A for-profit company hopes to get approval to start two charter schools in Texas. Thursday’s SBOE meeting will set the precedent for dealing with this murkier side of the charter school system.
state agencies
TribBlog: Physical Education Requirements Soon to be Gone
Amid handwringing over child obesity, SBOE likely will eliminate health and physical education requirements at this week’s meeting.
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
KBH resigns herself to staying in the Senate, Grissom investigates the broken border, Ramshaw outs IT contractors who make gigabucks from state agencies, Hu gives Hutchison and Perry the Stump Interrupted treatment, the new head of the Foresenic Science Commission faces his critics, Stiles posts a searchable database of fines levied by the state ethics commission, and Hamilton discovers the consequences of party switching (none): The best of the best from November 9 to 13, 2009.
Fail-safe?
Districts prepare to go to court with the TEA over minimum grades policies, prompting the question: How much should schools emulate the real world? And how many second chances should students get?
Hire Power
Typically, Texas Child Protective Services experiences sky-high employee and caseworker vacancy rates, but as unemployment has soared, staffing numbers have blossomed โ stabilizing child abuse caseloads. Why the bad economy is good news for one state agency.
On the Records: Sick Of Waiting
Tired of waiting for the state to provide swine flu vaccine locations, The Dallas Morning News took matters into its own hands.
Campaign Cash: To Cap, or Not to Cap?
Should the state set limits on political contributions? Depends on which candidate you ask.
Behind Closed Doors
Should the Texas Forensic Science Commission meet in private? The new chairman, John Bradley, says there’s a good argument for it.
Is Texas in the Race?
The federal government is giving away $4.35 billion to state education systems through Race to the Top. But is Texas already out?
Off The Books, Part Two: Contractor Conflicts
State contractors โ many of whom get paid top dollar to advise Texas agencies โ are largely immune from reporting conflicts of interest.

