Raise Your Hand Texas Urges Workforce Endowment
Advocates want lawmakers to create a new funding stream for career and technical education in Texas public schools.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Employment
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Raise Your Hand Texas urged state lawmakers to support a public education and workforce endowment focused on career and technical education. The group says the state's Rainy Day Fund reached its cap in 2026 for the first time, and that nearly 1,300 leaders across Texas have endorsed the proposal.
Why it matters
The proposal would be the first new funding stream for Texas public education in 20 years, a period in which lawmakers face leadership transition and decisions on how to fund schools. Supporters argue the Rainy Day Fund offers a strong option for a substantial catalytic investment in workforce skills.
A voter survey released by Raise Your Hand Texas found 86% of voters agree the next generation needs high-tech skills and certifications AI can't replace, and 79% support a dedicated endowment. The survey's methodology and sample details were not provided, and the endowment's size and funding structure have not been specified.
The players
Raise Your Hand Texas
A Texas education advocacy organization that is pushing for a dedicated public education and workforce endowment.
Dr. Libby Cohen
Executive Director of Raise Your Hand Texas, leading the organization's push for new education funding.
Lynn McBee
Workforce czar for the City of Dallas, who has endorsed the workforce endowment proposal.
The details
Raise Your Hand Texas and leaders from faith, business, and civic communities across Dallas-Fort Worth issued the call through a GLOBE NEWSWIRE announcement. Advocates plan to explain their endorsements at the Dr. Edwin Flores Career Institute North, a career and technical education campus in Dallas ISD.
Timeline
2026: The state's Rainy Day Fund reached its cap for the first time.
November 10, 2026: Raise Your Hand Texas issued the call to lawmakers.
Coming months: State leaders are expected to shape their approach to public education funding.
Season Trajectory
The proposal would draw on the Texas Rainy Day Fund after it reached its cap in 2026 for the first time, which positions a reserve that has grown beyond its limit as a potential source for new education spending. It would also be the first new funding stream for Texas public education in 20 years, marking a departure from the state's recent funding approach.
If enacted, the endowment would direct new state money toward career and technical education, which could shape the training options available to Texas students and workers. The proposal's funding details have not been set, so its practical effect on families and schools remains unknown.
The takeaway
Texas residents who care about workforce training can follow the endowment debate as lawmakers weigh how to use the Rainy Day Fund. Watching how state leaders define the endowment's structure will show whether it meaningfully expands career and technical education.
Further reading
Explore more on Employment for context on how workforce skills policy shapes state and local job markets.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Manila times.
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