Texas government, be it statewide or local, seems mired in a dilemma. On the one hand, we have some tremendously transparent government entities (i.e., the city of Houston's website was given an A- rating by Sunshine Review last year). On the other, we have some...
Michele Samuelson
Microchip ID Cards OK Under First Amendment, Says Court
Back in November, I wrote about Northside ISD's effort to increase their state revenue cut down on truancy and keep students in the classroom with microchip tracking technology in student identification cards. At the time, this effort was being challenged in court,...
Dirty Harry Reid Attempted to Expand Gambling in Texas
How's this for obnoxious interference? Nevada Senator Harry Reid, the Democrat majority leader and all-around annoying stooge, attempted to pass legislation in December to allow Native American tribes to open casinos in Texas. Politico posted the story a couple of...
Taking Aim at Conflict of Interest
Straight out of the gate, State Representative Giovanni Capriglione (R-Southlake) is taking aim at one of those insidious bipartisan problems in government - conflict of interest. His House Bill 524 is a transparency bill requiring lawyers who happen to be...
“Feeling Heat” is Just Part of the Job Description
Representatives cannot expect that they will be “safe” from constituent ire over one issue or another.
Why School Choice Must Be Universal
Who knows what's best for children in terms of education? The adults responsible for them - i.e., parents and guardians - or politicians and bureaucrats? I know, this is one of those times when you look at the screen and scoff. "Obviously," you say, indignantly,...
Spending Money to Make Money in Northside ISD
If complicated equations are your thing, it's likely you'd enjoy the WADA - "weighted average daily attendance" - portion of how Texas does school finance. School districts are understandably less than fond of this calculation, given that it means their state funding...
“Superintendent” PAC’s Super Election
Read the headline one more time, with sarcasm dripping from each syllable, and you'll get a sense for how I feel about this. For six years, in every eligible election, the Texas Parent PAC has gone to the mattresses to defeat proponents of school choice. They repeat...
Margins Tax Repeal Emerges on First Day of Bill Filing
The Texas Legislature is set to convene on January 8, and today, incumbent legislators are able to begin pre-filing legislation. Right out of the gate, we've got our first bill to repeal the franchise (or "gross margins") tax, SB 113 by Senator Craig Estes (R-Wichita...
A Little Debt Context
Yesterday, Comptroller Susan Combs released another earth-shattering report, this one focused on education debt. The statistics within are just as incredible as you might imagine. Public school districts in Texas are responsible for 33% of Texas' local debt, the...