The drama of the gridiron has found its way into a federal courtroom in a standoff between the Texas Association of Sports Officials and the University Interscholastic League. With the threat of a lockout of referees and their ilk, the result could be the hiring of scabs to replace them — or even the halting of games — just weeks before one of the year’s most eagerly anticipated moments in Texas: the start of high school football playoffs.
Higher Education
Coverage of universities, colleges, student issues, and education policy shaping Texas’ campuses, from The Texas Tribune.
Data App: Community College Pay
About 60 percent of Texas students who continue their education after high school start out at community colleges, whose payrolls have not been part of our database of public employee salaries — until today. We’ve added in the pay of nearly 20,000 administrators and faculty at seven Texas community colleges and college districts: Houston Community College, Dallas County Community College District, Alamo Colleges, Lone Star College, Austin Community College, Collin College and Tarrant County College. While the median salaries at community colleges are comparable to those of state universities, dramatic differences can be seen at the margins.
Community Property
The Texas Association of Community Colleges is accusing the University of Texas of siphoning money from programs that support community colleges into UT’s College of Education.
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Thevenot on the fastest-growing charter school chain in Texas, Hu on the continuing legal fights between tort reformers and trial lawyers over the state’s windstorm insurance pool, Hamilton on the push for accountability in Texas colleges, Philpott on legislative skirmishing over federal education funds, Grissom on misdemeanor convicts choosing jail time instead of probation that’s more expensive for them but cheaper for the state, M. Smith on Bill Flores’ challenge in what’s billed as the hottest congressional race in the country, Ramshaw looks at scandals that have put some otherwise safe statehouse incumbents in deep electoral trouble, yours truly on the closest and ugliest race on the statewide ballot and Galbraith and Titus on pollution from idling vehicles and why it’s so hard to control: The best of our best from September 27 to October 1, 2010.
TribBlog: UT Shooting Coverage Roundup
The University of Texas campus has reopened following the apparent suicide of a young man who burst into the Perry-Castañeda Library in a business suit and a face mask, wielding an AK-47, according to witness accounts. We’ve rounded up the best of the media coverage so far.
The A Word
The halls of public universities are buzzing about the push for accountability, especially as Texas works to catch up with states that have already taken up the mantle — and dealt with some of the inherent difficulties — of a data-driven examination of higher education.
DREAM Deferred
The defense bill blocked by Republicans in the U.S. Senate could impact Texas. One of the measures that failed to move forward was an amendment that would have given some undocumented immigrants a path to legal status through education. Erika Aguilar of KUT News reports.
TribBlog: Dream Rally
A group of people who typically prefer to stay out of the limelight gathered this morning to urge lawmakers to support the Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act.
TribBlog: Republican Party to Launch Campus Paper
There’s a new student paper coming to university campuses in Texas — courtesy of the Republican Party of Texas.
TribBlog: Why UT Wasn’t Ranked Among the World’s Best
On Friday, Times Higher Education, a British magazine, released its 2010 rankings of the top 200 universities in the world. Rice University, ranked 49th, began touting the fact that it is “the only university in Texas” to make the cut. So where were the others?



