Tag Archives: schools

Two more ways to divert money from public schools

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Number One: Taxpayer-funded scholarships to private schools. When the Georgia legislature passed a private school scholarship program in 2008, lawmakers promoted it as a way to give poor children the same education choices as the wealthy. The program would be … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Parent PAC slate

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I mentioned some of the candidates that have been endorsed by the Texas Parent PAC in this post, but since then they have released their full slate of endorsees. Texas Senate S.D. 9: Rep. Todd Smith, R-Euless  www.toddsmithfortexas.com S.D. 11: Dave … Continue reading →

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Another reason why Texas has a high teen pregnancy rate

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We’re lousy at sex education. In the mid-1990s, California embraced sex education that teaches students the importance of waiting until they’re older to have sex, but also the value of using protection if they don’t wait. Compare this with classrooms … Continue reading →

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Another story about parents and education cuts

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I really want to believe that there’s an uprising in the works and that the Lege could be a very different place for the better next year, but I’m reserving judgment on that for now. Deep cuts in school funding … Continue reading →

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TAB joins school finance litigation

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

But not as a force for good. The Texas Association of Business announced today that it will join a school finance lawsuit against the state, demanding a study of Texas school system efficiency. “The Constitution of Texas calls for the … Continue reading →

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On food in the classroom

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Bettina has had enough. See here and here for the context. I hate to go “back in my day” on you again, but I cannot recall a single time in my school days when we had any kind of food, … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Ending the Lottery?

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Seems unlikely, but that won’t stop some folks from trying. As lawmakers look at whether the Texas Lottery Commission is operating effectively, influential Baptists are suggesting that the lottery shouldn’t merely be tweaked. They want it abolished. “Ask the pertinent … Continue reading →

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No calculators for you!

Posted on April 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’m OK with this. Texas schoolchildren should not use calculators until they learn to work through math problems the old-fashioned way — on paper, State Board of Education members said Thursday. The board on Thursday tentatively approved new math curriculum … Continue reading →

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No uniform start times for HISD next fall

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This surprised me. Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier on Thursday withdrew his proposal to change bus schedules and school hours next year after concerns about disruption to families and questions about the cost savings. This is the second consecutive year … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

School finance lawsuit to start October 22

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Mark your calendars. The school finance lawsuit will go to trial beginning Oct. 22, state district Judge John Dietz decided, and lawyers in the case agreed to a schedule for exchanging briefs. That agreement resulted in a status hearing being … Continue reading →

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The SBOE can even make math controversial

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The State Board of Education is gearing up to revise math standards, and as is always the case someone is pushing back. The Texas Association of Business is urging the state board of education to go back to the drawing … Continue reading →

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Perry’s budget suicide pact

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I have four things to say about this. Borrowing a tactic from national anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist, Gov. Rick Perry used a tax day appearance in Houston to propose a no-new-taxes pledge for Texas lawmakers, a pledge that would, in … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Well, at least they’ll be able to burn off the calories

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

News item number one. Papa John’s pizza, Blue Bell ice cream, and fluorescent-colored Slushies. For some kids, those may be the ingredients of a perfect school lunch. But for at least one Houston school district trustee, they may be the … Continue reading →

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I think we’ve found the problem at TAPPS

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As is often the case, the problem starts at the top. Edd Burleson, in full charge, didn’t bother to chew on the question. At age 77, the former small-town state champion football coach, who later served as the superintendent of … Continue reading →

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School finance litigation gets underway

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We ought to get a decision in the school finance lawsuits by the end of the year. This case has become the largest of its kind in Texas’ decades-long history of school finance litigation. The school districts that have signed … Continue reading →

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How do school districts spend their money?

Posted on April 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

One report claims it’s too hard to tell. Tracking the billions of dollars spent on public education each year is virtually impossible, with no real measures to determine if the education of 5 million students is efficient, suitable and adequate, … Continue reading →

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Fort Bend ISD goes iPad

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’m guessing stories like this are going to be increasingly common. [Three Fort Bend ISD campuses], all Title I schools that serve predominantly low-income students, are the launching pad for iAchieve, a school district initiative to create a tablet-based “e-curriculum.” … Continue reading →

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Electing educators

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This sounds good, but there are a couple of things missing. More than a dozen Republicans and Democrats who have sat on school boards are running for the Texas House this year, and a backlash over spending cuts and standardized … Continue reading →

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HISD announces public meetings to address proposed school start time changes

Posted on March 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From the HISD News Blog: HISD has scheduled 10 public meetings to gather community input on a plan to add 19 minutes to the average student’s school day by coordinating the bell schedule among the district’s 279 schools. If approved, … Continue reading →

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Texas high school graduation rate improved over the last decade

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

According to one report, anyway. Texas’ graduation rate for high school students increased 1.9 percent since 2002 to just below the national average, according to a new report by a coalition of education groups. The report found that high school … Continue reading →

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More cuts, fewer teachers

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We knew this was what had happened, and now we have the numbers. New data from the Texas Education Agency illustrate what school officials have decried for months: Their staffs are stretched thin following the unprecedented state budget cuts that … Continue reading →

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The iPad classroom

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll be very interested to see how this goes. A Texas school district is trying to close its digital divide by distributing thousands of Apple tablet computers in a move that could make it the largest iPads program for students … Continue reading →

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Take the HISD start time survey

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, HISD is contemplating uniform start times for its campuses for next year. They have said they want public feedback on their proposals. Here’s your chance to give it. Implementing uniform schedules across the Houston Independent School District’s … Continue reading →

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Bonds, school bonds

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Another thing that may be on your ballot this year. Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier said Thursday it was time to start discussing a possible bond referendum to update the district’s aging campuses. In his annual state of the schools … Continue reading →

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More frontiers in school bus advertising

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This had not occurred to me. The rooftop of a suburban high school is not a location that companies usually consider prime advertising real estate. But in Humble Independent School District, it may be. The district’s high school is directly … Continue reading →

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We have a long history of screwing public schools in this state

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been meaning to post about this Texas Observer story about the current status of school finance, the litigation challenging it, and the story of how we got here. Here’s a little local angle to illustrate one of the many … Continue reading →

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How you can help support policies and funding for public schools

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox, sent by Sue Dimenn Deigaard: Over the past week I have heard several legislators make the misleading claim that they increased funding for public education this past session.  As a parent with a child that is in … Continue reading →

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More on uniform start times and other options HISD is considering

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, HISD is contemplating uniform start times as a way to save a few bucks for the next fiscal year. They do have some other ideas going, as well as a possible property tax rate hike, and they … Continue reading →

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HISD to contemplate uniform start times again

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

They’re back. Bleary-eyed teenagers in Houston ISD could sleep later, but not everyone is cheering a budget-cutting proposal that would change school hours and bus schedules next year. The school board last year rejected a plan to tinker with the … Continue reading →

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School finance lawsuit #5

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The plaintiffs keep on coming. A lawsuit by a small group of parents claims Texas is not getting enough bang for its educational buck, and asks the state’s courts to address inefficiencies in how education funding is spent. Attorneys plan … Continue reading →

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The “Moneyball” approach to public education

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Via Lisa Falkenberg on Facebook, SBOE member Thomas Ratliff uses the philosophy from Moneyball to analyze the accountability system for Texas public schools. The book says, “One absolutely cannot tell, by watching, the difference between a .300 hitter and a … Continue reading →

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No, there won’t be a special session to help the public schools

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Someone managed to catch Rick Perry during the few minutes he was in the office this week to ask about about having a special session to appropriate some of the extra Rainy Day funds to mitigate the cuts to public … Continue reading →

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Calling for a special session

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It started with the Texas State Teachers Association. The Texas State Teachers Association today urged Gov. Rick Perry to call the Legislature into special session now to appropriate $2.5 billion from the Rainy Day Fund and head off another round … Continue reading →

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Shapiro backs STAAR delay

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This was unexpected. Senate Education Committee Chairwoman Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, said Monday in a letter to [TEA Commissioner Robert] Scott that ninth-graders taking the exams this year should be given a reprieve from the 15 percent requirement during the phase-in … Continue reading →

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