BG Reads | News You Need to Know (March 23, 2023)
[AUSTIN METRO]
Report: APD Training Academy curriculum review flawed, hampered by resistance to reform (Austin monitor)
A third-party evaluation of the Austin Police Department Training Academy’s curriculum review process found it lacked “a clearly defined mission and scope, which hampered its effectiveness from the beginning,” and that it suffered from instructors’ resistance to reform and did little to improve police-community relations, echoing previous concerns.
At City Council’s direction, city staff hired two outside consulting firms – Kroll Associates and Joyce James Consulting – last December to conduct an independent assessment of the curriculum review process.
Interim Assistant City Manager Bruce Mills turned over the resulting report in a March 16 memo to Council members. It focuses on the Academy Curriculum Review Committee, which APD established in 2021 as a mix of community members, academics and APD officers.
In addition to an unclear mandate, the committee lacked “established meeting protocols” to organize its recommended curriculum changes and to track APD’s responses, contributing to low morale, according to the report… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
New plan will bring more art to hike-and-bike trail (Austin monitor)
Visitors to the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail may soon have the opportunity to enjoy more art along Lady Bird Lake, thanks to a new plan that lifts an almost decadelong moratorium on new public art.
Monday’s regular meeting of the Arts Commission included a presentation by the Trail Conservancy (TTC) regarding the creation of an “arts and culture plan” that is now in place thanks to the conservancy’s partnership with the Austin Parks and Recreation Department and the city of Austin Art in Public Places program.
Charlotte Tonsor, representing TTC, provided background on the history of the plan, starting with a 2014 moratorium on public art on the trail until such a plan was created. Now, having approved and signed a park operations and maintenance agreement last June, the conservancy is officially able to take over day-to-day operations of the trail, with a much stronger partnership with the city… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
ACC to help 'rethink higher education' through microcredentials (Austin Business Journal)
Austin Community College is now part of a statewide effort to help train students for high-demand careers.
The 50-year-old community college district announced March 22 it was selected to be part of the Talent Strong Texas Pathways program, which will use $16 million in grant funding to explore ways to develop short-term workforce credentials.
These kinds of so-called "microcredentials" are aimed at helping people quickly gain new skills that can help them get better jobs — examples could include multi-week, online courses on a computer programming language or how to make a certain kind of product. They have been lauded as an innovative way to help people adapt mid-career as technology rapidly changes many industries… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Court filing holds Hutto to $12.5M award to Odis Jones; city vows fight (Community impact)
A supplemental order from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas Austin Division was filed March 21, detailing the case that led to a jury's decision that the city of Hutto must pay a $12.5 million award to former City Manager Odis Jones based on allegations of racial discrimination and breach of contract.
A jury initially granted the award, which breaks down to $4.5 million for breach of contract and $8 million in damages, on March 2.
At that time the city of Hutto issued a release without further comment stating it would aggressively contest the award and focus on the appeals process.
The March 21 judgment filing states that any pending motions in the case are terminated and the case is hereby closed… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS]
Texas ‘preemption’ bills escalate war between liberal cities, conservative legislature (Texas Tribune)
New legislation is heating up the long-running cold war between Texas’ relatively progressive cities and its GOP-dominated legislature.
Local officials across Texas are worried that far-reaching state bills could roll back their attempts to ensure construction workers get rest breaks in Texas’ searing heat, run no-kill animal shelters and maintain local water quality.
GOP sponsors and conservative groups say companion bills HB2127 and SB814, which would prevent local governments from passing or enforcing local rules in several critical areas “unless explicitly authorized by statute,” would protect Texas business owners from an unprecedented and aggressive overreach by the state’s booming, blue-tinged cities.
But local officials and urban advocacy groups contend the legislation would strip cities of their ability to regulate a broad range of environmental, labor and health and safety concerns.
The bills are part of a broader push by conservative groups to take their conflicts with progressive cities up with state legislators, rather than cities themselves, said Bennett Sandlin, executive director of the Texas Municipal League, a trade group for the state’s cities… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Texas business interests and family values collide as lawmakers debate legalizing gambling (Texas Tribune)
Critics and proponents of legislation to expand gambling in Texas pitted two key conservative tenets against one another as they testified before lawmakers in a House committee hearing Wednesday. Supporters stressed that the efforts would be an economic boon for the state, creating thousands of jobs and millions in tax revenue, while opponents appealed to lawmakers’ sense of family values, stressing the immorality of legalizing the potentially addictive gaming.
House Bill 1942, written by Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, would permit regulated sports betting that is already legal in 29 states. House Bill 2843, by Rep. John Kuempel, R-Seguin, would also permit casino gambling in Texas.
Leach said in a House State Affairs Committee hearing that illegal sports gambling is already rampant in Texas because of websites and apps residents can access over the internet. He added that a regulated model would help protect consumers… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Parents share their outrage during first public meeting over Houston ISD takeover (Texas Tribune)
Community members were irate Tuesday night as state education officials tried to explain the process of taking over the Houston Independent School District. State officials did not take questions about the effects such a move could have on the district, which is the largest in Texas, but did try to recruit community members to replace the existing school board.
About seven minutes into the Texas Education Agency’s PowerPoint presentation on the impending HISD takeover, parents and community members erupted in shouts directed at TEA deputy commissioner Alejandro Delgado.
“We've got questions,” some yelled. Others shouted, "Y'all trying to take our community."
It was the first meeting that the state agency held in Houston since it announced on March 15 that it would replace the district’s current superintendent, Millard House II, and its democratically elected school board with its own “board of managers” in response to years of underperforming schools, mainly Phillis Wheatley High School… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Texas Senate passes $16.5 billion package to lower property taxes (texas tribune)
Texas senators on Wednesday unanimously approved Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s agenda on property tax cuts this legislative session, which would pump billions of state dollars into public schools and give bigger tax breaks for homeowners and business owners.
“This is off-the-charts, incredible property tax relief for millions of Texas homeowners,” said state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Houston Republican and Patrick’s point person on property taxes.
Before the session started, Republican leaders made it clear they wanted the Legislature to use part of a historic state surplus of nearly $33 billion to bring down property taxes. Patrick’s $16.5 billion package — contained in three separate priority bills — is the Senate’s proposal on how to do it… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATION]
Powell says banking system is ‘sound’ following SVB collapse (the Hill)
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Wednesday that the U.S. banking system remains “sound and resilient” following the second- and third-largest bank failures in the nation’s history.
Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank collapsed earlier this month amid a run on the banks. The Fed responded by protecting all deposits and boosting its lending to ensure banks can fulfill customer withdrawals.
“Our banking system is sound and resilient with strong capital and liquidity,” Powell told reporters. “We are committed to learning lessons from this episode, and to work to prevent events like this from happening again.”
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) unanimously approved a 0.25 percent interest rate hike on Wednesday, even as financial analysts warned that higher rates contributed to the bank collapses by hurting the value of long-term assets held by institutions… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
DeSantis to expand ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law to all grades (Associated PresS)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ′ administration is moving to forbid classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in all grades, expanding the controversial law critics call “Don’t Say Gay” as the Republican governor continues to focus on cultural issues ahead of his expected presidential run.
The proposal, which would not require legislative approval, is scheduled for a vote next month before the state Board of Education and has been put forward by the state Education Department, both of which are led by appointees of the governor.
The rule change would ban lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity from grades 4 to 12, unless required by existing state standards or as part of reproductive health instruction that students can choose not to take. The initial law that DeSantis championed last spring bans those lessons in kindergarten through the third grade. The change was first reported by the Orlando Sentinel… (LINK TO FULL STORY)