With so many heavy hitters in one room at once, it was probably inevitable that nothing was accomplished. This afternoon's hour-long meeting in the conference room at 3700 Ross Avenue was a veritable who's-who of local politics, all of them on hand to brainstorm solutions to the Dallas school budget mess.
Those present at the meeting included, first of all, Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Michael Hinojosa and Texas Education Agency Commissioner Robert Scott. Locals from the State Legislature included Sens. Royce West, John Carona and the chair of the Senate Education Committee, Plano's Florence Shapiro. Rep. Tony Goolsby was there, and so was DISD board President Jack Lowe. DISD spokesman Jon Dahlander told Unfair Park that Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert may have even gotten in on the action by phone.
Just after 4 p.m., those present emerged without much of anything to report -- none more so than Sen. Carona, who managed to breeze out the door, dodging reporters saying only, "Not on this." Others more gamely took to the podium, gushing over how much they enjoyed one another's company, despite having no idea what anyone present would do next.
Is DISD headed for conservatorship? How involved will the State Legislature become when they get together in January? Could Robert Scott look any more like Dave Foley?
Smooth non-answers to all those questions and more after the jump.
TEA Commissioner Robert Scott is encouraged by everything he's hearing at DISD. But have the state take control of it in a few weeks, just so you know.
DISD board President Jack Lowe tells reporters that in the unlikely event that DISD ends up in state conservatorship, it'll look something like Wachovia's takeover. Well, that's comforting.
State Sen. Florence Shapiro (R-Plano) doesn't want to imagine a day when DISD is run by the state.
Rep. Tony Goolsby:
