The Dallas mayor left a hugely successful private sector career to lead the country’s ninth-largest city through an economic meltdown and the aftermath of a City Hall corruption scandal. And he doesn’t regret a minute of it. Here, he talks about fighting a sky-high crime rate, how he keeps party politics from his office, and every urban area’s Achilles’ heel: education.
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.
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Public Education
The Brief: February 10, 2010
Paging Dr. Doug Ross. Debra Medina may soon be endangering your popularity.
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Demographics
Democratic Gubernatorial Debate: Liveblog, Video, Audio
In their first and probably only televised debate, Bill White sounded experienced, as you’d expect of a three-term mayor of Houston, while wealthy hair care magnate Farouk Shami was more passionate, more animated, and much more prone to political mistakes.
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Criminal Justice
Reform Follows Function
The federal push for accountability at “persistently low-achieving” schools across Texas is running smack into the hard, slow work of improvement at the local level.
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Public Education
TribBlog: Who’s He In Bed With Now?
The Obama administration — which is one of the ways Mark Sanford and Rick Perry are not alike.
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Public Education
TribBlog: States Echoing Texas on National Standards
State school leaders from across the West are complaining of too much federal intrusion into local curriculum decisions, along with inflexible rules – including that national standards be adopted “word for word.”
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Public Education
Heir Apparent
State Rep. Terri Hodge, D-Dallas, dropped her reelection bid on Wednesday to plead guilty to lying on a tax return. But it’s too early for Eric Johnson, her West Dallas-born, Ivy League-educated primary opponent, to claim victory.
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Public Education
TribBlog: Disability Rights Group Scolds SBOE Member
Disability rights advocates say State Board of Education member David Bradley’s comment to the Texas Tribune — “If you sit on the mental health commission, do you have to be retarded?” — is offensive and uninformed.
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Public Education
Ads Infinitum: White Releases First TV Spot
The former Houston mayor hits the airwaves.
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Economy
No Experience Necessary
Few members of the State Board of Education have finance expertise. Should we be concerned that they manage the investments of the $23 billion Permanent School Fund?