Multiple Houston-area school districts are facing financial crises at a time when Republican leaders such as Gov. Greg Abbott are advocating for a program in which taxpayer money could be used for private school tuition. Local districts Cy-Fair ISD, Houston ISD and Spring Branch ISD, which are among the largest school districts in the state, have announced staffing reductions and other cost-saving measures to combat budget shortfalls for the 2024-25 school year. District leaders have in some cases blamed a lack of support from state lawmakers, who have not increased schools' per-student funding allotment since 2019, and community members in Cy-Fair ISD recently challenged their elected trustees to demand more money from Texas officials. In a Monday letter authored by state Rep. Jon Rosenthal and signed by nearly 40 other members of the Texas House of Representatives, the elected official from the Cypress area called on the governor to bring lawmakers back to Austin and address what...