Critics say a state House bill proposing $7.5 billion in new funding for public education doesn’t go far enough, The Dallas Morning News reported. House Bill 2 would raise the per-student allotment by $220, to $6,360 a year. It would also invest $750 million in teacher pay and $450 million in teacher training.

Madison County has had many folks with the last name “Wilson”. Our cemeteries attest to that, with 182 gravestones in the county holding the Wilson family name and 49 more with that as a female’s maiden name. For many, we can trace kinship to James Wilson (1802-1892) who is listed among the 900 or so who fought under Sam Houston at San Jacinto on April 21, 1836, where Texas won independence from Mexico. Names and facts about others fighting for both Texas and Mexico can be seen at https://www.sanjacinto- museum.org/Discover/ The_Battle/Veteran_Bios/.

A slim majority of Texas House members have indicated they will back House Bill 3, which creates education savings accounts that allow families to use taxpayer money for private school education. The Dallas Morning News reported 75 Republican legislators have signed on with the bill’s author, state Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, to support the measure.

Texas House members filed a bevy of education bills last week, including a proposed $8 billion investment in public education and a voucher bill that ties the amount of money spent for private schooling to the dollar amount allotted to public schools.

Madison County was created from pieces of Grimes, Leon, and Walker Counties in 1853. There were several communities here with large Black populations, including Antioch, Connor, Concord, George. Greenbriar, North Zulch, Perry Hope, The Island, Rogers Prairie, Sand Prairie, Saw Prairie, Sweet Home, Pool Chapel, Rocky Hill, Cedar Creek, and Tanyard.

FROM THE DESK OF THE ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL The Elementary campus is excited to once again participate in Texas Reads One Book, a special school/home-shared reading event. Through this program, every student in grades 2 through 5 received a copy of The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies.

FROM THE DESK OF THE SECONDARY PRINCIPAL I am excited for what the spring semester has in store for the students of NZISD. It is a busy spring packed with many activities for our students to participate in.

CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS The Texas Lottery Commission and its former director are under scrutiny after they allegedly helped a single entity win a $95 million Lotto Texas Jackpot, the Houston Chronicle reported. Written testimony at a state legislative hearing last week from an attorney indicated an entity called Rook TX guaranteed it would win the jackpot by buying virtually every one of the nearly 26 million possible six-number combinations in the drawing, held in April 2023.

FROM THE DESK OF THE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR As we close out the winter season, let’s take a moment to celebrate the hard work, dedication, and perseverance of all our student-athletes. The basketball season for both the boys' and girls' teams has come to a close.