Grissom on the 1.2 million Texans who’ve lost their licenses under the Driver Responsibility Act and the impenetrable black box that is the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, Ramshaw and Kraft on nurses with substance abuse problems and rehabilitation that can get them back to work, M. Smith finds it’s not easy being Rick Green, Stiles on counting Texans (and everybody else), Rapoport on the State Board of Education’s war with itself and the runoff in SBOE District 10, Thevenot’s revealing interview with a big-city superintendent on closing bad schools, Aguilar on the tensions over water on the Texas-Mexico border, Hamilton on the new Coffee Party, Hu on Kesha Rogers and why her party doesn’t want her, Philpott on the runoff in HD-47, Ramsey on Bill White and the politics of taxes, and E. Smith’s conversation with Game Change authors Mark Halperin and John Heleimann: The best of our best from March 15 to 19.
Austin
Posted in
Public Education
TribBlog: History with Chuck Norris!
“Don’t mess with Texas … textbooks,” Norris orders liberals.
Posted in
Public Education
TribBlog: Colbert on the State Board of “Edjukashun”
The Colbert Report joins the media fray over Texas history standards, joking “You see, Jefferson coined the term ‘separation of church and state.’ So Texas has coined the term, ‘separation of Jefferson and history.’”
Posted inState Government
Grounds for Debate
For the politically disenchanted Texan who can’t cozy up to the Tea Party, an alternative brew is now available. It’s called the Coffee Party.
Posted in
Economy
Read My Lapse
“You have to do a few things when you run for office in Texas,” says one of Rick Perry’s allies. “You have to debate. You have to release your tax returns. And you have to say you won’t raise taxes.” Bill White will surely debate the governor before November’s general election, but at the moment he hasn’t done the other two. The former probably won’t sink him, but the latter could — by declining to drink the no-new-taxes potion, he’s handing his opponent a weapon to use against him. Unless, of course, he’s successful at changing the way the argument goes.
Posted in
Public Education
TribBlog: SBOE = State Beatniks of Education
State Board of Education conservatives stand up for the sex-and-drugs Beat Generation, but still can’t stomach the sex-and-drugs Hip-Hop generation.
Posted in
Higher Education
“We’re Outnumbered”
At Thursday’s State Board of Education meeting, as conservatives had their way with social studies standards, voting to limit the discussion of race and gender issues and to challenge the notion of separation of church and state, Democratic members were left to sulk and seethe — and walk out.
Posted in
Public Education
TribBlog: SBOE Rejects Church-State Wall (Updated)
America never barred “the government from promoting or disfavoring any particular religion above all others,” according to board conservatives.
Posted in
Public Education
TribBlog: TEA Rips Fox News
“Highly inaccurate” news reports on changes to the social studies standards raised the ire of conservatives.
Posted in
Public Education
TribBlog: History Hearings Off to Hot Start
Public testimony on the state’s social studies curriculum has started here State Board of Education meeting. It’s easy to tell from the banks of cameras and scribes, college students with bright yellow “Save Our History” t-shirts on and people from civil rights and conservative groups itching to testify.