Our primary night scoreboard and liveblog, Aguilar on runoff strategy, Root and Batheja on Round two of Dewhurst vs. Cruz, M. Smith on how public education candidates fared, Ramshaw on what surprised pundits and pollsters, Galbraith on concerns over our electric grid, Aaronson on which government entities have access to your personal info, Grissom with the latest on the Hank Skinner case, Ramsey on Hispanic Republicans and part three of Tan’s family planning series: The best of our best content from May 28 to June 1, 2012.
Public Education
Explore The Texas Tribune’s coverage of public education, from K-12 schools and funding to teachers, students, and policies shaping classrooms across Texas.
Primary a Mixed Bag for Public Ed Candidates
Tuesday night was a wash for candidates hoping to capitalize on a backlash against the 2011 Legislature’s deep budget cuts to public schools. Some won and some lost, and there wasn’t a definite guiding narrative as to why.
Despite Upsets, No Major Power Shift for SBOE
Despite losses for moderate Republican candidates in several open seats — and the ousting of three incumbents — the ideological control of the State Board of Education won’t be much different after this election cycle.
UT/TT Poll: Little Love for Legislative Branch
Texans dislike Congress and rank the courts as their favorite branch of government. They’re also hoping the U.S. Supreme Court will overturn all or part of the federal health care law.
Two SBOE Rivals Each Facing Tough Primaries
Two influential incumbents on the State Board of Education — who are often at odds with each other — are both facing primary challenges that could result in a power shift on the fractious board.
Progress Texas Report: Virtual Schools Failing, Unaccountable
A report out Tuesday from Progress Texas blasts virtual schools for having high dropout rates, high student-teacher ratios and low academic performance — and using state money to fund schools run by for-profit businesses.
Interactive: Political Action Committees’ Candidate Endorsements
Endorsements stack up, so we’ve prepared a big spreadsheet to show you who is getting the political support of some prominent interest groups, trade groups and political action committees.
Life After Scott
Texas Education Agency chief Robert Scott’s resignation Tuesday didn’t come as a huge surprise to the education community. But that doesn’t mean speculation about his replacement — and the future of the agency — won’t run rampant.
The Hot Seat: A Conversation with Darby and Duncan
At our Hot Seat conversation at Angelo State University, state Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, and state Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, discussed cuts to public and higher education and other by-products of the 82nd Session.
In Austin, High School Diplomas Worth Millions
High school degrees may now be considered a bare-minimum qualification for job-seekers, but as Emery Reifsnyder of KUT News reports, a new study of the Austin regional area says high school diplomas are worth millions of dollars to the local economy.



