Good morning,

Here is today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Wednesday, January 15, 2020
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• Has the Texas Oil & Gas Association – under the direction of former GOP Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples – decided to take a hard-left turn appeasing the radical environmentalist movement by accepting the man-made “climate change” rhetoric? That’s basically how KUT public radio put it in describing TXOGA as accepting its “role in climate change.” 
     
• The audio seems to back KUT up. Staples told reporters on a media call that “all emissions” were responsible for man-made climate change – including the oil and gas industry. Brandon Waltens has the story.
     
• Even left-leaning reporters on the call seemed surprised TXOGA was now accepting the “man-made climate change” rhetoric – despite Staples asserting this was “consistent” with TXOGA’s previous statements.  
        
• The Manor Independent School District lost $2.3 million dollars to an online scam. Jacob Asmussen has the details.
      
• Meanwhile, the Austin Independent School District is whining about how much money they have “lost” to charter schools. KLBJ News Radio reports AISD claims the school district could lose nearly 9,000 more students to charter schools by 2026. Yet for some reason the district bureaucracy isn’t addressing the fundamental question of why parents are pulling their kids out of AISD.
        
• Remember: charter schools are public schools. They receive per pupil funding from the state, but cannot levy taxes. And parents can withdraw their kids any time the school doesn’t meet their needs.
      
• According to the most recent data from the Texas Education Agency, teachers make up 57.3 percent of charter school staff in the Lone Star State. Compare that with traditional public schools, where teachers are 49.8 percent of the staff.
       
• I’ve said this for a long time, but for too many bureaucrats the purpose of public education seems to be the employment of adults rather than the education of children. Students are the excuse for money, not the reason to exist. Until that changes, parents will continue to seek what they hope will be better opportunities for their kids.

• Remember the “mystery box” of ballots uncovered in the circus that was Midland’s recent school bond election? A judge ordered last week that the box be opened and the ballots counted. Matt Stringer has the details.
      
• “The manual recount, of yeas and nays on Friday, will not alter the election result but may bring a modicum of clarity to an election contest that has been marred by confusion and novel election administration issues.” – Daniel Greer of Direct Action Texas
     
• Our friends at Texas Right to Life are hosting a special conference in Austin the weekend of Jan. 25 & 26, designed to encourage and equip pro-life activists for greater effectiveness. Learn more about “Boots on the Ground” by visiting the event website.

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