Rob Reid
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Rob Reid
@robcat26.bsky.social
Education Data Developer @texastribune.org, proud product of public schools, immersing myself in all things Texas through reading and building community and long-distance walking
Fort Worth ISD had reduced the number of F-rated schools from 31 to 11 in the two years leading up to the takeover. www.texastribune.org/2025/10/29/t...
www.texastribune.org
November 3, 2025 at 4:08 PM
My colleagues at the Trib put together this straightforward guide to the 17 state propositions on Tuesday's ballot in Texas. I'm finding it handy myself! www.texastribune.org/2025/09/22/t...
What are the 17 Texas propositions on the November ballot?
A majority of the proposed constitutional amendments address tax cuts for homeowners and businesses.
www.texastribune.org
November 2, 2025 at 10:59 PM
The 15th Annual Texas Tribune Festival full program is live! If you don't have your ticket yet, you can DM me for a secret coupon code ($30 off).
The wait is over: The full TribFest program is live! Big-name speakers, including @governorwalz.mn.gov, @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social, Vicente Fox, Carol Alvarado, Ruth Simmons and Christine Brennan, join a stellar lineup of 300+ others. Explore the program: trib.it/tribfest2025... #TribFest25
October 7, 2025 at 2:37 PM
"What happens when the state’s metrics used to measure success and failure in education are fundamentally at odds with how a community views their schools?"
www.texastribune.org/2025/07/30/t...
A fight to save an Austin middle school puts families at odds with Texas over how to rate schools
Legislators have a chance this summer to replace the STAAR test. What they come up with will decide the fate of schools like Dobie Middle School, where low test scores have pushed the Austin district ...
www.texastribune.org
July 30, 2025 at 1:54 PM
I wanted to shout out to my "tireless" colleagues at the Texas Tribune reporting on the weekend's flooding, but on Monday morning it's clear that they're very tired. The reporting is insightful, the photos visceral, and the tips for how to help purposeful. www.texastribune.org/series/texas...
July 7, 2025 at 1:47 PM
"Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, wondered aloud whether the Legislature was 'spending a whole lot of money to give the appearance of doing something rather than taking the problem on to actually solve it.'"
www.texastribune.org/2025/06/17/t...
With only 8% built, Texas quietly defunds state border wall program
Texas officials suggested the federal government could pick up construction. However, during President Trump’s first term, his administration built about one-third of what the state was able to put up...
www.texastribune.org
June 17, 2025 at 4:12 PM
My colleague Carla developed this nifty tool to look up how your Texas state legislators voted on some of the most significant bills this session...and see the current status of those bills. www.texastribune.org/2025/06/13/t...
See how your representatives in the Texas Legislature voted on this year’s major bills
Our interactive tool allows you to search how state lawmakers voted on the most consequential proposals debated during the session, which ended June 2.
www.texastribune.org
June 13, 2025 at 2:15 PM
From Beto to Karl Rove, John Bolton to Maureen Dowd, a former chief justice to the CEO of the Marshall Project...TribFest 2025's lineup of thought leaders is wildly eclectic. I'm really looking forward to it, and hope you can join us. festival.texastribune.org/event/c17d2d...
June 5, 2025 at 2:31 PM
As we approach the close of the Texas Legislature's 2025 session, our bill tracker summarizes the status of nearly 30 of the most consequential bills, including 7 education-related bills, with hyperlinks to our latest reporting on each. www.texastribune.org/2025/05/20/t...
Is it law yet? See how far some of the most consequential bills have made it in the 2025 Texas Legislature
We’re tracking the status of major bills through the final stretch of the session.
www.texastribune.org
May 21, 2025 at 2:18 PM
As a first-year staffer, I've benefited greatly from the baseline of trust the Trib built over the prior 15 years. Sharing a piece that exemplifies a colleague building trust with a new source. Check it out and consider becoming a member- no donation too small.
www.texastribune.org/2025/05/08/a...
Texas megadonor Alex Fairly joined forces with the GOP’s ultraconservative wing. He didn’t like what he saw.
Fairly, an Amarillo businessman, backed many candidates aligned with conservative West Texas billionaire Tim Dunn’s political operation in 2024. Now he’s disavowing what he says are dishonest and aggr...
www.texastribune.org
May 20, 2025 at 1:57 PM
"The numbers ignore rising costs due to inflation...[and] are also based on data from the 2022-2023 school year, when school districts still had access to unprecedented amounts of temporary federal money allocated to help academic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic."
May 19, 2025 at 4:18 PM
I'm looking forward to hearing my ever-insightful colleagues Jaden, Eleanor, and Matthew reflect on the numerous education bills still being deliberated in the legislature. You can join us for this free event at Austin's beautiful Central Library on June 11. trib.it/ahPqTG
TribCast Live: Education and the Legislative Session
On Wednesday, June 11, after the session concludes, join the Tribune's weekly podcast, The Tribcast, at the downtown Austin Central Library or online to discuss what happened and look ahead toward the impact on Texas schools and libraries.
trib.it
May 16, 2025 at 2:23 PM
I don't like to mourn such sad news in public, but I'm hoping I have a rich follower who wants to save a terrific Austin music club.
April 28, 2025 at 11:58 PM
...and at almost the same time, we published an interactive tool for looking up the recently published ratings for any public school campus or district in Texas. www.texastribune.org/2025/04/24/t...
Texas school districts got their first A-F grades in five years. See how your school did here.
The Texas Education Agency released the 2022-23 school year ratings on Thursday after a 19-month legal battle over how those ratings are calculated.
www.texastribune.org
April 25, 2025 at 1:00 AM
2022-23 school year data released this morning shows that school ratings declined after the state changed its rating thresholds.
1 in 5 Texas schools got a D or F rating under new performance standards
Failing grades for districts were made public for the first time since 2019. They showed schools with the poorest students were more likely to get a low score.
www.texastribune.org
April 25, 2025 at 12:44 AM
Part VII of Walking Austin’s Neon Wilderness avoided busy streets in favor of a meandering residential route around Deepy Eddy- where we noticed homesteads with more to offer than the brute opulence the area is known for.
April 20, 2025 at 12:51 AM
Reposted by Rob Reid
Tickets are on sale now for the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival, Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin! Get tickets before May 1 and save big. Discounts available for members, students and educators. trib.it/tribfest2025... #TribFest25
April 11, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Aside from the Schools Explorer, one of my other primary responsibilities at the Tribune is maintaining our Government Salaries Explorer. This morning we posted our quarterly update including state comptroller data from April 1. salaries.texastribune.org
Government Salaries Explorer | The Texas Tribune
The Texas Tribune's Government Salaries Explorer lists compensation for Texas state employees.
salaries.texastribune.org
April 11, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Our Schools Explorer lets you look up demographics, graduation rates, teacher experience, SAT scores and more for any school district or campus in Texas. Updated for the first time in two years to include the latest available data.
schools.texastribune.org
Texas Public Schools
Texas Public Schools: Use our database to learn more about the state’s 1,207 districts and 9,082 public schools, including hundreds of charter schools and alternative campuses. You can easily navigate through information on demographics, academic performance, college readiness and average teacher salaries for each school or district.
schools.texastribune.org
April 10, 2025 at 2:09 PM
The DoE, which may soon be dismantled, had compelled Texas in 2018 to reevaluate students denied special education services because of a cap set by the state to reduce special education costs.
www.texastribune.org/2025/04/07/e...
Trump wants to dismantle the Education Department. That could hurt students with disabilities in Texas.
In a state with a checkered history with federal special education law, advocates say Texas students will see an erosion of their disability rights protections.
www.texastribune.org
April 8, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Our school funding explainer and my first proper co-byline provides context around the state's role in funding schools and why many schools are struggling to balance the books. Check out Yuriko's interactive district lookup to see how your school is funded. www.texastribune.org/2025/03/28/t...
Texas officials’ claim that school funding is at an all-time high ignores inflation and temporary federal money
A Tribune analysis also found the state’s share of the funds that schools receive per student significantly decreased in the last decade until recently.
www.texastribune.org
March 28, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Abbott: "...we've been spending countless dollars of American money and not getting results..."

Capo: "It has been the only governmental entity holding his administration accountable for guaranteeing parents’ and students’ rights to a free and fair education."

www.texastribune.org/2025/03/20/t...
Abbott praises Trump’s efforts to eliminate Education Department at White House
Gov. Greg Abbott dismissed concerns that federal funding and civil rights could be jeopardized by the reduction of the department.
www.texastribune.org
March 21, 2025 at 2:12 PM
HB 1481 would make Texas the 9th state to impose a cell phone ban in schools. The bill promises to address some parents' concerns about the "negative mental health impacts of cyberbullying and youths’ social media use." www.texastribune.org/2025/03/18/t...
Texas bill would ban K-12 students from using cell phones during school hours
If the proposal becomes law, Texas would follow in the footsteps of several Democrat- and Republican-led states that have enacted similar bans.
www.texastribune.org
March 19, 2025 at 2:21 PM
While HB 2 proposes new funding to train uncertified teachers already on staff, some districts fear that restrictions on hiring new uncertified teachers will leave them dependent on larger classroom sizes
www.texastribune.org/2025/03/15/t...
Texas schools have leaned on uncertified teachers to fill vacancies. Lawmakers want to put a stop to it.
Underprepared teachers have been tied to student learning losses. But amid a teacher shortage crisis, school leaders fear the restrictions will lead to fewer instructors in their classrooms.
www.texastribune.org
March 18, 2025 at 2:25 PM
News nerds unite! Or news nerds compete against each other? Five rounds of trivia on current events, history, sports, arts and culture, hosted by Texas Tribune and Texas Standard. It’s okay to show up as an individual- we’ll put you on a team.
triviawithtxtribuneandtxstandard.splashthat.com
March 17, 2025 at 3:37 PM