Education

Both Republicans and Democrats say it will be a long day as the House considers a Senate budget bill. An amendment added by Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, addresses the possibility of Medicaid expansion in Texas.

The San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists continues to grow its scholarship fund and has, for the second year in a row, passed a benchmark in providing funding to college students.

Each year the San Antonio chapter strives to bring more deserving students into the profession. Communications Officer Javier Flores said that last year the organization was able to award $25,000 for the first time in its history.

Is CSCOPE an education resource designed to help struggling school districts? Or is it a vast anti-American conspiracy that uses Texas classrooms to convert children to Islam and communism?

CSCOPE is an online curriculum management resource developed by the Texas Education Service Center Curriculum Collaborative (TESCCC), a group made up of the 20 education service centers in the state. The group develops their curriculum framework through several sources.

Stakeholders of center city development got together today to talk about balancing the needs of young urban professionals with growing families as the revitalization of downtown moves forward.

About 200 members of the Urban Land Institute heard different perspectives from school officials, business partners and real estate gurus about the development of downtown for family residences.

A focus group of real estate agents revealed that many don’t think of showing downtown homes to their clients with families.

Tomorrow, 25 schools across San Antonio will have special visitors to talk about the medical field. Dr. Pam Otto is one of the visiting doctors and said she has talked to students in the past who have plenty of questions about what it takes to become a physician.

"You know, 'How long are you in school?’ and, 'What does all that take? What kind of grades do you have to have?' The cost always comes up. For the women, a lot of times – even though half the medical school class is women now – the young ladies often ask, 'Can I still have a family?'" Otto said.

Simmering tensions between University of Texas at Austin President Bill Powers and the UT Board of Regents keep rising: An article in the Houston Chronicle claims Gov. Rick Perry – who appoints the regents – “has communicated through emissaries that Powers should resign to avoid an embarrassing regents vote to fire him.”

Chronicle reporter Patricia Kilday Hart spoke with Texas Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo. Sen. Zaffirini argues that recent several actions by the Board of Regents – a special-called meeting to discuss a sexual encounter between assistant football coach Major Applewhite and an adult student, a sweeping open records request, and the controversial decision to re-investigate financial arrangements at the UT Law School foundation – are designed to “make life miserable” for Powers and lead to his resignation.

State Senator Dan Patrick gave a report to the Greater San Antonio Chamber’s education committee Friday about issues important to area business leaders.

Greater chamber members are keenly interested in programs that prepare students for jobs. Education Committee Chairwoman Denise Green said they heard from the senator on measures addressing dual credit, more funding for career education and replacing the school funding taken away in the last session.

The House Budget Committee approved additional funding for public school districts and changed a key component for how schools are funded locally. They voted out a budget bill out of committee late Thursday that will provide school districts $3 billion over the next 2 years.

Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, is the vice-chair of the committee and said that is still below what was cut during the 2011 budget.

A senate hearing at the capitol dials down the accountability standard for state dropout recovery schools under a bill authored by Sen. Leticia Van DePutte.

If the bill passes, dropout recovery schools would not face the same accountability standard as any other public school in the state.

Justina Gonzalez runs the Por Vida Academy & Charter School in San Antonio, an at-risk school for students that have fallen behind.

The Texas Institute for Educational Robotics (TIER) at Northwest Vista College has been awarded a grant from the Google Computer Sciences for High School program.

TIER is an outreach program at Northwest Vista College to get younger students interested in pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and math and was awarded the money to give middle school teachers a gaming-type tool to use in teaching their regular classes.