Texas Democratic governor candidate Gina Hinojosa is hammering Gov. Greg Abbott on the impact his education record has had on Texas school districts.
Hinojosa hit the campaign trail on Tuesday, June 9, to remind Texans that this year Texas public schools saw 76,000 fewer students enrolled for the first time in nearly four decades — a large portion of these kids being Hispanic.
“Abbott loves to boast about investing in education, but even after last year’s one-time $8.5 billion funding package, Texas is still near the bottom nationally in per-student funding,” Hinojosa said. “Now, with this voucher scheme that drains public dollars out of neighborhood schools towards students who are already in private school, it’s very clear who this scheme is meant to serve.”
This latest jab comes on the heels of Hinojosa announcing Team Texas Public Schools on Monday, June 8, a new bipartisan organizing program designed to coach and engage parents, teachers, and administrators to fight school closures across the state.
Among the issues she hopes her latest initiative will address are education underfunding, school closures and enrollment dips across the state.
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Gov. Greg Abbott on assistance for energy costs
Abbott announced relief efforts for Texans struggling with their rising energy bills this summer.
Abbott announced $166 million in energy assistance funds to help low-income Texans maintain safe and affordable housing on Tuesday, June 9. Awarded funds, administered by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, are set to begin on January 1, 2027.
“Texas is hard at work to ensure that families across the state can live in housing that protects them from extreme temperatures year-round,” Abbott said. “These grants will give those at risk of health or financial crisis the assistance they need to purchase cooling and heating systems for their homes. I urge Texans who qualify to apply for this to help and create a safer environment for themselves and their families.”
Those interested in applying can do so at the TDHCA’s Help for Texans webpage.
The grant awards may be used to provide income-eligible households with utility bill payment assistance; energy-efficient heating, cooling, or refrigeration equipment; and consumer counseling and case management to help them achieve self-sufficiency.
Program services are provided at the local level through 35 government or nonprofit contract holders serving all 254 Texas counties.
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Important dates for 2026 Texas election
The last day to register to vote for the General Election is Oct. 5, either online, by mail, or in person.
Early voting starts Oct. 19 and runs through Oct. 30. The absentee ballot request deadline is Oct. 23 for mail requests or Oct. 19 for in-person requests. The absentee ballot return deadline is Nov. 3, by mail or in person on Election Day.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Kristian Jaime is the Top Story Reporter for the El Paso Times and is reachable at Kjaime@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Texas governor race has Hinojosa on education crisis, Abbott on bills