Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith interviews state Rep. Dan Huberty and state Sen. Larry Taylor — their chambers’ respective education chairman — on the 85th Texas Legislature’s approach to public ed.
Larry Taylor
Posted in
Politics
Texas Senate passes ethics reform
The Texas Senate passed a bill that would take pensions away from officials convicted of felonies and require lobbyists to disclose more of their wining and dining of lawmakers.
Posted in
Public Education
Texas Senate takes first step toward school finance overhaul
The Senate has tasked a new budget working group with coming up with ways to overhaul the state’s school finance system.
Posted in
Politics
Dan Patrick makes only one change atop Senate committees
Only one committee received a new committee chair in the Texas Senate. Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, will chair the Senate Administration Committee.
Posted in
Health care
Texas reproductive rights groups brace for Legislature
Reproductive rights advocates have expressed concern that Texas lawmakers will take bolder steps in the upcoming session to defund abortion providers and dismantle access to abortion, birth control and other sexual health services.
Posted in
Public Education
Failing Texas Schools Facing Tougher State Intervention
Education Commissioner Mike Morath on Tuesday outlined plans to crack down harder on chronically low-performing schools, saying he wants to cut in half the number of them that end up on the state’s failing list over the next five years.
Posted in
Economy
Video: A Conversation about the State Budget
At our 4/29 symposium on the Texas economy, Ross Ramsey talked about the state budget and spending with state Sens. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, and Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, and state Reps. John Otto, R-Dayton, and Donna Howard, D-Austin.
Posted in
Energy
Video: Protecting Houston Before the Next Big Storm
Full video of our 3/2 conversation with state Sen. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood; Chad Burke of the Economic Alliance Houston Port Region; Leon Phillips of the Galveston County Coalition for Justice; and Len Waterworth of Texas A&M University Galveston.
Posted in
Public Education
2015 Tribune Festival: Audio From the Public Ed Track
The Public Education track at The 2015 Texas Tribune Festival featured panel discussions on turning around struggling schools, pre-K, public education and the Legislature, and charter schools. There was also a conversation with Education Commissioner Michael Williams.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: June 2, 2015
Sine die has now come and gone. But with lawmakers now free to return to their hometowns across the state, the question remains: How’d they do?
