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Monday, February 8, 2010

Abby Rapoport Reporter

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Abby Rapoport served as a writing fellow at the Economic Policy Institute, in Washington, D.C. before coming to Austin. She covered the 2009 legislative session for TEXAS MONTHLY under the tutelage of Paul Burka, the magazine's senior executive. Previously, she blogged for Glamour Magazine and interned at Lapham’s Quarterly. A Williamsburg, Virginia native, she has a degree in history from Grinnell College.

arapoport@texastribune.org
512-716-8617

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Interview with Bill Meadows

by Abby Rapoport  |  2/4/2010

Transportation Commissioner Bill Meadows talks about what the Texas Department of Transportation needs to do to repair relations with the State Legislature.

A Hard Road

by Abby Rapoport  |  2/4/2010  |   1

Lawmakers are still perturbed at TxDOT, but the state's transportation agency is trying to do better. The first step, says one commissioner: Figure out how to meet the transportation needs of Texas citizens — which it's not doing.

No Experience Necessary

by Abby Rapoport  |  2/1/2010  |   6

Few members of the State Board of Education have finance expertise. Should we be concerned that they manage the investments of the $23 billion Permanent School Fund?

Speaking Tweets to Power

by Reeve Hamilton and Abby Rapoport  |  1/25/2010  |   1

Rick Perry's Blogger Summit featured big-name speakers, social media strategizing and a chance to shoot guns with the Governor. What it didn't feature: much talk about Texas.

Spoiler Alert

by Abby Rapoport  |  1/25/2010

What's it like to be a person who wages a no-win campaign but, by taking votes away, dooms the chances of one or more of the other candidates in the race? Mark White knows. Kinky Friedman knows. Debra Medina could soon find out.

Openly Hostile

by Abby Rapoport  |  1/19/2010

Kay Bailey Hutchison says Texas government should be more transparent. Rick Perry says it already is. Let the sniping begin.

You've Come a Long Way, Maybe

by Abby Rapoport  |  1/14/2010

Why aren't there more female political consultants? “I think there's an old-school, conservative, good ol’ boy inclination to go with a guy,” says Ann Erben. “It’s too rough and tumble to be a woman.”

Out of the Race

by Abby Rapoport  |  1/13/2010  |   1

Texas will not apply for Race for the Top, the one-time federal grant worth up to $700 million for the state. Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott cited strings attached to the potential money: “It was chock full of burdens. Their overall policy was to control curriculum across the country."

But We Were Friends!

by Abby Rapoport  |  1/6/2010

In politics, friendship apparently lasts through only one political cycle. Just ask Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. Many organizations that previously supported both her and Gov. Rick Perry have put their weight behind Perry's re-election bid instead of her challenge. The Texas Farm Bureau sits as the sole trade group cheerleading for the Hutchison campaign — while Perry counts 50 organizations and associations supporting him.

Sibling Squabbles

by Abby Rapoport  |  12/23/2009

Four Texas teachers groups offer similar benefits and want the same basic things. So what’s the fuss about?

The Rich are Different

by Abby Rapoport  |  12/16/2009

When political consultants take on wealthy candidates, does that mean they can milk them and their campaigns for all they’re worth? Are they simply trying to help good people get elected? Or both?

Does Texas Pre-K work?

by Abby Rapoport  |  12/14/2009  |   6

One education model — with unproven results — serves almost a third of pre-kindergarteners in Texas. Its grade? Incomplete.

Cloudy with a Chance of Money

by Abby Rapoport  |  12/1/2009

The Rainy Day Fund seems like weather word play waiting to happen. It can plug holes in the budget, defend against an economic perfect storm and keep the deficit clouds at bay. That’s certainly how some see it when looking at the next biennium's projected shortfalls.

Stymied by Stimulus?

by Abby Rapoport  |  11/30/2009

The stimulus money increased funding for education last session. But can the state keep it up next session without more federal money?

The Checks Aren't in the Mail

by Abby Rapoport  |  11/25/2009  |   1

Sorry, retired teachers and other public employees: You'll have to do without that extra $500 you were expecting. And you shouldn't count on any additional benefits next year — not if the state pension fund continues to be, in the words on one state senator, "actuarially unsound."