Texas lawmakers are trying — again — to pass legislation that would help parents pay for private school or homeschooling using public funds.

Driving the news: Gov. Greg Abbott hosted a school choice rally at the state Capitol last week.

• The Senate Committee on Education listened to public testimony and discussed Senate Bill 8 last Wednesday.

Context: Texas has toyed for a long time with the idea of issuing vouchers to help families pay for private schooling, but past legislation on the topic hasn't gotten anywhere.

• Rural school leaders have argued that the legislation would take away students and essential funding from their resource-strapped campuses.
• Public school advocates have said the program would worsen the disparities among different demographics of students and pit public schools against private schools.

Details: The proposed bill would provide $8,000 through an educational savings account per student per year for those who leave public school to enroll in a private school or go into homeschooling. The funding could be used on tuition and textbooks.

• It would also apply to children entering pre-K or kindergarten at a private school or through homeschooling.
• Students already enrolled in private school or homeschool would not be eligible.

Of note: Republican state Sen. Brandon Creighton from Conroe, who authored SB 8, has said money for the accounts won't come out of funding for public schools, but public schools are still likely to feel the impact.

• Texas provides funding to public schools based on attendance, so any students switching to private schools would mean reduced funding for public schools.

Between the lines: School districts with fewer than 20,000 students would get $10,000 per year per student for two years if any of their students leave. Larger districts would get no such compensation.

Reality check: The legislation could cost the state $1 billion in its first five years, per the state's legislative budget board.

• And the $8,000 benefit would only cover a portion of the costs for most private education in Houston, where annual tuition and fees typically averages $26,000, with some schools exceeding $30,000.

Go deeper

Officials are setting the stage inside NRG Stadium for the NCAA Final Four and championship games next weekend — which won't feature the Houston Cougars after a heartbreaking loss to the Miami Hurricanes on Friday.

Driving the news: Media got a sneak peek Friday as workers installed the court and additional seating inside the stadium, which is normally outfitted for professional football and most recently hosted the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

By the numbers: The court, manufactured by Michigan-based Connor Sports, is made of sustainably grown wood and weighs 56,000 pounds.

• Workers spent four hours last Friday morning piecing together the 381 panels.

The intrigue: Schools that win the NCAA championship have the option to purchase the floor, as Villanova did after winning when Houston last hosted the Final Four in 2016, per the New York Times.

• In Villanova's case, the court cost about $100,000 and was purchased by an anonymous donor.
• Part of the court where Kris Jenkins took his famous game-winning buzzer-beater, which includes marks from his shoes, is on display at a cafe on campus.

🏀 The Final Four in Houston will feature the Florida Atlantic Owls facing the San Diego State Aztecs, and the Connecticut Huskies facing the Miami Hurricanes. (ESPN)

📰 The Texas Observer, a progressive magazine known for "feisty, combative and often humorous investigative journalism," will cease publication and lay off its staff of 17 people, including 13 journalists. (Texas Tribune)

🌳 Houston, with the help of NRG, planted 270 trees in Kashmere Gardens' Tuffly Park. The move is part of a larger push to plant 4.6 million trees by 2030. (Houston Public Media)

💃 Enjoy a cabaret show tonight hosted by Golden Cabaret Houston at AvantGarden.

• The magic and burlesque performance begins at 8:30pm. Tickets are $15.

🕺 Dance to a live band playing salsa, bachata and merengue Tuesday at Five Central.

• The free dance lesson is at 8pm. Music and dancing continue till 1am.

✍️ Unwind and play bingo at Uptown Lounge on Wednesday.

• Happy hour is at 6pm. Bingo starts at 8pm.

🧘 Practice yoga, meditation and breathwork at the DeLuxe Theater on Wednesday.

• Bring your own yoga mat. The free session begins at 6:30pm.

💼 Check out who's hiring around the city.

1. Business Development Manager at Ayming.
2. Senior Manager, Marketing at NRG.
3. Director, Lab Business Services at Houston Methodist Hospital.

Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.

Hiring? Post a job.

State Rep. Jared Patterson, a Republican from Frisco, suggested during a debate last week over his proposed school libraries legislation that schools "might need to ban 'Lonesome Dove.'"

Why it matters: "Lonesome Dove," the Pulitzer-winning novel by the late author Larry McMurtry, might be the most beloved book in Texas history.

The big picture: The book about two retired Texas Rangers on an epic cattle drive during the last days of the West includes scenes of sexual assault and characters who are prostitutes.

Driving the news: Patterson's READER Act would require vendors to rate books with sexual content before selling them to school districts. Patterson has argued the legislation is an attempt to rid school libraries of books inappropriate for children.

• Texas already bans more books than any other state, according to a 2022 PEN America report.

Yes, but: "Lonesome Dove" — which Patterson said he hadn't read — is one of the great unifiers among rugged, individualistic-minded conservatives and literature-loving liberals.

• Patterson's allies and enemies both think that suggesting "Lonesome Dove" should be banned was a mistake, per Texas Monthly.

What happened next: Christin Bentley, a Republican from Smith County, tweeted that she downloaded the book and searched the text for words including "vagina" and "sex." Finding nothing, she determined the book is "not sexually explicit."

• Patterson didn't reply to requests for comment.

What we're watching: The bill was left pending in committee.