1. The Texas Board of Education has decided that health, computer skills, and one of the three semesters of physical education are no longer necessary for the edification of high school students. Unfortunately, the Board hasn’t been as decisive about some other key issues, and that has the good people of Richardson concerned. Not only are they worried about having time to meet new requirements for the 2010-2011 school year, they also argue that health class offers something kids don’t get anywhere else. And while I’m certainly not a hysteric about child obesity, I think the same could be argued about physical education. Back in the olden days, didn’t we have to take four semesters?
2. The former police chief of Little River-Academy, Texas, is now spending a little time on the other side of the bars in our fair county. Apparently, police were investigating harassing calls he was allegedly making. Somehow that led to child pornography charges as well as six other felony counts.
3. Those darn budget constraints are being blamed for the major cuts that are about to happen in the mental health sector. ValueOptions of Texas, Inc., the company responsible for local mental health services, says that it will be forced to cut around $10 million from its $146 million budget. And that’s dramatic, according to Liam Mulvaney who is chief executive officer of LifeNet, an organization that receives funding from ValueOptions. LifeNet currently spends $300 per patient. That will be slashed to $140 per patient. Mulvaney said that he would be forced to tell patients, “No more room at the inn.”
2 comments
Great, More mentally ill homeless homeless people, but I don’t get the math. A 5% cut in the budget equals a 50% cut in service. Oh right. Gotta keep them executives and lobbyist happy.
Re: P.E. requirements back in the old days, I graduated from an RISD high school in 1990 and had to complete 3 semesters of P.E. Not sure if that counts as old days or not.