling locations here.

Families in the first tier of the lottery -- low- and middle-income students with disabilities -- may be notified as early as next week if they’ve qualified for voucher funds, according to a spokesperson for the program, who says the majority of applicants will end up on a waitlist.