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Samson's Wig

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Posts posted by Samson's Wig

  1. 2 hours ago, Larry T. Spider said:

    I’ll add that doing this gives the school a two year break from accountability ratings and additional funding to support the turnaround. Other than pride, it should be a no-brainer for Austin ISD to “fix” the campuses that get an F rating every year.

    As I recall, Dobie (the leader in the AISD pack for F ratings) parents were polled last spring about being taken over by a charter, and the vast majority said they would go elsewhere.  

  2. 3 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

    When the TEA takes over, it won't be because of any of the schools being kept open or any boundaries being preserved for another year, it'll be because of already failing schools, and most important of all, the legislature and TEA have set school districts up to fail and have changed criteria to hasten that, because the legislature is sitting on $32 billion that could help a lot of school districts, and because they are all in on wrecking public education.  There's already 5 school districts in line to be taken over.

    We can rage about AISD management all we want, but at the end of the day, the state takes $820 million from AISD's budget, and the state wants to take over the largest districts, and they want to do away with a lot of programs because some fucking Christian nutcases want it to happen, and the state refuses to spend the money to bolster education (remember 30-40 years ago when our state leaders cared about education and wanted us to compete with the top states in the nation?)

    When the legislators and state leaders and rich Christian nationalists tell you they oppose public education, and they actively work towards that goal, and that they want to create more charter schools in place of public schools, listen to them.

    We have the money to fix all of the districts, but the state has decided against that.

    I completely agree with all of this, and I'm well aware of it.  But I'm tired of terrible AISD administrators using the state as an excuse for their barrels full of failures.   It's not an either/or situation; they are both awful.  It's the same trap people fall into with partisan political thinking.  Just because one party is worse doesn't excuse the other's foolishness.  They're both awful.  I understand that sometimes you have to hold your nose and go with the lesser of two evils, but that isn't the situation with our failing school districts.  We should demand better from them, even if they're playing against a stacked deck.  

    If I complain about AISD more than the state in this thread, well, it's mainly because this is a thread about AISD.  It's also because there isn't much to say about the threat coming from the state that hasn't been said.  It's clear what is happening there, and while I have no idea how to stop a handful of cult-member billionaires from purchasing our state legislature for their own ends, I can look at who we hire to run our school district and know we can do much better.  

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  3. The only thing anyone can know for sure is that whatever Segura is saying isn't the truth.   That he's throwing his own employees under the bus is interesting, to say the least.  

    Ultimately, he tried to fuck with a rich-person school that 100% needed to be closed based on the cost per student, and now he's finding out what happens when you try to take toys away from grown-up toddlers with money and influence. 

    One interesting aspect is that the last time AISD tried to "fix" these problems, Gina Hinojosa played the race card from the East side and got the can kicked down the road.  Now it's rich white folks on the west side doing the same thing.  The result will be the same; AISD will continue spiraling until it can't be kept alive.  My primary concern with this current kicking of the can is that it will increase the likelihood of a TEA takeover in the next couple of years, and then we're all fucked.

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  4. 6 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

    Comparing property taxes of a Texas city to other cities is comparing apples to lizards. Most other states have income taxes, so property taxes carry a LOT more of the load here.

    Just compare total per capita local tax burdens, that’s much more accurate.

    Truth.  And Austin doesn't crack the top 25 in this regard. However, some really terrible cities are in the top ten for tax burden for residents (of note, Detroit is #1 with a bullet), so the notion posited upthread that high city taxes are indicative of a real-world, grown-up city is more than a little silly.  It's every bit as indicative of a mismanaged shithole.  Some of the best American cities and some of the worst American cities have high overall tax rates.  In other words, it's a terrible basis for determining whether a city is functional, productive, and a good place to live.  For what little we get in Austin, and it is very little, we already pay plenty, in my opinion.  That so much of the budget is wasted on a completely useless police force is a further indictment of city management, not a justification to give them more money for graft projects. 

    Fret not, ye fans of higher taxes that incompetent/criminal buffoons waste, this city has, for years, managed to pad the general fund by ripping off citizens on their utility bills when we vote down their requests for more tax revenue.  Everyone should budget for an unexplained increase in their water and electricity usage next year, despite no behavioral changes at home.  If you don't check your bill closely every month, and you should, you might be surprised by how often they make up numbers to see what you're willing to pay.   I've caught them more times than I can remember over the years, and they back down every time because they know they're doing it, and that most will pay them without thought. At least with the old meters, you could catch them lying.  The new electric meters allow them to make up whatever numbers they want and they push back harder now when you challenge them on it.   Now it's a free-for-all, and they'll get their pound of flesh whether Prop Q passes or not.

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  5. Usual suspects, usual suspecting.   The either/oring going on is fucking boring.  Yes, we need to pay significant taxes to have a prosperous big city.  Yes, we need to watch every penny and audit the fuck out of any city, but especially one with a history of major boondoggles and straight-up graft, along with a suspiciously zealous desire to avoid being audited.  These are not mutually exclusive ideas.

    For those interested, below are the U.S. cities with the highest taxes (factoring in income tax, property tax, sales tax, and auto tax).  Depending on how you work the numbers, these cities will shift places a bit, but generally speaking, these are the top ten.  While there are some decent places to live on this list (I've always been partial to Chicago and enjoyed living there, for example), I think most of us can look at this list and immediately recognize that high taxes do not necessarily equate to a "grown-up real-world" city.  Sometimes high taxes equate to a poorly managed shithole, and I don't think it's unreasonable that some people don't want that for Austin. 

      If the people running this city want to be taken seriously when they ask for more money, they need to start acting like serious people and treating their responsibilities with the seriousness they deserve.  Meanwhile, for anyone who actually pays significant taxes in this town, you already know that when Prop Q fails we're just going to see a mysterious and unexpected bump on our water bill for a while.  These assholes will get their pound of flesh one way or another.

     

    1. Detroit, MI

    2. Bridgeport, CT

    3. Newark, NJ

    4. Baltimore, MD

    5. Milwaukee, WI

    6. Chicago, IL

    7. Louisville, KY

    8. Philadelphia, PA

    9. Des Moines, IA

    10. Kansas City, MO

  6. 28 minutes ago, Snake Diggity said:

    How wrong am I to assume a TEA takeover wouldn’t really be a doomsday scenario (even though it also would certainly not mean an improvement)?  TEA taking over the district just means a change in leadership not any change in available resources.  Have Houston public schools gotten worse since they got taken over?

    There is a lot of information out there on what has happened with HISD you can find with a quick search.  The short answer is: YES.  

    In the past, TEA has "taken over" districts at times with little to no impact for students and families, keeping programming and classrooms essentially the same and focusing on bigger picture issues at the administrative level.   That is not what is happening now, at all, due to who is now running things and what their goals are.  I wouldn't leave my kids in a school taken over by TEA unless I had absolutely no other choice.  

     

  7. Just now, ZB'Tejas said:

    https://docs.google.com/document/d/12h_tZswkECRuDkOo9D0m8HHQstBZFlZXvKrSOWuBTsY/edit?pli=1&tab=t.0

    I sure hope to have the option but I'm not going to rule out moving or just getting a studio in the right neighborhood if worse comes to worse.

    Thanks.  I thought that was the language from the original proposal.  They're changing it, apparently announcing today.  We're in the same boat regarding whether to pack up and move or rent something in another school district altogether.   Even though we're AISD, Vandegrift is the closest high school to our house, which is yet another failure of AISD in prioritizing feel-good policies over rational decision-making over the last 30 years.  I had to drive one of my kids to the Performing Arts Center (brilliantly located as far away as possible from where most kids in Austin live) last night in rush hour traffic, and I wanted to hang myself by the time I got back.  It took an hour and forty-five minutes.

    My biggest concern with my kids starting high school next year is that their high school experience will be disrupted by TEA taking over their junior or senior year.  I don't want them to have to change schools at that point if we can avoid it.  But that likely means moving or going the private school route starting next year, which the kids do not want to do.

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  8. 47 minutes ago, ZB'Tejas said:

    "We will start formally defining our policy for this review process in January 2026. Our first review will begin in Summer 2028, two years after the consolidation changes go into effect. Note that this review does not mean we will make additional changes to boundaries or transfer policies but will hold us accountable to ensuring enrollment stays balanced. "

    They may do that at some point but from what I've read it won't be immediate and they will keep transfer policies in place but instead just be more thoughtful about how many they approve with less schools and the remaining ones more full than before.

    Where did you read that?  Grandfathering was in the initial plan they presented, but they are adjusting that plan and making a new announcement today.  I have no idea what to expect, other than it will likely change yet again before a final vote.   They know full well that as soon as they announce they are cutting off transfers completely, a significant number of families will immediately start making plans to leave AISD. 

    I expect to hear that they are closing programs like the Fine Arts Academy to transfers, but not a blanket ban on transfers altogether.   It was challenging to transfer into a decent school before all this started, as they tend to be overcrowded.  Now, assuming that transfers exist at all, it will be even more difficult.  I wouldn't make any plans based on the ability to transfer. 

  9. 3 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

    If we're going to start giving naming rights to Texas schools, the sponsors should match the quality offered.

    Welcome to Dollar General Elementary.  Do well, and you'll move up to Golden Chick Middle School.

    GIF by Giphy QA

  10. 17 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

    Just ask Loyola University (New Orleans), a private university, about outside forces.

     

    What kind of school admits students who want to be members of TPUSA?  More power to anyone who finds that type of thinking agreeable, freedom of association/assembly and all that, but how on earth does anyone capable of thinking that way qualify for admission to any university outside of those who are blatantly evangelical, i.e. not even remotely academic in nature?   Don't they have churches and church communities they can go and seclude themselves in and feel safe from having to learn anything outside of the dogma?  How many safe spaces do they need?  Isn't Liberty University enough?

    Is this really the underlying issue driving this nonsense?  That people with non-functional critical thinking skills are now a suspect class and need government protection?  That's what this ultimately boils down to, isn't it?  Ensuring dumbasses evangelicals get the same special treatment that groups who have suffered historical prejudice receive?   Even women are not fully deemed a suspect class, but we're going to backdoor evangelicals into the strict scrutiny club by way of presidential fiat.  Ameica isn't Americaning anymore. 

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  11. 2 hours ago, Larry T. Spider said:

    The district is going to release an updated plan on Friday. The changes seem to be more geared towards program offerings and rezoning more than which schools will actually close.

    This is the part I'm more concernd about, personally.

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  12. 44 minutes ago, bolverk said:

    Austin Public Health says whooping cough likely spreading at Lamar Middle School
    Austin Public Health has confirmed five cases of pertussis, better known as whooping cough, at Lamar Middle School this year. Those cases involve unrelated students from various grades and classes.

    “It is difficult to confirm, but it is highly likely that pertussis is spreading at this middle school,” said Heather Cooks-Sinclair, epidemiology and disease surveillance manager for Austin Public Health.

    Cooks-Sinclar noted that five other schools across various local districts also reported cases of pertussis this school year. She said cases in Travis County are rising — which she said could be due in part to increased local testing.

    The illness is highly contagious. Its signature symptom is a persistent cough that lasts more than 10 days and often worsens at night. Patients may hear a distinctive “whoop” sound when coughing or vomit after coughing. They may also experience a runny nose, sneezing and fever. Severe cases are often treated with antibiotics.

    Whooping cough can be dangerous to young children and babies, who may struggle to breathe. Around one in three babies who contract whooping cough end up hospitalized, according to APH and other health experts.

    “If your physician suspects you or your child has pertussis, please do not attend school until you/your child has been cleared to return by the physician and health department,” said Austin-Travis County Health Authority Desmar Walkes in a letter to Lamar Middle School parents notifying them of a positive case this fall.

    In Texas, students are required to receive the TDAP vaccine — which protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis — before enrolling, unless they apply for a conscientious exemption.

    According to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services, only 74.31% of Austin ISD kindergartners had received their TDAP vaccine as of the 2024-25 school year. The exemption rate for Austin ISD was 2.19% — meaning some unvaccinated students did not have an exemption on file.

    Cooks-Sinclair said the confirmed cases at Lamar Middle School underline the need for parents to get their children up to date on vaccines, including TDAP.

    “If your child has not been vaccinated, get them vaccinated,” she said. “The effectiveness of the pertussis vaccine wanes over time. If your child is between 9 and 10 years of age or 15 and 16 years of age, they may need a booster.”

    Late last year, Texas DSHS reported an increase in pertussis cases — around three times the number of cases in 2024 compared to the previous year. DSHS does not yet have provisional case counts for 2025.

    KUT has reached out to Austin ISD and Lamar Middle School for comment.

    Can confirm.  My kids are at Lamar.  We've been getting the warnings for weeks.  Fuck these dumbasses who don't vaccinate their children.  Fuck AISD for not enforcing it, as most of them would likely go get their child vaccinated if the kid wasn't allowed in school and they were forced to watch them all day at home.  And fuck the parents who willfully decide not to vaccinate and fill out the damn form the most.   You don't want to participate in society?  Great.  You can homeschool your disease-ridden children.

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  13. 6 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

    This could go in a lot of places, but our AG needs a new distraction and some red meat to throw to the *checks notes* batshit conspiracy types, so Texas is suing Tylenol because autism and ADHD.

    Probably in Tyler, Texas.

    G4WUHLva0AAhRdH?format=jpg&name=large

    How can any Texan take this piece of shit seriously?  I don't care what your political beliefs are, every Texan should be able to spot a bullshit artist that is this obvious, right?  Right‽‽‽ 

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  14. Lawyers: I don't actually know shit, but I can think nonlinearly and solve nuanced problems.  I'm fun to party with, and your wife secretly wants to fuck me because I can flirt better than you can and know how to make eye contact. My liver or a jilted wife/lover will eventually kill me.

    Engineers: I can solve every problem on earth better than anyone else, no matter the context, so long as it is black-and-white, with no nuance. I could be a great lawyer or doctor if I wanted to be, but that seemed too easy, so I stuck with trade school.  No one wants to party with me, but I've made some cool friends, usually by building things that explode, and I occasionally get invited to parties where I end up making everyone else uncomfortable. Your wife doesn't want to fuck me unless she, too, is on the spectrum. A miscalculation and some hubris will eventually kill me. 

    Doctors: I studied one thing and do one thing really well, and I think that means I know everything about everything.  I should probably run for political office. No one even invites me to their parties, unless they want to ask me to invest in their latest venture.  Your wife doesn't really want to fuck me, but she still thinks about it in the context of being my next wife and enjoying my big house and frequent vacations.  I'll live longer than the rest of you, but I'll spend most of that time focused on a weird collection or a hobby that I don't really enjoy but makes me feel artificially masculine, like fishing or motorcycles.

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  15. On 10/21/2025 at 4:17 PM, jimmyjazz said:

    I didn't watch it, and won't, but that may be parsing it a bit fine for the layman.  Musk has a degree in physics.  Physics is not engineering, I get it, but they're pretty related.  I've worked with plenty of people with physics degrees who operated in an engineering role and did great.

    I mean, let's hate Musk for the right reasons.

    Just to parse things a bit finer, for the hell of it, he has a BA in physics, not a BS.  Some schools differentiate between the two, with the BS requiring much more work and difficult courses, but I'm not sure if Penn does or not.   Many of the folks with physics degrees you've worked with in engineering likely had a BS in physics.  Musk does not, but again, there may be no distinction at Penn.  So now it's all as clear as mud.

     

    ETA: I kept reading and see that TwiceHorn beat me to this comment.  I'll leave it up anyway.

  16. 2 minutes ago, 'stache said:

    The plan is probably to demolish the LBJ library and put some gaudy gold nonsense joke of a trump library in its place. Zero doubt whatsoever Hotwheels and friends would make it happen.

    Didn't the LBJ library once show a film where something in your seat would poke you to make you think a rattlesnake is biting you?  Maybe I'm remembering a different place, but I don't want to think about the details of such an attraction at the Trump library.

  17. 7 minutes ago, Vegas64 said:

    I wonder how much of that (the staying in your big house once empty nest) is a cultural shift. Used to be, once my kids are 18+, in college or college educated, they go out and get a job and have an apt or house with roommates, go live a life. It's not much different than the spartan life you lived as a broke colelge student, but it's a little better and it's a life. Earn some money, gain some skills, go out, go on dates, etc. but be 100% independent. The only time your kids moved back in with you was if something really bad happened and it was kinda shameful. That or there are some fundamental issues like with disabilities or handicaps that precluded the ease of a normal life.

    Now it seems like a cultural norm to have your kids stay with you longer, the coddling mother saying "just live here and save some money", while you go to school or work your first couple of entry jobs to pay your dues. It's not uncommon for able-bodied adults to live at home until their 30's these days, which kinda blows my mind, but I get that it's harder than ever for kids to live without roommates in desirable cities and locations so it's not longer the burn outs and losers who live at home, but good kids who need more time and help.

    And I wonder how many parents don't sell their big house because they are taking a "wait and see" approach to see if their kid will be able to muster it or if they need the extra rooms for the boomerang in case they need some more time and help.

    That sounds a lot like enabling, and I suspect you're spot on for a lot of folks.

  18. 2 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

    Tack on 180 days and a $2k fine (that's what's allowed).  Hit him with everything you've got.

    Of course, he's in Travis County, so even if charged, the DA will probably blow the deadline to try the case.

    Oh, I don't know. He sure sounded and acted like a white fella with some means.  Seems like a target Garza might actually put some effort into.  If it happens, we should take the win.

  19. That's the type of guy who somehow snuck through life without ever taking an ass whipping, likely because he's only a dick to people who aren't a threat, like a kid.   

     

    ETA: From that Reddit thread it looks like the parents found out who he is and are taking action with law enforcement.  Good.

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  20. 16 hours ago, Satchel said:

    Did anybody catch Campbell standing with Trump today as he bragged about demolishing the East Wing? That guy has an agenda and it’s not about college athletics.

    No doubt.  His agenda is making sure we can drill for oil wherever and whenever.  

  21. 1 minute ago, CooterBrown said:


    Wait until I tell you that AISD 7th grade advanced ELA “book reports” are actually art projects where they draw important scenes from the book. They don’t actually write anything for a book report.

    It's maddening.  I understand making that an option for some kids, since we've all but given up on actually educating the bottom half of students and instead focus on their feelings, but making it the mandatory method for a book report is just giving up on everyone, and is representative of how our system is failing by focusing on ensuring all kids feel good while neglecting to actually educate the kids who can handle it.  My autistic 8th grader would be much happier writing a five-page book report.  Those stupid fucking art projects stymie him.  The other area that this shows up prominently is how daily busy work counts for 70% or more of your final grade, while exams are typically no more than 20%. That same son will score 100 (or more if there is extra credit) on every single exam in every single class, which are all upper level, but nearly fails many of his classes because he doesn't turn in forms on time, or has the wrong color of binder.  All of this in a school district where half the teachers don't even have emergency certification (i.e., they have no fucking clue what they're doing). This bullshit to make sure kids who don't test well don't get left behind is leaving behind kids who are excellent at content mastery (which should be the fucking point) but suck at inane busy work is a crazy way to run an educational system.  We're so focused on creating a new generation of drones who will either skip college or get a business degree if they go, that we're failing to nurture the people we'll need to take the lead in the future.  

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  22. While I won't like moving away from the familiarity and friends, I can't wait to get the hell out of this house when the kids head off to college.  We might stay put for four years or so to get them through undergrad with a familiar place to come home to, but that will be it.  I need less house and more open space, a workshop, etc., and most importantly, no more city of Austin insane taxes.

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