Teachers from “liberal” states who have relocated to Oklahoma and are seeking to work there must take a controversial new assessment, to be given for the first time today, that “keeps away woke indoctrinators,” according to Oklahoma’s top education official.  Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s superintendent for public instruction, told CNN that if applicants do not pass the test, they will not earn a teaching certificate to be able to teach in public schools in the state this school year, which begins for some Oklahoma districts on Monday. The superintendent’s office notified CNN on Friday that it had not yet been released as of noon, but that it was coming soon.  The decision to use the assessment, developed by PragerU, a conservative media company whose teaching materials are now approved for use in public schools in ten US states, opens a new front in the education culture wars just days before schools are to open their doors.  PragerU has been embraced by the political right for offering curriculums that champion ideas aligned with the Make America Great Again movement, but, despite what its name implies, is not an accredited university or education institution, and has long been subjected to accusations of spreading inaccurate information. view article

Oklahoma will require applicants for teacher jobs coming from California and New York to pass an exam that the Republican-dominated state’s top education official says is designed to safeguard against “radical leftist ideology,” but which opponents decry as a “MAGA loyalty test.”  Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s public schools superintendent, said Monday that any teacher coming from the two blue states will be required to pass an assessment exam administered by PragerU, an Oklahoma-based conservative nonprofit, before getting a state certification.  “As long as I am superintendent, Oklahoma classrooms will be safeguarded from the radical leftist ideology fostered in places like California and New York,” Walters said in a statement.  PragerU, short for Prager University, puts out short videos with a conservative perspective on politics and economics. It promotes itself as “focused on changing minds through the creative use of digital media.” view article

(The Center Square) – Two years after being taken over by the state, zero Houston Independent School District schools have received an F-rating by the state.  The Texas Education Agency accountability ratings grade schools (A-F) according to a number of factors. A large number of HISD schools have historically failed, receiving D and F ratings for the year.  Students not only report failing grades and can’t read or do math at their grade level, but high school graduation rates are also low.  The district has also been plagued for years by corruption and mismanagement of public funds. After HISD officials were convicted for bribery, extortion and kickbacks, the state moved to take over the district.  After a long legal battle, the state took over the district in 2023, ousted its former superintendent and board of trustees and appointed a new board of managers and new superintendent, Mike Miles.  Under Miles, HISD has transformed. According to new preliminary TEA data, no HISD school received an F grade and the number of schools that received A and B grades tripled.  In the past two years, “We did great. You did great teachers. You did great students,” Miles said in an “HISD Now” public announcement. view article

Keeping teachers in the classroom has become more challenging in the last five years. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, about 10% of Texas teachers would leave in a given year. Since then, that number has jumped as high at 13.5%. Richardson Independent School District is getting creative with incentives to support educators and their families in hopes of keeping them in education. , view article

A former Judson Independent School District special education teacher is still recovering after he said a student attacked him in a classroom. Christopher Johnson said he has endured months of pain and medical visits. view article

Austin ISD is planning for staff cuts even after finding out federal funding is on the way. The uncertainty over the federal education grants has the school district re-evaluating how it moves forward. $9 million was at stake for Austin ISD when the federal government froze funds that were expected to be available on July 1. The White House is now committing to school districts across the country that they will get the education grants, leading Superintendent Matias Segura to meet with the 109 staff affected by federal funding. view article

With the first day of school around the corner, United Independent School District kicked off its new teacher orientation, welcoming nearly 100 new educators who are set to make an impact in classrooms across the district. view article

The countdown is on for more than 100,000 Dallas ISD students heading back to class. This year, hundreds of new teachers are gearing up to greet them. The district wrapped up its annual New Teacher Academy this week, a three-day event designed to welcome the 900 new educators planning to start a new school year in Dallas Independent School District. The program, which culminated in a celebration at the Winspear Opera House on Thursday, helps prepare first-year, returning, and recruited teachers for the year ahead. view article

Andrew McGann resigned from Lewisville ISD in 2023 amid allegations of inappropriate behavior with students.  A teacher charged with murdering a mom and dad at a state park in Arkansas in front of their two young children formerly taught at a North Texas elementary school.  Andrew James McGann, 28, was arrested Wednesday by Arkansas State Police at a barbershop in Springdale following a five-day manhunt and was charged with two counts of capital murder.  McGann is accused of killing Cristen and Clinton Brink at Devil’s Den State Park while they were hiking with their daughters, ages 7 and 9 years old. view article

Austin ISD will move forward with staffing cuts as it faces uncertainty over millions of dollars in federal education grants, district officials announced on Wednesday. In a letter to families, Superintendent Matias Segura said the decision comes after more than $9 million in federal grants were not released as expected on July 1. Segura said while the federal government eventually committed to releasing the funds on July 25, the disruption forced the district to prepare for future funding losses. view article

A Denton ISD student is calling for the removal of his football coach, claiming the team’s leadership has created a toxic environment that's causing athletes to quit. Braswell High School student Dustin Sharp addressed Denton ISD trustees during public comment at Tuesday night’s board meeting. The 17-year-old, who will begin his senior year this fall, used his three-minute window to voice concerns about campus athletic director and head football coach Kent Laster. view article

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Ector County ISD welcomed hundreds of new teachers Monday afternoon to kick off the upcoming school year. The special event aimed to make new staff feel supported and at home, including around 70 international hires from countries such as the Philippines, Spain and Colombia. The celebration featured marching bands, cheerleaders and giveaways, all designed to show teachers they’re not alone as they begin their careers. view article

KERRVILLE, Texas (KXAN) – Records obtained by KXAN investigators show the mayor of Kerrville received an invite two days before the deadly July 4 flood in and around his community to attend a call with state officials briefing area leaders on the weather dangers ahead. The discovery comes amid continued criticism local decision-makers failed to prepare for the disaster, alert residents and evacuate people sooner.  In an email sent by the Texas Division of Emergency Management’s State Operations Center on July 2, Mayor Joe Herring was invited to attend a “Situational Awareness Call for Severe Weather” at 10 a.m. the following day. Associated slides – which indicated a flash flooding risk for the region – were also sent by TDEM a half hour before that call to both the mayor and Jerremy Hughes, then employed by the city as its emergency management coordinator. view article

AUSTIN (KXAN) — As school districts across Central Texas make budget decisions for the 2025-26 school year, KXAN is keeping track of starting teacher salaries area-wide.  There are 58 districts in the KXAN viewing area, from Mason ISD in the west to Fayetteville ISD in the east. So far, 37 of those districts have announced salaries for the upcoming school year.  The map below shows starting salaries in each district for new teachers with no experience. view article

A jury has found a former LaPoynor ISD coach guilty of tampering with evidence after an incident involving a recording in a girls’ locker room. LaPoynor ISD serves Larue and Poynor, communities southeast of Athens. Former girls’ basketball coach Jammie Allen Maze, 45, of Brownsboro, was arrested in 2023 after a phone was found with the camera on left in a shoe under a bench in the girl’s locker room. view article

GLADEWATER – Union Grove ISD trustees accepted the resignation of Superintendent Kelly Moore during Tuesday night’s meeting.  Moore resigned amid controversy regarding an incident in the spring in which a student recorded another student in a school bathroom stall. The student who was the subject of the video later held a gun to his head and threatened to commit suicide. view article

Baird ISD employee Waldo Rodriquez is now facing deportation even though his employer says he was meeting the conditions set out for him by U.S. Immigration. view article

On July 15 and 16, the Cooke County Sheriff’s Department hosted and coordinated a joint law enforcement "sting" operation with Texas DPS, Collin County Sheriff’s Department, and the Colony Police Department. view article

Derrick Brookins, a choir director at Denton ISD’s Braswell High School in Little Elm, was arrested on an indecency with a child charge the day before the seniors in his program graduated. Frisco police arrested Brookins, 54, on May 22 for allegedly performing a sexual act in front of a child, according to an arrest report. Collin County Jail records show his bail was set at $10,000, and he posted bail and was released May 23. view article

Belton High School teacher Pietro Giustino is charged with possessing child sexual abuse material including depictions of minors engaged in sexual intercourse. view article

The starting teacher salary now sits at $60,000. As the new school year approaches, Sherman ISD staff got some good news Tuesday evening. “We were able to implement a $3,100 raise for teachers with 0 to 4 years of experience, a 5 thousand dollar raise for teachers with 5+ years experience,” Thomas O’Neal, Sherman ISD Superintendent, said. view article

The Copperas Cove ISD Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, July 15 approved an increase to the teacher pay scale. The trustees also agreed on a 3% raise from the midpoint for all of CCISD's administrative, clerical and auxiliary employees. With this approval, CCISD's starting teacher salary rose to $56,000, an increase of $3,000. With this increase in wages, alongside the recently approved House Bill 2, teachers with more than two years experience will receive a $2,500 increase in pay and teachers with more than five years experience will receive a $5,000 increase. view article

A Texas City High School teacher is in custody and charged with online solicitation of a minor, according to the Harris County Precinct One Constable's Office. John Derrick Taylor, 55, is a math teacher and power-lifting coach for boys and girls at the Texas City ISD school. Taylor was arrested at his home in Manvel on Tuesday by detectives with Precinct One’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit. view article

Willis ISD trustees approved its 2025-26 compensation plan, the district announced July 10. The plan includes salary increases for teachers, instructional professionals, nonexempt hourly personnel and administrators, according to the district. view article

Candra Rogers, 56, a Corsicana ISD educator who was blinded in her left eye in August 2024 by a student is returning to help students and families access resources beyond the classroom. Rogers was recently named the district’s Family and Community Engagement Coordinator for Wraparound Services. The program provides non-academic support to students in need, according to the district. The services include school uniforms, supplies, and hygiene products, all aimed at removing barriers to learning. view article

A Houston Independent School District Physical Education teacher has been charged after being accused of posting explicit videos of his ex-girlfriend, according to court records. What we know: Christopher J. Hampton is charged with unlawful disclosure of intimate visual material. Hampton is a PE teacher at Pleasantville Elementary. view article

Aldine ISD has promoted Diaka R. Melendez to Chief of School Improvement. In her expanded role, Melendez continues to oversee key student support services — including athletics, school administration, guidance and counseling, health services, and mental health and support services — while now directly supporting two school assistant superintendents and a cohort of opportunity schools. The campuses include Elementary Team 1, under the leadership of Scott Dubberke, which comprises Caraway, Dunn, Francis, Harris, Ogden, Spence, and Stehlik elementary schools; Secondary Team 2, led by Dr. Kwabena Mensah, which includes Aldine, Grantham, Hoffman, Lewis, Mead, and Stovall middle schools. view article

Hallsville ISD is looking to provide raises to teachers in addition to those approved earlier this year by the Texas Legislature. Trustees met recently to discuss the district's 2025-26 budget. A report on salary increases was presented to the board by Mary Brown, assistant superintendent of finance. view article

Denton ISD announced pay raises for all staff going into the 2025-26 school year. Pay raises for teachers were provided during the most recent state legislative session. Texas lawmakers passed House Bill 2, which included a pay raise based on experience. view article

Jean Laswell has been appointed as the inaugural principal of the brand-new Plano ISD Career and Technical Education Center. Jean holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Texas A&M University-Commerce and a Master of Arts in Career and Technical Education from Ball State University. Jean began her teaching career in computer science, accounting, business, marketing and engineering before transitioning into administration. For the past 14 years, she has served as both an assistant principal and principal at CTE centers in two different school districts. Her experience includes designing facilities, building programs from the ground up and fostering strong community and business partnerships. Her proven track record in CTE education makes her the ideal leader for this new and exciting venture in Plano ISD view article

An elementary teacher in Allen Independent School District has been charged with multiple child sex crimes involving students.  Austin Douglas White, 29, was indicted on four counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact, a second-degree felony punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison.  White taught at Preston Elementary School.  In October 2024, Allen ISD notified families that White had “potentially engaged in inappropriate communication/conduct with a student” at Curtis Middle School. view article

DIBOLL — The Diboll ISD board of trustees unanimously approved an update to its compensation plan, including faculty and staff raises, during its regular June meeting Monday in the cafeteria of the H.G. Temple Elementary/Intermediate School campus.  First-year teachers will receive a base salary of $50,000, with $500 increases after each of one and two years. Teachers with three or four years of experience will receive a $4,000 raise, and teachers with five or more years will receive an $8,000 raise.  Board president Jay Wyatt called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m., followed by the pledges of allegiance.  view article

The Houston Independent School District has released its 2025–2026 Compensation Plan, outlining changes that will tie teacher pay increases to performance evaluations rather than years of service. The plan continues the district’s ongoing shift toward performance-based compensation and comes as HISD implements broader reforms across the school system. view article

Head coach and athletic director Andrew Harvey was arrested by the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday. He’s charged with online solicitation of a minor sexual conduct, sale/distribution/display of harmful material to a minor and solicitation of prostitution person under 18. Howe ISD said in a release to parents that Harvey was placed on administrative leave immediately after they were notified of the charges, and he is not permitted on district property, nor is he allowed to have contact with students or faculty at this time. view article