Legislative Hotline

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Release of A-F ratings shows need to hit reset button on state sanctions

Publish Date: August 16, 2019

(Photo: Chris Paul/Houston Public Media) Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath visits Aldine ISD on the day of the A-F ratings release. Yesterday, with much undue fanfare, the Texas Education Agency released its A-F accountability ratings, which for the first time officially include campuses as well as districts. Education Commissioner Mike Morath and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick went on a tour of three districts in the state--San Antonio, Irving, and Aldine ISDs--to laud teachers and officials for their hard work. (You can look up individual campus scores here.) Hard work, however, is not the issue here. We already know that our school employees work tirelessly to educate our kids regardless of state-created efforts to test and punish our schools and teachers with a single letter grade....

Publish Date: August 9, 2019

Democracy under siege in Houston as School Board faces possible state takeover

Publish Date: August 9, 2019

As we reported two weeks ago in the Hotline, Houston ISD has been under the threat of a state takeover for accountability sanctions and that threat was just amplified this week by a TEA report examining the School Board’s governance and recommending that it be replaced by a board of...

Publish Date: August 2, 2019

Publish Date: July 26, 2019

Publish Date: July 19, 2019

Texas Education Commissioner attempts to skirt the law with new rules on district partnerships with charter schools and nonprofits

Publish Date: July 12, 2019

A controversial state law passed in 2017—Senate Bill 1882—gave districts the ability to “partner” with charter schools and other nonprofit entities to take over campuses facing sanctions for low accountability ratings. The state also incentivized the practice by offering additional...

Publish Date: May 25, 2019

Publish Date: May 17, 2019

Publish Date: May 10, 2019

Publish Date: May 3, 2019

Publish Date: April 26, 2019

Publish Date: April 19, 2019

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Legislative Hotline

Featured News

Release of A-F ratings shows need to hit reset button on state sanctions

Union members and leaders respond to shootings in El Paso and Dayton

Democracy under siege in Houston as School Board faces possible state takeover

Texas AFT objects to new A-F rules that would triple the number of campuses rated ‘unacceptable’

Texas AFT president outlines why state takeovers of school districts are bound to fail our kids

TRS “13th check” for pensions to be sent to retirees as soon as September

Texas Education Commissioner attempts to skirt the law with new rules on district partnerships with charter schools and nonprofits

Your Weekly Briefing: Special report on school finance and pay raises

Your Weekly Briefing: Take action on TRS pension bill; and session winding down to final bills

Your Weekly Briefing: Big win on class sizes, status on school finance, and all the bills on the move

Your weekly briefing: And a reminder to vote tomorrow!

Your Weekly Briefing: Pay for test scores? And TRS pension bill moves forward as health insurance spikes for active employees

Your Weekly Briefing: Education bills moving that would regulate charters; harmful tax caps also in the works