Those are just two of the dozens of ideas outlined in the Wednesday report

Texas currently graduates about 53 percent of its students in four years. School President Bill Powers wants that rate up to 70 percent by 2016.

The report says quicker graduation saves money for students allows the schools to bring in more new students every year.

The report is the latest response to recent criticism of state universities by Gov. Rick Perry and conservative critics who have questioned schools over research, teaching, cost and graduation rates.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Editor’s note: Fort Worth Police issued a warrant for a man who shared a name with the individual targeted in the investigation, said Fort Worth Police spokesman Pedro Criado. The department used the wrong birthday and driver’s license photo and are redrawing the warrant. CBS 11 News has redacted that name until the proper warrant is issued.

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) – A six-month drug investigation at TCU led to the arrest of 17 students Wednesday and two others remain at large, school and police officials said.

Four of those arrested were football players, including Tanner Brock, a linebacker who led the team in tackles during the Horned Frogs’s 2010 run to the Rose Bowl.

TCU Police Chief Steve McGee said the students were considered drug dealers, selling cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana and prescription drugs to undercover officers both on and off campus.

One other suspect, Hunter Wallace McLaughlin, 24, remains at large. Fort Worth Police have not released an official name of the man who the erroneous warrant was issued for.

Nearly all of those who were arrested were charged with multiple offenses, and sold narcotics across the city, from a Kroger parking lot on S. University near campus to Tomlinson Hall in the 3500 block of Pond Dr., home to the Phi Delta fraternity.

Eight of the suspects arrested were charged with delivering a controlled substance. According to the myriad arrest warrants, police officers were able to purchase marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, LSD, oxycontin, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, promethazine/codeine cough syrup and Xanax in the drug sting.

Arrest affidavits describe scenes of flippant narcotic purchases, of students who coordinated the sale of more than 250 Xanax pills while they attended a football game in Houston and another who kept more than an ounce of cocaine hidden in a dorm room safe.

LISTEN: TCU Chancellor Victor J. Boschini, Jr. press conference

TCU Chancellor Victor Boschini said the arrests were made in conjunction between the TCU and Fort Worth Police departments early Wednesday morning.

McGee said the students were parts of multiple loosely tied groups. Four football players were arrested, and two of the 19 suspects were not students at TCU.

In the arrest affidavit, Brock, the linebacker, referred to a surprise drug test that Coach Garry Patterson gave the team. The officer writes that while buying marijuana on Feb. 1, he asked Brock whether he would pass, to which the player responded “I failed that b— for sure.”

The officer reports that Brock said he wasn’t worried about the results because there “would be about 60 people being screwed.”

“Brock said that his friend Ty (Ty Horn, also arrested in the sting) looked through the roster today and said that there were only 20 people that would pass the test on the team,” the affidavit reads.

Brock sold the officer 13.89 grams of marijuana before leaving the residence, the third time the football player alleged sold an undercover officer the drug, the affidavit says.

In a statement, TCU spokeswoman Lisa Albert said the statements could not be verified.

“The comments about failed drug tests made by the separated players in affidavits cannot be verified simply because they were made in the context of a drug buy,” she wrote in an email. TCU drug tests its student-athletes on a regular basis. Any student found in violation of TCU’s drug abuse policy is subject to university disciplinary action.”

Multiple TCU Students Arrested In Campus Drug Bustview gallery

Four current members of the Horned Frog football team were arrested:

• Defensive Tackle David Yendry, charged with four counts of felony delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce and less than five pounds, three of which in a drug-free zone; two counts delivery of marijuana less than 1/4 ounce. 
• Strong Safety Devin Johnson, charged with three counts felony delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce and less than five pounds.
• Offensive Tackle Ty Horn, charged with felony delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce and less than five pounds in a drug-free zone; misdemeanor delivery of marijuana less than 1/4 ounce in a drug free zone.
• Linebacker Tanner Wilson Brock, charged with three counts felony delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce and less than five pounds.

The other suspects who were arrested are:

• 21-year-old Bud Dillard, charged with felony delivery of a controlled substance between 28 grams and 200 grams.
• 19-year-old Cynthia Zambrano, charged with two counts felony delivery of a controlled substance less than one gram.
• 21-year-old Earl Burke, charged with one count felony delivery of a controlled substance greater than 28 grams and less than 200 grams; felony delivery of a controlled substance less than 28 grams.
• 19-year-old Jonathan Blake Jones, charged with felony delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce and less than five pounds.
• 21-year-old Eduardo Hernandez, charged with four counts of felony delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce and less than five pounds.
• 24-year-old Hunter McLaughlin, charged with four counts felony delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce and less than five pounds.
• 20-year-old Katherine Petrie, charged with one count unlawful delivery of a simulated controlled substance; one count delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce less than five pounds .
• 21-year-old Matthew Davis, charged with four counts felony delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce and less than five pounds.
• 20-year-old Michael King, charged with three counts felony delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce and less than five pounds.
• 21-year-old Peter Signavong, charged with five counts felony delivery of a controlled substance between one and four grams; one count misdemeanor delivery of marijuana less than 1/4 ounce.
• 19-year-old Richard Putney, charged with two counts felony delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce and less than five pounds, one of which in a drug-free zone; one count misdemeanor delivery of marijuana less than 1/4 ounce.
• 20-year-old Scott Anderson, charged with felony delivery of a controlled substance less than 28 grams; felony delivery of a controlled substance greater than one gram; two counts felony delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce and less than five pounds, one of which in a drug-free zone.
• 20-year-old Taylor Codwin, charged with felony delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce and less than five pounds.
• 20-year-old William Jennings, charged with three counts felony delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce and less than five pounds in a drug free zone; one count delivery of a controlled substance less than 28 grams. 

Arrest warrants show Dillard helped sell an undercover officer 250 Xanax pills for $775 out of a residence in the 3200 block of Waits Ave. on Dec. 29. Dillard was at a football game in Houston at the time, and had his roommate Burke facilitate the deal.

When the officer told Dillard about the sale, Dillard allegedly said, “Good, good.”

The warrant says a resident on the street had alerted police to narcotics activity there.

Carpenter sold an undercover officer 15 hydrocodone pain pills and four Xanax on Nov. 3 at a CVS parking lot in the 2600 block of West Berry, the warrant alleges.

On Nov. 7, Carpenter sold four ounces of promethazine/codeine cough syrup and two hydromorphone pills to an agent in a Kroger parking lot in the 3100 block of University. And on Nov. 16, Carpenter sold the officer four pills of oxycontin –– a powerful opiate –– to an officer in that same parking lot.

Zambrano attempted to sell two pills of oxymorphone –– another powerful opiate –– to an agent, one of which tested positive for the chemical, the warrant reads.

Burke sold 20 Xanax pills to an undercover agent on Nov. 17, the warrant alleges, and helped facilitate Dillard’s sale of 250 more on Dec. 29. And once again on Feb. 1, Burke allegedly sold 50 more Xanax pills to an officer at his home in the 3200 block of Waits Ave.

On Nov. 16, Anderson sold an officer 50 hydrocodone pills and had sold an officer marijuana three times since November.

A warrant for Petrie says the 20-year-old sold a police officer 10 hits of LSD in a parking lot.

Signavong is accused of selling an officer 3.5 grams of cocaine and one hit of LSD on Oct. 10. Two days later, he allegedly sold an undercover officer three grams of cocaine and quarter ounce of marijuana. On Oct. 13, he sold an officer five clear capsules believed be powered MDMA, or ecstasy in his dorm room.

On Nov. 2, he again sold an officer 3.5 grams of cocaine, the warrant says.

And in addition to three counts of felony delivery of marijuana, Jennings sold 10 Xanax pills to an officer on Jan. 26, a warrant alleges.

School athletics officials commented on the involvement of football players, expressing shock that the arrests came within a program that was the only top 25 team in the nation to have no players on its roster with criminal records in 2010, according to Sports Illustrated.

“We have an excellent athletics program at TCU, and an indicator of that excellence is the fact that we will not tolerate criminal conduct among our student-athletes,” said Chris Del Conte, director of intercollegiate athletics. “Our student-athletes are a microcosm of society and, unfortunately, that means some of our players reflect a culture that glorifies drugs and drug use. That mindset is not reflected by TCU, nor will it be allowed within athletics.”

Football coach Gary Patterson echoed Del Conte’s statements, saying the issue is not isolated to TCU.

“Under my watch, drugs and drug use by TCU’s student-athletes will not be tolerated by me or any member of my coaching staff,” Patterson said. “I believe strongly that young people’s lives are more important than wins and losses.”

The school says the investigation is ongoing, and there could be more arrests.

“This is the start of it. I think this is a very clear message to everyone in this community that we’re not going to tolerate it. And that we’re out in front of it before something terrible happens,” Boschini told reporters. “I’m extremely concerned … if one kid is involved with this, it’s one kid too many.”

Two of the students arrested were part of TCU’s chapter of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. Robert A. Biggs, executive vice president of the fraternity, said fraternity operations have been suspended pending an investigation by Phi Delta alumni.

Depending on the facts, sanctions could follow according to the investigation, he said, noting that only two of the 100-plus members are allegedly involved.

The university said any student who was arrested and found in violation of distributing drugs could be expelled.

Currently, the students have been ‘separated’ from the school, meaning they are not allowed to attend classes, and those that live on campus cannot access their room.

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“I’m hoping that that’s what’s going to happen, because I realize there’s a tremendous amount of angst out there,” Sen. Florence Shapiro, a Plano Republican, said of a year’s delay in making the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, exam’s results impact grades.

Shapiro said a reprieve would give school officials more time to fully implement the exam and weigh its impact.

“There’s a special fear reserved for the unknown,” Shapiro said in an interview. “A year from now, this process won’t be unknown anymore.”

Her comments came a day after she and three other Senate Education Committee members sent a letter to Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott clarifying that the legislation that created STAAR gives him the authority to delay regulations that its results determine 15 percent of students’ grades.

Debbie Ratcliffe, a spokesman for the Texas Education Agency, said Scott had received the letter but was waiting for additional guidance from the Texas House before responding.

Scott said recently, however, that Texas schools’ over-emphasis on high-stakes standardized testing is a “perversion” of the exams’ intent. Shapiro said she believes he will agree to waive the 15 percent of grades rule until the 2012-2013 school year.

The requirement was designed to ensure students take the test seriously. But it has angered some young people, parents and school administrators, who say doing poorly on the STAAR exam could hurt grades and make Texas students less attractive to university admissions boards.

The new testing system replaces the much-maligned Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test beginning this school year.

It includes tests for grades three to eight. Then in high school, 12 tests will be given at the end of courses in Algebra I and II, geometry, biology, chemistry, physics, English I, II and III, world geography, world history, and U.S. history — with their results counting toward final grades.

Adding to critics’ concerns is the fact that some school districts have already decided that while high school STAAR tests will affect grades, they won’t change students’ existing grade point averages or class ranks. Those can instead be calculated without STAAR scores. Others have withheld GPAs, however, until the test results are in at the end of the year.

STAAR will also be used to help authorities evaluate the quality of instruction in schools, but Shapiro said districts have already been given a year’s delay from consequences of the test results as they implement the new testing system.

“If we’ve given it to school districts, we should give it to students,” she said.

Shapiro has been a staunch defender of the new test and said she is not backing away from that position.

“This is a fairness issue,” she said, “It’s not about retreating.”

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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PLANO (CBSDFW.COM) – On a chilly winter day, Kim Wolff’s AP Environmental Science class is on the move.

Outside the walls of Plano Senior High School and on a mission, the students and Wolff hope to lead to change in their city.

Students ran a series of experiments on Rowlett Creek,  testing the water that will eventually run into the Trinity River.  The students tested the water for different chemicals and ran the flow rates to see impacts from the area.

“We’re hoping to learn what is happening to our water in our community, as far as water quality.  This is real data…in the classroom, it’s hard to expose to nature in classroom.  When they’re out here, they get a taste of nature, see the impacts human have such as erosion and trash that shouldn’t be here,” says Wolff.

The teacher has been inspiring science students in Plano for more than 24 years.  She’s inspired them not just to make observations, but she’s forcing students to think about the world around them.

Students will take the data gathered with this and other experiments throughout the year and present their findings to city officials so that Plano can be a cleaner, greener city.

Last year the city partnered with Plano ISD to start a recycling program at Plano Senior High because of student work from Wolff’s class.

In a country where science education seems to be lacking,  Wolff is trying to change that one student at a time.  “I hope I have set a fire under as many as possible.  I feel like this is one of the most important courses to teach because it makes them aware of the world around them and how they can change.”

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – By the time we hear about child abuse in the news, it’s almost always ended in tragedy.

That’s not how this story goes. Issac Wright is a father of two, with a third child on the way.  He admits he struggles and has lost his temper one too many times.  “I’m a yeller,” he said. “You’re supposed to be the man of your house, the king of your castle.”

So, he did something that can be difficult, he swallowed his pride and asked for help.

The Child Abuse Prevention Center in Dallas believes in the principle that child abuse is preventable.  “A lot of the families we work with don’t know how to be good parents – because of the way they were parented, or because of traumas they have experienced in their life,” said program director, Amy McShane.

She oversees counselors who work one on one with families, like the Wrights, to teach them how to cope with finances, marital stress, and the frustrations of parenting.  “I don’t think it comes as naturally as most people expect, and I don’t think that’s something most of us like to admit,” she said.

While many experts advocate for child abuse prevention, though, government funding for parenting programs has suffered.
Perhaps, as a result, child abuse is on the rise in Dallas County.

“Child abuse has gone up dramatically in just the last year,” said Susan Hoff of the United Way. “ We think that’s probably correlated with stressors from the bad economy.”

In at least one home, though, things are getting better.  “If we have an issue, we come together as a family and we talk about it,” said Wright.

All it took was reaching out.  “I thank God we did that, because without the program I don’t know where we would be,” said Wright.

To donate or get help, contact the Child Abuse Prevention Center at childabusepreventioncenter.org.

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – First Lady Michelle Obama brought her message of healthier eating to Dallas students Friday morning.

Mrs. Obama spoke to about 200 students from Nancy Moseley Elementary, while judging a competition of Top Chef contestants for an upcoming TV show.

“The whole point of this is making sure you all are healthy,” she told her young audience.
“It’s very hard to focus at school if you don’t have good fuel in your body, and that’s the truth.  This isn’t just a grown-up telling you to eat your vegetables. The truth is your brain works better on good food.”

The First Lady is currently on a 3-day tour celebrating the two year anniversary of “Let’s Move”, her campaign against childhood obesity.

“It was really exciting,” said JJ Guzman, a fifth grader who sat beside the First Lady.  “We’ve been a real good school and class, and it’s all worth it.”

Moseley Elementary is one of 78 DISD schools to achieve ‘gold’ status under the HealthierUS Schools Challenge for its success implementing nutrition and physical fitness.

“You have more ‘gold’ schools in this district than anywhere else in the country,” Mrs. Obama said.

Digging into plates of food, kids agreed and said they enjoy the healthier options.

Elizabeth Rios, a 6^th grader, understands the reasons to eat healthy.

“So that we can be stronger when we’re older,” she explained. “We can have a better family [and] better community.”

They really do,” Brenda Brooks said, when asked if the kids really eat the fruits and vegetables offered. And she should know.  Brooks is the cafeteria supervisor at Moseley, and she’s lost 78 pounds herself eating the new diet of healthier foods available at local schools.

Despite the accomplishments Brooks said she never thought she’d get a personal thank you from the First Lady of the United States.

“Oh God, it was an honor just to meet you, just to sit by you,” she told Mrs. Obama with delight.

During her North Texas visit Michelle Obama also announced a renewed effort to bring local chefs into schools for cooking demonstrations, staff training, and community gardens under the “Chefs Move to Schools” program.

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Special honors will be extended to students and faculty members at a school in southeast Dallas on Friday morning. First Lady Michelle Obama is in North Texas for a second day to thank the school for a job well done in the arena of healthy eating.

At a morning event, Mrs. Obama will highlight the healthy eating changes that students in the Dallas Independent School District are making each day, especially at Nancy Moseley Elementary School. The campus is a ‘gold’ school in the Healthier U.S. School Challenge program.

The DISD has more ‘gold’ schools than any other district in the nation.

There will also be a competition at the Dallas elementary school on Friday, including stars from the reality cooking show “Top Chef” battling to see what meals they can dish out for students. Some of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders will also be there.

Mrs. Obama received a warm welcome to the DFW area at an Olive Garden restaurant in north Fort Worth on Thursday night. She was there to meet with eight parents, to discuss how they have been able to get their children to eat more fruits and vegetables.

Jenny Hogan and her three kids from Frisco met Mrs. Obama on Thursday and 9-year-old Amanda Hogan even got the First Lady’s autograph on a folder. “It’s something special I should keep,” the little girl said.

“We were discussing about how fun it is to get all the kids out together, riding their bikes and running,” said Jenny Hogan. “And when you do it together as a group, you share the excitement.”

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In a court filing laying out the settlement terms of the prayer case, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery wrote that he forgave Christians who “venomously and vomitously” threatened his assassination, he thanked the U.S. Marshals for providing him additional security and without singling anyone out by name, offered a self-deprecating nod to those wished him the worst.

“To those who have prayed for my death: Your prayers will someday be answered, as inevitably trumps probability,” Biery wrote.

The unusually personal comments in a federal court order overshadowed the actual settlement. The case had been closely watched by social conservatives, and on the campaign trail, Newt Gingrich has portrayed Biery, a 1994 Clinton appointee, as the embodiment of so-called activist judges.

After winning the South Carolina primary, Gingrich singled out Biery as a “dictatorial religious bigot” for his decision in the San Antonio court case.

Under the settlement, the Medina Valley Independent School District won’t officially make prayer part of graduation ceremonies. The settlement does not, however, prohibit valedictorians or other student speakers from praying during their remarks.

Craig Wood, an attorney for the school district, said the deal forces the district to make only minor changes.

Last May, Biery granted a temporary restraining order filed by an agnostic family who claimed that traditions at their son’s graduation, including the invocation and benediction, excluded their beliefs and violated their constitutional rights.

Biery’s ruling prohibited Medina Valley seniors from asking audience members to join in prayer, bow their heads, end remarks with “amen,” or even use the word “prayer.” A federal appeals court later reversed the ban before the ceremony took place.

Being overruled didn’t prevent Biery from coming under fire. Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who hadn’t yet officially announced his run for president, called Biery’s decision “reprehensible” and an “inappropriate federal encroachment into the lives of Americans.” His state’s attorney general, Greg Abbott, joined the South Texas district in helping fight the case.

Although Biery didn’t admonish any politicians by name, Perry appeared to be one of his targets.

“To those in the executive and legislative branches of government who have demagogued this case for their own political goals: You should be ashamed of yourselves,” Biery wrote.

Perry spokesman Josh Havens said in a statement that Perry is a staunch defender of the Constitution and will continue to fight for the right to freely pray. He did not address Biery’s personal remarks.

Biery began his opinion by stating that the case was not about right to pray. Instead, Biery said, the case was about whether the Constitution allows for a governmental body to promote and support a religious viewpoint not held by a minority.

Biery applauded the terms of the settlement.

“The settlement memorialized in today’s Order signifies a bright point in our nation’s long and difficult effort to harmonize the competing interests written into the First Amendment,” he wrote.

The settlement prohibits Medina Valley school district employees from joining students in prayer circles or inviting others to pray. The district is also forbidden from displaying crosses, Bible verses or any other religious paraphernalia on school grounds. Wood, however, said teachers may still keep religious icons on their desks.

Students are still allowed to deliver prayers at graduations, football games and other school events. Those moments must generically be introduced to the audience as simply “student remarks.”

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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The first 10 states to receive the waivers are Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Tennessee. The only state that applied for the flexibility and did not get it, New Mexico, is working with the administration to get approval, a White House official told the AP.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the states had not yet been announced. A total of 28 other states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have signaled that they, too, plan to seek waivers — a sign of just how vast the law’s burdens have become as a big deadline nears.

No Child Left Behind requires all students to be proficient in reading and math by 2014. Obama’s action strips away that fundamental requirement for those approved for flexibility, provided they offer a viable plan instead. Under the deal, the states must show they will prepare children for college and careers, set new targets for improving achievement among all students, reward the best performing schools and focus help on the ones doing the worst.

In September, Obama called President George W. Bush’s most hyped domestic accomplishment an admirable but flawed effort that hurt students instead of helping them. He said action was necessary because Congress failed to update the law despite widespread bipartisan agreement that it needs fixing. Republicans have charged that by granting waivers, Obama was overreaching his authority.

The executive action by Obama is one of his most prominent in an ongoing campaign to act on his own where Congress is rebuffing him. No Child Left Behind was primarily designed to help the nation’s poor and minority children and was passed a decade ago with widespread bipartisan support. It has been up for renewal since 2007. But lawmakers have been stymied for years by competing priorities, disagreements over how much of a federal role there should be in schools and, in the recent Congress, partisan gridlock.

For all the cheers that states may have about the changes, the move also reflects the sobering reality that the United States is not close to the law’s original goal: getting children to grade level in reading and math.

Critics today say the 2014 deadline was unrealistic, the law is too rigid and led to teaching to the test, and too many schools feel they are labeled as “failures.” Under No Child Left Behind, schools that don’t meet requirements for two years or longer face increasingly tough consequences, including busing children to higher-performing schools, offering tutoring and replacing staff.

As the deadline approaches, more schools are failing to meet requirements under the law, with nearly half not doing so last year, according to the Center on Education Policy. Center officials said that’s because some states today have harder tests or have high numbers of immigrant and low-income children, but it’s also because the law requires states to raise the bar each year for how many children must pass the test.

In states granted a waiver, students will still be tested annually. But starting this fall, schools in those states will no longer face the same prescriptive actions spelled out under No Child Left Behind. A school’s performance will also probably be labeled differently.

The pressure will probably still be on the lowest-performing schools in states granted a waiver, but mediocre schools that aren’t failing will probably see the most changes because they will feel less pressure and have more flexibility in how they spend federal dollars, said Michael Petrilli, vice president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, an education think tank.

While the president’s action marks a change in education policy in America, the reach is limited. The populous states of Pennsylvania, Texas and California are among those that have not said they will seek a waiver, although they could still do so later.

On Tuesday, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said states without a waiver will be held to the standards of No Child Left Behind because “it’s the law of the land.”

Some conservatives viewed Obama’s plan not as giving more flexibility to states, but as imposing his vision on them. Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., who chairs the House Education and Workforce Committee, said the president allowed “an arbitrary timeline” to dictate when Congress should get the law rewritten and set a dangerous precedent by granting the education secretary “sweeping authority to handpick winners and losers.”

Duncan maintained this week that the administration “desperately” wants Congress to fix the law.

In an election year in a divided Congress, that appears unlikely to happen.

A Senate committee last fall passed a bipartisan bill to update the law, but it was opposed by the administration and did not go before the full Senate for a vote.

Kline released a draft of a Republican-written bill to update the law, earning the ire of California Rep. George Miller, the committee’s ranking Democrat. Miller said such partisanship “means the end” to No Child Left Behind reform in this Congress. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, who chairs the Senate committee with jurisdiction over education, has said he believes it “would be difficult to find a path forward” without a bipartisan bill in the House.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Instead the meeting took a turn and became a debate on whether public charter schools hurt the DISD.

“I’m asking please do not give monies to uproot education in our community,” said Dallas resident Shirley Daniels, who is critical of the public charter school expansion, especially when the DISD is preparing to close down schools.

Other residents echoed her criticism.   “Our city does not need to get into competition against the Dallas Independent School District,” said Marion Bennett.

Holsey Hickman added his concern.  “Now they’re coming up with a system to profit off the minds of our children, for profit.”

Rena Honea, president of the Alliance-AFT, a teachers labor group, was also critical.  “The charters compete with our public schools in the Dallas ISD.  They recruit students that would otherwise attend Dallas ISD schools,” she said.

Some councilmembers echoed the same concerns.   “I think that we are not giving our public schools the role that it needs and the support that it needs,” Carolyn Davis said adamantly.

Dallas City Councilmember Angela Hunt wondered aloud why there was such a rush for the non-profit corporation vote, since the proposal didn’t come in until last Friday.

“I’m not clear on why we would be moving forward in endorsing the charter school concept when we have DISD schools shuttering their doors.”

Mayor Mike Rawlings staunchly defended the proposal.  “I’m not going to personally stand to let poor people get bad education anymore,” he declared.   The discussion seemed to bring him to the verge of tears.  “Guys,” he pleaded to the council and audience, “we’ve got to come to terms with this. This is not about politics. This is not about neighborhoods. This is not about the old way of doing things. This is about the kids.”

Rawlings supports the concept of Uplift Education, which sponsors nine charter schools in Dallas-Fort Worth.   Uplift’s very demanding curriculum and goal is for every graduating senior to go to college.  The schools tend to fit into whatever spaces are available.   In the case of a West End academy, it’s the first floor offices of a Dallas West End parking garage.

Uplift routinely issues bonds, but now federal stimulus funds allow those bonds to be tax exempt if Dallas will create an umbrella-sponsoring corporation, at no cost or liability to the city.

But many speakers at council see the schools as a threat and blame them for some upcoming DISD shutdowns.  One resident also took the council to task because a proposed school is to be set in Deep Ellum.

“We think this is a terrible idea to have this school in Deep Ellum,” said neighbor Eric Wilson.  “It is an entertainment district; many of them are alcohol-related.  It’s a no-brainer that it shouldn’t be there.”

But Uplift’s CEO said it is compatible with multiple venues because it is a non-profit and money saved will go to improved buildings and teacher salaries.

“We are absolutely committed to the success of education in Dallas and we want to see DISD thrive as well,” said CEO Yasmin Bhatia.  “We just learned about all of the rules behind this new source of bond financing; and as soon as we learned there was a requirement to bring it forward to the city we brought it immediately forward to the city, to ask for their help.”

The council ultimately deferred the item for two weeks to allow for additional study and neighborhood comment.

As the board’s current president, he sits at the helm of directing policy and budgeting.  He’s also been the focal point of protest.  “I think it’s discourteous to go to a neighborhood”, Blackburn said, in response to picketers who protested in front of his wife’s Grand Prairie home.

Blackburn prefers to have the debate in the public forum, and right now, the topics of debate are plentiful for Dallas ISD.   “We’re looking at making additional cuts,” Blackburn said today, regarding job layoffs for the district.

Last week, the school board approved a consolidation plan that will close 11 DISD schools.  175 teaching positions are at stake with the consolidation.  The closures could save the district $11 million.  But DISD faces a projected budget deficit of $38 million, and 300 more elementary teaching jobs may be cut.

Blackburn acknowledged today an air of dissatisfaction from frustrated parents connected to the closed schools.  There has also been a succession of top-level administrators leaving the district.  But the board president said funding challenges are real, but they aren’t stagnating the education of students.  “The school district is in very capable hands right now.  We’re very stable from top to bottom.  We are making changes in various areas and portions of the district to make it even stronger.”

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – The clock is ticking for Renee Daugherty and her son, Nolan.

Daugherty has to make a decision soon and, frankly, she’s quite baffled by it all.

“We have 14 schools that are academically unacceptable and those are staying open,” she said while picking her son up from James B. Bonham Elementary. “The ones that are performing well? they’re going to close for money.”

When the doors to Bonham close permanently, the Dallas Independent School District has plans to move her son to nearby Robert E. Lee Elementary.

Daugherty, however, may have other plans. “I’m not a fan and unfortunately, the schools that we are mapping to are just not as academically successful,” she explained.

The idea of sending her son to a school that, in her view, doesn’t measure up to Bonham’s exemplary and “Blue Ribbon” status, has Daugherty considering moving out of the district.

Patricia Saldana is not ready to take that step, but she may end up petitioning DISD to send her son to Stonewall Jackson Elementary. Stonewall Jackson is in the district, but it’s not the school the district wants her son to attend .

Meanwhile, Saldana’s son, Kenji, is worried he may not fit in at Lee Elementary. “I don’t really want to go to Robert E. Lee. It’s a big school with a lot of people,” said Kenji.

Moving out of the district or sending their children to private schools are not options for many parents, which leaves them stuck with DISD’s consolidation plan.

Parents at all 11 schools that are being closed by DISD have until the summer to decide where to send their children next year.

To find out which schools are being closed and where the district plans to send those students starting in August, 2012; click here.

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - There is a new way to generate money for schools, and the idea is being launched here in North Texas. The program has a funny name – Schoola – but according to those involved, it is already bringing in a lot of cash.

Society Bakery, in the Lakewood neighborhood of Dallas, has long been a supporter of its local schools. So, it was no surprise when the bakery was asked to support four schools with a new kind of fundraiser. Tess Scarborough explained, “Here at Society Bakery, our motto is: Be good to your sweet tooth and give back to society.”

Schoola is similar to Groupon. The school’s PTA will negotiate deals and discounts with a local merchant, including a percentage that goes to the school. In return, the school runs ads in newsletters, emails and websites – driving business to the merchant.

The funds are collected by Savvy Source, the company that operates Schoola. They take 15 percent of the proceeds off the top.

“It’s brilliant,” said Meredith Manak, vice president of the Lakewood PTA. “It could not be happening at a more perfect time.” Indeed, public schools have been making drastic cuts to their budgets, forcing parents to look for ways to support local campuses.

“We’re already up into the thousands,” added Manak, just about the discount with Society Bakery, “and we’ve only had the deal going for two days. It’s going to go for five days.”

The Lakewood PTA plans to use the raised funds toward supplies on the wish lists of four Lakewood schools.

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Rena Honea, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Alliance, called the press conference to shine light on what she said is the bullying and intimidation school employees and parents are experiencing from DISD trustees.

“We can’t build a stronger school system without providing equal voice to teachers, parents, students and school board members,” Honea said in a press release. “We should be able to disagree without fear of retaliation.”

The claim is the latest indication of friction between educators and the administration.

Recently a Dallas schoolteacher was put on administrative leave after sending opinionated email to a school board member. The email Joseph Drake sent to school trustee Edwin Flores complained about the 45 minutes that has been added to each teacher’s workday.

“This was just another blow that said ‘we don’t appreciate you’,” claimed Honea.

The incident involving Drake clearly influenced Honea’s announcement Tuesday of a petition that includes a list of demands for Dallas school district administrators. One of them being, “To reinstate Mr. Drake to end the climate of fear and intimidation on the campuses and on the board level.”

Honea said the school board needs to include teachers in decisions concerning them and pay closer attention when people speak at board meetings, instead of, as she claims, working on their computers or just talking to other board members.

Honea also detailed other items included in the petition. “To begin a dialogue with the teachers and repeal the mandated 45 minutes until there’s been a good conversation about the purpose of it, how it can be helpful and to get their buy-in,” she said.

KRLD NewsRadio 1080 contacted Edwin Flores, the school trustee Joseph Drake wrote the email to, but he said he can’t comment on personnel matters, especially involving an ongoing investigation.

Less than three hours after Honea’s press conference DISD District 6 Trustee Carla Ranger posted on her blog that, “Dallas ISD Central Elementary teacher Joseph Drake is scheduled to be reinstated today and return to work tomorrow.”

McKINNEY (CBSDFW.COM) – A new high-tech way of teaching is helping pre-K kids in McKinney learn how to read.

Lawson Early Childhood Center is using interactive, 3-D technology to transform traditional teaching.

“I think this is a great way for kids to learn,” said librarian Holly Hammonds. “With this the kids are so engaged.”

Ever since Lawson started using the augmented reality curriculum to teach reading, students are learning their alphabet faster and getting excited about doing it.

“They think it’s just like one of their games, they think it’s a game rather than a learning curriculum,” said Assistant Principal Jean Stayton. “If they’re excited about it, they’re going to be more engaged and they’re going to learn it and keep it.”

The curriculum uses special flash cards that generate 3-D images onto a projector screen.

Each card has a letter and an animal that start with that letter.

The animal becomes a 3-D image that moves and makes noise.

“The pictures, they were flat but the characters kinda came to life on the cards,” explained 8-year-old Claudia Duckworth.

“I liked when the animals were popping up,” said five-year-old Grace Garner.

Because they’re having fun, Hammonds says the kids are remembering the lessons, and that gives them a better chance at success in the future.

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Author Jonathan Franzen speaks on stage. (credit: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for The New Yorker)

NEW YORK (CBS) - American writer of bestselling novels “The Corrections” and “Freedom” Jonathan Franzen came out swinging against e-books at a speaking engagement in Cartagena, Colombia. The Telegraph reported Franzen saying physical paper books are the more superior technology because they’ll still be around in 10 years. “I can spill water on it and it would still work! So it’s pretty good technology. And what’s more, it will work great 10 years from now. So no wonder the capitalists hate it. It’s a bad business model,” Franzen told the Telegraph. The criticism didn’t end there. Franzen went on to imply that people who read e-books are not serious readers. “I think, for serious readers, a sense of permanence has always been part of the experience. Everything else in your life is fluid, but here is this text that doesn’t change,” Franzen said.

Click Here To Read More From CBS News

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – When most people think of Deep Ellum in Dallas, they probably think of bars, night clubs and late-night partying. But schools? “I don’t see how it’s a good environment for them,” said bar owner, Josh Bridges.

Bridges runs the Anvil Pub on Elm Street in Deep Ellum. When Bridges looks out the front window of his pub, he sees the building that is the likely home of Uplift Education’s new charter school. “Why you would pick to do it where you have nine other bars within feet of school property,” asked Bridges. “It just doesn’t make sense to me,” he added.

Draft beer at the Anvil Pub

Uplift is about to close on the sale of a building in the 2600 block of Elm Street. The goal is to open a new school in August, 2012, that will ultimately house 960 students, grades 6 through 12.

Nearly 30 bar and night-club owners joined forces Monday night to put a stop to Uplift’s plans. The owners believe that a school is not right for Deep Ellum’s entertainment district. “This is a pretty big deal. This could be a game changer,” Barry Annino of the Deep Ellum Foundation told the group.

Yasmin Bhatia is C.E.O. of Uplift and says their organization’s other charter schools fit in just fine in other areas with eclectic businesses. “We’re use to serving students in high-need areas,” explained Bhatia. “We know that sometimes there are establishments like bars or strip clubs that are near us. In fact one of our campuses is a quarter of a mile away from a strip club,” Bhatia added.

According to Dallas city code, a bar or night club can not operate within 300 feet of a school, unless it was in business prior to the school’s opening. This means that existing bars near the proposed charter school will be grandfathered in.

However, if a nearby bar goes out of business and the building remains vacant some time, city code is likely to prevent a new bar from opening in the vacant building.

Deep Ellum merchants also fear that the charter school will prevent new businesses from obtaining permits and will block old businesses from renewing permits.

If permits are denied, many owners say it’s likely to impact the revitalization efforts in Deep Ellum. Neighborhood leaders have spent the last five years trying to remove the crime-ridden and unsightly nightclubs and replace them with respectable bars, restaurants and shops.

Now that it appears a school is moving in, many of the business owners fear they will soon be forced out.

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A teacher in the Dallas Independent School District is calling for a ‘sick out’ to protest last week’s decision to lengthen the work day for educators. This is just the latest in a string of conflicts for the DISD. Many parents are upset after the school board voted to shut down 11 campuses.

The teacher, who wishes to remain anonymous, is using a play on words to help make his point. He wants DISD teachers to call in sick on February 29 – Leap Day – to show that the DISD is taking a big leap backwards.

Teachers and members of the community are fuming over recent decisions made by the school board trustees. In a contentious meeting last Thursday, the school board voted to close 11 schools due to massive budget cuts. Many of those campuses are underutilized, and enrollment is very low. However, some are operating at capacity, and parents would like their students to stay at those schools.

Residents are also worried that empty school buildings will affect their property values or attract crime. District officials said that, when the schools close over the next two years, the buildings and lawns will be maintained.

“We are going to maybe think about moving to get into a good school district,” said parent Grace Jeffrey. “I don’t know how we’re going to find something like this.”

The school board is still taking steps to cut down the budget. Teacher layoffs have not yet been discussed. Officials said that it is still too early to know if any staff members will lose their jobs.

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – No amount of campaigning could save the 11 DISD schools set to be shut down due to massive state budget cuts.

In a contentious meeting, DISD board members voted 6 to 2 to consolidate 11 schools, saving the district $11.5 million.

Many of the schools that will close were underutilized, with declining enrollment and at about 50 percent capacity, said John Dahlander, spokesperson for DISD.

Parents and nearby residents worry about how the soon to be empty buildings will affect property values and whether they’ll attract crime.

“We plan to keep, we plan to mow the yards, we plan to maintain the buildings to be sure they are clean and operable for when hopefully, when the neighborhood comes back and the students come back and we can reopen the schools,” Dahlander said.

Board members will discuss new school boundary lines at next months meeting, but until then there are many unanswered questions.

“This is not our neighborhood,” said Alicia Rodrigues, whose daughter attends Bonham Elementary, an exemplary school set to be closed by next year.  “But our neighborhood school is also closed so now we are faced with where to transfer her for the upcoming school  year.”

Other parents say waiting is not an option and plan to take matters into their own hands.
“We are going to maybe think about moving to get into a good school district,” said Grace Jeffrey, whose children also attend Bonham.

The district still needs to make another $13.5 million in cuts but there is no word on where those cuts will come from.

Teacher layoffs have not been mentioned but Dahlander said it’s still too early in the process to know whether that will happen.

For now, many of the teachers working at the soon to be shuttered schools will follow their students into classrooms at other facilities. Others, however, will be put in a district-wide pool and “will hopefully be picked up by other schools,” Dahlander said.

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A student in math class. (credit: Getty Images/Christopher Furlong)

NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Education budget cuts are significantly affecting Texas students – negatively.

A survey of more than 240 Texas school superintendents revealed that state budget cuts have significantly impacted classroom instruction, teacher morale and cuts in services.

The survey, conducted by the Texas chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, found that the state public education budget cuts of $5.4 billion are not only stressing administrators but students, too.

“We’re really seeing it manifested by having larger classes, especially at the high school level,” said Texas AFT President Linda Bridges. “There you have more kids in a classroom [and it’s] harder to do one-on-one instruction because of that.”

Bridges said superintendents also expressed concern about low teacher morale.

As a part of the survey, one superintendent wrote, “Most staff are thankful to have a job, and I feel they will stay in place for the next three years. After that, the accountability system will drive them out.”

The lack of funds also has educators worried about the new State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STARR) exam, which will replace the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test in the Spring.

“All of these cuts are creating a really stressful environment within the schools and really creating concerns about how students will fair on the standardized tests that will be given this year,” Bridges said.

In addition the regular ‘reading, writing and arithmetic’ Bridges said some of the superintendent concerns centered on, “Things like technology taking a big hit –- as we’re trying to get kids ready to continue in the 21st Century. Funding for that has been diminished.”

In November of 2011 the Texas AFT conducted a survey of school employees. To make sure they have a clear picture Bridges said the group is planning another survey later in the school year, when districts are putting their 2012-2013 budgets together.

A press release from the Fort Worth ISD said an off-campus “power pole incident” caused the outage.

School administrators are assuring that all students, faculty and staff are safe and comfortable.

As it stands, there are no plans to cancel classes. School administrators say a good amount of natural light is pouring in to most areas of the school –- leaving only some hallways dim. Emergency lighting has been brought in.

Since food cannot be prepared without electricity, lunch is being made at another school and will be delivered to Paschal.

The power outage has left the school without phone or internet service.

It’s being suggested to parents that they allow their children to remain at school.

Since the building is without phones or computers, if a parent feels as if their child must leave the adult must go to the school and sign a release. Even students with their own vehicles must have a parent retrieve them personally.

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