Much anticipated and somewhat controversial public school ratings were released this week. They're based on a number of things, including a "projection measure" that allows schools to take credit for kids who don't pass if those kids are expected to do well later on. That has boosted school ratings for the last two years and drawn considerable criticism in the process. Although the TEA has defended the practice and lauded the number of schools receiving the highest ratings of exemplary and recognized, Education Commissioner Robert Scott has acknowledged that the program could be modified or even scrapped next year.
Sharon Keller isn't done. Offered a chance to accept a sanction and remain on the court, the presiding judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals instead filed a petition with the Texas Supreme Court questioning the legality of the action against her by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. Kellers petition alleges that the Commission does not have the constitutional authority to issue a public warning and followed a procedural rule that conflicts with the state constitution. The commission's response to the court was due as this was published.
The campaigns are warming up. Bill White again accused Rick Perry of getting a Texas Enterprise Fund grant to benefit someone whose land dealings had benefited the governor. Perry's defense? The grant money referenced was never paid out. Perry bought the land in question from Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, who had purchased it from Doug Jaffe, an investor in the company that received the TEF grant. An independent appraiser has stated that the purchase price was under market value to the tune of about $150,000.
Big donors to a Republican candidate don't usually appear on fundraising reports for Democratic candidates. But this years gubernatorial race has been unusual from the beginning, and the challenge to the governor from within his own party, in the form of Kay Bailey Hutchison, created a wedge that Bill Whites campaign has successfully mined for general election funds. Perry's still ahead. But Hutchisons supporters have split their support, with White receiving about 60 percent of the amount given to Perry.
A hot topic in the desert Southwest this summer, illegal immigration cannot be addressed without border security, according to Gov. Perry. He has repeatedly said that Texas does not need an Arizona-style immigration law and continues to stress the need for increased patrolling of the border. More National Guard troops have been sent to the border area, but Perrys contention is that the 250 allotted to Texas are not nearly enough to secure the border.
As the state of Texas moves forward with its lawsuit against the EPA, local officials in Fort Worth are doing their own environmental testing. The city has contracted with Eastern Research Group to conduct tests and compile a report that will provide a picture of the impact of natural gas drilling in the area and the resulting air quality. Concern over the emissions generated at the more than 1,200 wells in the area was heightened in May when the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality admitted that it had suppressed results of tests in January that showed high levels of benzene, a chemical known to cause cancer.