Who was responsible for collecting income and royalties from public school lands in Texas?

The General Land Office is responsible for collecting income and royalties from public school lands in Texas. This office, established in 1836, manages the state's public lands, including various assets used to generate revenue for public education. It oversees the leasing of state lands, which can include mineral rights for oil and gas extraction, grazing leases, and more.

The income generated from these activities goes into the Permanent School Fund, which is then used to support public education in Texas. This ensures that the revenue generated from the utilization of state resources directly benefits the educational system. The General Land Office's unique role in managing public lands and the funds generated from them highlights its importance in the fiscal support of Texas education.

Other entities, such as the State Comptroller, handle the financial and budgetary oversight of the state’s revenues and expenditures, but they do not specifically manage the collection of income from public lands. The Department of Education focuses on educational policy and administration, without direct involvement in land management or revenue collection from those lands. The Bureau of Land Management is a federal agency that manages public lands at the national level, which is distinct from the responsibilities assigned to state agencies in Texas.