Dan Branch and Common Core-style Data Collection

Six weeks ago, we discussed HB 2103, a disastrous law passed by the Texas Legislature during the general session.  At the time, we wanted Governor Perry to veto it.  Unfortunately, in one of the worst moves he's ever made, he signed it into law.

In late May, Donna Garner explained:

[Author's note: This WaPo article is about a similar Federal program]

In a Washington Post article dated 3.13.13, (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/03/13/lawsuit-charges-ed-department-with-violating-student-privacy-rights/ ), the U. S. Dept. of Ed. Is being sued because of the changes made to the FERPA law under the Obama administration.  Now private companies and foundations under the cloak of “promoting school reform” are allowed to get access to private student (and teacher) information. No parental permission is required, and student ID’s are linked to their private information.

A database funded by Bill Gates called iBloom, Inc. has already collected personal student data from seven states and will most likely morph into the national database under the Common Core Standards Initiative.

According to the Washington Post article, the information already collected “holds files on millions of children identified by name, address and sometimes social security number. Learning disabilities are documented, test scores recorded, attendance noted. In some cases, the database tracks student hobbies, career goals, attitudes toward school – even homework completion.”

.....

[This is about the Texas Program]

State education agencies from other states can negotiate agreements for these Texas education research centers to share Texas data.

The research centers can also form agreements with local agencies or organizations that provide education services to Texas students, including relevant data about former students of Texas public schools.

 Earlier today, while looking into another topic, we made an interesting discovery about HB 2103.

Who was it's primary sponsor?!?

Dan Branch.

On Perry's Vetoes

Yesterday, Governor Rick Perry let loose some awesome vetoes:

• He vetoed the attempt to make University regents accountable to the permanent University bureaucracy instead of an elected Governor; this had been priority legislation for Cahnman's Musings.

• He vetoed a separate attempt to gut the authority of the elected State Board of Education.

• He followed through on his threat and used his line item power to eliminate funding for the so-called 'Public Integrity Unit' of the Travis County DA's office over the ongoing Rosemary Lehmberg embarrassment.

These vetoes helped restrain the worst excesses of the legislature for which the Governor deserves commendation.

Unfortunately, the Governor let the overwhelming majority of the budget stand.  He also signed the Common Core-style data collection bill.  And those are more important.

Last month, we wrote:

The general session of the 83rd Legislature revealed a Governor who is either unable or unwilling to control the Austin insider crowd in his own party.

 While yesterday's vetoes helped to contain said 'Austin insider crowd,' they don't control them.  The Governor helped stop some bad stuff, but he still let A LOT of crap through.  An appropriate end to a heartbreaking legislative session.

Onward....

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Update: Just spoke with a friend who knows more about Texas politics than anyone we've ever met.   This person believes the odds were "50/50 at best" that Perry would have gotten a better deal out of the budget a second time.  In either case, the solution is to throw out these clowns in 'leadership' of the legislature.

What will Governor Perry Veto?!?

Cahnman's Musings spent some time around the Capitol this afternoon.  A source who was in the room informs us that, during an unrelated bill signing ceremony, the Governor told a reporter "you'll find out when everyone else does" about his plans for the budget.  The Governor seems to be enjoying the suspense.

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Personally, Cahnman's Musings doubts the Governor would be stupid enough to build up this decision unless he plans a veto; but the Governor has disappointed before....

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All we can do at this point is pray, tweet, and call.

On that note, we'd just like to say: Lord, we leave it all to you.  We CAN'T do it on our own.  We pray you convict Governor Perry with a spirit of financial righteousness.  And we pray it in Jesus' name.  Amen.

You can read the full list of bills to veto here.

Phone: (512) 463-2000
Twitter: @GovernorPerry

Perry threatens VETO unless Lehmberg steps down

Moments like this are why it's so darn difficult to stay mad at Rick Perry:

Veto these Bills: An Open Letter to Governor Rick Perry

The Honorable Rick Perry

Dear Mr. Governor,

During its general session, the 83rd Texas Legislature passed a lot of terrible legislation.  It deserves to be vetoed in a reprise of your so-called 2001 "Father's Day Massacre."  The following list is incomplete, but it would be a darn good place to start:

• SB 1 AND HB 1025 -- These disgraceful bills increase Texas' state spending by 26% over 2011 levels that were already too high.  This budget would alter the trajectory of state spending with disastrous but predictable consequences.  As the Wall St. Journal explains: "nearly everything from mental health to family planning to Medicaid...won fat funding increases....The danger is that Texas will repeat the fiscal mistake that California has made repeatedly: spend during the glory days and, once the economy slows, raise taxes to cover the deficit. The Texas oil patch is riding high on $95 a barrel oil and a doubling in production in four years. But Texans shouldn’t forget the lesson of the 1980s and late 1990s that oil prices are volatile and a decline can be painful and prolonged."

• HB 5 -- This bill would gut accountability in Texas public schools that have proven they cannot be trusted.  Standardized testing is imprecise, but it holds big education somewhat accountable.  Until Texas structurally reforms education, end of course testing the least bad way to keep the current system under control.

• SB 15 -- Cahnman's Musings wrote you about this bill last month.  It takes the authority to appoint University regents out of the hands of an elected Governor and places it in the hands of University bureaucrats.  Similar to HB 5, the status quo isn't great, but it's better than the proposed alternative.

• HB 866 -- This is a companion bill for HB 5 and deserves to be vetoed for the same reasons.

• HB 1675 -- "Educational Service Centers" are a bureaucratic sinkhole that launched and promoted CSCOPE.  Under current law, those ESC's are scheduled to appear before Texas' Sunset Commission in 2015; HB 1675 would punt this appearance to 2019.  Given everything we've learned about the ESC's during the past few months, this type of accountability cannot come soon enough.

• SB 1730 -- This bill creates places tolls on existing roads without corresponding reforms to existing transportation authorities.

• HB 2013 -- Enables Common Core style data collection in Texas schools; need I say more?!?

• HB 2824 -- Another companion bill for HB 5; also deserves to be vetoed for the same reasons.

• HB 2836 -- This bill would gut the elected State Board of Education and place curriculum standards in the hands of educational bureaucrats.

The 83rd Texas Legislature passed A LOT of bad legislation during its general session.  Mr. Governor, the ball is in your court.  We urge you to act.

Sincerely,
Adam Cahn
Austin, TX
June 10th, 2013

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Contact Governor Perry:

Phone: (512) 463-2000
Twitter: @GovernorPerry

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Update: Governor Perry signed HB 5 on Monday afternoon.

Special Session Politics and Rick Perry's Future

There's been speculation about the politics of this special session(s) of the Texas legislature.  The potential musical chairs of officeholders means people are already angling for future races.  One fact, however, deserves special mention.

No one needs this special session(s) more than the man who controls the agenda.

To call the general session of the 83rd Texas Legislature disappointing is an understatement.  Legislative leadership ran roughshod over Conservatives.  It wasn't the Governor's fault, but he did little to stop it.

Between his botched Presidential campaign and his support of Lt. Gov. Dewhurst in the U.S. Senate race, Governor Perry suffered public setbacks in 2012.  None of those will hurt his future.  The disastrous general session of the 83rd Legislature is different.

The general session of the 83rd Legislature revealed a Governor who is either unable or unwilling to control the Austin insider crowd in his own party.  While it's true that the Texas Constitution grants the Governor little control over the legislature during general session, the Constitution does grant the Governor the power of emergency legislation and his office comes with a bully pulpit.  During the 83rd General Session, Governor Perry used neither.

The good news is that that same Texas Constitution grants the Governor substantially more power during a special session (in addition to his power to veto legislation passed during the General session).  If Governor Perry laid out an ambitions, conservative, agenda for the special session(s), then went on a statewide barnstorming tour to promote that agenda, the public would respond.  The Austin insider crowd is a horse that needs to be broken every two years.  Massive public engagement is how you break said horse.  Cahnman's Musings recommends Governor Perry use every tool the Texas constitution grants him (ie. Vetoes and Special Sessions) and the bully pulpit of his current office to drive a conservative governing agenda for Texas over the next 18 months.

Bottom Line: Unless and until Governor Perry demonstrates the ability to break Joe Straus, there's no reason for Iowa caucus voters to trust him against Harry Reid.....

How Handsome is Governor Perry?!?

Well, well, well, the Governor has already called a special session:

"By lowering taxes on job creators, opening the door to more higher education opportunities in South Texas, investing in a skilled workforce and keeping our state government efficient and accountable, hardworking taxpayers have freedom, opportunity and peace of mind. However, there is still work to be done on behalf of the citizens of Texas."


The special session will consider the following issue:

• Legislation which ratifies and adopts the interim redistricting plans ordered by the federal district court as the permanent plans for districts used to elect members of the Texas House of Representatives, Texas Senate and United States House of Representatives.

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Cahnman's Musings urges readers to contact the Governor:

Phone: (512) 463-2000
Twitter: @GovernorPerry

Recent Texas History: Rick Perry's 2001 "Father's Day Massacre"

The 83rd Texas Legislature is (mercifully) over.  Legislators have done their part.  All eyes now turn to Governor Rick Perry.

There is a lot of bad legislation floating around.  Cahnman's Musings will detail some of it in the coming days.  For today, however, we want to remind readers about a recent piece of Texas' political history.

In June 2001, following his first legislative session as George W. Bush's successor, Governor Rick Perry vetoed 79 bills in one day.  At the time, it was dubbed the "Father's Day Massacre."  This so-called "Father's Day Massacre" established Rick Perry as the dominant player at the Capitol.

The best part of the Father's Day Massacre is that it gave the usual suspects around Austin a conniption fit; as Lou DuBose reported a decade later:

Perry's vetoes came from out of nowhere. The governor's legislative staff didn't attempt to get in the way of the bills. Legislators didn't get courtesy calls.

"This was mean-spirited," a lobbyist told me. "This was the governor getting even."

"There was no playbook that he was working from," said a state employee who had been chief of staff for a legislator at the time.

(Author's Note: Did you notice that the lobbyist and the state employee didn't allow themselves to be quoted by name?!?)

 During Rick Perry's Presidential campaign, NRO's Katrina Trinko observed:

The dramatic gesture paid off.

The Austin American-Statesman analyzed over 500 e-mails and letters that were sent to Perry’s office in the aftermath of the vetoes, and found the response overwhelmingly positive. Perry, the American-Statesman reported, “appears to have energized people who support the death penalty, oppose abortion, are wary of more government — and whose turnout at the polls is necessary for him to win a full term in the 2002 election.” Winning the trust of conservatives was important for Perry. Before the vetoes, he had signed a hate-crimes bill that was opposed by many conservatives — his office was inundated with calls the days before the bill hit his desk — and was the Democrats’ “top priority” that session, according to Texas political analyst William Lutz.

 The 83rd Texas Legislature was EXTREMELY disappointing, but Rick Perry remains Governor.  That office has a lot of power, including sole discretion over vetoes.  Cahnman's Musings encourages Governor Perry to use it extensively.

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Contact the Governor:
Phone: (512) 463-2000
Twitter: @GovernorPerry