"Education is considered a top priority during the special session of the Texas Legislature that began July 18.

Governor Greg Abbott gave lawmakers an ambitious 20-item agenda to work on during the 30-day session, including many issues related to education. Lawmakers will consider teacher pay increases, proposals for school administrators regarding teacher hiring and retention, school vouchers for special education students and creating a commission to study ways to fix the school finance system.

Dr. Mario Torres, interim department head and associate professor in the College of Education and Human Development, has a 17-year history in education legal research. He is available to speak to issues regarding education in the special session."