教育专员在六月批准了七名新的特许学校申请, and the State Board of Education last week had the opportunity to hear from each to determine whether to allow or veto each application. 在这些听证会之后，SBOE拒绝了7名申请者中的4名.

Despite evidence that public schools consistently outperform charter schools (even with charters’ funding advantage), state leaders intent on public school privatization continue to push for greater charter school expansion. 第二个学校系统已经花费了州政府3美元.每年60亿, 这些钱应该用于公立学校, 而不是被州外的包租公司控制. 该州几乎没有监督，也没有地方选民问责, 特许学校的腐败丑闻层出不穷.

The most controversial applicant was California-based Rocketship Public Schools, which has been vetoed three previous times by the SBOE and has a history of financial and operational problems. The data on Rocketship operations — which would be contracted out to its California charter management organization — is bleak: Teacher attrition rates are as high as 44%, 学生流失率每年高达34%, 学生和老师的比例高达36:1.

尽管它的记录很糟糕, 火箭飞船的特许申请以8-7票通过, only after an unprecedented push from moneyed Fort Worth interests and reported last-minute lobbying from Gov. 格雷格·艾伯特和教育专员迈克·莫拉斯.

非常感谢SBOE成员Georgina Perez, Ruben Cortez Jr., 丽贝卡Bell-Metereau, 马特·罗宾逊, 戴维斯和艾莎, 是谁在巨大的政治压力面前始终挺身而出. These members spoke up for the interests of public schools and all their students and spoke out against the funding drain from rapidly expanding, 低质量的特许连锁.

我们也感谢德克萨斯的AFT成员 你给SBOE成员的信件和电话 to make sure the voices of public school educators were heard in this important discussion. Four vetoed charter applicants is a new record, and it would not have happened without your voice.

上周二,政府. 格雷格·阿博特(Greg Abbott)确定了特别立法会议的日期:7月8日. Abbott did not set the agenda for what can be considered in that special session yet. But he previously has stated that the session will at least cover Senate Bill 7, the voter suppression bill that failed to pass when Democratic House members walked out to break quorum in May.

Abbott has also previously mentioned the special session would include topics relating to HB 3979, 该法案禁止学校关于种族和争议性问题的课程. 州长于本月签署该法案成为法律他在特别会议上表示，“还有更多工作要做”.

It is likely that Abbott will call another special session for redistricting some time in the fall. The governor has the sole authority to set special sessions, which are limited to 30 days.

The Texas 立法机关 eagerly awaits new census data that would impact the redrawing of congressional district lines. 德克萨斯州是一个利害攸关的州, which is gaining two congressional seats due to population growth largely fueled by communities of color. 但他们可能不是从选区重划斗争中获益的人.

选区重划可能会在今年秋天的特别立法会议上进行.

前司法部长埃里克·霍尔德说, “有了公平的地图和更公正的选举制度, we can have leaders who are more likely to tackle the important issues facing our country and be more responsive to the needs and desires of the people they were elected to represent.”

他建立了一个组织， 在线上的人致力于支持德克萨斯的公平地图. Getting involved with 在线上的人 will let you learn more about what you can do to support fair maps in your community.

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茶组发布有关各区远程教学选择的指导

德州教育局 发布了一个文档 outlining the rules and procedures needed for districts to offer remote instruction — outside of the Texas Virtual School Network (TVSN) — for the coming school year. 除了一些罕见的例外, these remote students are not eligible for Average Daily Attendance funding from the state.

Many districts are abandoning all remote instruction starting in the fall because of the complicated requirements and lack of funding. 因为不是所有的学生和员工都会接种疫苗, 因为一些学生和/或员工可能有身体问题, the use of federal ESSER funding remains a viable option to provide remote instruction in the district — instead of leaving the TVSN as the only choice.

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事件

一起教育美国儿童(茶CH)注册

茶CH 2021 will will be held virtually this year on July 6-10 and will feature:

• 在关键问题上鼓舞人心的演讲者, like rebuilding academically from the pandemic and creating anti-racist communities
• Engaging cross-curricular sessions with meaningful tools and resources to use in your school
• Solutions to ensure students’ social emotional learning and the freedom to thrive
• 与同事合作的机会

现在注册! 您也可以加入 茶CH 2021社区分享我的教训 审查2019年以后的会议内容, 找到相关资源, 并加入关于2021年茶CH 2021的讨论.

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桥梁学院专业发展:即将举行的网络研讨会

 

文化反应教育学

6月30日，10日.m.中午

In this session participants will operationalize the connection between culture and cognition, 设计以力量为重点的课程和活动, and implement research-based pedagogy in classrooms with ethnically diverse students. 注册在这里.

 

 

 

 

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