Author

David Montgomery

David Montgomery

David Montgomery is a Stateline correspondent based in Austin, Texas, where he covers state government and politics.

School voucher proponents spend big to overcome rural resistance

By: - March 26, 2024

AUSTIN, Texas — In rural Texas, public schools are the cultural heart of small towns. People pack the high school stadium for Friday night football games, and FFA classes prepare the next generation for the agricultural life. In many places, more people work for the school district than for any other employer. For years, many […]

‘Smash-and-grab’ robberies fuel new laws, but critics question the need

By: - December 20, 2023

Even before Virginia lawmakers passed a tough new law against organized retail crime earlier this year, Bradley Haywood, a public defender in Arlington, Virginia, challenged the rationale. The idea that retailers in the state had lost billions to organized theft was a myth manufactured by retailers themselves, Haywood argued. Now the outspoken lawyer has fresh […]