By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1B The future of Wilmer-Hutchins will come down to two votes: one in Austin, one at the district’s polling places. The troubled school district is relying on legislative action to make its financial bind less painful – and counting on voters to extend the district a lifeline this July. […]
Category: DMN | Education
Teachers file suit to secure paychecks, come what may
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 2B The Wilmer-Hutchins school district may not have the money to pay its bills this summer, but teachers want to ensure their paychecks are secure. A teachers group filed suit Monday against the district and a bank to ensure that teachers will be first in line if the district’s […]
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W-H gets new leaders; State ousts trustees, picks manager board and superintendent
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A For the fourth time since November, Wilmer-Hutchins teachers will have a new superintendent to call boss. But this time they’ll have an entirely new board, too. State Education Commissioner Shirley Neeley swept into the troubled district Thursday and swept out the seven-member school board that has overseen the […]
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Tough choices ahead in Wilmer-Hutchins; State hopes panel dissolves district before big budget cuts kick in
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1B State officials say it’s unlikely they will force the shutdown of Wilmer-Hutchins schools in the next few months. But they are hopeful a federally approved board of managers may do it for them. If that can happen before next school year, children would be saved from the results […]
State stiffens school ratings; Many more will be ‘unacceptable’; bill could spur privatization
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A The number of schools the state considers failing will skyrocket next year under a tougher accountability system approved by state Education Commissioner Shirley Neeley. And a new Senate proposal could pave the way to dozens or hundreds of those failing schools being taken over by private companies. “I’m […]
W-H cancels meeting; But state overseers gather, rehire interim superintendent
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1B The great Wilmer-Hutchins agenda debate continues. Last week, both the district’s school board and its state overseers produced agendas for Monday night’s meeting. The documents differed in some fairly substantial ways – for instance, about who would be the district’s superintendent and who would serve on its school […]
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Column: History teacher cut from starting lineup
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1B I can’t promise you Linda Hosey would be a great history teacher. I’ve never seen her try to wrangle a classroom of distracted 16-year-olds. I’ve never seen her try to explain the fall of the Bastille or the rise of the New Deal. But I think it’s fair […]
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State back in charge of W-H school district; Court order overturned; more changes ahead as fired chief plans return
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A State officials are back in charge of running Wilmer-Hutchins schools, and changes are on the way. The 5th District Court of Appeals threw out a week-old temporary restraining order Friday. That order, issued by state District Court Judge Merrill Hartman, had removed the state-imposed management team that has […]
State acts to regain oversight of W-H; Abbott asks court to negate order barring TEA team from action
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1B The Texas attorney general’s office is asking a Dallas appeals court to immediately return to the state oversight of the troubled Wilmer-Hutchins school district. “It is an emergency request,” said Tom Kelley, a spokesman for Attorney General Greg Abbott. “We want to put back what was undone.” On […]
TEA plans reply to W-H and judge; Injunction that allowed chief to be fired may be appealed; trustee quits
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1B The Texas Education Agency believes it has every right to intervene in the troubled Wilmer-Hutchins schools, and it plans to fight a judge’s order throwing it out of the district. “We’re trying to act quickly and put together a response,” said Ron Rowell, the TEA’s senior director of […]