Latest news with #Texas2036
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Texas is getting older, but its child population is growing
Texas is growing older faster than the rest of the nation, but the number of children in the state has grown while the country's population of young people has shrunk. The population of Texans age 65 and older grew faster than any other age group since the start of the decade, U.S. Census Bureau data released Thursday show — including working-age adults and children under the age of 18. The number of elder Texans grew 3.8% from 2023 to 2024, faster than the rest of the nation as a whole. People are living longer than in past generations. As they age, older Texans will increasingly rely on those of working age, a population that isn't growing as quickly, for support, said Holly Heard, vice president of data and analytics at Texas 2036. Older Texans face increased pressure from the state's high housing costs. In a state with the highest levels of people without health insurance, a growing number of Texans will face ailments as they age. 'Texas is less equipped than many other states to take care of our aging population,' Heard said. The number of working-age Texans hasn't kept pace with growth in the senior population even as the state has boomed. Texas has seen fewer people move here from other parts of the country, but the state will have to lean on labor from outside its borders to keep its economic growth humming, said Lloyd Potter, the state demographer. 'If we're not producing our labor in Texas and if we can't import them, then that's going to potentially have an impact on the expansion of our economy,' Potter said. Texas remains fairly young. The median age ticked up slightly from 35.3 years old in 2020 to 35.8 last year, below the U.S. median of 39.1. As the rest of the country saw the number of minors decline since 2020, Texas' population of young'uns grew. The state's population of Asian Americans, African Americans and Latinos has taken off since 2020 — and those families have been the source of the state's relative baby boom compared with the rest of the country, Potter said. Still, their birth rates are declining. White Texans are having fewer kids, too, as that group's population has stagnated. Children outnumber seniors in Texas, which isn't the case in 11 states including Delaware, Oregon and Philadelphia. But 76 out of 254 counties have more elders than children — predominantly rural places young people left when they came of working age to seek job opportunities elsewhere, Potter said. Disclosure: Texas 2036 has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. Big news: 20 more speakers join the TribFest lineup! New additions include Margaret Spellings, former U.S. secretary of education and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center; Michael Curry, former presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church; Beto O'Rourke, former U.S. Representative, D-El Paso; Joe Lonsdale, entrepreneur, founder and managing partner at 8VC; and Katie Phang, journalist and trial lawyer. Get tickets. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
CBS News
18-06-2025
- Science
- CBS News
STAAR test results are out. Here's how to look up your student's scores.
Results for the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exams were released this week, showing improvement in certain areas across the state. Results for math, reading language arts, science and social studies STAAR exams that were taken this spring were released on June 17. Results for exams taken in June will be released on July 31, according to the Texas Education Agency How to look up your student's STAAR test results Log on to and enter your student's unique six-character code, date of birth and legal first name. Your student's unique code should be the same every year. If you don't know your student's code, you can look it up under "Information and Support" and entering their first name and Social Security number. 2025 STAAR test results show slight improvement across Texas Students across Texas continue to show growth in reading, but more than half remain below grade level in math, a concern for long-term academic success, test results show. Despite the positive momentum, some experts remain cautious. "It was really encouraging to see continued growth in reading," said Gabe Grantham, policy advisor for the nonprofit Texas 2036. "But more than half our students are below grade level in math, which is just not okay when we're thinking about how core those skills are for academic and post-academic success."
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
2025 State of Economy event held in Longview discuss new laws to help East Texans
LONGVIEW, Texas (KETK)– LEDCO addresses tariffs to KETK News at the 2025 State of Economy. The event was held by the Longview Chamber of Commerce to hear about how new laws will help the local economy. The nonprofit organization, Texas 2036 spoke about how additional funds to public education, water infrastructure, and healthcare will boost the economy and set the state up for success. Future of NASA Scientific Balloon Facility in Palestine in question due to proposed budget cuts Texas 2036 is a non partisan organization that uses long term data to secure Texas' future. Another push to help rural East Texans is expanding the reach for career readiness out of high school. 'To ensure and support more students becoming college and career ready. How do we ensure that they are ready for the workforce even when they're coming out of high school?' senior vice president of strategy and operations of Texas 2036, Justin Coppedge said. Coppedge said the state's economy boomed over the past few years and LEDCO president, Wayne Mansfield sees the growth in Longview. 'A lot of new construction and redevelopment occurring,' Mansfield said. Several businesses are currently expanding, still able to find employees, so I think the overall the economy is doing quite well coupled with the fact that the four school districts in our city have bond issues.' Mansfield does not believe tariffs will have a negative impact on businesses but may bring more companies. 'One positive aspect of it is that we've had a lot more inquiries from international companies looking for locations or potential locations to move out of the countries like Canada and Mexico in particular, or even Europe wanting to move their company here into Texas to get relief from the tariffs,' Mansfield said. Some people fear that foreign companies have ill intentions, but Mansfield said it gives East Texans more job opportunities. 'Generally, when companies from other countries, particularly Europe, locate in a community, they're there for the duration,' Mansfield said. 'They do not intend to leave any time. They want to come locate, become profitable, become parts of the community and stay for a long, long periods of time, ' Mansfield said.' Even though the legislative session is over, seeds have been planted at the state level, so years down the line Texans will reap the benefits. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Texas high school students' STAAR scores show gains in STEM fields, struggles in reading and literacy
Partial results from the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exam released on Tuesday show that high school students made gains in algebra and biology, which education policy analysts celebrated as a step in the right direction as Texas tries to shift toward a more STEM-focused workforce. But the data also shows students continue to struggle in English and U.S. history, which experts said underscored the need for a renewed focus on reading and literacy. The STAAR exam gauges if high-schoolers are meeting grade-level proficiency in those subjects and if they need additional help. The students who took the standardized test this past spring and met grade-level expectations in Algebra I was 47%, up two percentage points from last year. 'Success in Algebra I is super predictive of post-secondary attainment, credential attainment, and post-secondary success, and so therefore long-term wages,' said Gabriel Grantham, a policy adviser with Texas 2036. During the 2023 legislative session, lawmakers approved Senate Bill 2124, a bill aimed at increasing math proficiency, but it's unclear how those efforts might have contributed to students' gain in algebra this year. Research shows that student enrollment in high-level math courses is directly connected to post-secondary career advancements. This year, the percentage of students who met grade-level expectations in biology went up to 62%, five percentage points higher than last year. Economically disadvantaged students, students receiving special education services and emergent bilingual students, also saw small gains in the subject. But the results also mean that nearly half of students taking biology are still not meeting grade level, Grantham said. 'We are always excited about growth, but we always have to take stock of where we actually are,' he said. 'We want to be No. 1 in education and this is kind of like the line in the sand. It says, 'OK, we need to move forward and we need to move upward from here.'' Students meeting grade level in English I was down to 51%, three percentage points lower than last year. Additionally, the percentage of students meeting grade level in English II dropped to 56%, four percentage points lower than last year. High school students that took the U.S. history also saw a slight decline in grade-level proficiency down one percentage point from 69% last year. During this year's legislative session,. lawmakers tried to scrap the STAAR test but were unsuccessful. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have long criticized the standardized test for taking valuable instructional time away from teachers. STAAR results for grades 3-8 are expected to be released next week. Disclosure: Texas 2036 has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. Big news: 20 more speakers join the TribFest lineup! New additions include Margaret Spellings, former U.S. secretary of education and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center; Michael Curry, former presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church; Beto O'Rourke, former U.S. Representative, D-El Paso; Joe Lonsdale, entrepreneur, founder and managing partner at 8VC; and Katie Phang, journalist and trial lawyer. Get tickets. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Texas water projects would get billions under bill headed to Governor
AUSTIN (Nexstar) – Legislation to bolster our state's water supply is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk. But the final decision on the multi-billion dollar plan rests in the hands of Texas voters. Friday night, the Texas Senate accepted House amendments to Senate Bill 7. The bill would dedicate $1 billion in sales tax revenue toward the Texas Water Fund each year for the next 20 years. Those funds could be used for a variety of water infrastructure projects, such as fixing aging systems, building desalination plants, and expanding water supplies in our drought-prone state. Nonprofit organization Texas 2036 estimates that the state will need more than $150 billion over the next 50 years to support growing demand. Their report was cited by supporters of the legislation, who noted the potential economic impact of inaction on water policy. 'If Texas doesn't have enough water, or if we continue to suffer from the problems associated with aging, deteriorating drinking water and wastewater systems, we're looking at a multi billion dollar hit to the state's economy,' said Jeremy Mazur, Director of Infrastructure and Natural Resources Policy for Texas 2036. Mazur said the report estimated $165 billion per year in lost GDP and economic damages due to insufficient water infrastructure. Abbott made investing in water one of his priorities for the 89th Legislative Session. He is expected to sign the legislation, but there is one more step to make the plan a reality. The legislation proposes to amend the Texas Constitution, meaning Texas voters must approve a proposition in an election this coming November for the funding to take effect. Mazur is optimistic that Texas voters will say yes. He noted strong support that passed a 2023 proposition to create the Texas Water Fund. 'What we find at Texas 2036 is that water, in political terms, is a winner,' Mazur said. 'Our polling shows that there are strong majorities between both Republicans and Democrats that are overwhelmingly supportive of state investment in water infrastructure. So we're optimistic of what this proposition will be, what the outcome of this proposition will be in November.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
