TEA Chief Circumvents State Board Charter School Veto
Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams has effectively overruled a vote by the State Board of Education to deny an Arizona-based charter school's expansion into the Dallas area. Full Story
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Morgan Smith
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Morgan Smith was a reporter at the Tribune from 2009 to 2018, covering politics, public education and inequality. In 2013, she received a National Education Writers Association award for “Death of a District,” a series on school closures. After earning a bachelor’s degree in English from Wellesley College, she moved to Austin in 2008 to enter law school at the University of Texas. A San Antonio native, her work has also appeared in Slate, where she spent a year as an editorial intern in Washington D.C.
Past Contributions
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![Parents look over books and ask questions about curriculum during a parent information session for the new Great Hearts Monte Vista Charter School to open in San Antonio at Temple Beth-El, October 29, 2013.]()
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State Exams May Delay Graduation for Some Students in 2015
Almost 20 percent of rising high school seniors in Texas are at risk of not earning their diplomas on time because they haven't passed one or more of five required exams. Full Story
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Lawsuit: Texas' English Language Programs "Grossly Deficient"
Inadequate supervision from the state has led to "grossly deficient" English language instruction for Texas public school students, according to a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday. Full Story
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Judge in Texas School Finance Case Faces Recusal Hearing
The next step in nearly two years of litigation over the troubled Texas school finance system is a hearing on whether District Court Judge John Dietz should recuse himself from the case. Full Story
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![After a trial that lasted more than three months, Travis County District Court Judge John Dietz ruled in February 2014 that the state's school finance system is unconstitutional.]()
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Conservative Candidates Ride Out Hard Hits
In three statewide Republican runoff races, candidates who have aligned themselves to the right of their opponents are poised to capture the party's nomination despite fielding significant blows from their opponents, including forays into mental health records from three decades ago and a potentially disqualifying violation of state securities law. Full Story
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![Dan Patrick (l) in Salado, Tex., and David Dewhurst in Austin.]()
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Patrick, Dewhurst Debate Without the Animosity of the Heated Campaign
In closing arguments to voters Tuesday night, incumbent Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and his challenger, state Sen. Dan Patrick, avoided much of the spitefulness that has characterized the Republican contest. Full Story
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![State Sen. Dan Patrick and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst are in a runoff in the GOP lieutenant governor's race.]()
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Patrick Tops Dewhurst in Runoff Fundraising
Since the March Republican primary, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst has received about $1.7 million in political contributions — compared with about $4.4 million by his runoff opponent, state Sen. Dan Patrick of Houston. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and State Sen. Dan Patrick squared off in a debate for the upcoming runoff election for Lieutenant Governor.]()
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Dewhurst Addresses Questions on Patrick's Medical Records
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst reiterated Monday that his campaign was not responsible for the release of GOP runoff opponent Dan Patrick’s medical records, though he stopped short of saying the information was irrelevant. Full Story
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![Candidate for Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst addresses the media in the parking lot of an Austin HEB before voting early in the 2014 runoffs, May 19, 2014.]()
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Patrick Blasts Dewhurst and Patterson for Medical Disclosures
UPDATED: Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is distancing himself from the release of court papers that include detailed a medical history about his GOP runoff opponent Dan Patrick’s treatment for mental health issues. Full Story
![State Sen. Dan Patrick and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst are in a runoff in the GOP lieutenant governor's race.]()
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Report: Patrick Treated for Depression in 1980s
Reports of a state senator’s 1980s treatment for depression and exhaustion became an issue in the lieutenant governor’s race late Thursday, when the Quorum Report, a political newsletter, unearthed court papers detailing Dan Patrick’s medical history. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich
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