A law firm working for the Republic of Turkey is accusing Harmony Public Schools of funneling money to an organization the Turkish president has accused of trying to overthrow the government. Harmony says that’s preposterous.
Kiah Collier
Kiah Collier was a reporter for the ProPublica-Texas Tribune investigative initiative from 2020 through 2023. She previously worked at the Tribune as a reporter and associate editor, covering energy and the environment through the lens of state government and politics. Kiah has reported for numerous other publications across Texas since 2010, including the Austin American-Statesman and the Houston Chronicle. Her beats also have included government and politics, public education and business. Kiah’s work has been honored with numerous prizes, including a George Foster Peabody Award, a Gerald Loeb Award, the Knight-Risser Prize for Western Environmental Journalism, the National Edward R. Murrow Award for best investigation and the AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award. A seventh-generation Texan, she grew up in the Austin area and graduated with high honors from the University of Texas at Austin with degrees in journalism and philosophy.
Parents Sue Texas Education Agency Over STAAR Exams
A backlash against this year’s STAAR exams escalated Monday when a group of parents sued the state in an attempt to keep schools from using 2016 test scores to rate students.
Republic of Turkey Targets Houston-Based Charter School
Lawyers working for the Turkish government plan to file a complaint with the Texas Education Agency next week against Houston-based Harmony Public Schools, alleging financial malfeasance and other misconduct, school officials said.
San Antonio Utility Approves Vista Ridge Takeover
The San Antonio Water System board on Wednesday approved a takeover of the controversial Vista Ridge project — a move set in motion by the financial troubles of a firm the city had enlisted to build the 142-mile pipeline.
Texas AG Seeks Clarification on Federal Transgender Directive
Three state attorneys general are asking the federal government for clarification of its recent directive to accommodate transgender students or risk losing federal funding.
Texas Education Chief Morath Mum on Transgender Bathroom Issue
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath on Tuesday praised the state Supreme Court’s recent opinion upholding the state’s public school funding system and demurred on questions about bathroom use by transgender students.
Allegations of Fearmongering in Education Board Runoff
An underdog GOP primary candidate is headed for a runoff against SBOE hopeful Mary Lou Bruner, a former teacher whose conspiracy theory-laden Facebook posts suggested President Obama worked as a gay prostitute in his youth to pay for a drug habit.
Texas Supreme Court Rules School Funding System is Constitutional
The Texas Supreme Court on Friday issued a ruling upholding the state’s public school funding system as constitutional, while asserting it could be better.
U.S. Will Order Schools to Accommodate Transgender Students
The Obama administration plans to issue a type of executive order on Friday directing every public school in the nation to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms that align with their gender identity, according to a report in the New York Times.
Superintendents: Texas Schools Shouldn’t Be Rated on 2016 STAAR Tests
Citing problems with the administration of this spring’s STAAR exams, the head of the Texas Association of School Administrators says that 2016 STAAR scores shouldn’t be used to rate schools or determine whether a student should graduate or advance to the next grade.


