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Posted
1 minute ago, sheeeit said:

I predict that a large percentage of schools over the next 10 years will implement a 4 day school week.  Certainly the smaller school districts.  

Like any change or program, the implementation is critical and you have to have a Super that is all in, but the results can be pretty good.  There is a Super in Wagoner, OK that is sort of creating the mold for the program.  Wagoner is a fairly small town with enrollment of around 120 per grade.  They are about 60% white and 40% black and hispanic.  Some highlights:

1) They have chosen to take Mondays off.  Partially because a number of doctors offices and other businesses have limited hours on Fridays.  Also, sports, especially football, are still a big thing in small towns in Oklahoma and they wanted the school spirit/pep rallys, homecoming events etc that are usually on Fridays. 

2) They added 10 or so minutes per required class and go from 7:45 to 4:00, Tuesday through Friday.  Same pay.

What they claim is that test scores have gone up across the board, behavior issues have dropped dramatically, truancy has dropped dramatically, teacher retention is greatly improved (they had a teacher leave and without advertising they had more applications than they could get through).  They just had their first class graduate that had been in the 4 day program for the entirety of middle school and high school (7 years) and their scholarship pool was around $5M for the seniors versus $750K 7 years ago.

They have been very creative on working parents.  They had a local non profit offer free babysitting and CPR/safety certification to any students that wanted it and then offered the school as essentially a day care facility manned by students that wanted a little extra money.  So parents had the option of sending kids to the school for the day or part of the day for a very nominal fee.  When they first decided to go to 4 days many parents were upset but after a few months they only had 5 or 6 kids that showed up on Mondays.

The real proof is that they did polling last year and over 85% of students, parents and staff like the 4 day schedule over the 5 day.

As for cost savings, it wasn't much.  The Super estimated they could retain 2 extra teachers with the savings.  They really did t for the benefits mentioned above.  

You had me til that last paragraph, now it’s gonna have legislation banning it in Tx

Posted

I’m a college professor on a four day per week class schedule and it’s a great system. In hindsight, it seems obvious to move from a MWF/TTh schedule to a MW/TTh schedule.

As an experienced molder of young minds, I am willing to offer my services in developing a science course for the Patriot Eagle Rifle Academy in Hybrid Domestic Equine Genitalia as well as a series of music courses covering the work of Lee Greenwood.

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Posted
32 minutes ago, Mole said:

I’m a college professor on a four day per week class schedule and it’s a great system. In hindsight, it seems obvious to move from a MWF/TTh schedule to a MW/TTh schedule.

As an experienced molder of young minds, I am willing to offer my services in developing a science course for the Patriot Eagle Rifle Academy in Hybrid Domestic Equine Genitalia as well as a series of music courses covering the work of Lee Greenwood.

It's like you've already read my curriculum on "Real 'Murican Music: From 'Proud to be and American' to putting a boot in someone's ass, it's the American way."  But I caution you, the course on Muledick is a senior level seminar.  Sure you're up to it?  There's a drawing component...Thujone has already submitted some criteria.

 

Posted

Nothing like receiving a fund raising solicitation text msg from a family member in a Tx public junior high. “We need new volleyball uniforms, please donate”…. 

her parents are hard maga, real bootstrap types

who moved to this far flung small Tx school district in the name of white/maga flight 

to a million dollar home in a neighborhood of million dollar homes

the football team is spoiled rotten of course

The state rep is Shelley Luther
 

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Posted
1 hour ago, bluto said:

her parents are hard maga, real bootstrap types

Then I'm sure they'll understand when you decline to support an enterprise that is soon to be banned by the GOP: female sports.

Posted
5 hours ago, bluto said:

Nothing like receiving a fund raising solicitation text msg from a family member in a Tx public junior high. “We need new volleyball uniforms, please donate”…. 

her parents are hard maga, real bootstrap types

who moved to this far flung small Tx school district in the name of white/maga flight 

to a million dollar home in a neighborhood of million dollar homes

the football team is spoiled rotten of course

The state rep is Shelley Luther
 

I would happily ignore a request like that.  And if pressed, I would reply that school districts should be self sufficient with the property tax and state money.

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Posted
6 hours ago, bluto said:

The state rep is Shelley Luther
 

ew dude, your family "white-flighted" to..checks notes on Shelley Luther...SHERMAN?

Posted

Senate Bill 26, which would fund teacher pay raises, passed unanimously.  Noticed this detail:

Quote

Teachers in smaller school districts would receive bigger raises. Those with 3-4 years of experience in school districts with 5,000 students or less would receive a $5,000 raise, while those with five or more years of teaching on their resume would earn $10,000. Educators with 3-4 of experience in school districts with more than 5,000 students would earn a $2,500 raise, while those with five or more years of experience would receive $5,500, according to the bill.

KXAN Link

I heard a supporter of the bill justifies the disparity in raises by arguing the need to recruit more teachers to rural communities.  But I can't help but think this is just another way to stick it to public school teachers in the lib/woke metro areas.  

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Posted

It is hard as hell to draw teachers in the rural areas.  Not sure why that seems nefarious.  Yeah, don't trust anything, but do you know anyone in rural districts?  They have to pay more already just to compete.

and it's not a straight up racial thing either.  many rural schools are non- white majority students in Texas.

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Posted
6 minutes ago, Iceman said:

It is hard as hell to draw teachers in the rural areas.  Not sure why that seems nefarious.  Yeah, don't trust anything, but do you know anyone in rural districts?  They have to pay more already just to compete.

and it's not a straight up racial thing either.  many rural schools are non- white majority students in Texas.

Fair point.  But to counter that, the cost of living in urban districts is exponentially greater than in rural ones.

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Posted (edited)

It is more expensive, but the supply of young teachers is also exponentially higher.

 

That being said, I'd be more likely to support the same raise across the board.  If we're giving raises, do it the same for the same situations/ experience, regardless of locale.

Edited by Iceman
Posted
13 minutes ago, Iceman said:

It is hard as hell to draw teachers in the rural areas.  Not sure why that seems nefarious.  Yeah, don't trust anything, but do you know anyone in rural districts?  They have to pay more already just to compete.

and it's not a straight up racial thing either.  many rural schools are non- white majority students in Texas.

Fairly industry standard across multiple different industries that you offer more money to go work in shitty areas.

Posted

I almost feel like any debate over the allocation of raises is almost trivial in comparison with the bigger funding/ voucher issues.  I keep getting the feeling we're getting vouchers, regardless of what actually makes sense.

It's idiotic, but gotdam there are folks in love with it.

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Posted
3 minutes ago, Iceman said:

I almost feel like any debate over the allocation of raises is almost trivial in comparison with the bigger funding/ voucher issues.  I keep getting the feeling we're getting vouchers, regardless of what actually makes sense.

It's idiotic, but gotdam there are folks in love with it.

Of course we're getting vouchers.  The legislature and governor are just using the pay increases as lube.

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Posted
13 minutes ago, Iceman said:

I almost feel like any debate over the allocation of raises is almost trivial in comparison with the bigger funding/ voucher issues.  I keep getting the feeling we're getting vouchers, regardless of what actually makes sense.

It's idiotic, but gotdam there are folks in love with it.

Yes but what is crazy is that a lot of MAGA ultra conservatives are also against the vouchers in a very vocal way. Their anti-voucher views are strikingly similar to Dem views on the issue and they don’t even realize it.

MAGA is just so pissed off about their property taxes that they are against the vouchers. It’s wild reading some comments from people where I agree with their anti-voucher take and then I click on their profiles and see they are MAGA America First people.

This is a golden opportunity to put all our issues aside and forget about abortion and trans rights for a few moments and just unite about shit that impacts ALL of us like the property tax hikes that have happened under Abbott’s watch. It will never happen though. 

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Posted
29 minutes ago, Iceman said:

It's idiotic, but gotdam there are folks in love with it.

They are in love with being paid by private school owners.

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Posted
49 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Of course we're getting vouchers.  The legislature and governor are just using the pay increases as lube.

yep, this proposed increase is a distraction.  They are hoping that teachers won't openly be against vouchers since they are getting theirs. 

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Posted

It’s all buttfuckery.
Vouchers will rob schools of funding, slowly killing public education. Which is their admitted goal.
Any “funding increase” to public schools won’t make up for what vouchers cost, and won’t catch up on the YEARS of stagnant funding. Which will kill public education, which is their admitted goal.
The shittaculalrly low raises in urban areas will continue to drive teachers away, killing public education, which is their admitted goal.

Every action is intended to kill public schools. Some of them have said the quiet part out loud and admitted it. It’s pure evil, but then, that’s our brand now.

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Posted
23 minutes ago, MrBig said:

Yes but what is crazy is that a lot of MAGA ultra conservatives are also against the vouchers in a very vocal way. Their anti-voucher views are strikingly similar to Dem views on the issue and they don’t even realize it.

MAGA is just so pissed off about their property taxes that they are against the vouchers. It’s wild reading some comments from people where I agree with their anti-voucher take and then I click on their profiles and see they are MAGA America First people.

This is a golden opportunity to put all our issues aside and forget about abortion and trans rights for a few moments and just unite about shit that impacts ALL of us like the property tax hikes that have happened under Abbott’s watch. It will never happen though. 

Horseshoe

image.png.d7305379f8af8b5c8d62a45249f47c73.png

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Posted
2 hours ago, South Austin said:

Senate Bill 26, which would fund teacher pay raises, passed unanimously.  Noticed this detail:

KXAN Link

I heard a supporter of the bill justifies the disparity in raises by arguing the need to recruit more teachers to rural communities.  But I can't help but think this is just another way to stick it to public school teachers in the lib/woke metro areas.  

This is to buy rural voters who were resistant due to the loss of funding that will happen due to the voucher programs.   This brings a little more money back to their community/teachers that they can claim as a win, then they can blame the teachers for the lack of performance as the students there get hosed.   Maybe they got a few of the larger rural communities to agree if Ms. Abbott's or FrackBros Charter School agrees to open a branch in their region.   

Yeah, none of this is based on evidence beyond what unscrupulous activities that Abbott and company have done before.   I really fucking hope I am wrong.   I really really want to be wrong.  

 

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Posted

gotta understand something on the teacher raise… the state is funding those raises. They can drop that shit from the budget any session. Doing so means the districts will be on the hook to maintain those raises, and we know just how damn rich every school district is. The state is also trying to say this helps alleviate the fact they haven’t done shit with per student allotment and this measure will free up districts to reallocate funds to other needs besides teacher raises. 

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Posted

Back on the sports thing with the volleyball jersey post.  I live in the shitshow that is Keller ISD and my son plays VBaseball at Keller HS.  All that said, the annual outlay from the district budget to the Keller HS baseball program is a little over 2K per year.  The coach has been there since '98 (he's a former player on the 75 Longhorn National Title Team, so yea, he's up there) and has said that the program used to get more money from the district when he first started at Keller.  Everything else is supported through fundraising. A dozen baseballs alone costs about 70-80 dollars.  

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Posted
On 2/19/2025 at 5:39 PM, Brisketexan said:

And I am legit serious about starting a mostly online academy of the sort I proposed.  Because if America is going down the shitter at rapid speed....I might as well get in the toilet bidness and make some money.

"men for themselves  . . . and maybe their family"

Posted

Are those teacher raises actually funded? I thought I read something that the fine print is that it allows districts to give those raises but they mostly have to pay for it out of existing funding.

Posted
12 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

Are those teacher raises actually funded? I thought I read something that the fine print is that it allows districts to give those raises but they mostly have to pay for it out of existing funding.

Creighton said Wednesday that he believes narrowly focusing on teacher pay in the Senate proposal will allow school districts to use more of their base funding — $6,160 for each student — for support staff and not have to worry as much about using those funds for teacher raises.

“That burden will be lifted because we're shifting billions of dollars of compensation to teachers to the state as a responsibility permanently in the budget,” Creighton, the Senate Education Committee's chair, said.

Posted
On 2/27/2025 at 12:06 PM, Iceman said:

It is hard as hell to draw teachers in the rural areas.  Not sure why that seems nefarious.  Yeah, don't trust anything, but do you know anyone in rural districts?  They have to pay more already just to compete.

and it's not a straight up racial thing either.  many rural schools are non- white majority students in Texas.

Aren’t the bigger cities (Austin as an example) already sending our money to many of the smaller school districts?

Posted
10 hours ago, bluto said:

Creighton said Wednesday that he believes narrowly focusing on teacher pay in the Senate proposal will allow school districts to use more of their base funding — $6,160 for each student — for support staff and not have to worry as much about using those funds for teacher raises.

“That burden will be lifted because we're shifting billions of dollars of compensation to teachers to the state as a responsibility permanently in the budget,” Creighton, the Senate Education Committee's chair, said.

The one guarantee is that they will 100% fuck over both the teachers and the school districts when all is said and done.  The State will not keep any end of its deal.  It will leave districts holding the bag.  

Fuckery.  That is the only purpose, it is the only goal, it is the only outcome.  Always.  This is the way.

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Posted (edited)
5 hours ago, Cairn Horn88 said:

Aren’t the bigger cities (Austin as an example) already sending our money to many of the smaller school districts?

In some cases, yes.  Not across the board. It varies, especially where oil is involved.

Edited by Iceman
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Posted
On 2/19/2025 at 1:39 PM, Brisketexan said:

And I am legit serious about starting a mostly online academy of the sort I proposed.  Because if America is going down the shitter at rapid speed....I might as well get in the toilet bidness and make some money.

Open up the Young Man Academy for Men. 

Only young men and only ones that are good at sports. Put it in Austin and pull every good athlete away from LBJ with promises you have no intention of keeping. Take the money and run to a nice spot in the South Pacific and live out your days on a white sand beach with that sweet, sweet voucher money.

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Posted
23 minutes ago, UpperWestside said:

Take the money and run to a nice spot in the South Pacific and live out your days on a white sand beach with that sweet, sweet voucher money.

image.gif.edfb8ed28be92028e732800bf8f246d6.gif

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Posted
8 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

The one guarantee is that they will 100% fuck over both the teachers and the school districts when all is said and done.  The State will not keep any end of its deal.  It will leave districts holding the bag.  

Fuckery.  That is the only purpose, it is the only goal, it is the only outcome.  Always.  This is the way.

I think I am going to call a former teacher of mine today. I know how she votes, but I also know how she leans on the voucher scam and it’s not anywhere close to what Abbott is pushing.

Posted
On 2/27/2025 at 10:35 AM, Surly Bevo said:

Back on the sports thing with the volleyball jersey post.  I live in the shitshow that is Keller ISD and my son plays VBaseball at Keller HS.  All that said, the annual outlay from the district budget to the Keller HS baseball program is a little over 2K per year.  The coach has been there since '98 (he's a former player on the 75 Longhorn National Title Team, so yea, he's up there) and has said that the program used to get more money from the district when he first started at Keller.  Everything else is supported through fundraising. A dozen baseballs alone costs about 70-80 dollars.  

Just load your son’s team at Keller with Tony Gwynn clones and you won’t have to worry about losing balls often to homers. Get some good ground ball pitchers on the roster and call it a day. Might be able to make it through the season on three dozen balls. Problem solved. Let the players know that anyone that hits a homer is getting charged ten dollars if the ball isn’t retrieved. Same deal for the pitchers. Gotta let these players know you mean business. 

Posted
4c0d6c0bfa23bd0cb14d2557a4628182.jpg

*This offer void if the person being discriminated against is a minority or female. This offer applies only to “discrimination” against white Christian males, with “discrimination” defined as “any policy that doesn’t openly favor them.”
Posted

Texas Senate panel advances bill requiring Ten Commandments in classrooms
The committee also gave initial approval to a bill that would allow prayer in schools.

A Texas Senate committee on Tuesday advanced bills that would require public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments and allow districts to provide students with time to pray during school hours.

The vote sends the two bills to the full Senate for consideration and is the latest sign of confidence by conservative Christians that courts will codify their opposition to church-state separation into federal law and spark a revitalization of faith in America.

That much was clear throughout the hearing, as supporters and some lawmakers argued that the legislation would reverse what they see as decades of national, moral decline.

“Our schools are not God-free zones,” said Sen. Mayes Middleton, a Galveston Republican who authored the school prayer bill and has argued that church-state separation is not real. “When prayer was taken out of our schools, things started to go downhill in America.”

The vote comes amid a broader push by conservative Christians to infuse more religion into public schools and life. In just the last few years, state Republicans have required classrooms to hang donated signs that say “In God We Trust”; allowed unlicensed religious chaplains to supplant mental health counselors in public schools; and approved new curriculum materials that teach the Bible and other religious texts alongside grade-school lessons.

Last month, Texas senators also approved legislation that would allow public taxpayer money to be redirected to private schools, including parochial schools.

Those efforts have come as the Texas GOP increasingly embraces ideologies that argue America’s founding was God-ordained, and its institutions and laws should thus reflect fundamentalist Christians views. Meanwhile, GOP lawmakers and leaders have continually elevated once-fringe claims that the wall between church and state is a myth meant to obscure America’s true, Christian roots. The argument has been popularized by figures such as David Barton, a Texas pastor and self-styled “amateur historian” whose work has been frequently debunked by trained historians, many of them also conservative Christians.

Barton and his son, Timothy Barton, were both invited to testify in favor of the bills on Tuesday. Citing old documents and textbooks that mention the Ten Commandments, they argued that Christianity is the basis for American law and morality, and that their inclusion in classrooms would prevent societal ill such as gun violence.

“It used to be there was a very clear moral standard that we could point to,” Timothy Barton testified, calling it “ironic” that children can be arrested for breaking the law — and thus, he said, the Ten Commandments — but that they should not be able to read them in schools.

Other bill supporters and lawmakers said that there was a moral and spiritual imperative to introduce children to Christianity. Sen. Tan Parker, R-Flower Mound, cited a study that found around 25% of children have been to church.

“It’s absolutely horrific, and something we all need to work on to address,” he said.

Other lawmakers similarly invoked declining Christian participation as a reason to support the bills. “There is eternal life,” said Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels. “And if we don’t expose or introduce our children and others to that, then when they die, they’ll have one birth and two deaths.”

Texas is one of 16 states where lawmakers are pursuing bills to require the Ten Commandments in classrooms — pushes that supporters say have been enabled by recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions. In 2019’s Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, for instance, the court ruled in favor of a Washington state football coach, Joe Kennedy, who argued that his employer, a public high school, was violating his religious rights by prohibiting him from leading prayers on the field after games.

Kennedy was among those who testified in support of the Texas bills on Tuesday. He was joined by Matt Krause, a former state House representative and current lawyer at First Liberty Institute, a Texas-based law firm that represented Kennedy and other high-profile plaintiffs in lawsuits that have allowed for more Christianity in public life.

The Kennedy case, Krause testified, was a “huge paradigm shift” that allowed for the Ten Commandments to be in classrooms because of its historical significance to American law and history. Asked about the recent court decision that blocked a similar Louisiana law, Krause said he expected the Texas bill would be upheld if it were taken to the ultraconservative Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and, after that, the U.S. Supreme Court.

The bills have been strongly opposed by religious history scholars and some Christian groups, who argue that they are based on mischaracterizations of early American history and amount to a coercion of religion upon students. Opponents also say that the Ten Commandments bill diminishes a sacred text by stripping it of its religious nature, and that introducing more Christianity into schools will exacerbate tensions and isolate Texas’ growing number of non-Christian students.

“Since 2021, this Legislature has used its authority to impose increasingly divisive policies onto school districts, banning culturally relevant curriculum, forcing libraries to purge undesirable books and putting teachers into the crosshairs of overzealous critics,” said Jaime Puente of the nonprofit Every Texan. The bills “are two giant pieces of red meat that will further harm our schools.”

Christian opponents also testified that the bills would erode church-state separations — a cause that has historically been championed by Baptists and other denominations that faced intense religious persecution in early America.

“All Baptists are called to protect the separation of church and state,” said Jody Harrison, an ordained minister and leader of Baptist Women in Ministry. “Is it really justice to promote one type of Christianity over all schoolchildren?”

Harrison’s comments were strongly opposed by Campbell, the senator. “The Baptist doctrine is Christ-centered,” she said. “Its purpose is not to go around trying to defend this or that. It is to be a disciple and a witness for Christ. That includes the Ten Commandments. That’s prayer in schools. It is not a fight for separation between church and state.”

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Posted
10 minutes ago, bolverk said:

Mayes Middleton, a Galveston Republican who authored the school prayer bill and has argued that church-state separation is not real.

Let’s be real clear that Mayes was a Plan 2 Honors Fiji and knows better.  He’s essentially purchased himself a position within the GOP with inherited oil money and has figured out that pandering to the lowest intellect voters is good business (and so far has been proven correct).  
 

You don’t get in front of this except as a sop to west Texas billionaire partisans that you’re someone worth investing in as Abbott and Patrick move on.  

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Posted

Can they explain how taking god out of schools started America downhill?  Were these Christian kids suddenly not Christian?  Did they suddenly stop praying silently whenever they felt like it?  All that was really restricted is the performative aspects of religion. 

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Posted
3 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

All that was really restricted is the performative aspects of religion. 

Being that "performative aspects" is the full measure of American "Christianity" -- there is no actual gospel-based theology to be found -- now you can understand where we are.

"Christianity" is just a self-given label that is entirely performative while also providing a shield against any and all consequences of being an absolute dick.  You're mad because I just walked up to you and kicked you in the nuts?  Too bad, I had to do it, it's my deeply and sincerely held religious belief.  You're mad because I embezzled millions from our business?  To bad, embezzlement is a deeply and sincerely held religious belief.

"SINCERELY HELD RELIGIOUS BELIEF!"

78017051-0-image-a-11_1700478439912.jpg

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Posted
1 hour ago, bolverk said:

Texas Senate panel advances bill requiring Ten Commandments in classrooms
The committee also gave initial approval to a bill that would allow prayer in schools.

A Texas Senate committee on Tuesday advanced bills that would require public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments and allow districts to provide students with time to pray during school hours.

The vote sends the two bills to the full Senate for consideration and is the latest sign of confidence by conservative Christians that courts will codify their opposition to church-state separation into federal law and spark a revitalization of faith in America.

That much was clear throughout the hearing, as supporters and some lawmakers argued that the legislation would reverse what they see as decades of national, moral decline.

“Our schools are not God-free zones,” said Sen. Mayes Middleton, a Galveston Republican who authored the school prayer bill and has argued that church-state separation is not real. “When prayer was taken out of our schools, things started to go downhill in America.”

The vote comes amid a broader push by conservative Christians to infuse more religion into public schools and life. In just the last few years, state Republicans have required classrooms to hang donated signs that say “In God We Trust”; allowed unlicensed religious chaplains to supplant mental health counselors in public schools; and approved new curriculum materials that teach the Bible and other religious texts alongside grade-school lessons.

Last month, Texas senators also approved legislation that would allow public taxpayer money to be redirected to private schools, including parochial schools.

Those efforts have come as the Texas GOP increasingly embraces ideologies that argue America’s founding was God-ordained, and its institutions and laws should thus reflect fundamentalist Christians views. Meanwhile, GOP lawmakers and leaders have continually elevated once-fringe claims that the wall between church and state is a myth meant to obscure America’s true, Christian roots. The argument has been popularized by figures such as David Barton, a Texas pastor and self-styled “amateur historian” whose work has been frequently debunked by trained historians, many of them also conservative Christians.

Barton and his son, Timothy Barton, were both invited to testify in favor of the bills on Tuesday. Citing old documents and textbooks that mention the Ten Commandments, they argued that Christianity is the basis for American law and morality, and that their inclusion in classrooms would prevent societal ill such as gun violence.

“It used to be there was a very clear moral standard that we could point to,” Timothy Barton testified, calling it “ironic” that children can be arrested for breaking the law — and thus, he said, the Ten Commandments — but that they should not be able to read them in schools.

Other bill supporters and lawmakers said that there was a moral and spiritual imperative to introduce children to Christianity. Sen. Tan Parker, R-Flower Mound, cited a study that found around 25% of children have been to church.

“It’s absolutely horrific, and something we all need to work on to address,” he said.

Other lawmakers similarly invoked declining Christian participation as a reason to support the bills. “There is eternal life,” said Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels. “And if we don’t expose or introduce our children and others to that, then when they die, they’ll have one birth and two deaths.”

Texas is one of 16 states where lawmakers are pursuing bills to require the Ten Commandments in classrooms — pushes that supporters say have been enabled by recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions. In 2019’s Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, for instance, the court ruled in favor of a Washington state football coach, Joe Kennedy, who argued that his employer, a public high school, was violating his religious rights by prohibiting him from leading prayers on the field after games.

Kennedy was among those who testified in support of the Texas bills on Tuesday. He was joined by Matt Krause, a former state House representative and current lawyer at First Liberty Institute, a Texas-based law firm that represented Kennedy and other high-profile plaintiffs in lawsuits that have allowed for more Christianity in public life.

The Kennedy case, Krause testified, was a “huge paradigm shift” that allowed for the Ten Commandments to be in classrooms because of its historical significance to American law and history. Asked about the recent court decision that blocked a similar Louisiana law, Krause said he expected the Texas bill would be upheld if it were taken to the ultraconservative Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and, after that, the U.S. Supreme Court.

The bills have been strongly opposed by religious history scholars and some Christian groups, who argue that they are based on mischaracterizations of early American history and amount to a coercion of religion upon students. Opponents also say that the Ten Commandments bill diminishes a sacred text by stripping it of its religious nature, and that introducing more Christianity into schools will exacerbate tensions and isolate Texas’ growing number of non-Christian students.

“Since 2021, this Legislature has used its authority to impose increasingly divisive policies onto school districts, banning culturally relevant curriculum, forcing libraries to purge undesirable books and putting teachers into the crosshairs of overzealous critics,” said Jaime Puente of the nonprofit Every Texan. The bills “are two giant pieces of red meat that will further harm our schools.”

Christian opponents also testified that the bills would erode church-state separations — a cause that has historically been championed by Baptists and other denominations that faced intense religious persecution in early America.

“All Baptists are called to protect the separation of church and state,” said Jody Harrison, an ordained minister and leader of Baptist Women in Ministry. “Is it really justice to promote one type of Christianity over all schoolchildren?”

Harrison’s comments were strongly opposed by Campbell, the senator. “The Baptist doctrine is Christ-centered,” she said. “Its purpose is not to go around trying to defend this or that. It is to be a disciple and a witness for Christ. That includes the Ten Commandments. That’s prayer in schools. It is not a fight for separation between church and state.”

 

church of satan will love this 

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Posted
On 3/1/2025 at 9:05 AM, Bozo_Casanova said:

Things going well for the voucher crowd in Palestine

https://x.com/amydfennell/status/1895681963815813615?s=46&t=WQWp8jCL9d3WDAPBWICDFQ

East Texas is not amused.  I come from a small town out there, and while they're definitely in the red, life centers around the schools and the churches. Even in blood red Texas, they've not been putting up with the voucher scam BS.  

54 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

church of satan will love this 

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Posted

I found out today that due to the Texas legislature being little bitches and President Musk taking a chainsaw to everything in DC, our school is losing 9 teaching positions for next year, including 3 special ed teachers who were funded by DOE grants. I'm gonna have to get creative and figure out how to sit/stack 40 kids in my small classroom each period.

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Posted
25 minutes ago, HornOnTheBayou said:

I found out today that due to the Texas legislature being little bitches and President Musk taking a chainsaw to everything in DC, our school is losing 9 teaching positions for next year, including 3 special ed teachers who were funded by DOE grants. I'm gonna have to get creative and figure out how to sit/stack 40 kids in my small classroom each period.

All those kids who needed special ed teachers should just pull themselves up by their bootstraps.  They are leeches and freeloaders, and we should celebrate Elon taking a chainsaw to them.

MAGA!

Posted
51 minutes ago, safe sex said:

As I've said, the only thing Luigi did wrong was get caught

 

are we sure it's him? I haven't really kept up with it. seems like there was doubt early on, but maybe that was just internet bs



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