Texas

Opponents seeking to overturn the way Texas finances its public schools said Monday the current funding mechanism is inequitable and inadequate.

The Texas Department of Transportation will leverage a $5.6 million federal grant to conduct a study of high-speed passenger rail along the Interstate 35 corridor between Laredo, Tex., and Oklahoma City.

A citizens bond committee advising the Austin Independent School District identified $176.9 million of needed improvements to athletic facilities.

George K. Baum & Co. expands in Texas with a new Dallas office headed by former RBC Capital Markets managing director Gary Machak and former Raymond James banker Barton Withrow.

Baseball backers in El Paso, Texas bought a minor league team to play in the downtown stadium to be built on the current site of City Hall if voters approve a hotel tax increase.

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority hired Keith T. Parker away from the VIA transit agency in San Antonio to be its new general manager and CEO.

Kim Edwards, former Fidelity Investments vice president for municipal finance, has joined Piper Jaffray as senior vice president for the public finance office in Austin.

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport will complete nearly $1 billion of refinancing for 2012 with a $301 million deal scheduled to price next week.

An majority of Texas voters would support higher taxes for teacher salaries, but not raises for school administrator pay, a survey reported.

Investments in the Texas Permanent School Fund rose 9.44% in fiscal 2012 for a year-end value of $25.5 billion, the Texas Education Agency said.

Robstown Independent School District, Texas will ask voters for a $12.5 million bond authorization, though trustees thought they had approved $13.5 million.

Fitch Ratings on Thursday downgraded Baylor University's fixed-rate revenue bonds as the private university prepares to issue $200 million for a new stadium on its Waco, Tex., campus.

Siebert Brandford Shank hired former Houston deputy city controller Shawnell Holman as managing director and co-manager of its Houston office.

The Austin, Texas City Council is considering bond projects worth about $189 million to accommodate the growing passenger traffic at Austin Bergstrom International Airport.

DALLAS –Texas public education advocates called on lawmakers to use the rainy day fund and unanticipated tax revenues to restore spending cuts in the current two-year state budget.

Round Rock Independent School District, Texas may ask voters for a $184 million school bond authorization.

Trustees of South San Antonio Independent School District have appointed a new citizens bond committee after dissolving the previous tension-plagued panel

As voters prepare to consider more than $600 million of new bonding authority, the city of Dallas will refund $220 million of general obligation bond debt to start its new fiscal year.

The Texas chapter of Women in Public Finance has joined the growing non-profit organization with its first meeting in Austin.

Outstanding state and local public debt in Texas doubled over the past 10 years while the population grew by 20.6%, Comptroller Susan Combs said Wednesday.