The Brief: Feb. 20, 2015
An Austin lesbian couple obtained a marriage license Thursday morning, but the status of what would be the state's first gay marriage was in flux by the afternoon after the Texas Supreme Court issued a stay. Full Story
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![Sarah Goodfriend, second from left, and Suzanne Bryant, center, with their daughters (far left and far right) and Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir, second from right. DeBeauvoir issued Goodfriend and Bryant a marriage license on Feb. 19, 2015.]()
Credit: Joe Deshotel -
State Exams Once Again Target of Texas Lawmakers
Texas lawmakers took aim at the state’s standardized testing system Thursday as they considered a proposal to allow high school seniors to graduate even if they fail state exams. Full Story
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![State Sen. Kel Seliger speaks about the 83rd legislative session with state Reps. John Smithee and Walter "Four" Price at West Texas A&M University in Canyon.]()
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High School Seniors Who Fail Exams Could Still Have Path to Graduation
The roughly 28,000 public high school seniors who still need to pass a state exam to get their diplomas this May could get a lifeline from Texas legislators. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick meets privately with Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, on the dais during a break in Senate proceedings Jan. 21, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for the Texas Tribune -
New in Trib+Edu: Vaccine Exemptions Under Scrutiny
In this week's edition of the Trib+Edu newsletter: Vaccine exemptions in Texas come under scrutiny, applicants for Teach for America drop drastically and an interview with Jean Madsen and Mario Torres, professors of educational administration at Texas A&M University. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Jacob Villanueva -
In State of the State Address, Abbott Proposes Sweeping Agenda
UPDATED: Gov. Greg Abbott, delivering his first major policy address to the Texas Legislature, laid out an ambitious agenda, including an expansion of pre-kindergarten, massive tax cuts and roads as far as the traffic-glazed eye can see. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott announces five emergency items for Texas legislators to consider during his State of the State speech on Feb. 17, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
The Brief: Feb. 16, 2015
Bipartisan appears to be a dirty word in a couple of the special election contests set to be finally decided on Tuesday. Full Story
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![State Reps. José Menéndez (left) and Trey Martinez Fischer, both Democrats from San Antonio, are seeking the Texas Senate seat vacated by Leticia Van de Putte, who is running for mayor of San Antonio.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich/Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Video: Otto on Public Ed Funding
At our 2/12 conversation, state Rep. John Otto, R-Dayton, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, talked about the need to fix the state's method of school finance. Full Story
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Otto Touts Plan to Simplify School Finance System
The House’s chief budget writer on Thursday praised a proposal to overhaul the school finance system by grouping the state’s 1,026 regular school districts into a few "school finance districts" — a tax move aimed at equalizing per-student funding statewide. Full Story
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![Rep. John Otto R-Dayton, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, during Tribune Conversation event on February 12th, 2015]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
The Brief: Feb. 12, 2015
The debate over the expansion of rights to carry guns onto university campuses and openly with a permit moves from rallies outside the Capitol to legislative hearings inside the building today. Full Story
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![Almost forgotten in the midst of Texas Muslim Capitol Day, an open carry advocate displays his gun and the Israeli flag on Jan. 29, 2015.]()
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Proposal: Require Heart Screenings for Student Athletes
Joined by the father of a Texas high school student who died of sudden cardiac arrest, three state lawmakers on Wednesday proposed requiring heart screenings for high school athletes. Full Story
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![Cody Stephens, a Crosby High School football player, died in 2012 of sudden cardiac arrest.]()
Credit: The Cody Stephens Go Big or Go Home Foundation -
Williams: "Conflict of Visions" on Educator Evaluations
Education Commissioner Michael Williams said Wednesday that the state does not have the authority to satisfy federal officials’ desire for a more overarching system. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Issues of the 84th Lege: School Choice and Vouchers
As we follow bills on public ed during the 84th legislative session, we'll keep you updated on legislation addressing school choice and vouchers. Stay caught up with our 84th Lege page, and subscribe to our Trib+Edu newsletter for more education news. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Emily Albracht -
The Brief: Feb. 6, 2015
Rick Perry had some choice words in an interview Thursday with the Tribune and the Washington Post on what separates him from Ted Cruz. Full Story
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![Former Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz]()
Credit: Cooper Neill -
See Vaccine Exemptions in Texas by School District
More than 38,000 Texas students — about 0.75 percent of the state's overall school-age population — had nonmedical exemptions to school immunization laws in the 2013-14 school year, according to state data. Search our table to see the totals for your district or private school. Full Story
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![The Immunization Collaboration of Tarrant County in Fort Worth.]()
Credit: Cooper Neill -
New in Trib+Edu: A New Approach on Full-Day Pre-K
In this week's edition of the Trib+Edu newsletter: Lawmakers float incentive payments for districts offering full-day pre-K, a new magazine teaches kids financial literacy and an interview with Sarah Powell, a University of Texas assistant professor in the Department of Special Education. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Jacob Villanueva -
The Brief: Feb. 4, 2015
The ability of Austin tech firm 21CT to secure a $20 million Medicaid fraud software contract through a no-bid program run by the state's Department of Information Resources drew intense scrutiny from Senate budget writers on Tuesday. Full Story
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![This is a photo of one of two $2800 chairs ordered by Jack Stick's office when he was deputy inspector general. The chairs which resemble the ones used in the Texas Legislature committee hearing rooms, were discovered after the resignations of Stick, and Doug Wilson, inspector general.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond -
Issues of the 84th Lege: Educator Quality
As we follow bills on public ed during the 84th legislative session, we'll keep you updated on legislation addressing educator quality. Stay caught up with our 84th Lege page and subscribe to our Trib+Edu newsletter for more education news. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Emily Albracht -
Lawmakers Propose Pre-K Incentive Payment System
Two lawmakers in the Texas House have presented a plan for a major overhaul of early education in the state. The measure would create an incentive payment system for school districts offering full-day pre-kindergarten programs. Full Story
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![Students in Pre-K teacher Josefina Pineda's class sing to practice their language skills at the Dallas Independent School District Cesar Chavez Learning Center in Dallas, Texas.]()
Credit: Robert W. Hart -
The 84th Lege Page: Public Education
During the legislative session, we're compiling "hot lists" of issues across several policy areas. This week, our Lege page's featured hot list is Public Education. Use it to stay updated during the session, and subscribe to our Trib+Edu newsletter for more education news. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Emily Albracht -
The Brief: Feb. 2, 2015
The weekend saw more lengthy stories on problems in the way the state contracts out services. Full Story
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