Tag Archives: Texas Education Agency

Superintendant House speaks about the looming TEA takeover

Posted on March 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Not much one can say in this position. Superintendent Millard House II said it’s business as usual in the state’s largest school system until the Texas Education Agency pulls the trigger on its rumored takeover plan. He used the start … Continue reading →

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So it looks like that TEA takeover of HISD is going to happen

Posted on March 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Welp. Mayor Sylvester Turner sounded alarm bells Wednesday when he announced that he has heard from multiple sources that the state intends to take over Houston ISD as early as next week. “I’m talking to legislators, and what they’re saying … Continue reading →

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HISD facing budget cuts

Posted on February 20, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna be a rough couple of years. Amid declining enrollment and a looming $215 million deficit, the Houston ISD is eyeing budget cuts that would slash funding to the central administration and cut campus budgets, especially at high schools. The … Continue reading →

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HISD in TEA limbo

Posted on January 24, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

No one knows how long this might take. Houston ISD is in limbo as the Texas Education Agency weighs how to proceed with a possible takeover of the state’s largest school system allowed under a recent Texas Supreme Court ruling. … Continue reading →

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Pushing the panic button

Posted on January 23, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This feels like security theater to me, but it’s what passes for progress these days. All school districts in Montgomery County will soon be using panic alert technology during emergencies, including an active shooter situation, a security measure Texas education … Continue reading →

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UT bans TikTok on campus WiFi

Posted on January 18, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This feels like a bit of an overreaction to me, but we’ll see if others follow suit. The University of Texas at Austin has blocked access to the video-sharing app TikTok on its Wi-Fi and wired networks in response to … Continue reading →

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SCOTx removes injunction blocking TEA takeover of HISD

Posted on January 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know what happens next, but there’s a lot more of this to play out. The Texas Supreme Court cleared the way Friday for the state to potentially take control of the Houston Independent School District, which state education … Continue reading →

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If all we ever do are defensive measures, we’ll never make any progress

Posted on November 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not saying we shouldn’t do these things, although some of them definitely should be questioned. I am saying we can’t just do things like these. The Texas Education Agency announced Thursday a plethora of proposals that would, among other … Continue reading →

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Reading and writing and DNA kits…

Posted on October 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I dunno, man. I just don’t know. Texas public school systems are set to distribute DNA and fingerprint identification kits for K-8 students to parents who wish to participate. The state Legislature passed a law in spring 2021 requiring the … Continue reading →

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School enrollment in Texas declined in 2020-2021

Posted on October 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Blame it on COVID. Tens of thousands more students either dropped out or otherwise left Texas public schools during the 2020-21 school year, compared to previous years, according to the most recently available records from the Texas Education Agency. The number of students … Continue reading →

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SCOTx to rule on the HISD takeover lawsuit

Posted on October 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This feels like something from another era. The Texas Supreme Court on Thursday heard arguments on a yearslong case over whether the Texas Education Agency has the authority to remove all of the Houston school district’s board members and temporarily … Continue reading →

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First school ratings since 2019 released

Posted on August 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

All in all, not too bad. But for poorer schools and school districts, it remains a very hard go. The Texas Education Agency on Monday released its first public school ratings in three years and despite pandemic interruptions, the number … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit tosses mask mandate lawsuit filed by disability rights activists

Posted on July 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Par for the course. A federal appeals court on Monday tossed out a lower-court injunction, issued in November, that would have allowed public schools in Texas to ignore Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates. U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel of Austin had blocked Abbott’s order as … Continue reading →

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Of course we don’t do nearly enough for mental health

Posted on June 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Because Republicans rush to talk about “mental health” every time there’s another mass shooting, it’s important to remember that their response to meeting the demand for mental health, in schools and elsewhere, has been completely inadequate. Tucker’s was the kind … Continue reading →

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The STAAR is back

Posted on May 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Missed this last week. For the first time since the pandemic began, Texas public schools will be rated based on how students score on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness — more commonly known as the annual STAAR … Continue reading →

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Paxton threatens HISD over its COVID sick leave policy

Posted on April 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We live in such stupid times. Attorney General Ken Paxton and Republicans in the Legislature are taking aim at Houston ISD, arguing that the district’s COVID sick day policy violates state law. This academic year, Houston ISD is offering 10 … Continue reading →

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Our new school library standards

Posted on April 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I am casting a gimlet eye at this, at least for now. The Texas Education Agency released statewide standards Monday for how school districts should remove and prevent “obscene content” from entering Texas public school libraries. In the agency’s model … Continue reading →

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Back to school

Posted on January 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Sort of. Roughly one-quarter of Houston ISD students were absent Monday, the first day back following the district’s winter break, according to the district. District officials released figures Tuesday that showed 45,515 students were absent on Monday and 26,259 on … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit puts school mask order on hold

Posted on November 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This effing court. A federal appeals court has reinstated Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order banning mask mandates as it weighs a federal judge’s ruling that the ban violates the rights of disabled students. U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel previously ruled … Continue reading →

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It’s mostly about the gay books

Posted on November 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Color me not surprised. While a Texas House committee chairman’s inquiry into schoolbooks has often been linked to new state laws limiting how teachers address slavery and racism, most of the literature he’s called into question deals with a wholly … Continue reading →

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Federal judge blocks Abbott’s ban on school mask mandates

Posted on November 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent news. A federal judge ruled Wednesday that Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order prohibiting mask mandates in schools violates the Americans with Disabilities Act — freeing local officials to again create their own rules. The order comes after a monthslong … Continue reading →

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Let’s have us a book burning!

Posted on November 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

That’s where we’re headed. Gov. Greg Abbott told the Texas Education Agency on Wednesday to investigate criminal activity related to “the availability of pornography” in public schools, saying that the agency should refer such instances “for prosecution to the fullest … Continue reading →

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Here comes the library police

Posted on October 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hide your children, and your copies of forbidden books. A Republican state lawmaker has launched an investigation into Texas school districts over the type of books they have, particularly if they pertain to race or sexuality or “make students feel … Continue reading →

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Federal lawsuit over mask mandate ban in schools has its hearing

Posted on October 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A big case with potential national implications. School district leaders should have the right to make decisions about mask mandates based on the needs of their students and local coronavirus spread data, attorneys argued Wednesday in federal court. Lawyers with … Continue reading →

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Justice Department gets involved in federal lawsuit over mask mandate ban

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Missed this over the weekend. The Justice Department signaled its support on Wednesday for the families of children with disabilities in Texas who are suing to overturn Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates in the state’s schools. The department filed a … Continue reading →

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COVID continues to run amuck at the schools

Posted on October 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is our reality. Students in Texas public schools are facing another year upturned by COVID-19 as the highly contagious delta variant spreads, mask mandates are inconsistent and children under 12 cannot yet be vaccinated against the virus. Less than … Continue reading →

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Looking for the missing students

Posted on September 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

More important than usual this year. The state’s largest school district recorded a first-day enrollment of 172,091 students, a significant decrease compared with previous years. It is not uncommon for enrollment to lag, even to its lowest point of the … Continue reading →

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Feds officially investigating Texas mask mandate ban

Posted on September 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday launched a civil rights investigation into Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates in schools, making Texas the sixth state to face a federal inquiry over mask rules. The investigation will focus … Continue reading →

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Federal judge will fast-track mask mandate ban lawsuit

Posted on September 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m ready. Federal District Judge Lee Yeakel said Wednesday morning he intends to fast-track a lawsuit filed on behalf of 14 Texas schoolchildren with disabilities who allege that Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates breaks federal law by discriminating … Continue reading →

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Just a reminder, no one is enforcing Abbott’s mask mandate ban

Posted on September 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

In case you had forgotten. While Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is speaking out against mask mandates in schools and suing to stop some Texas school districts from enacting them, in reality his order banning such mandates has gone largely unenforced … Continue reading →

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A rough start to the school year

Posted on September 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

For some districts more than others. Angleton and Livingston ISDs announced this week they temporarily were shutting down their schools, the first Houston-area districts to halt all in-person learning amid rising numbers of COVID-19 cases among students and staff, but … Continue reading →

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Federal lawsuit filed against Abbott’s mask mandate ban

Posted on August 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Very interesting. Disability Rights Texas filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against Abbott and Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath over Abbott’s executive order preventing school districts from enacting their own mask-wearing requirements. Abbott’s order, the group alleges in the suit, … Continue reading →

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HISD to consider mask mandate

Posted on August 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This would be a big deal, for all the obvious reasons. Houston ISD Superintendent Millard House II said Thursday he plans to bring a mask mandate for ratification to the district’s board meeting next week, setting the stage for the … Continue reading →

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More federal stimulus money for education coming

Posted on July 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Texas soon will receive another $4.1 billion in federal stimulus money to address the post-pandemic needs of public school students, many of whom fell behind academically during months of remote learning. The funding comes come as the U.S. Department … Continue reading →

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