Tag Archives: TASB

A “who not to vote for” guide in Katy ISD

Posted on May 3, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

For your information. The Katy ISD school board race has taken a sharp political turn as some candidates vying for the nonpartisan position accepted Republican party endorsements and appeared on flyers that attacked their opponents as “far left” supporters of … Continue reading →

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The proposed HISD charter partnership policy change

Posted on August 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t have a lot of time to dig into this, but there are a couple of things I wanted to touch on. Parents, education advocates and a group of Houston elected officials including three Houston ISD trustees on Monday … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The culture wars always come for the school boards

Posted on November 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Everything old is new again. Across Texas this year, school board meetings have burst into heated ideological fights over mask mandates, vaccines, and lessons on racism labeled as “critical race theory,” bringing a new level of rancor to volunteer boards … Continue reading →

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HISD Superintendent search is back on

Posted on January 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

For now, anyway. Houston ISD trustees kicked off their long-delayed search for a permanent leader Monday, choosing three superintendent search firms to interview later this week. The initial move comes as the state’s largest district seeks to fill a position … Continue reading →

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The school situation remains a mess

Posted on August 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a mess of Greg Abbott’s making. Some superintendents say that despite Abbott’s statements to the contrary, their ability to respond to the pandemic is still limited, and many of their questions have gone unanswered even as school is slated … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Anticipating the future bathroom-related litigation

Posted on July 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It will be a matter of when, not if, should a bathroom bill passes. [B]oth sides agree if any version of the bathroom bill becomes law, it will likely trigger a protracted legal battle that could have implications for the … Continue reading →

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The special session could get a little testy

Posted on June 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Sow a little discord, Joe. We approve. Speaking to educators Wednesday, House Speaker Joe Straus took some jabs at the Senate for focusing on a bill to regulate public bathroom use instead of putting more than a billion dollars into … Continue reading →

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How bad is the “Patrick Lite” bathroom bill?

Posted on May 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

For one view, there’s this, from Texas Competes: A review of press coverage shows that the Texas “bathroom bill” debate generated $216 million in publicity for the state of Texas in the period from January 10, 2016 through May 22, … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The challenges transgender children face

Posted on January 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

At least now we’re starting to talk about those challenges openly. One month after voters in Houston rejected an equal rights ordinance that proponents say would have protected transgender people from discrimination, Ben and his parents, Ann and Jim Elder … Continue reading →

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School districts deal with ACA paperwork

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The headline for this story says that Texas school districts are “struggling” to deal with requirements of the Affordable Care Act, but there’s not much evidence of actual struggles in the story itself. Texas school districts are scrambling to meet … Continue reading →

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Pushing for the Governor to sign HB5

Posted on June 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

While a lot of big ticket items were addressed by the Legislature during the regular session, not all of those bills have been signed into law yet. Among them are the big education reform bills, and proponents of fewer standardized … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Corporal punishment

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating story in the Statesman from last week about the debate over the use of corporal punishment in schools. People who are not educators can be confused about the meaning of corporal punishment. It is not a teacher shoving a … Continue reading →

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A little budgeters remorse?

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Just a little. Not much. As a vote looms on a bare-bones budget that would slash education and threaten nursing homes with closure, House GOP leaders softened their rhetoric on Tuesday to emphasize that it is a starting point and … Continue reading →

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More charter school stuff

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Now that you’ve listened to my interview with Chris Barbic, here are a couple more charter school-related articles of interest. First, from the Trib, a story about charter schools getting help for facilities from the Permanent School Fund. Fledgling charter … Continue reading →

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Interview with Sarah Winkler

Posted on October 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

For what truly will be my last interview of the 2009 cycle, I bring you a conversation with Alief ISD Trustee Sarah Winkler, who serves District 6 and is also the President of the AISD board. She has been in … Continue reading →

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