The Brief: Sept. 4, 2014
In a blow to Texas pride, it appears that the Lone Star State has lost out to Nevada in the race to land Tesla Motors' $5 billion battery "gigafactory." Full Story
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Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Van de Putte Hits Patrick on School Finance Votes
Leticia Van de Putte, the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, said Wednesday that her GOP opponent, Dan Patrick, was “rewriting history” by taking credit for the restoration of some education funding cuts. Patrick's campaign hit back at the criticism. Full Story
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![State Sens. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, and Dan Patrick, R-Houston, will face off against each other in the general election for lieutenant governor.]()
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The Brief: Sept. 3, 2014
Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott on Tuesday reaffirmed the watchdog role of the Public Integrity Unit while also defending his agency's investigation of a Houston voter registration group in 2010. Full Story
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![GOP gubernatorial nominee Greg Abbott speaking at the RedState Gathering in Fort Worth, Texas on August 9, 2014.]()
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Analysis: School Finance Case Gives Candidates Something to Talk About
As candidates in the general election focus on making themselves known to voters, the latest school finance ruling provides their clearest marching orders yet. Full Story
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![District Court Judge John Dietz of Austin is shown in his courtroom on Feb. 4, 2013, before he ruled that the state's school finance system was unconstitutional.]()
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Swelling School Districts Find a Costly Way to Grow Within State Debt Limits
Leander and other fast-growing school districts have relied heavily on a controversial financing tool called capital appreciation bonds to borrow money to expand even as they bump up against state limits on school district debt. Full Story
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![Leander ISD's Whitestone Elementary School, shown on Aug. 21, 2014, has six portable classrooms to help with increased student enrollment. District officials say If the district couldn't use capital appreciation bonds to borrow money, it would have to put more students in portables.]()
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The Brief: Aug. 29, 2014
It's a good thing that Judge John Dietz dropped his school finance ruling before a three-day weekend, because interested parties could use that extra day to go over his 400-plus page decision. Full Story
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The Brief: Aug. 28, 2014
They are this summer's odd couple: Gov. Rick Perry and his lawyer, Tony Buzbee. Full Story
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![Gov. Rick Perry's legal team, led by Houston attorney Tony Buzbee, c, speaks to the press on August 18, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
The Brief: Aug. 27, 2014
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis released her full 2013 tax return on Tuesday, changing course after previously not allowing the document to be shared or published in full. Full Story
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![Gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis addresses supporters before they canvass for her in East Austin.]()
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Education Commissioner: "The System Needs to Catch Up"
UPDATED: Asked why the state had delayed a transition away from lower passing standards on state exams, Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams told state lawmakers Tuesday that classroom instruction had failed to meet the rigor demanded by the new tests. Full Story
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![Education Commissioner Michael Williams, a former railroad commissioner, is shown at a TribLive event on Jan. 27, 2011.]()
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Davis Calls for Expanded Technical Job Training
Saying she wants to expand Texas high schoolers’ access to technical job training programs, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis on Tuesday announced a plan to create a Career-Technical Coordinating Board. Full Story
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![Senator Wendy Davis addresses the Texas Democratic Women’s Convention in Austin, TX.]()
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The Brief: Aug. 26, 2014
Team Perry on Monday began what it hopes to be a swift effort to nullify the felony indictments brought against the governor earlier this month. Full Story
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![Gov. Perry's legal team, including, l to r, David Botsford, Tony Buzbee, Bobby Birchfield and Ben Ginsberg meet the press on Aug. 18, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
A Pass on State Math Exams for Fifth- and Eighth-Graders
Texas' education commissioner announced on Friday that the state would suspend a law that requires fifth- and eighth-graders to pass end-of-year math exams to advance to the next grade level. Full Story
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In Texas, Efforts to Raise Teacher Certification Standards Falter
For-profit teacher certification companies are flourishing in Texas. But as the industry grows, so do questions about the state's ability to control the quality of training the programs provide. Full Story
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The Brief: Aug. 22, 2014
The Houston Chronicle is reporting that in the days before Gov. Rick Perry's indictment over his veto of funding for the public integrity unit, the Travis County DA's office had requested the next Legislature to restore most of the unit's funding. Full Story
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New in Trib+Edu: New Approaches Needed To Teach Math
In this week's edition of the Trib+Edu newsletter: U.S. slow to improve math instruction, testing the Good Behavior Game and an interview with Bonny Cain of the State Board for Educator Certification. Full Story
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Senators Debate Funding, Merits of National Guard Deployment
At a state Senate Finance Committee hearing Tuesday, senators debated the merits and tactical strategies of Gov. Rick Perry’s decision to send Texas National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. Full Story
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![Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, during a Health and Human Services committee hearing on Feb. 19, 2013.]()
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Nearly All Texas School Districts Meet State Ratings
In the second year of a new school accountability system, nine out of 10 Texas districts met state standards, according to ratings released by the Texas Education Agency on Friday. The 2014 ratings show a slight decline from last year. Full Story
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Charter Schools Push Back Against New State Law's Measure on Closures
In December, the Texas Education Agency moved to shutter six charter school operators under a new law. Nearly 10 months later, three of those schools remain open — fighting a process they say is overly simplistic. Full Story
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Van de Putte Calls for Reducing High-Stakes Testing
Leticia Van de Putte, the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, calls for reducing high-stakes testing in a new plan for Texas schools. The campaign of her Republican opponent, Dan Patrick, said the plan would do nothing to help turn around underperforming schools. Full Story
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![State Sen. and Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor Leticia Van de Putte at the Democratic state convention on June 27, 2014.]()
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Texas Posts Top High School Graduation Rates, Again
As Texas education officials announced the third year of record-breaking high school graduation rates on Tuesday, critics continued to raise questions about the method the state uses to calculate them. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman
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