Latest news with #TexasScorecard
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas SBOE Proposes Enhanced Training Standards For School Trustees
(Texas Scorecard) – State Board of Education members are considering new standards for local school district trustee training that emphasize elected officials' accountability to Texas families and taxpayers, representing a fundamental shift in public school governance. The State Board of Education is the policy-making body of the Texas Education Agency, which coordinates all government K-12 educational activities. State law requires the SBOE to provide trustee training and adopt a framework for continuing education that outlines critical governing performance areas for public school boards. Five of the 15 elected SBOE members serve on the board's Committee on School Initiatives, which is responsible for developing the trustee training standards: LJ Francis, chair; Julie Pickren, vice chair; Staci Childs; Tiffany Clark; and Brandon Hall. During a meeting on Thursday, the committee approved a revised Framework for School Board Development that emphasizes elected trustees' supervisory role over the superintendents they hire and prioritizes trustees' responsibility to students, families, and taxpayers. 'The board of trustees is the governing body for Texas public schools and holds the ultimate responsibility for the district's success in educating students. Above all else, trustees owe the highest duty to students and their parents, and the board represents taxpayers, attempting to maximize learning outcomes while minimizing resources required,' states the preamble to the proposed new framework. The existing framework instructs trustees to govern in tandem with the superintendent as a 'Team of Eight,' and board members frequently state that their primary responsibility is to the district as a whole, rather than to individual constituents. Francis, Hall, and Pickren voted in favor of the revised framework, which will be put to a vote of the full SBOE on Friday. The rewritten framework focuses on five core areas: —Setting a clear vision and goals for students —Evaluating the likely success of the superintendent's strategic plan —Monitoring progress —Ensuring transparency —Maintaining accountable governance The core areas emphasize trustees' roles and responsibilities in overseeing the superintendent as well as the board's accountability to families and taxpayers for achieving district goals related to students' success. The standards also put transparency in place of the current framework's 'advocacy and engagement.' During Thursday's committee discussion of the revisions, Hall, who represents District 11 in North Texas, cited the arrest of a local superintendent for failing to report teachers accused of abusing students as an example of why trustees need better training. 'As I dug into the issue and communicated with the board, it just became really clear to me that they did not understand their proper role of oversight and accountability,' said Hall. 'I think another thing that's tackled here is the importance of focusing on student outcomes, because the ambiguity of the original framework that we had in front of us from 2020 pretty much allows almost anything as continuing education credits,' he added. 'And so I think narrowing the focus to student outcomes and also emphasizing the role and responsibility of the trustees as elected officials accountable to the taxpayers is really important.' Pickren, who represents District 7 east of Houston, noted the need for improved training on school electioneering, which has been a significant issue in recent election cycles that has sparked several lawsuits. 'One of the largest school boards in Texas… our superintendent of that board was actually under attorney general investigation for electioneering,' said Pickren. 'The members of the school board, they are very well-meaning people. They come from both sides of the aisle. They just want to serve children,' she said. 'So I appreciate this clarification on behalf of my trustees.' She added that the new training framework 'sticks very closely with the letter of the law, and I think that is the safest place that we can put all of our trustees in.' Clark, who represents District 13 in the Dallas area, voted against the new standards, asserting that the committee had not considered sufficient public input. 'I've heard from my colleagues, and they are not in favor of this proposed framework, because it does leave out advocacy and engagement, which are vital components of school board trustees and the work they do,' added Clark. The original Framework for School Board Development was adopted in 1996. It was amended in 2012 and again in 2020. The latest revision was first presented during the committee's meeting in April, but Chairman Francis postponed a vote until the June meeting. The full State Board of Education will vote on the proposed new framework during its meeting on Friday, June 27.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Latest STAAR Results Raise Concerns Over Student Performance
(Texas Scorecard) – Newly released results of Texas high school students' End-of-Course assessments for 2025 show 'too many students are still not where they need to be academically,' according to the state agency that oversees public education. The Texas Education Agency released Spring 2025 STAAR End-of-Course assessment results on Tuesday. STAAR is short for State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, standardized testing 'designed to measure the extent to which a student has learned and is able to apply the defined knowledge and skills in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills at each tested grade, subject, and course.' The STAAR EOC assessments measure whether high school students have mastered end-of-course knowledge and skills they need to progress to the next level and graduate ready for college, a career, or the military. The results are 'a key measure of how Texas students are performing' in Algebra I, Biology, English I and II, and U.S. History, according to the TEA. Compared to 2024 results, the percentages of students who 'meet' grade level in Algebra I and Biology increased slightly, while the percentages of students meeting grade level in English and History declined. Overall performance levels remain poor. Subject mastery ranged from a high of 37 percent for U.S. History to a low of just 8 percent for English II. Asian students continued to significantly outperform white, Hispanic, and African-American students in all subjects. 'Texas students and educators continue to work hard to demonstrate academic excellence,' said Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath. 'At the same time, we also recognize that too many students are still not where they need to be academically.' 'Using a reliable system of assessments, we can continue making progress on the strategies that are most effective in improving student learning and long-term success,' he added. Assessments from 2024 also showed declining scores. The TEA's annual report for the 2023-24 school year showed reading and math scores for 3rd- and 8th-graders dropped 2-3 percentage points from the previous year, with less than half of 3rd-grade students reading at or above grade level—deficiencies that impact students' later school performance. Scores from the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), known as 'The Nation's Report Card,' showed Texas 4th-grade students' reading scores had dropped two points from the previous tests in 2022 and were two points below the national average. Just 28 percent scored as 'proficient' or better in reading. STAAR is unpopular with parents and teachers who say it puts too much pressure on students and forces educators to spend too much time 'teaching to the test.' Proposed legislation to eliminate the high-stakes testing failed to pass during this year's recently concluded legislative session. Parents can view their students' individual STAAR EOC results by visiting their school system's family portal or using the unique access code provided by their child's school. Results for STAAR grades 3–8 assessments will be made publicly available on June 17.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Targeted In Texas A&M Political Science Course Material
(Texas Scorecard) – A Texas A&M summer class uses a textbook that promotes the establishment narrative that President Donald Trump is a criminal. A source provided Texas Scorecard with information regarding the textbook for a Texas A&M political science course offered this summer semester. The textbook in question is the 11th edition of 'Keeping the Republic: Power and Citizenship in American Politics,' by Christine Barbour and Gerald C. Wright. Wright is an emeritus professor at Indiana University Bloomington. Barbour is his wife and a political science lecturer at the same university. Barbour and Wright sharply contrasted how they believed the country viewed former President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump when presenting them in the first chapter. 'When President Biden was elected in 2020, we thought we had turned a new page in our political history,' Barbour and Wright wrote in the first chapter. 'But so much of the country's attention remained on Donald Trump, who demanded the limelight during his presidency and refused to relinquish it, as well as political power.' The first chapter contained more anti-Trump messaging. The authors repeated the establishment media narrative that President Donald Trump is a criminal but didn't mention the politicization and manipulation of the prosecution against him. 'Donald Trump is okay with rules that constrain other people's behavior, but he chafes under rules that apply to him. There is a reason why, when he left office in 2021, he faced a barrage of lawsuits and criminal indictments at the state and federal level, and that reason was not that his political enemies wanted to go after him,' Barbour and Wright wrote. 'It's because he broke or ignored multiple laws he didn't want to follow or that he decided didn't apply to him, and some of the consequences caught up with him.' 'Donald Trump doesn't like to be bound by rules, even the ones written in the Constitution,' the authors continued. This textbook is required reading in American National Government, a political science course at Texas A&M offered during the summer semester from May 26 to July 4 of this year. The Bush School of Government & Public Service houses Texas A&M College Station's political science department. Named after former President George H. W. Bush, members of the Bush family serve on the school's advisory board, including former Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush. Neil Bush, son of George H.W. Bush, is board chair. Neil Bush is also the founder and chairman of the George H.W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations. Use of Barbour and Wright's textbook has not been confined to the College Station campus. Dr. Shane Gleason used the ninth edition of the textbook in a Spring 2022 political science class at Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Meanwhile, former Texas A&M Galveston professor John Carhart praised an earlier version of the book. Several of Carhart's student reviews on RateMyProfessor claim he had a very liberal bias in the classroom. Other universities have used earlier versions of this textbook. Previous versions were used at Stephen F. Austin State University in Fall 2014, and at the University of North Texas in Fall 2016 and Spring 2017. Texas A&M did not respond to a request for comment before publication.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Yahoo
Texas Judge Indicted For Death Threat To Force Plea Deal
(Texas Scorecard) – A grand jury has handed down an indictment against Rains County Justice of the Peace Robert Jenkins Franklin after he allegedly threatened a defendant to accept a plea deal. Last month, Texas Scorecard reported on a federal lawsuit that alleges Franklin told defendant Coby Wiebe 'you take that deal boy or dead men can't testify.' Wiebe accepted a plea deal three days later. The 8th District Court later dismissed the case in April after learning of Judge Franklin's alleged death threats. The indictment also alleges Judge Franklin coerced and pressured Jennifer Patterson—his chief clerk—into signing a false affidavit in February. On May 27, a Rains County grand jury decided—in The State of Texas v. Robert Jenkins Franklin—that there was enough evidence against Franklin to return an indictment on two misdemeanor counts of official oppression and two felony counts of tampering with a witness. Franklin was arrested and admitted the next day to the Van Zandt County Detention Center. Judge Chris Martin of the 8th District Court in Rains County set Franklin's bail at $25,000 with conditions of bond or pre-trial release. He posted the bond and was released the following morning. Judge Martin's bond conditions placed heavy restrictions on Franklin's civil liberties while awaiting trial. Franklin may not communicate with or be within 1,000 feet of the victims he threatened—Patterson and Wiebe. He is also prohibited from going within 500 feet of the Rains County Courthouse, where he still presides as Justice of the Peace. The bond conditions also ordered him to avoid 'places where alcoholic beverages are possessed, sold, or used on site.' He previously made headlines in March 2024 when he was arrested for driving while intoxicated. Conditions also state Franklin 'shall not possess a firearm at any time.' A Facebook post reportedly shows Franklin wielding an AR-15 in his judicial office at the Rains County Courthouse. Texas law permits judges with handgun licenses to carry concealed handguns in courthouses, according to Texas Penal Code § 46.15(a)(7). However, this exception does not extend to rifles or other firearms without explicit court authorization. Court dates will be set and announced by the Rains County District Court as the prosecution moves forward. In the related federal civil case brought by Coby Wiebe, a hearing is scheduled for June 30 at 11 a.m. in the Hunt County Courthouse in Greenville. Judge Franklin, Coby Wiebe, and Jennifer Patterson did not respond to Texas Scorecard's request for comment in time for publication. If you or anyone you know has information regarding bad actions by judges, please contact our tip line: scorecardtips@
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Texas Begins Lottery Oversight Transition
(Texas Scorecard) – Texas Lottery commissioners are already in the process of transferring oversight of the lottery to the Department of Licensing and Regulation, less than a week after lawmakers voted to abolish the embattled commission. The early movement is notable, given that Gov. Greg Abbott has not yet signed the Legislature's proposal—Senate Bill 3070—into law. A TLC spokesperson told Texas Scorecard, 'With the passage of Senate Bill 3070, the Texas Lottery Commission is evaluating next steps in alignment with the bill's intent to transfer regulatory authority to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. While the Commissioners under active terms remain appointed at this time, the agency is actively working on the transition.' Texas Scorecard attempted to access the website showing information on Texas Lottery commissioners earlier this week but was unable to do so as the commissioner profiles were gone. After reaching out and receiving a comment from the TLC spokesperson, the website was put back up. However, Commissioner Cindy Lyons Fields, previously listed among the other commissioners, was absent from the site when it returned. In addition to changing the lottery's overseeing agency, SB 3070 includes new, strict regulations on the purchase of tickets. The measure also establishes an abbreviated sunset review period for the lottery. The TLC, which has been in existence since 1991, has come under scrutiny over the past months after revelations of rigged jackpots, potential money laundering, and collusion between government agency employees and vendors to game the lottery for profit. The Texas Lottery is now the subject of multiple state and federal investigations as a result.
