Good morning,

Should private schools be required to administer the state's academic achievement test? The leadership of the Texas House seems to think so, but today's One Click Survey is asking your opinion.

But first, here is the Texas Minute for Monday, October 30, 2023.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

BUT FIRST...

• Congratulations to Sydnie Henry, who has been named the new managing editor of Texas Scorecard. Her predecessor, Brandon Waltens, isn't going anywhere, though. He has been promoted to senior editor.
        
• This is a good time to mention we are expanding our writing team. We're hiring full-time journalists and taking applications for our paid fellowship program designed for college-aged Texans.

Teachers' Unions Listed as Founding Members of Texas Democrat Initiative

• Two Texas teacher unions—Texas State Teachers Association and the Texas American Federation of Teachers—were listed last week as founding members of a new campaign initiative launched by the state's Democrats. Emily Medeiros has the details.
       

• Texas Democrats announced the party's new plan, called the Texas Blueprint, is designed to “maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of Democratic partners across Texas.”

      

• As public outrage grew late last week, the supporting groups' names were removed from the Democrats' website. Texas AFT, which is part of the AFL-CIO, now claims their name was added "in error."

Travis County Judge Orders TEA Not to Release School Ratings

• A Travis County judge has ordered the Texas Education Agency to abstain from releasing its annual A-F school ratings.
       
• The order from Judge Catherine Mauzy (D) comes after more than 100 school districts sued Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath over changes to the calculation of the scores.
       
• Judge Mauzy ruled that the changes to the accountability ratings violate Texas law and would cause “irreparable harm” to school districts.
      
• "This ruling completely disregards the laws of this state and for the foreseeable future, prevents any A-F performance information from being issued to help millions of parents and educators improve the lives of our students," said agency officials in a media statement.
       
• The TEA is expected to appeal the decision.

Denton Asks Voters To Approve $309 Million in Bonds

• Denton city officials are asking voters to approve eight bond propositions on the November ballot totaling $309 million. Erin Anderson reports that buried within four of the propositions are carve-outs totaling $3 million for “public art.”
       
• Projects the city wants local property taxpayers to finance include streets, drainage, parks, public safety, affordable housing, a new active adults center, a new South Branch Library, and City Hall West renovations.
     
• The $309 million is just the principal to be borrowed. With interest, the proposed bonds would cost Denton property taxpayers significantly more than the dollar amounts shown on the ballot.

Paxton Attorney Mitch Little Announces Campaign for Texas House

• North Texas Attorney Mitch Little, who was part of the defense team representing Attorney General Ken Paxton in his impeachment trial last month, has officially announced his campaign to run for the Texas House. Brandon Waltens has the story.

     
• Little is seeking the Republican nomination for House District 65, currently represented by freshman State Rep. Kronda Thimesch (R–Lewisville). He originally served as her campaign treasurer but says he has been disappointed by her votes as a legislator.
         
• "[H]er very first votes were to elect a liberal Speaker, allow left-wing Democrats to Chair important committees and put an Obama lawyer in charge of House proceedings. That’s not standing up for conservatives; that’s selling us out to the Austin establishment,” said Little.

Katy ISD Students Asked to Reflect on ‘White Privilege’

• Popular conservative social media account Libs of TikTok has drawn attention to an assignment discussing “white privilege” given to students in Katy Independent School District. Sydnie Henry reports that the assignment appears to run afoul of a state law prohibiting educators from teaching that one race is inherently superior to another.
       
• In 2021, the Texas Legislature passed a state law banning K-12 educators from including in a course the concept that “one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex.” It also bans teaching that “an individual, by virtue of the individual’s race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.”
       
• The assignment provided to Katy ISD students directed them to watch videos from a series titled "Intersection of I" created by the Whiteness Project.
       
• Students were also directed to answer the question, “How is colorblindness a form of white privilege?”
       
• A spokesman for Katy ISD told Texas Scorecard the previously undisclosed assignment took place last school year at Tompkins High School. "To be clear, it was not a campus or district-sanctioned lesson or classroom activity and is not part of the approved Katy ISD curriculum."

Today In History

On Oct. 30, 1735, John Adams was born. He signed the Declaration of Independence, was the United State’s first vice president under the Constitution, and the second president.

Quote-Unquote

"Is there an idea more radical in the history of the human race than turning your children over to total strangers whom you know nothing about, and having those strangers work on your child's mind, out of your sight, for a period of twelve years? Could there be a more radical idea than that? Back in Colonial days in America, if you proposed that kind of idea, they'd burn you at the stake, you mad person! It's a mad idea!"

– John Taylor Gatto​

ONE CLICK SURVEY

Education activists on both sides of the "school choice" debate have been unified in their desire to see the abolition of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness test that is imposed on public schools. The STARR has been criticized as a poor testing instrument that dictates the direction of classroom instruction. 

The Texas House leadership has proposed imposing the STARR test on private schools. Should private schools be required to administer the test?

Once you’ve clicked an answer, reply to this email with any thoughts you’d like to share!