Under the category of “They paved Paradise, and put in a parking lot”, a Texas school district plans to lay off librarians, close some libraries and use the spaces for disciplinary “Team Centers”.
HISD to eliminate librarians, turn libraries into discipline centers at 28 campuses (click2houston.com)
Let me guess. This will not affect any of the charter schools in, shall we say, a less pigmented neighborhood. And those students with behavior issues, let me guess how the demographics of that will track over time.
This is one of the “reforms” being implemented by the new Abbott-appointed superintendent after the state took over the Houston Independent School District.
Will there be leg irons?
Only if they run. Additional sets each time they are brought back.
Funny you should say that:
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Most of the 28 schools that were designated for the NES program are in the feeder patterns for Kashmere, North Forest and Wheatley high schools, which are located in low-income communities of color.](City leaders criticize Houston ISD superintendent Mike Miles over plans for school libraries – Houston Public Media)
A man can’t learn if his mind ain’t right.
Fast forward to 6:12
Is an “independent” school district run by a board of state appointees anything like a “democratic republic” run by a dictator succeeded by his son? 
Pretty much.
Though the terminology can be misleading. All the school districts in Texas (with one exception that’s a bit odd) are “Independent School Districts”. The taxing authority for Houston ISD is still independent, so there’s that.
It’s not the only example. The state recently carving out a separate rule for Harris County (where Houston is) because there’s too many Democrats is another.
It’s almost like the general principle of letting local government handle local affairs is only ok if Republicans hold the local offices as well. …Hm 
I’m sure that’s the case.
A municipality voting blue is considered indisputable evidence that those people clearly can’t rule themselves and need the strong hand of their betters to set them on the true red path.
If you can’t vote for the right party clearly you shouldn’t vote at all.
A body has been found stuck in a floating barrier installed by Texas authorities in the Rio Grande river on the US border, Mexico’s foreign ministry has said.
The Texas government installed the barrier in July and said at the time the buoys would “help deter illegal immigrants attempting to make the dangerous river crossing into Texas”.
I wonder if Greg Abbott has a chalkboard in his office with tick marks on it.
It was just a matter of time.
I hope that the family files a wrongful death suit.
Nah. He has little human silhouettes on the side of his chair.
And/or notches in the armrests.
He has Mexican family silhouettes on the rear windshield of his car, with barbed wire, walls, and border crossing guards, and the words, “Texas doesn’t care about your stupid stick figure family.”
Further proof (as if we needed any) of how much Republicans value children.
BTW, I recommend adding The Texas Tribune to your regular reading list.
Complete headline: Some child care providers expect to shutter after Texas lawmakers leave $2.3 billion proposal off final budget
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With the federal pandemic relief money set to expire, state Rep. Armando Walle, D-Houston had hoped the state could step in and buoy child care providers. He tucked a $2.29 billion request to fund child care in the 2024-25 budget.Walle admitted it was “an ambitious ask” but one that felt justifiable given the need and the record budget surplus of $32.7 billion.
…
The proposal ended up being relegated to the “wish list” section of the budget, which meant it was a point of negotiation between the House and Senate. But it did not make it into the final budget.
The record budget surplus ended up going towards different state priorities, including $12.3 billion in new money to property tax cuts.
…
Texas historically hasn’t invested in child care, according to Cody Summerville, the executive director of Texas Association for the Education of Young Children. Instead, the state has allocated the minimum amount of money to child care required to draw down more federal dollars.
…
Of the over 1,500 child care programs surveyed by the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children, 44% suggested a likelihood they will close their programs within the next year.
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My bold.
And who are the primary users of these particular child care services? Not those who stand to benefit from property tax cuts.
The child care center owner who is quoted at the beginning of the article (whom I did not quote) can only pay her workers $10 to $12 an hour, “not a living wage,” as she points out. They can go to Burger King and get $15/hour. Without affordable child care, poor and middle-class families can’t work unless they have family members who can mind their children. I often made this case when I wrote grant proposals for a faith-based agency that ran three child care centers in the economically stressed part of town.
Why isn’t the DOJ launching an investigation against Abbott for the 2 people who died because of his buoys?
And what did he do with the money he was given to fix the grid? We should ask for an audit.
A three year old child died on one of Abbott’s buses to Chicago.
On the Yahoo article’s comments, the usual magatoflatearthers are blaming both the child’s parents and President Biden, of course. And, also of course, some are even blaming the child for trying to get into America.
A child dying while being involuntarily transported across state lines just has to be a federal crime.