Federal Judge Sid Fitzwater has just awarded over $650,000 in attorney fees and costs against a former school Superintendent and the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB).

The case, one of the first of its kind in the country, originated when Mrs. Barrow was denied a promotion within the District unless she removed her children from a private Christian School.

A federal jury in the civil rights trial, Karen Jo Barrow v. Greenville ISD, found a constitution violation and ordered the former superintendent D. Herman Smith to pay back wages and punitive damages in March of this year.

The jury of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas found the defendant, former Superintendent Smith, guilty of violating Mrs. Barrow’s parental rights and awarded her more than $15,000 in lost wages. In addition, the jury also awarded $20,000 in punitive damages.

Mrs. Barrow stated that she will use the awarded money to fund college scholarships for Greenville ISD and Greenville Christian School graduates who pursue education degrees.

The case originated when Mrs. Barrow was denied the opportunity to interview for a vice principal position within the Greenville ISD because she refused to remove her children from a private, Christian school.

Dr. Smith, the former Superintendent of Greenville ISD, now works for the state of Texas. More than 700 school districts in Texas are insured under a self-insurance plan run by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB).

Kelly ShackelfordCharles Bundren was the lead attorney for Mrs. Barrow in the lawsuit while Tom Brandt and Dennis Eichelbaum represented TASB and the former Greenville Superintendent. The Liberty Legal Institute, which represented Mrs. Barrow, is headed up by Kelly Shackelford. Shackelford and TASB’s lawyers are squared off against one another in another contentious lawsuit involving religious liberty issues in a case styled Morgan v. Plano ISD.

"This should send a strong message to every school district in the State and nationwide" said Kelly Shackelford, chief counsel for Liberty Legal Institute, who represented Mrs. Barrow. "American children are not children of the state. This type of discrimination against teachers and administrators will not be tolerated and it will cost them dearly."

William D. ElliottIn Bill Elliott’s viewpoint Dallas Mayor Laura Miller has singled handedly proven that female politicians can be just as venal as male politicians.  Thanks to Laura Miller, political behavior of the type that we are accustomed to witnessing in men is now the accepted behavior of women politicians. 

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Kevin MillwoodKevin Millwood indicates he isn't afraid of Ameriquest Field and considers the Texas Rangers an option.  Millwood is a great pitcher but has had his share of health problems.  Is he worth the risk of a five year contract?  Absolutely says Norm.  Pay any price says Norm.  The Rangers must show that someone can win in Arlington who is not named Kenny Rogers or they will never get or keep a pitcher worth their salt.

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Speaker Tom CraddickHouse Speaker Tom Craddick has reneged on an agreement with Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst to create a join House/Senate Select Committee to work on education funding. The Speaker says he prefers to wait and see what the Sharp Commission on taxation can come up with. Carolyn Barta wonders why the Speaker prefers to sit back and let others do the heavy lifting.

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New figures from the US Census Bureau were released to day and Texas was the 6^th fastest growing state in the union over the past year based on percentage growth. Texas , the nation’s second most populous state grew by 1.7% from 22,471,000 to 22,860,000. New York , the third most populous continues to shrink with a loss of .1%. New York ’s population now stands at 19,255,000. California remains number one but its growth rate slowed to .8%. The Golden State now has 36,132,000 people. Overall the US population rose by .9% to 296.4 million.

The South and West again monopolized the list of the fastest-growing states: Idaho , Florida , Utah , Georgia , Texas , North Carolina , Delaware and Oregon rounded out the top 10. Oregon replaced New Mexico on the list of the top 10 fastest-growing states this year. The South now accounts for 36 percent of the nation’s total population, with the West comprising 23 percent, the Midwest 22 percent and the Northeast 18 percent. The South recorded both the largest numerical population increase (1.5 million) and the fastest rate of growth (1.4 percent) among regions between 2004 and 2005.

Lucy Kelleway writes a regular column for the Financial Times. She has a funny article this week in which she gifts the reader "with a stocking full of prizes awarded for stupidity and bad taste in business."

Here are some of her awards:

1. Most pointless and annoying euphemism. The winner is "Happy Holidays!" or anything with either "holiday" or "season" used instead of Christmas. Neither word is suited to this role: holidays are generally taken in the summer, and there are four seasons a year. The reason offices are closed on December 25 is that it is Christmas Day, and if non-Christians are upset by hearing the C-word, they should really try to toughen up a bit.

 

2. Most annoying voicemail message. All voicemail messages are bad, but the message for press inquiries at Microsoft is extra-bad. An insanely cheerful woman’s voice starts off with "Season’s Greetings! Welcome to the voicemail attendant!" The use of the word "attendant" is unfortunate given that the whole point of the voicemail is that it is (regrettably) unattended. She goes on to say: "This is the rapid response team! Unfortunately we cannot take your call right now …"

 

3. Most stupid management course. The most stupid course this year was the one attended by graduates at the Kennedy School at Harvard which had them honk like geese in the name of teamwork.

Kobe BryantMike says it was like watching a meteor shower, a natural disaster and a multi-car pileup, all rolled into one. It was horrific and spectacular. Fantastic and calamitous. Awesome. ... and awful. And you couldn't turn away.  But most of all people were rubbernecking to see the cause of the wreckage: Kobe Bryant

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Go on a mental diet. Turn off the TV, radio and newspaper. Nourish your mind with a great book, CD or upbeat instrumental music. Take a walk, listen to the birds, breathe and observe the beauty of nature. Give someone a smile or a compliment and enjoy the warm, happy feeling your experience.