August 29, 2014 Judge Dietz has released his decision of the constitutionality of the Texas system of school finance. The Dietz ruling declares the funding system unconstitutional on multiple counts: “The Court finds that the Texas school finance system effectively imposes a state property tax ... Keep Reading
Districts Ace 2014 Accountability Ratings Nine out of ten Texas public school districts earned the “Met Standard” designation in the 2014 state accountability system ratings released this week by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Districts, campuses and charters receive one of three ratings under ... Keep Reading
There is talk in Austin that there may be a decision in the current school finance lawsuit as soon as mid-August. Whatever the decision is, it will be appealed to the Texas Supreme Court. Even if the appeal was made to the Supreme Court within 30 days of the decision by Judge John Dietz, oral ... Keep Reading
Colleague mulls removing school finance judge (Austin American-Statesman © 06/20/2014) An outside judge is weighing whether a colleague presiding over Texas' long-running school finance trial should be removed because of perceived bias. San Antonio-based Judge David Peeples will hold a hearing ... Keep Reading
Sen. Whitmire, TEA Commissioner Williams: More work is needed to reform school discipline Texas has a history of leadership when it comes to identifying and solving public policy challenges. And in the realm of school discipline, that leadership is again on display. Three years ago, data from Texas ... Keep Reading
For those who are trying to keep track, after the Tuesday runoff, the Texas Senate will be a quite different place next January. As of now, eight new members will show up on January 13th with the possibility of a ninth new Senator if Van de Putte were to win. Here's the list of those Senators ... Keep Reading
The House Public Education Committee met last Wednesday to hear testimony on various issues related to implementation of House Bill 5, which ushered in changes to high school graduation plans, state assessments and school accountability measures. In addition to greatly reducing high-stakes testing, ... Keep Reading
