After much hand-wringing by public officials and business leaders over the dropout crisis, a patchwork of last-resort schools and programs has emerged statewide. Gauging their performance is tricky, but there’s no question that the students they serve might otherwise be on the street or in jail.
state agencies
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Stiles and Thevenot collaborate on the salaries paid to superintendents, and even compare them on price per student… Ramsey’s look at redistricting and next year’s elections… Aguilar’s report on jails, brought to you by the federal agency that’s in the ag business… Rapoport’s peek at the power behind Texas pre-kindergarten programs… Smith’s conversation with Dan Patrick, in three parts… Grissom’s narrative on a circular immigration and deportation route financed by two governments… Ramshaw finds doctors agreeing on public policy and split on strategy and tactics… Hu’s latest Stump Interrupted puts the camera on Farouk Shami… Hamilton’s story on two retired cops who are taking on cargo theft in Texas… And Kreighbaum and Stiles pop open the itineraries of your folks in Congress. The best of our best from December 12 to 18, 2009.
Posted in
Economy
TribBlog: Unemployment Drops in Texas
Unemployment in Texas hit 8 percent in November — down from the 8.3 percent recorded the previous month and higher than the 5.4 percent registered in the same month of 2008, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Keep On Trucking
Texas has the worst rates of cargo and heavy equipment theft in the country. Yet while criminals are raking in billions of dollars each year, the state has never had an organized system to address the problem.
Posted in
Public Education
An Escape with Few Takers
When public schools fail, students are allowed to transfer to better campuses. But only a tiny fraction ever do.
Posted in
Politics
TribBlog: CPPP on Child Abuse Deaths
The CPPP says Texas’ high per capita child abuse and neglect death rate is due to the state’s high child poverty and teen birth rates — but also how Texas tallies its numbers.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Super Salaries
School superintendent salary data offers a unique window into the vast diversity of Texas districts, from massive to miniscule, and the way they pay their chief executives. One new trend: Performance pay.
Posted in
Public Education
TribBlog: Superintendents as Bonus Babies
Mindful of the down economy, more public school districts are paying their superintendents bonuses rather than giving them raises.
Posted in
Health care
Home Alone
The home health care cuts that Congress will likely make to fund federal health care reform will take an extra large swipe at Texas.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Legal Lottery
Can Texas lottery winners sell all of their payments to private finance companies? State attorneys say no. A state appeals court says yes. The Texas Supreme Court will decide.
