At its annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas, May 2-4, 2012, the National Education Finance Conference has awarded Lynn M. Moak a Lifetime Achievement Award for distinguished service in Texas public school finance since 1966.

A 5th plaintiff group will file a school finance lawsuit against the state today.

Information about the planned agenda for June 26 is found here.

We have posted a report by the Council of Chief State School Officers on state end-of-course policies.

Commissioner Scott announced a decision with regard to implementation of the requirement that EOC test scores comprise 15% of the weight in students' final course grades.

We have aggregated the results of an MCA survey on 2011-12 staffing levels. Thanks to all who participated in the survey.

Use the link below to access a litigation packet that was provided to us by David Thompson and Philip Frassinet.

Use the link below to access a litigation packet from the Equity Center.

View the TEA press release and Texas Tribune article on announcement.

The Dallas Morning News wrote about issues associated with Supplemental Education Service providers.

Yesterday TEA distributed a press release describing Texas' favorable results on the National Governors' Association "Compact" graduation rate. It is called the Compact Rate because it reflects the NGA's agreed-upon methodology for calculating graduation rates.

Rep. Eissler, Chair of the House Public Education Committee, plans to send correspondence to TEA by Friday, February 17, 2012 that emphasizes House support for rigorous standards and accountability without overemphasis on state testing. The letter formally requests the commissioner to defer implementation of the "15% requirement" per the transition plan authorized in TEC Section 39.025(f).

Per an article in the Texas Tribune, today four state senators sent a letter to Commissioner Robert Scott about available flexibility to delay implementation of the "15% requirement" until 2012-13. **UPDATED 2-14: TAB reactions and central Texas' districts approaches to 15% -- prior to "The Letter."

We have posted .pdf files with the slides used during some of the presentations at this week's TASA Midwinter Conference.

We have posted four MCA presentations from the TASA / TASB conference to our website.

Moak, Casey & Associates has provided a series of responses related to questions we are hearing about school district staffing.

Moak, Casey & Associates has provided a series of responses related to questions we are hearing about school district spending.

The attached Moak, Casey & Associates presentation was given at the TASBO Annual Conference on March 2nd and 3rd.

To provide a complete picture of the inputs that compose public education in Texas, the following report tracks the breakdown of an educational dollar from the perspective of a Texas public school student.

"The What if...Game Begins: School Finance in the 82nd Legislature" was presented on February 1 at the TASA Mid-Winter Conference.

"The Transmogrification of Texas Public School Accountability?" presentation was given on January 31 at the TASA Mid-Winter Conference.

Moak, Casey & Associates is pleased to partner with TASA to provide subscribers with up-to-data information regarding accountability changes and their impact on Texas school districts.

Moak, Casey & Associates is pleased to partner with TASBO to provide subscribers with financial impact modeling and timely information about legislative and administrative changes affecting school finance.

This tool will allow districts to compare a variety of indicators, including 2009-10 General Fund budget data and staffing information.

Significant questions have arisen following the 82nd Legislative Session regarding the impact of the appropriations bill and Senate Bill 1 on public education. Some are suggesting that school districts actually received a funding increase of $1.6 billion. On the other hand, we estimate that funding for public education was cut by $5.4 billion.

The following presentation was given by MCA at the TASA/TASB annual conference - September 24, 2010

The following presentation was given by MCA at the TASA/TASB annual conference - September 25, 2010

The following presentation was given by MCA at the annual TASA/TASB conference - September 25, 2010.

A presenation to Region X - May 20, 2010

A Presentation to the Region One School Boards Conference - May 15, 2010.