Let Me Sum Up

Is DISD's sudden attack of reasonableness chronic? Plus: Karl Rove is a liar!

Sometimes in this space — oftentimes, I hope — the point is to rail against stupidity, to decry some crippling lack of logic in the ongoing conversation about the city. Today, however, I’m just here to praise.

Carefully read Matthew Haag’s story about the proposed security improvements for DISD schools. There are several heartening takeaways to be savored. Given that we usually linger for weeks on bad news out of DISD, why don’t you go ahead and read it twice.

I just want a few things to sink in. First, notice the proposal itself. It is not just reasonable, as noted in this excellent summation by Mike Hashimoto — it is so reasonable as to be brilliantly so. It is, in fact, miraculous in its reasonableness. When you exist in an institution and a political climate conditioned to react to reason as antibodies to a virus, such a strong and sustained sign of reason suggests an avian flu-like outbreak in the halls of DISD.

The proposal doesn’t suggest arming teachers. (In fact, the DISD police chief rightly suggests that arming those who aren’t properly trained does more harm than good). It doesn’t suggest creating impenetrable gulags where students learn to exist only in fear.

It calls for these highlighted items: motion-detecting video camera systems at 150 elementary schools; locking front doors with a buzzer/camera entry system; electronic card readers at employee-only entrances; one-way peepholes in portable buildings. (This of course would supplement the police officers already on most high school and middle school campuses.)

This is just sensible, affordable policy. It is, as a DISDer noted to me, bringing the district in line with what most other corporations do in terms of security. Heck, it’s not much more than many libraries do.

Second, notice the care with which this report was composed. The process was not rushed. A large contingent surveyed every school in DISD. The district’s police chief, Craig Miller, noted that many of the schools provide unique challenges simply because of their age.

This squares with my experience. When my daughter went to Stonewall Jackson Elementary, I lived across the street, and so I would sometimes just run inside to drop off something she’d left behind. I could only get in the front door, and the principal’s office was right in front, so I was always immediately confronted and told to sign in.

At Booker T. Washington downtown, the new building has a guard and metal detectors at the front doors, but it was easy to get in the back door to the parking lot and wander the halls to find her when I needed to find her, and I was never questioned.

Third, note how little drama there has been in the public examination of this document. No leaks. No silly missteps by Mike Miles. (His careful statement to the paper may seem lukewarm, but don’t let that fool you — he’s just being careful not to get ahead of the school board before they debate the proposal’s merits this week.)

In fact, ever since Jennifer Sprague left, Miles has been making every right move imaginable. Hmmm. Wonder who’s giving him communications advice these days?

No matter the reason, it’s good to see the district do something smart. This plan deserves community support. Here’s hoping heretofore rarely seen condition of reasonableness becomes a chronic affliction.

Elsewhere

Good columnar week for the Floyd-Hashimoto household. JFloyd’s column today on the Chris Kyle funeral is spot-on.

And Steve Blow has been on a rush too. He’s had a string of solid columns, the latest of which is this (late, but) correct take on the Larry McMurtry blather in TexMo this month.

Karl Rove is a liar. Huh. Didn’t see that coming.

Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith will be on hand with Mayor Mike to announce a downtown rally against domestic violence. I’m sure Smith will be available for interviews afterward, and for most of the next few weeks and months, regarding this issue. Because he’s lending his name to the effort, so why wouldn’t he be? So please, media, approach him, ask to speak with him at a later date. I'm sure he's not too busy.

Retweets

Hey, let’s all fly with our middle fingers extended toward the heavens! Tempting fate is fun!

It's been 4 years since last crash of US commercial jet; 2012 was safest year for air travel since 1945. nyti.ms/WXWZOw

— Jim Roberts (@nycjim) February 12, 2013

What has gotten into DISD lately? And can we make sure it stays there?

Photo courtesy of DISD

What has gotten into DISD lately? And can we make sure it stays there?

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A+ for Plano

Surprising Dallas suburb makes new list of best college towns in U.S.

Southern Methodist University students at a football game

Southern Methodist University/Facebook

Dallas knows how to show out.

Dallas' spirited neighbor Plano has entered the spotlight as the No. 16 best midsize college town in the U.S., while Dallas ranks among the best largest college towns, a new study by WalletHub has proclaimed.

While Plano might not be thought of as a "college town," it is home to primary campuses of Collin College (Spring Creek Campus and the Courtyard Center); Collin College has an annual enrollment of over 60,000 students. To qualify for the study, a city must have a university or college population of at least 7,500 students.

To determine the best college towns, WalletHub analyzed 415 cities based on their "wallet-friendliness," social environment, and academic and economic opportunities for college graduates. Cities are ranked overall and are sorted into one of three population categories: large, midsize, and small cities.

Several North Texas cities were represented across the three rankings by population, but none ranked higher than Plano. This Dallas suburb ranked as the 54th best college town in the nation overall, and ranks as the third-best college town in Texas.

Out of the three key dimensions, Plano ranked highest for its academic and economic opportunities – landing 25th nationally. This category analyzed Plano's quality of higher education, the earning potential for college graduates, unemployment rates, job growth rates, the share of part-time jobs and median income of part-time workers, and more.

In the remaining two categories for its "social environment" and "wallet friendliness," Plano respectively ranked 223rd and 271st nationwide. The social environment ranking compared the number of students per capita, the share of single people, crime rates, and the number of cafés, breweries, festivals, and shopping centers per capita, among others; the wallet-friendliness category examined local housing costs, student loan debt per person, the adjusted cost of living for young people, and other financial factors.

"As student living expenses can reach over $39,000 per year, it’s important to find the most bang for your buck," the report's author wrote. "Therefore, it’s best to live in a city with a reasonable cost of living, along with good academic and work opportunities. The ideal city should also provide a fun social environment to help students deal with the stress of college."

Dallas ranked as the 35th best large college town in the U.S., and it ranked 108th overall regardless of city size.

This is how the rest of North Texas fared in the report:

Denton – No. 77 overall, No. 23 among midsize cities
Fort Worth – No. 100 overall, No. 31 among large cities
McKinney – No. 110 overall, No. 31 among midsize cities
Richardson – No. 139 overall, No. 57 among small cities
Irving – No. 141 overall, No. 39 among midsize cities
Carrollton – No. 150 overall, No. 42 among midsize cities
Arlington – No. 189 overall, No. 53 among large cities
Grand Prairie – No. 230 overall, No. 71 among midsize cities
Garland – No. 265 overall, No. 83 among midsize cities
Mesquite – No. 317 overall, No. 111 among midsize cities

Other top college towns in Texas
Austin once again topped the list as the No. 1 best college town in America, boosted by the city's wealth of local colleges and universities and the local economy. The Capital City has outshone obvious contenders like Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, for five years in a row, and it also tops the large cities list.

According to the report's findings, Austin has the 15th best academic and economic opportunities for college students and graduates, and the 16th best social environment. WalletHub commends Austin for having one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation and the "34th-best annual job growth rate," while also offering students ample ways to "de-stress after class."

"On top of that, Austin ranks 22nd in the nation for the quality of higher education among more than 400 cities in our study," the report said. "It also has the 112th-cheapest in-state tuition (including room and board), at $34,651 per year."

Four other cities in the Lone Star State appeared on the overall list of America's best college towns: College Station (No. 37), San Antonio (No. 72), Houston (No. 73), and Lubbock (No. 83).

In the rankings by city size, San Antonio ranked as the No. 2 best large college town in Texas and 23rd in the U.S., with Houston right behind as the third-best statewide and 24th nationwide.

San Marcos, a college town between Austin and San Antonio, ranked as the No. 2 best small college town in Texas, and 54th best among the small colleges nationally. In the overall list regardless of city size, San Marcos ranked 132nd nationally.

The top 10 best college towns in America for 2027 are:

No. 1 – Austin
No. 2 – Ann Arbor, Michigan
No. 3 – Charlottesville, Virginia
No. 4 – Raleigh, North Carolina
No. 5 – Atlanta
No. 6 – Tampa, Florida
No. 7 – San Diego
No. 8 – Scottsdale, Arizona
No. 9 – Orlando
No. 10 – Charleston, South Carolina

college towns reports wallethub dallas plano