August 2022

Political bravery in the United States

When elected leaders put party before country, Americans are diminished as a society: We grow cynical; we believe less; we vote less. Every so often, however, we witness a leader who takes a principled stand, at odds with the party leaders or supporters (or both) and ultimately against his or her own self-interest. In our era of partisan warfare, these principled acts amount to political bravery, and they are essential to democracy — helping replenish our belief in leadership and, in some cases, our trust in the rule of law being followed.

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SISD, DISD receive ‘C’ ratings from TEA

The Sherman and Denison Independent School districts received “C” ratings on their recent report cards for school and district performance. This week, the Texas Education Agency released its first accountability ratings since before the COVID-19 pandemic led officials to hold off on grading schools and districts during an unprecedented time. The last released TEA accountability ratings — which can serve as a barometer for school and district performance — were for the 2018-2019 school year. The agency did not release annual ratings for the past two years as pandemic conditions led districts to transition to remote learning and other non-ideal learning conditions.

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