Open Letter to Texas Legislature on School Funding and Accountability
A Texas school district superintendent writes to lawmakers urging equitable funding and revised accountability. He critiques property tax reliance, cites the 2017 2018 A F system rollout, mock grades from incomplete data, and past STAAR testing issues including a 20.7 million fine for the test contractor. He stresses prioritizing accurate, transparent measures of school success.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Texas
Austin
Texas Supreme Court
Mike Morath
Hog Island’s Rise and Fall From Pasture to Marshland
Wanda Orton recounts Hog Island’s history near Tabbs Bay from its 1800s use for swine by Dr. Ashbel Smith to its 20th century role as a Gulf Coast oil workers’ stopover. Once bought by John Gaillard and sold to Humble Oil, the island later inspired the Hog Island Project a planned nature center and park that never materialized due to World War II and later hurricane damage.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Houston
Hog Island
Ashbel Smith
Tabbs Bay
Evergreen
Goose Creek
Hettie Perry
John Gaillard
Smith
Gaillard
Goose Creek Oil Co
Humble Oil & Refining Co
Morgan’s Point
Baytown
Texas Highway Department
East Harris
Harris County
Houston Ship Channel Navigation District
Harris County Commissioners Court
Federation, Highway Department and Navigation District
Highway Department
Baytown-La Porte
Nutcracker show boosts local cultural scene in Baytown
Jim Finley recounts attending a Nutcracker performance at Lee College with Bay Area Houston Ballet Theatre and Baytown Symphony Orchestra led by Dennis Eichler. He praises the talent, notes elementary aged performers, and credits the experience with his personal cultural growth and writing style. He mentions attendees, hearing aid mishap, and hopes for future Nutcracker involvement.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bay Area
Houston Ballet Theatre
Baytown Symphony Orchestra
Lee College
Performing Arts Center
Baytown
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Ludwig van Beethoven
Katie Ericison
Christian
Kamille
Connor
Collin
Robin Richards
Mary Jane Ethridge
Margie
Dennis Eichler
Sweeny
Dennis
Ian
Debbie Gillespie
Texas
New York Times
Also Mentioned on This Page
Randal O’brien
O'Brien
Sun
Krispy Kreme
Donut Shop
Saltgrass Steak House
Donald Trump
Rex Tillerson
Baytownsun.com
The
Baytown Sun
Memorial Drive
Baytownsun
Facebook
Thebaytowns
Usiness
Janie Gray
David Bloom W
Carol Skewes
Jim Finley
Jay Eshbach
M. A. Bengts
David Bloom
Mike Wilson
Newsroom
Sion
P.O
Sunnews
Southern Newspapers Inc
U.S
P.O. Box
Wanda Orton
the Sun
Viewpoints
Baytownsun. Com
Orton
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Victoria Advocate
Chuck Berry
Dean Martin
Jim
Finley
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