THE BIG CONVERSATION:
Don’t look now, but things just got substantive in the governor’s race.
Yes, in a summer during which increasingly personal attacks have written the narrative in the fight between Gov. Rick Perry and Bill White, policy dominated the conversation for a second on Tuesday.
And not just any policy — education policy, which Perry spiced up a bit Tuesday with music to Republican ears: tax breaks.
Speaking in El Paso, Perry announced a plan to combat the state’s dropout rate by offering $1,500 tax credits to businesses that allow employees two hours off per week to work toward earning a high school dipoma or GED. “This is a tool to tackle a very stubborn and multi-faceted issue — this issue of dropouts,” Perry said.
Perry was joined at the announcement by Education Commissioner Robert Scott, whose involvement in recent controversy involving a state agency’s evaluation of public schools helped pull the issue of education into the spotlight this week.
Perry’s proposal came a day after White again outlined his five-point proposal to combat the dropout rate and expand early childhood education.
Yep, that’s two fleshed-out policy proposals making headlines.
But don’t expect the substance to last — campaign finance reports are due Thursday, and with news surfacing that a state technology fund ran out of money with Perry’s knowledge, expect the horses back in the race before the end of the day.
CULLED:
- Texas has topped CNBC’s list of the best states for business. Gov. Rick Perry’s campaign was quick to trumpet the ranking: “This designation reinforces the fact that the Lone Star State is the best state in the nation to live, work and raise a family thanks to our low taxes, reasonable and predictable regulations and skilled workforce,” he said in a statement.
- There may be more light between public opinion in Texas and the State Board of Education’s curriculum-writing processes than previously thought, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Texas Freedom Network.
“While the rest of the country is calling this the ‘Great Recession,’ we’re calling it the ‘recession that’s making us great.’” — El Paso Mayor John Cook on the economic effects of Mexicans fleeing Juárez for El Paso
MUST-READ:
Coppell mayor, daughter found dead — The Dallas Morning News
More vets may get treatment for PTSD — Austin American-Statesman
Tragedy in Juárez Spurs Economy in El Paso — The Texas Tribune
Obama plans to again speak to children as school begins — Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Senate bill rejects Obama’s JSC plans — Houston Chronicle
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