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El Paso ISD Trustees OK $2 Million for Bond ‘Strategist’ Despite Budget Deficit
School officials say their vision is to make El Paso a “Destination District.”
Casino Lobby Boosts Abbott and Hegar With Major Contributions
According to new campaign finance filings, the Texas Sands PAC donated $150,000 to Abbott and $100,000 to Hegar during August and September.
Pflugerville Residents to Vote on Sales Tax Cut
November’s election aims to cut the Emergency Services District’s sales tax rate by 0.5 percent.
Y’All Answered: Golden Parachutes for School Superintendents?
Readers offer their insights and experiences.
The Archive
When Times Are Tough, Tax-n-Spend Away
School districts around the state are crying poverty -- and hiking your taxes. But just like the studies showing how many welfare recipients own DVD players, cell phones and late-model cars, we would be wise as taxpayers to start demanding a little cleaner view of how...
That’s Some Banjo Hall
Taxpayers in Midland and Odessa -- along with the rest of us -- are shelling out big bucks for a new "performing arts" center to be built between the two cities. The facility, which is described as standing "90 feet tall at its center, far surpassing the height of the...
Survey Says New Business Tax Inflicts Pain on Employees, Consumers
A survey of 790 Texas small businesses finds that because of the new margins tax: 1) 50% will raise prices 2) 20% will lay off at least one employee 3) 33% won't hire new employees 4) 14% will drop health care or other benefits 5) 3% will close Meanwhile, thanks to an...
Got Freedom?
This week marked "cost of government day" -- the date in which the average American has now paid the cost of taxes and regulations handed down from federal, state and local governments. The date, July 16, means Americans work more than half the year to pay for all the...
You’re Getting Joysticked
Hold on to your wallets, the governor and Legislature are taking aim at your wallet with a little video game waste. Unfortunately, this isn't the virtual variety but the real-world deal. Texas Gov. Rick Perry wants lawmakers to give video game manufacturers boatloads...
Does Texas Need an Independent Inspector General’s Office to Root Out Fraud & Waste?
Senator Bob Deuell proposes the creation of such an office for the "main" state agencies in today's Dallas Morning News and Governor Rick Perry's office indicates support. The issue came up after controversial firings at the Texas Education Agency's Inspector...
French Fashion Show Tops Spring Branch ISD’s Wasteful Spending
Conservatives in Texas often talk about how wasteful our government school system can be, yet we rarely find a gem as perfectly flawed as two stories that appeared recently in the Houston Chronicle. On May 1, the Chronicle breathlessly reported “Spring Branch ISD...
Budget Busters
There’s very little that ails us that a little sunlight and fresh air can’t cure – and that’s especially true when it comes to government waste and bloat. Our friends over at the Texas Public Policy Foundation this week unveiled a snazzy little tool called...
News You Can Use
Readers of the Houston Chronicle's website now have a nifty tool: browse the pay of nearly every public employee in Houston and Harris County. Topping the payroll at $442,556 is HISD superintendent Abelardo Saavedra. Coming in a distant second is the "Chancellor...