Texas Schools Sue State, Saying Funding Is Unfair: Roundup

DALLAS, TX - A coalition of more than 150 school districts has sued the state of Texas over a school funding system they say is unfair, inefficient and unconstitutional.

The coalition represents more than one in 10 Texas districts. Its lawsuit comes after lawmakers slashed $4 billion in public school funding this summer to close a massive budget gap.

The Texas Education Agency and Texas comptroller are among the defendants named in the lawsuit. Republican presidential candidate and Gov. Rick Perry is not.

Texas Education Agency spokeswoman Debbie Ratcliffe says the agency is still reviewing the lawsuit filed Monday.

The lawsuit says a 2006 school finance overhaul that froze state aid to some districts arbitrarily benefitted some rather than others.

North Texas In The Future

A non-profit group called Vision North Texas is offering county governments, regional and city planners a new "gamebook" to help manage North Texas population growth.

Karen Walz, with the group, says 9 million people will live in North Texas in 20 years; 12 million by 2050. She told Dallas County Commissioners it can't be "business as usual" anymore.

Walz: We will have smaller households. We will have more seniors. We will have a more diverse community. We will have a larger share of people who want or need to live near transit.

Walz says transit oriented development, high density residential and commercial developments, plus revitalization of existing neighborhoods will be critical. Parks and green space will also be important. She says by 2030, the amount of North Texas that's "paved over" will double.

Vision North Texas holds a summit to release its "gamebook" and some new North Texas data at UTA October 28th.


State Warns Of Medicaid Scam

State Health officials are warning of a Medicaid Scam. Officials say someone is calling Medicaid recipients, trying to sell them a replacement card for 50 dollars, and asking for bank account information.

The state recently replaced the paper Medicaid ID's that clients received in the mail monthly. Now, they're issued a plastic "Your Texas Benefits" Medicaid cards. They look much like the typical insurance card. If lost, the client can call the state for a FREE replacement.

Health and Human Services officials say Medicaid clients should never PAY for a card and state officials never ask for a bank ...