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Texas News
Robstown ISD names superintendent finalist Marc Puig
The Robstown ISD board of trustees has chosen a superintendent finalist.

Marc Puig, a senior governance advisor for the Texas Education Agency and former school leader, is the lone finalist in the district’s search for a new superintendent.

The board must wait until after April 24 to vote on whether to hire Puig.
Civil rights organizations file federal complaint against Texas’ takeover of Houston ISD
The ACLU of Texas, the Houston NAACP and other groups say the takeover is a violation of the Voting Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution.

Civil rights organizations have filed a federal complaint on behalf of several parents against the Texas Education Agency because of its plan to replace the Houston Independent School District’s democratically elected school board, claiming the move takes away the rights of Houston voters of color to choose their own school officials.
From ‘learning loss’ to ‘unfinished learning’: Experts at education forum stress putting students first
Education leaders and industry experts pin the future of educational success in Bexar County on student-centered classrooms and meaningful, relatable experiences for students.

That’s what panelists said at the 8th annual San Antonio Regional Public Education forum during a discussion titled “Learning Loss and the Teacher Pipeline” Tuesday at the Boeing Center at Tech Port. The event, presented by the San Antonio Report, also featured a keynote address by Holdsworth Center President Lindsay Whorton and the presentation of the Education Champion Award award to Alamo Colleges District Chancellor Mike Flores.
TAMIU receives $1M grant to benefit first-generation Latino students
A grant of more than $1 million was awarded to Texas A&M International University through the Hector and Gloria López Foundation to benefit first-generation Latino students at the Sue & Radcliffe Killam Library on Tuesday.

This $1,059,502 grant will provide full tuition assistance for 15 first-generation Latino students at TAMIU — creating pathways to educational attainment and a pipeline to a successful career. 
TASB Legislative Report – April 5-6, 2023
House passes budget with amendment prohibiting vouchers: The Texas House on Thursday passed their proposed $302 billion budget bill, HB 1 (Bonnen). House Members debated the bill, which includes $17 billion for property tax relief and $5 billion for public education, for about 10 hours. One of the most notable moments was when Rep. Abel Herrero (D-Robstown) laid out his amendment prohibiting the use of state funds for vouchers, education savings accounts, tax credit scholarships, or similar programs using state money for non-public education. The bill survived a motion to table on a 71 to 64 vote and then was adopted by a vote of 86 to 52. While the measure is unlikely to make it into the final version of the budget, it is an indicator of where many House members stand on vouchers. HB 1 passed on a 136 to 10 vote and now heads to the Senate for consideration. 
Affiliate Feature
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National News
Schools With More Black and Latino Students Likelier to Have Police
Predominantly Black and Latino schools are more likely to have on-site law enforcement than those with largely white enrollment, a new analysis finds.

And that disparity holds true in both high- and low-poverty schools, says the report, released by the Urban Institute April 6.

The findings come as federal lawmakers and the Tennessee legislature debate boosting funding for school police and armed security officers after six people died in a March 27 shooting at The Covenant School, a church-run Nashville elementary school.
Virginia teacher shot by 6-year-old files $40M lawsuit after she says school ignored warnings
The lawsuit mentions new details about the boy, who is identified as John Doe, and an alleged pattern of troubling behavior.

Almost three months after Virginia teacher Abigail Zwerner was shot by a 6-year-old student, she filed a $40 million lawsuit Monday alleging school administrators shrugged off multiple warnings from staff and students who believed the boy had a gun and posed an imminent threat on the day of the shooting, and did so knowing the child “had a history of random violence.”
CDC: COVID-19 mitigation efforts more likely in schools with nurses
Schools with a full-time nurse or school-based health center were more likely to use several COVID-19 prevention strategies early in the 2021-22 school year, according to a school survey and analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The study examined 21 school-level prevention strategies, including cleaning, mask requirements, COVID screening, quarantining, contact tracing and more. Findings show the most common mitigation strategy was a system to report COVID outcomes (95%) and the least common action was to offer COVID screening testing to students and staff (9%).
STEM careers less likely for poor, rural students who lack access to advanced math courses
Rural high schools, small high schools and high schools that serve historically marginalized students don’t provide the same access to advanced math classes as other schools, new research shows.

As a result, students who attend those schools may be less likely to pursue future courses or careers in science, technology, engineering and math and miss out on admission or financial aid to college and higher-paying job opportunities. 
Ellen Ochoa reflects on her historic career 30 years after becoming the first Latina to go to space
Ellen Ochoa had already gone to outer space and back when she first processed the history she made in April 1993.

Just 34 at the time, the granddaughter of Mexican immigrants became a role model as she boarded the space shuttle Discovery for a nine-day mission that made her the first Latina to go to space. Ochoa, now 64, later became the first Latina director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Now retired and living in Idaho, Ochoa said she’s excited to watch a new generation of trailblazing astronauts emerge from NASA’s Artemis program as she reflected on her career on the 30th anniversary of her historic flight. 
Las Tienditas
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