Schools – Dispatches from Dallas

School district Saturday – 2025 07 19

This fortnight’s school news you can use, since it took about two weeks to generate this many stories over the summer break.

First, from the Dallas Morning News: Texas can release 2024 A-F grades for schools, court rules. Also in the Star-Telegram: Texas can release 2024 A-F grades for schools, court rules. The Star-Telegram notes that Fort Worth ISD was not part of the 2024 lawsuit, and had already released accountability data for that year. The decision on whether the state will take over Fort Worth ISD is on hold until the 2025 data arrives in August.
Dallas Observer: Texas Schools Add Attack Drones To Protect Students. Apart from the expense, which is always an issue, the folks trying to get this project off the ground are aware of and actively working against the possibility of hacking. The CEO of the company behind this project started his career in cybersecurity.
Star-Telegram: Federal judge sides with Aledo ISD in disability rights case. I don’t understand all the intricacies of the ADA and schools, but I admit that on the one hand the school probably ought to have some way to assess kids to determine their needs, and that on the other hand the IQ test Aledo ISD wants to give a four-year-old isn’t the best assessment of her abilities.
DMN: Dallas ISD left with $22 million gap after Trump education funding freeze. This is what our tax dollars aren’t doing. They’re going to billionaire and corporate tax cuts instead.
DMN: Joyce Foreman has one donor: Ruel Hamilton. Foreman represents part of South Dallas on the DISD board (District 6); Hamilton is a developer of apartment complexes. He was convicted in 2021 of bribing two (by then former) Dallas City Council members to support projects he was developing in southern Dallas. Click through for details that make it sound even worse.
Star-Telegram: Fort Worth ISD closing Charles E. Nash Elementary, named for hardware store owner. One more school profile of a school that demographics and finances are killing in FWISD.
Star-Telegram: Federal education funding freeze leaves millions in limbo for Fort Worth schools and in the Fort Worth Report: FWISD mentoring, college readiness programs at risk after feds delay $6.8B. More of the things our tax dollars are not buying so billionaires can have tax cuts.
Fort Worth Report: Mansfield ISD adopts largest budget deficit in 10 years as it navigates new funding laws. It’s $13 million on a $400+ million general fund budget.
Star-Telegram: Former Millsap ISD educators indicted in abuse of autistic student: prosecutor. Apparently there was viral video of the teacher yelling at the child, throwing things at him, and attempting to slap his face. According to earlier stories on the same topic, the child, who is nonverbal and autistic, was aged 10. I’m not clear on who hit the child but the failure to report charges are mostly misdemeanors (one is a felony).

School district Saturday – 2025 07 05

This week in news from our schools:

Dallas Morning News: Texas’ attempts to improve students’ math skills aren’t adding up post-COVID. According to the STAAR test results, the percentage of kids reading at grade level has returned to pre-COVID levels, but math skills, even for kids who weren’t in school yet in 2020-2022, haven’t. Click through to see the numbers, which aren’t great even with the bounce-back.
There’s a bunch of news about lawsuits against the new and plainly unconstitutional state law (SB 10) requiring the Ten Commandments to be posted in all K-12 classrooms. Note that the wording required, as described by the Star-Telegram, is the King James version, so a sectarian version of the Commandments.
- KERA: North Texas activist group sues to block Ten Commandments in classrooms law. This suit was filed in Dallas and spearheaded by the Next Generation Action Network Legal Advocacy Fund. Also in the Star-Telegram: North Texas reverends file suit to stop Ten Commandments displays in classrooms.
- Texas Tribune: More parents sue to stop Texas’ Ten Commandments requirement in public schools. This is the ACLU lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of 16 parents of different faiths.
- D Magazine: The Faith Leaders Filing Lawsuits to Stop Texas’ Ten Commandments Requirement in Public Schools. This one covers both of the lawsuits.
The Fort Worth Report has two stories about Arlington ISD that should be paired: Arlington ISD teachers, staff will receive a raise. Here’s how much; and Arlington ISD’s expected $13M budget deficit likely won’t stick, trustees say. Here’s why. It’s because nobody knows what school funding is going to look like for 2025-2026 after the changes in the last legislative session. Reading the article, I think the Arlington board is too optimistic, but I’m not one of their voters.
Star-Telegram: Carroll ISD is considering a tax ratification election over projected $5M deficit. They need to do some financial shenanigans because the Lege only increased the per-student allotment by $55 and because of Robin Hood financing, Southlake Carroll sends about a third of its tax revenue to Austin for distribution.
KERA: Parents sue Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD over school closures. It’s about Open Meetings Act violations. A lot of districts struggle with the Open Meetings Act.
DMN: Parents, teachers ask Dallas ISD to bar ICE from any school property. ICE agents were photographed in the parking lot of a couple of schools near Love Field, which set off alarms for parents. Given that the new Chief over at DPD seems to be cooperating with ICE and the Mayor is in the President’s back pocket, I doubt Dallas ISD is going to be able to stand up to ICE. I still hope they try.
As usual, we have a number of stories about Fort Worth ISD. I wish the DMN covered Dallas ISD as thoroughly as the Star-Telegram and the Fort Worth Report do with FWISD.
- Star-Telegram: FWISD approves non-religious phonics program from Bluebonnet. Why was it chosen? Also in the Fort Worth Report: Fort Worth ISD adopts Bluebonnet phonics program as Molinar urges literacy urgency. The program is bilingual and doesn’t include the components that use religious stories.
- Star-Telegram: Fort Worth ISD shares test results, approves programs for dyslexia and phonics. This article covers the STAAR results, with graphics, and the ongoing threat of a state takeover of FWISD
- Two from the Star-Telegram on school closures: More kids live in this Fort Worth ZIP code. So why are public schools shrinking? and Fort Worth ISD is closing Kirkpatrick schools. They’re named for Black educator. There really is a demographic decline and at the same time, it’s not surprising that the neighborhoods that are losing schools are Black and Spanish-speaking.
- Fort Worth Report: State board approves new Fort Worth charter school despite concerns over recent closures. This is Fort Worth STEAM Academy, a middle school that will be opening in the 2026-2027 school year.
Star-Telegram editorial: You’re paying the legal bill in Keller ISD split, but you can’t see it. The legal bills for the Keller ISD board and their plan to split the district are billed in six-minute increments, adding up to $172K, but even the current board and superintendent can’t see what they’re paying for. The bills are redacted. Related, in the Fort Worth Report: Parent sues Keller ISD over alleged voter disenfranchisement. Where the case stands. This is one of the Brewer Storefront cases where they’re suing to get rid of the all at-large school boards. It’s still in its early stages.
Fort Worth Report: Documenters: Lake Worth ISD to raise teacher pay after Legislature passes bill. The Fort Worth Report sends people to document board meetings and posts the resulting notes. This is one from Lake Worth ISD. The Dallas Free Press also does this with some governmental meetings in Dallas, though usually not for Dallas ISD. More like this, please.

School District Sunday – 2025 05 25

This week we start with news from the Legislature and then move into the area districts, with a lot from Fort Worth ISD.

Texas Tribune: Texas School Districts Slam the Senate’s School Finance Plan. The Senate version of the funding bill raises the per-student allotment by only $95.
Dallas Observer: Opinion: Texas Public Schools Aren’t Sunday Schools. Mickey Dollens and Ryan Dudley write about all the legal and constitutional problems with putting the Ten Commandments in every room in the public schools.
Dallas Morning News: Will Texas pass paid teacher training to fix ‘pipeline crisis’? In the school year that just ended, 12% of teachers in Texas public schools were uncertified. The question is about residency training, basically apprenticeship under a veteran teacher for a full year, and whether the state will pay for it ($20,000 per resident, plus $2000 bonus for the mentor). This being Texas, I expect Betteridge’s law to apply.
DMN: Texas schools should get more flexibility on student discipline, Senate decides. Background in this article from the Texas Tribune: Classroom violence went up in Texas after the pandemic. Is more discipline the answer?
Texas Tribune: Texas lawmakers push to enforce election transparency law after newsrooms found school districts failed to comply. This is about campaign finance reports. A lot of districts didn’t post or didn’t have the information because the didn’t know they were supposed to put them online. In a time when school board elections are drawing a lot of money from groups like Patriot Mobile, knowing who financed which candidates is valuable.
Dallas Observer: Texas Students Use Their Voice to Combat Student Paper Censorship. Unsurprisingly, just like at the university level, high school journalists are upsetting their administrations and they have friends in the Lege.
Star-Telegram: Florida expanded school vouchers two years ago. What can it tell us about Texas? School districts are feeling financial pressure and private schools are booming, unsurprisingly. But public school performance also improved.
Texas Observer: Texas Already Gives Public Ed Dollars to Private Operators. Here’s How That Worked Out. There are a lot of red flags even in the clearly well-intentioned partnerships described in this article. And it’s pretty clear that not all of the partnerships were well-intentioned instead of designed to make money. I’m pleased to note that my state Senator proposed an alternative to turning over public schools to private operators.
DMN: Pay raises for Dallas ISD teachers, staff approved in next year’s budget. The budget next year is expected to be $1.9 billion.
Star-Telegram: TEA takeover led to academic gains but also turmoil in Houston. Is Fort Worth next? Pretty interesting, especially if you’ve been following the HISD takeover saga as so many of my Houston friends have been. If you only click through to read one of these links, let it be this one.
Fort Worth Report: Here’s why Fort Worth ISD is bracing for an uncertain funding year in its next budget. They have a $17.6 carryover from the 2024-25 year, property value issues (you may remember that Tarrant County Appraisal District only wants to revise values every other year), and declining enrollment.
Three on Fort Worth ISD’s decision to close 18 schools over the next few years. First from the Star-Telegram: Fort Worth ISD board approves plan to close 18 schools over four years; second from the Fort Worth Report: Fort Worth ISD students plead to save schools before board approves closures; and the Star-Telegram again: Why is Fort Worth ISD closing 18 schools over the next four years? What to know.
Two on Mansfield ISD’s decision to extend the contract of their superintendent: one from the Star-Telegram: Mansfield ISD school board extends superintendent’s contract, and one from the Fort Worth Report: Departing Mansfield ISD trustees approve superintendent evaluation 7 days before exit. Three of the board’s seven members were on the way out; they say that it’s only fair for the superintendent to be judged by the board members who have been working with her. They extended her contract an additional year, to 2030, and increased her annual longevity bonus from $20,000 to $35,000.
Dallas Observer: As Plano Schools Close, Parents and Faculty Look Back, Wonder About the Future. They’re only closing four schools: three elementary schools and one middle school.
Star-Telegram: Carroll ISD parents keep pressure on trustees over Principal Ryan Wilson’s contract. Parents and students are unhappy about the board firing and reassigning their favorite educators, as mentioned in previous editions of this roundup.

School District Sunday – 2025 05 18

Two weeks’ worth of school news this time, covering the Lege, the outcome of the May elections, and the state’s proposed takeover of Fort Worth ISD as well as the usual roundup of district news.

Texas Tribune: Private school vouchers are now law in Texas. Here’s how they will work. This is what the Republicans wanted; they got it. On their heads be the outcome.
Meanwhile, we have to finance our public schools. Dallas Morning News: Texas Senate school finance plan slashes per-student bump, outlines teacher pay raises; and KERA: Clock is ticking for Texas lawmakers to settle on $8 billion public school funding package. Everyone wants tell public schools about how to run facilities and hiring and student-teacher ratios, but nobody wants to spend tax money. Certainly not when we’re already paying part of the tuition for kids leaving the public school system!
Related, from the DMN: State or local control? Historic Texas school finance plan offers differing approaches. Like every other pie the Lege has its fingers in, they want to put their greasy hands on the controls.
Also in the Lege, via the Star-Telegram: Bill prompted by Keller school district’s proposed split stalls in Texas House. It’s the part of the session where bills start falling away.
Star-Telegram: As Texas population booms, classrooms are empty. What’s happening? Demographics (aging populations and baby busts as Gen X’s Zoomer kids start reproducing) and economics (when times are hard, people delay marriage and childbearing).
Moving on to the results of the May 3 elections, from KERA: North Texas voters support billions of dollars in school bonds. A good list.
Texas Tribune: School board races across Texas deal losses for many conservatives. Their subhead: “Issues about control of book purchases and how curriculums teach race and gender have led to change on many boards, including Keller, Katy and Mansfield ISDs.” There’s a lot to say about this but this article will cover it for school board purposes. The Tarrant County GOP, in particular, seems to have bitten off more than it could chew in May.
DMN: Here’s what to know about Texas’ school safety policies. The Lege has a lot of instructions about what schools and districts should be doing but they don’t want to finance it. This is what the education folks call “unfunded mandates”.
Three articles covering Attorney General Ken Paxton’s decision to drop his lawsuit against Coppell ISD for illegally teaching critical race theory. First, KERA: Texas AG Paxton drops ‘critical race theory’ lawsuit against Coppell ISD. Second, the DMN: ‘Critical race theory’ lawsuit against Coppell ISD resolved, Texas AG Ken Paxton says. And the Texas Tribune: Ken Paxton drops “critical race theory” lawsuit against Coppell ISD. We all know what happened here: a right-wing rage factory whipped up some fury with a heavily-edited videotape, letting Ken Paxton throw some red meat to the hard right Republican senate primary voters, while not actually doing anything other than wasting the time of his lawyers, the district’s lawyers, and the district’s staff, plus the money to pay them all. Our tax dollars at work.
We have several stories about Dallas ISD:
- DMN: After Wilmer-Hutchins shooting, Dallas school leaders want to crack down on propped doors. That’s how the Wilmer-Hutchins shooter got into the school with the gun. Also, from KERA: Dallas ISD considering student code of conduct update after school shooting.
- DMN: Dallas ISD superintendent praises effort to eliminate STAAR. I don’t think anyone likes the STAAR tests.
- DMN: Dallas schools strike DEI language from district site. Not what you want to hear, but these are the times we live in.
Meanwhile, in Fort Worth ISD, first about the threatened state takeover, proposed school closures, and the dreaded budget:
- Star-Telegram: Texas Education Agency notifies Fort Worth ISD of potential state takeover. Also in the Fort Worth Report: Texas tells Fort Worth ISD ‘compulsory’ intervention required after string of failures at shuttered school and the DMN: Fort Worth schools at risk of state takeover, Texas education commissioner warns. Fort Worth ISD has already closed the school, but the Texas Education Agency claims that the five consecutive failures trigger the state takeover regardless of the status of the school that started the problem.
- Star-Telegram: ‘Time to turn the corner’: Lawmakers express support for TEA action in FWISD. Unsurprisingly, the pro-takeover lawmakers are Republican state legislators. Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker (also a Republican) has confidence in the new superintendent.
- Star-Telegram editorial: If state wants to take over Fort Worth schools, it needs a better case than this | Opinion. The Star-Telegram thinks the Houston cure is worse than the disease for Fort Worth schools.
- Two items on proposed closures starting with the Fort Worth Report: Fort Worth ISD proposes the closure of these schools. Here’s why — and where and the Star-Telegram: Fort Worth ISD school closures could save millions. But would they help students?. The school closure plan will be on the agenda for the May 20 board meeting.
- Star-Telegram editorial: No one wants to close schools. But here’s why Fort Worth ISD’s plan works | Opinion. I get the feeling that the powers that be at the Star-Telegram are pretty tight with Mayor Parker as far as city plans go.
- Somewhat related from Candy’s Dirt: Schools Top the List of Historic Fort Worth’s Most Endangered Places.
- Fort Worth Report: What to know as Fort Worth ISD works on its 2025-26 school year budget.
- Fort Worth Report: Fort Worth ISD dedicated $22.7M to literacy efforts. Here’s what a school finance expert thinks. A pretty interesting look at how FWISD is planning over multiple years to ensure the best teachers in the district are working directly with students instead of getting promoted out of the classroom.
DMN: ‘Misinformation’: Frisco ISD says Karmelo Anthony won’t participate in grad ceremony. This is the senior who allegedly stabbed Austin Metcalf to death at a UIL track meet. They’re giving him his diploma but he won’t be allowed to walk. There’s been a lot of social media BS about this case, so the district made an announcement.
Star-Telegram: Keller school board officially quashes plan to split district. Finalizing something we knew was happening.
Related, a Star-Telegram editorial: Keller ISD shows harm of officials working in secret. DAs must keep them honest | Opinion. This is about the lingering Open Meetings Act lawsuit.
DMN: $115K poured into two Prosper ISD trustee campaigns that failed. Who spent the money?. The answer is that the Accountable Leadership Committee PAC was from out of state and spent money in races around the country, so we still don’t know. The Texas Ethics Commission is looking into allegations against the PAC.
Three from the Star-Telegram about Southlake Caroll ISD: Southlake Carroll ISD faces backlash after personnel decisions; Carroll ISD students crushed beloved principal won’t be handing them their diplomas; and Dallas Mavericks assistant slams Carroll ISD for dismissing basketball coaches. Two principals didn’t get contract renewals; a coach and a choir director were reassigned; and one coach was sacked over “sideline demeanor and use of profanity.” These were all well-loved school leaders and the board didn’t take that into account. I gather that’s normal for the Carroll board; maybe getting in a lot of trouble with parents who are voters will make a dent in their high-handed ways.

School District Saturday – 2025 05 03

Back to it after a weekend away.

Texas Tribune: 1 in 5 Texas schools got a D or F rating under new performance standards. More on Dallas’ and Fort Worth’s scores below, but yeah, it’s not good. On the other hand, the Lege could help by giving schools more money.
Dallas Morning News: Texas’ teacher recruitment and retention problem: See the data schools face. We have a lot of uncertified teachers and it’s because the job of teaching sucks and pays poorly.
Star-Telegram: If Texas wants to bolster school choice, it needs fair funding for charters. Op-ed from the CEO of a charter network.
KERA: North Texas voters to decide on billions in school bonds this election. A good description of what’s on the ballot for a number of local districts.
DMN: Data: Gun threats prompt Texas students to stay home from school. The paper based its story on safety-related attendance waivers requested from the state.
Fort Worth Report: Most AP exams will be digital this May. Here’s how a Fort Worth teacher is preparing students. The entirety of this story made me feel ancient, particularly the part where they had to teach kids to type on a keyboard because students are doing most of their work on phones or tablets.
Arlington Report: Here’s how much Arlington ISD receives in funding from the federal government. $37.5 million in federal funds in 2024-25, which was $3.8 million less than the year before.
The most recent in a series of stories about a shooting at Wilmer-Hutchins High School in Dallas ISD is this item from the DMN: A Dallas high school fortified its campus after a shooting. Then gunfire struck again. They’re doing all the things they’re supposed to do, but someone was let in a side door with a gun, bypassing the security systems.
Dallas Observer: Dallas ISD Has The Worst Graduation Rate Of Major Texas Districts. They had a four-year graduation rate of 81.4%.
Dallas Observer: Dallas ISD Gets ‘C’ Rating in Newly Released District Accountability Rating. Could be worse, but could be a lot better.
A number of stories from the Fort Worth Report about Fort Worth ISD school closings: FWISD recommends closing 2 schools, rebuilding another to reshape Northside campuses; FWISD recommends three closures, consolidation of schools in Polytechnic area; Fort Worth ISD slates De Zavala Elementary for possible 2027 closure; Fort Worth ISD proposes closing Atwood McDonald Elementary in 2027. Also, from the Star-Telegram: Elementary closure in Fort Worth ISD leads to school attendance zone changes. This one is about the closure of S.S. Dillow Elementary because of foundational issues (the foundation of the building).
Star-Telegram: New A-F ratings put Fort Worth ISD at risk of state takeover. What does it mean? One sixth-grade campus that is now closed got an F for five years running, which is the cue for a state takeover (like HISD). But since the school in question is closed, which is one of the ways to deal with a failing school, that means the risk of a takeover is low. Also in the Fort Worth Report: Here’s why Fort Worth ISD believes district is not at risk of state takeover.
Star-Telegram: Keller plans to give teachers 1% pay raise next school year as district cuts budget.
Star-Telegram: Heritage subpoenas Keller school board’s attorney for records over split scheme. Heritage is the HOA that’s suing Keller ISD over the plan to split the district that failed.
DMN: Keller ISD’s controversial proposed split spurs debate over how Texas districts divide. HB 5089 is still in committee in the House.
Star-Telegram: Was Keller ISD split racially motivated? A ‘backroom’ deal’? Trustees respond. Unsurprisingly, the school board VP and one of the trustees involved in the split plan deny everything. This was at the committee hearing in the DMN story above.
Fort Worth Report: Debate over partisanship, culture wars in Mansfield ISD at center of school board race. Unsurprisingly, the candidate wanting partisanship is a Republican supported by the True Texas Project.
DMN: State ethics panel to review allegations of ‘dark money’ in Prosper ISD trustee race. Two candidates got $50K from a PAC in Washington DC and nobody knows where the money came from.

School District Sunday – 2025 04 13

Star-Telegram: Tarrant County schools, cities urge appraisal district changes, say millions at risk. This is about the Tarrant County Appraisal District’s decision to move to appraising property every other year and the bill Rep. Chris Turner (D-Grand Prairie) to force TCAD to appraise every year.
WFAA: Texas school districts rush to pass nearly 100 bond proposals as funding remains murky in state legislature. There are 89 bond proposals on the May ballot, totalling $12 billion. The funding needs are in mid-sized districts that are growing. Also, inflation.
Dallas Observer: Trans Sports and CRT: Ken Paxton Targets North Texas School Districts. Gotta keep throwing that red meat to the base while he runs for Senate!
KERA: Dallas ISD, AG’s office reach agreement in investigation into trans athletes policy. It’s a wrist slap and all that happened is the superintendent told the district to follow state law. See: red meat for the base.
The Barbed Wire: Paxton’s Anti-CRT Lawsuit Was Based on A Manipulated Video, Coppell ISD Says. I’ve talked about this elsewhere, but the subhead says it all: “District officials claim the suit was meant to fuel debates over private school vouchers and public school funding”. See: red meat for the base.
Dallas Morning News: Dallas ISD teachers, staff could see pay increases under proposed budget. This is the budget for the next school year, of course, which is up in the air because of vouchers.
Fort Worth Report: Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD adopts new reading curriculum for $3M. It’s Amplify Texas, not Bluebonnet Learning, the controversial religious curriculum.
Star-Telegram: Fort Worth ISD election: Incumbent accuses opponent of illegal campaign activity. This is in their District 1 election; the incumbent says the challenger of illegally gathering mail-in ballots.
Star-Telegram: A new Fort Worth political action committee looks to marshal support for literacy. “Fort Worth Students First” is a PAC started by Fort Worth officials including Mayor Mattie Parker and Commissioner Manny Ramirez (both Republicans) to get elected officials on board with increasing literacy. We’ll have to see how this pans out and whether it leads to actual expenditures, like more money for the library.
Fort Worth Report: Fort Worth ISD considers closure of S.S. Dillow Elementary due to structural issues. The building has underground leaks and they’re worried about the walls moving and tiles popping off. It was already under consideration for closure under the district’s consolidation plan, but the damage to the building means it may close after this year.
Fort Worth Report: Fort Worth ISD trustees OK $22.5M in spending. Here’s what they approved in March.
Fort Worth Report: Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD sees mixed results from midyear test results.
Star-Telegram: Keller ISD will close early learning centers, consolidate classrooms to cut costs. One of the two early learning centers they’re closing is in a free-standing building that was rezoned by Fort Worth City Council recently.
Star-Telegram: Keller board says lawsuit alleging open meetings violation has no merit, calls to dismiss. They’re making technical arguments here that are above my pay grade. The gist of it is that the split didn’t happen so there’s no problem, which seems a little disingenuous to me.
Fort Worth Report: Northwest ISD budget remains $965K short following $15M in cuts to staff, programs. Voters rejected a tax increase in November, so they’re stuck figuring out how to do more with less, and it’s really going to be less with less.
Fort Worth Report: Tuition at many Fort Worth private schools is higher than proposed voucher amount. The current voucher proposal is about 2/3 of average private school tuition.

School District Saturday – 2025 04 04

This week we have some news from the Legislature about bad bills. You know what to do.

Texas Tribune & ProPublica: Texas conservatives are using school board elections to exert influence over what students learn. The headline of this article is deceptive: this article is really about at-large voting in school districts. It’s comparing Keller ISD, which we all know about, and which has only at-large trustees, and Richardson ISD, where my house is zoned, which has district trustees. And of course, Patriot Mobile is involved.
Dallas Observer: New Bill Would Remove DEI Programs From K-12 Schools. This is SB 12 filed by State Sen. Brandon Creighton, who is from Montgomery County (so not one of our local idiots; one of my home town’s exurban idiots). The bill would also ban queer student groups like Gay-Straight Alliance. Call your reps.
Dallas Morning News: Texas school libraries could have tighter oversight if Republicans get their way. This is SB 13 filed by State Sen. Angela Paxton (R-McKinney), who is one of our exurban idiots. And yes, in case you didn’t know, she is also Mrs. Ken Paxton. The DMN’s editors failed to notice that the bill number wasn’t included in the article, so I had to chase it down in this Texas Tribune article. I can excuse that in a blog but nobody pays bloggers! Wherever this is in the process, we need to find out and call our reps, because our local school districts need to decide what students can read, not the State Board of Education and certainly not the Lege.
KERA: Texas cleared to release 2023 school accountability ratings, appeals court rules. Also the Texas Tribune: Texas Education Agency can release schools’ 2023 performance ratings, appeals court rules, updated with the most recent developments. The school ratings are a complicated topic that I’m not competent to address, but what I do know is the state will use these ratings to take over urban districts like Houston. And based on HISD, I don’t think anybody the state puts in charge of a district is going to do right by the students.
DMN: What we know about the fatal Frisco track meet stabbing. This is tragic. A 17-year-old was stabbed to death at a UIL track meet in Frisco. The assailant, another 17-year-old, claims self-defense and is facing a murder charge. I have to wonder what impact this case is going to have on the demand for school security. On the one hand, how did a student get a knife into a track meet? On the other hand, how do you keep legitimate tools that can be used as weapons, like box cutters, out of the hands of students who might use them to hurt someone. Another one where I don’t have answers, just questions, and condolences for the victim.
Fort Worth Report: Arlington ISD owns 168 acres of undeveloped land worth over $15.7M. Here’s why. Tax foreclosures are a big part of it. I’m not surprised to find out this happens but the look at what they’re trying to do with the properties, most of which will be taken over by the city of Arlington, was news to me.
KERA: ‘Grossly misleading’: Coppell ISD officials deny teaching critical race theory in lawsuit. This is the Ken Paxton lawsuit based on Accuracy in Media’s edited video. AIM is not James O’Keefe-level lying but I don’t trust them. Also, CRT is a term with a technical meaning that is actually taught in graduate schools; it’s not appropriate for secondary schools. It does not actually mean Black history, despite what some people like to say on reactionary web sites.
DMN editorial: Dallas ISD leads again on retaining teachers. It’s the money. Pay-for-performance plan money, but it’s money.
Texas Tribune: Ken Paxton wants Dallas school officials under oath on transgender athlete policy. Also KERA: AG Paxton wants to depose Dallas ISD officials over transgender athletes policy. This is another investigation driven by Accuracy In Media. DISD says it’s following the law; AIM got someone to say they might be able to let a kid play if the kid’s birth certificate had been changed. Changes to birth certificates are illegal in Texas, but some other states will still change them. Our tax dollars at work.
Star-Telegram: Keller school board to consider campus closings, bond issue for 2025-26 school year. They have a $9.4 million shortfall for the next school year. I wonder how much of that is legal bills.
Related, also in the Star-Telegram: Fort Worth HOA demands removal of 5 Keller ISD board members over split. This is the lawsuit over the board violating the Texas Open Meetings Act. Also, remember up at the top of this post where we talked about the differences between the at-large school boards and the single-member district boards, with Keller as one example? This is an example of how at-large boards go very, very wrong.
DMN: Transgender teacher at North Texas district resigns after viral video spurs threats. This is in Red Oak ISD, south of Dallas and the viral piece comes from Libs of Tik Tok. I’m very sad for her. Also, her State Rep is Brian Harrison, whom the article quotes as demanding her job, and I’m sad for her about that too.

School District Sunday – 2025 03 30

Normally this is a Saturday event, but this week we’ve had to delay to Sunday evening.

Texas Monthly: “We Might Have a Mutiny on Our Hands”: Why One Texas District Won’t Abandon the Four-Day School Week. An interview with the superintendent of Athens ISD, which is about an hour and 15 minutes from Dallas in East Texas. They’ve been running a four-day school week for six years. Since a lot of rural districts are now looking at moving to four-day weeks for retention reasons, this is a preview of the rural future.
Texas Tribune: Texas schools have leaned on uncertified teachers to fill vacancies. Lawmakers want to put a stop to it. Almost 40% of new teachers in Texas are uncertified this year. The state will pay to help them get certified, but there will still be a shortage, and according to the article, teacher salaries in Texas are about $9,000 less than the national average. All this explains why rural districts are willing to go to four-day weeks to retain the good teachers they have and attract new ones.
Fort Worth Report: Fact brief: Can Texas school districts use voter-approved bonds for budget deficits?. Answer: NO.
Texas Observer: ‘We’re Not Just Some Bureaucrats’: DOE Employees on How Their Work Helps Texas Students. Former employees from the Dallas office of the Department of Education talk about what they did until their office was shut down by the current administration.
Dallas Observer: North Texas School Districts Among The Wealthiest in Texas. Our area took seven of the top ten spots, including Highland Park and Southlake-Carroll, which are tied for first place.
Moving into local districts, we have news from Coppell ISD (which is one of those top ten districts). From KERA: Texas AG sues Coppell ISD in response to undercover ‘critical race theory’ video. This is Accuracy in Media, and “edited” may be doing a lot of work there along with “critical race theory”, which often means any accurate history of how badly America has treated her Black citizens, during and after slavery. Also in the Texas Tribune: Texas AG Ken Paxton accuses Coppell ISD of violating Texas’ “critical race theory” ban.
We have two stories from the Fort Worth Report about Eagle-Saginaw ISD. First, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD looks to lower student-to-teacher ratios despite $10M deficit. Even if they lower the ratios to 24:1, they’ll still be above the state requirement of 22:1 and need to get a waiver. Second: Why Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD’s new superintendent is hopeful about public education. A bit of a puff piece but note, as a piece of the larger pie, that the new superintendent calls out the Lege’s refusal to increase the per-pupil allocation for schools since 2019.
KERA: To cut costs, Euless charter school to lose middle, high school grades. They’re also going to a four-day school week next year to keep their teachers.
There’s a lot of news about Fort Worth ISD and its new superintendent, mostly but not all from the Fort Worth Report.
- Fort Worth Report: How much will Fort Worth ISD’s new superintendent earn? Here are the details from her contract? $360,000 annually for the next three years, without the bonus structure that the previous superintendent got.
- Fort Worth Report: Q&A: Superintendent Karen Molinar outlines Fort Worth ISD’s turnaround efforts. Also: Transcript: Newsmaker Q&A with Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Karen Molinar.
- Fort Worth Report: Educators vie to represent southwest Fort Worth ISD on school board. This is for the District 7 election.
- We have two stories on literacy efforts in FWISD. First, from the Star-Telegram: Fort Worth ISD wants to redirect $22.7 million toward reading, which will mean job cuts. And, related, from the Fort Worth Report: Fort Worth ISD looks to spur reading renaissance through literacy-infused budget. There are a lot of statistics and charts about FWISD’s performance in this one.
- Last, but not least, a follow-up to a story from last year in the Fort Worth Report: Fort Worth ISD apologizes to North Side cheerleaders following fall racist incident. Last year, during the previous superintendent’s tenure, North Side high cheerleaders were insulted with (anti-Latino) racial slurs by Arlington Heights students. The district can’t pin down exactly who said what so nobody’s getting punished and the cheerleaders are unsurprisingly unsatisfied.
We also have a lot of fallout from the Keller ISD situation even after the board made the decision not to split the district. Most of the news is from the Star-Telegram.
- Star-Telegram: ‘It’s not over’: Opponents of squashed Keller ISD split rejoice, but demand transparency.
- Star-Telegram: Keller ISD’s pursuit of a split district is over, but the school board’s legal woes aren’t.
- Star-Telegram: Keller school board may have violated open meetings act with decision to kill split. Unsurprising, since they’ve been violating it all along.
- Star-Telegram editorial: Effort to divide Keller schools was sneaky to the end. How do we prevent a repeat? | Opinion. The answer seems to be “throw the current board out”, which is probably a good idea. I’ve heard but haven’t seen proof that the board members behind the plan were Patriot Mobile candidates, so they need to go if that’s the case regardless of their position on the split.
- Star-Telegram: Keller trustees who were ‘blindsided’ by split plan surprised again when plan is called off. This is my lack of surprise face.
- Fort Worth Report: Council approves new zoning for planned Cultural District hotel, Keller ISD properties. This is about the properties in the Fort Worth city limits that it really looks like the district-splitters wanted to sell off to make a bunch of money.
- Two on the same move by the Heritage HOA, one of the groups opposed to the Keller split. First, from the Fort Worth Report: Heritage HOA demands removal of Keller ISD trustees over alleged open meetings violations. Also in the Star-Telegram: Keller school board member calls latest legal move a ‘publicity stunt,’ waste of money. I hope all the board members involved end up out on their ears in May and that part of the lawsuit is rendered moot.
Fort Worth Report: Mansfield ISD trustees approve library books every month. Now, the policy might go statewide. This is about SB 13. You’d have to have a small district and the number of library books you add each month would have to be small for the policy of taking individual book choices to the trustee level to make sense.
Fort Worth Report: Northwest ISD is spending $3 billion on new schools, stadiums. Here’s where projects stand. Mansfield currently has 33,000 students and is expecting another 18,000 by 2033, so they need more facilities.
Dallas Morning News: Plano arts center: $67.5M building offers new amenities in Dallas suburb. I attended a couple of events in a Plano ISD auditorium when my niblings were in high school there, so I’m glad to see them building something nice(r) for the kids. I’m interested in this venue for non-school shows, too; I’ve been to shows at the Eisemann, which is one of their comparison halls, and I’m happy to see some competition for shows. I hope it means we’ll get more acts in suburban venues.

School District Saturday – 2025 03 15

We’ll start today with the biggest news, which is the change of heart from the half of the board of Keller ISD which makes the decisions, and move on from there. The themes are clear: districts have a lot of money problems, small districts are going to four days a week, and a lot of kids need to get vaccinated.

Fort Worth Report: Keller ISD abandons plan to split district into two, citing financial barriers; Dallas Morning News: Keller school board kills plan to split district, citing costs associated with detachment; Star-Telegram: Keller school board kills plan to split district, citing costs associated with detachment. Not the outcome I expected but I’m glad they came to the correct conclusion. Nobody wanted the district to split except half of the board, and I hope those folks aren’t on the board much longer after all this. Also, some related items from before the board made this decision:
- KERA: Keller ISD grapples with potential $12.4M deficit as new split details emerge. One of the factors leading up to the decision.
- Fort Worth Report: Former Keller ISD superintendent to earn $425K after resigning amid split proposal. Also a factor. And now they lost her and the money for nothing.
- As Keller ISD saga continues, lawmaker seeks to require public vote on school district splits. That’s State Rep. David Lowe (R-North Richland Hills), and the bill was filed before the decision not to split the district came out.
KERA: Dallas ISD absences spiked in January – and it could cost the district. Looks like it wasn’t just illnesses, but also immigration threats. The article explains how attendance and absences affect funding.
DMN: Fewer Dallas teachers will get bonuses as school turnaround model shifts. This is about bonus money teachers get at schools that need to “turn around”. They’re reducing the number of schools that get extra support from 80 to 50, so fewer teachers will get the extra pay.
Fort Worth Report: Fort Worth ISD spares five schools from closure or consolidation. More decisions loom. The district isn’t going to get any more money from the state, and enrollment is declining as we go into another demographic low, so they’re going to have to find savings somewhere. I feel sorry for everyone involved. Related, also from the Fort Worth Report: Vouchers aren’t pushing Fort Worth ISD to close schools, leaders say. Here’s what is.
Star-Telegram: Fort Worth ISD school board hires Karen Molinar for superintendent position. This is something of a formality since she was the only finalist. See also the Fort Worth Report: Fort Worth ISD trustees hire new superintendent.
Star-Telegram: FWISD board says it prioritizes literacy. Time to put district’s money where its mouth is | Opinion. I don’t know the organizations behind this op-ed, but I’m noting it here.
Fort Worth Report: Fort Worth ISD trustees OK $22M in spending. Here’s what they approved in February. The Fort Worth Report covers FWISD spending every month.
Fort Worth Report: Fact brief: Is Fort Worth ISD considering a four-day school week? No. Though other area districts are.
Star-Telegram: 4 challengers are on Fort Worth ISD school board ballot in May. Here are their priorities.
Fort Worth Report: Arlington ISD cuts 27 junior high teaching positions through attrition, increases class sizes.
Fort Worth Report: Q&A: These candidates want to be on Arlington ISD school board. Here are their priorities.
KERA: Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD to close four schools. Three elementary schools and one middle school.
Fort Worth Report: Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD faces $10M deficit in next budget, admins eye cuts.
KERA: Grand Prairie ISD names lone superintendent finalist. He’s Gabe Trujillo, currently Nacogdoches ISD superintendent.
Star-Telegram: Mondays no more: Kennedale ISD to switch to four-day school week in 2026. Kennedale is south-southeast of Fort Worth, between Fort Worth and Mansfield.
D Magazine: Monty Bennett Is Secret Mastermind Behind Dallas Charter School Group. And when the educators involved figured it out, most of them immediately quit because Bennett is toxic.
Is the four-day school week inevitable? Why more Texas districts are headed that way | Opinion. This op-ed by Mark Davis, a local talk radio guy who regularly opines for the paper, is probably a good look at what the talk radio listener at home thinks.
DMN: What does the U.S. Department of Education do for Texas students?. Our tax dollars no longer at work, because the current administration has decided to close the Department of Education whether it’s legal or not.
Last but not least, a series of articles about measles:
- DMN: Map: These Texas schools have low measles vaccination rates. Yikes.
- WFAA: These North Texas schools have the lowest measles vaccination rates in the region. Also yikes.
- DMN: Fort Worth’s Mercy Culture celebrates school with lowest measles vaccination rate in Texas. Under 15%. Very yikes. This is the school attached to the church where Rep. Nate Schatzline is pastor.
- Star-Telegram: Mercy Culture pastor celebrates church school having lowest vaccination rate in Texas. There’s even a picture of the head pastor wearing a T-shirt celebrating this “achievement”.

School District Saturday – 2025 03 01

This week our news again centers on Tarrant County, specifically Fort Worth and Keller ISDs. Fort Worth has been holding community meetings on school closures. Keller ISD is continuing doing whatever it thinks it’s doing.

Texas Tribune: Republican lawmaker files bills to ban DEI in Texas K-12 public schools. I don’t even have words for how this bill is taking up valuable time that could go to solving a real problem in Texas.
Fort Worth Report: Tarrant Appraisal District to discuss reappraisal plan in March amid school district outcry. The outcry is because the reappraisal plan (every two years) is going to significantly reduce school district funding. One of the things I like about the Fort Worth Report is that they explain matters like how changing the timing of appraisals interacts with state funding.
Arlington Report: Arlington gives final approval to gas wells near day care center over resident opposition. Technically not a school story but I feel like it fits.
Dallas Free Press: Second resource center for DISD families to open in West Dallas. Resources available include free groceries twice a month, a laundry room with detergent included, and afterschool activities for DISD children.
Fort Worth Report: Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD’s nature-infused admin building wins statewide award. It also includes two science labs for students.
Star-Telegram editorial: Did FWISD find best possible superintendent? No one can say, and that’s not ideal | Opinion. They’re not happy about the lack of transparency in the hiring process.
Star-Telegram: 4 challengers are on Fort Worth ISD school board ballot in May. Here are their priorities.
A series of articles on upcoming Fort Worth ISD school closures and the community discussions around them:
- Fort Worth Report: ‘Comes with some sacrifice’: Fort Worth ISD tells communities about school closure options.
- Star-Telegram: More questions than answers for community at Fort Worth ISD meeting on school closures.
- Star-Telegram: ‘A lot of talking at people’: Fort Worth ISD holds second meeting on school closures.
- Fort Worth Report: Fort Worth ISD seeks balance between community voice, data in school closure plan.
- Star-Telegram: Fort Worth ISD’s third community meeting on school closures sparks array of emotions.
- Fort Worth Report: After his son adjusted to school, he learned the boy’s Fort Worth ISD campus could close.
Star-Telegram: Fort Worth ISD could join hundreds of districts suing 4 social media giants. Here’s why. 200 districts including HISD and Northside ISD in San Antonio are already plaintiffs in the suit against Google (YouTube), Meta (Facebook and Instagram)m ByteDance (TikTok), and Snap (Snapchat), claiming the companies designed the products to addict children and teens and instill anxiety when they’re not online. The suit’s allegations may have some merit but I’m not sure what the legal recourse is.
There are two stories on Keller ISD’s budget shortfall. From the Star-Telegram: Extensive cuts likely in Keller school district as it wrestles with budget shortfall. And from the Fort Worth Report: Keller ISD grapples with potential $12.4M deficit as new split details emerge. The Fort Worth Report story also covers more of the ongoing issues around the possible breakup of the district and the previously reported rezoning of the land owned by the district.
Related in the Star-Telegram: Keller school board member frustrated that colleagues hid cost of district audit.
Star-Telegram: Fort Worth wants to buy troubled Keller ISD property, but certain conditions must be met. This is about the land that Keller ISD had to buy next to one of their elementary schools last year because they failed to get it zoned properly to keep someone from putting an extended-stay motel next to the school.
Fort Worth Report: City of Fort Worth pushes for public vote in Keller ISD split.
Star-Telegram: Texas school district reports on investigation into bullying that led to girl’s suicide. This is the case Jocelynn Rojo Carranza, who was taunted by classmates who threatened to have her family deported. The district is Gainesville ISD, near the Oklahoma border.
Two stories about Ponder ISD’s switch to a four-day week in the 2025-2026 school year. First, from WFAA: Another North Texas school district is switching to a four-day schedule. And from KERA: Ponder ISD approves 4-day school week for next year. Ponder ISD is in Denton County.