Fort Worth school district to offer incentives
Posted Tuesday, Feb. 07, 20120 Comments PrintReprintsShare
BY EVA-MARIE AYALA
eayala@star-telegram.com

FORT WORTH — For the second year, the Fort Worth school district will offer bonuses to employees who give early notification that they won’t be back next school year.

Administrators said they would not disclose details of the incentive program — including how much would be paid or the goal for the number of employees who accept — until Thursday.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/02/07/3718804/fort-worth-school-distri...

UTEP places professor on leave, begins inquiry on outside work

By Marty Schladen \ El Paso Times
Posted: 02/07/2012 12:00:00 AM MST
The head of UTEP’s Criminal Justice Program has been placed on paid leave while administrators investigate his outside activities that were first detailed by the El Paso Times.

S. Fernando Rodriguez was put on leave Friday, five days after the Times published a story about outside work that netted him more than $1 million.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_19906537?IADID=Search-www.elpasotimes...

UT Chancellor: Reduction in force comments ‘unfortunate’
February 07, 2012 9:12 PM
By JACQUELINE ARMENDARIZ/ The Brownsville Herald
University of Texas System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa responded directly to an article about university job layoffs in Tuesday’s edition of The Brownsville Herald by sending out a statement calling the story “unfortunate,” but he refrained from stating it was inaccurate.

The news of the significant layoffs that Cigarroa called “a possible reduction in force,” was confirmed by University of Texas at Brownsville Provost Alan Artibise on Monday though the UTB administrator did not cite exact figures. Officials also announced last week that UTB-TSC enrollment decreased when comparing spring 2012 figures to the same time last year.

http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/articles/university-136703-texas-utb.html

Longview ISD interim superintendent says scrutiny over rehiring appropriate
Story

Posted: Wednesday, February 8, 2012 4:00 am | Updated: 7:37 am, Wed Feb 8, 2012.
By Christina Lane clane@news-journal.com | 2 comments
Interim Superintendent James Wilcox said Tuesday that the questions regarding his retirement and subsequent return to Longview ISD have been appropriate.

Wilcox returned to the school district Tuesday after being hired by the board of trustees Monday night to serve as interim superintendent. Wilcox will maintain the job duties of a superintendent in addition to helping the board select its new chief. Wilcox said there is no timeline for selecting a superintendent.

http://www.news-journal.com/news/local/longview-isd-interim-superintende...

Texas A&M President R. Bowen Loftin says merit raises a priority
By VIMAL PATEL
vimal.patel@theeagle.com

Merit raises for faculty and staff members — which have not been given for more than two years — are Texas A&M President R. Bowen Loftin’s No. 1 priority, he said in an interview.

He didn’t explicitly say he would be recommending a tuition increase, but said that over the last decade merit raises for faculty and tuition on students have been linked.

http://www.theeagle.com/local/Loftin-says-merit-raises-a-priority—6955916

College Station ISD holds budget talks
By CASSIE SMITH
cassie.smith@theeagle.com

College Station school trustees on Tuesday engaged in a passionate three-hour discussion on how the district can balance its budget while meeting the needs of its students.

It’s a discussion that will be ongoing.

The district must cut $1.8 million from its 2012-13 budget to make up for what administrators say is inadequate state funding, a task that is forcing them to make difficult decisions. Personnel costs account for about 80 percent of the district’s budget.

http://www.theeagle.com/local/CSISD-holds-budget-talks—6956146

Texas architecture licensing board seeks penalties for CCISD architect team
By Elaine Marsilio
Posted February 7, 2012 at 6:44 p.m.,
An investigation into a two-firm architect team hired to design CCISD’s new Southside middle school found the group engaged in conduct that violated state architecture licensing board rules and state law during an interview with district trustees for the school project in August.

The allegations stem from a formal complaint filed with the state board in August by 32 local architects and engineers alleging the architect team discussed and mentioned fees during the August interview.

http://www.caller.com/news/2012/feb/07/texas-architecture-licensing-boar...