There'll be other big education challenges to face, like the growing public discontent with standardized tests and the school accountability system
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By Mike Norman
Editorial Director
Fort Worth Star-Telegram | May 31, 2012
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To hear Texas House Speaker Joe Straus tell it, Tuesday's elections went pretty well.Sure, three committee chairmen, key people on his leadership team, got bounced out of their jobs largely because constituents deemed the brand of Republican conservatism they share with Straus to be not conservative enough. Two others were forced into July 31 runoffs.
The bouncees included Rep. Vicki Truitt of Keller, chairwoman of the Pensions, Investments and Financial Services Committee, and Rep. Mike "Tuffy" Hamilton of Mauriceville, chairman of the Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee. These are real losses for Straus, and, in the case of Truitt, a real loss for Tarrant County.
But the third loss, Public Education Committee Chairman Rob Eissler of The Woodlands, may end up stinging Straus and Texas the most.
There's already a similar vacancy in the Senate, where longtime Education Committee Chairwoman Florence Shapiro of Plano decided not to run for re-election. And, crucial for the legislative session coming up in January, Senate Finance Chairman Steve Ogden of Bryan also decided to go.
Over at the Texas Education Agency, Commissioner Robert Scott is leaving after 18 years at the agency, five in the top job.
All of this comes together as a special predicament for public schools.
For one thing, the next Legislature is likely to have to face deep-seated problems with the state's school finance system. More than half of the school districts have joined in a new round of lawsuits against the state over that system's inadequacies and inequalities.
Those suits are scheduled to go to trial Oct. 22 in an Austin district court. The ultimate decision likely will come from the Texas Supreme Court, as have decisions in previous cases dating to 1984. But a district court ruling is likely by early next year.
In other news:
Texas League of Conservation Voters | Complete Story | By David Weinberg, Ex Dir (May 31, 2012) – As the dust settles on the May 29 Texas Democratic and Republican Primary Elections, it’s time to see how conservation candidates fared. In this primary election cycle, TLCV-PAC focused its efforts on a handful of important races where we could make a difference through endorsements, contributions, events, messaging to voters on environmental issues, and get-out-the-vote efforts. TLCV-PAC endorsed candidates made a strong showing and notched some solid victories in the march toward the November General Election and the next state Legislative Session. Here’s a sampling of “green wins” on Tuesday:√ Rep. Alma Allen (D-Houston/Missouri City) handled her primary opponent with considerable ease, a nod to her strong campaign and record on public health, education and waste prevention issues. Rep. Allen garnered a convincing 59 percent of the vote in her Democrat primary election, guaranteeing her return to the Capitol next year.
√ In the Texas Senate, the race between Incumbent Sen. Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio) and two challengers proved to every bit as close as the candidates themselves had suggested. His Republican challengers, former Texas Railroad Commissioner and Texas House member Elizabeth Ames Jones and Dr. Donna Campbell, a Tea Party favorite who moved into the district to run, split the votes fairly evenly.
In the end, Sen. Wentworth will face Dr. Campbell in the Republican Primary run-off election on July 31. TLCV-PAC endorses Sen. Wentworth in this race because of his strong conservation voting record in the Texas Senate, including successfully fighting to protect a San Antonio ordinance regarding development over the Edwards Aquifer.
√ In Congressional races, the national League of Conservation Voters showed strong support and an endorsement for State Rep. Pete Gallego (D-Alpine) in his Democratic primary election against former Congressman Ciro Rodriguez and lesser known John Bustamante.
The League of Conservation Voters made a late ad buy ahead of the May 29 primary to turn up the heat and attention on Rep. Rodriguez’s history of anti-environmental votes, including his opposition to President Obama’s clean energy plan. In the end, LCV-endorsed Rep. Gallego drew a run-off against the former Congressman for a chance to represent Democrats against Rep. Francisco “Quico” Canseco (R-San Antonio), who ran unopposed in the May 29 primary.
to Teach Genocide to Schoolchildren
The Guardian | Complete Story |By Katherine Stewart (May 30, 2012) – The Bible has thousands of passages that may serve as the basis for instruction and inspiration. Not all of them are appropriate in all circumstances. The story of Saul and the Amalekites is a case in point. It's not a pretty story, and it is often used by people who don't intend to do pretty things. In the book of 1 Samuel (15:3), God said to Saul:"Now go, attack the Amalekites, and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys."
The story of the Amalekites has been used to justify genocide throughout the ages. According to Pennsylvania State University Professor Philip Jenkins, a contributing editor for the American Conservative, the Puritans used this passage when they wanted to get rid of the Native American tribes. Catholics used it against Protestants, Protestants against Catholics.
This fall, more than 100,000 American public school children, ranging in age from four to 12, are scheduled to receive instruction in the lessons of Saul and the Amalekites in the comfort of their own public school classrooms. The instruction, which features in the second week of a weekly "Bible study" course, will come from the Good News Club, an after-school program sponsored by a group called the Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF). The aim of the CEF is to convert young children to a fundamentalist form of the Christian faith and recruit their peers to the club.
4 comments:
Well isn't that comforting, a whole new generation of bigots is being groomed. By Christians no less. I thought we were past the Crusades by a few centuries.
Ho Hum, Yawn...
I think teaching about genocide is very important, but the lesson to be learned is that we should never do this again.
Get religion OUT of the public schools.
Stop saying prayers before Commissioners Court.
Neglect to tell me your religious beliefs. I do not care, unless, of course you want to wipe out a village or string up a heathen.
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