Plano ISD receives 'A' financial integrity rating from state
Plano ISD earned a “superior” rating of its financial integrity during the 2023-24 school year, according to a news release from the district.
The gist: The Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas, also called FIRST, is issued annually by the Texas Education Agency.
The district received a perfect score of 100. Plano ISD has earned a superior rating in every school year since 2015-16, and has earned a perfect score in each of the last two years. The 2024-25 scores are issued based on financial data from the previous school year.
Palmieri Cafe serves Italian coffee, pastries in Plano
Palmieri Cafe opened Sept. 5 in Plano, Owner Corrado Palmieri said.
On the menu: The eatery and coffee shop serves Italian and American coffee, tea, sweet and savory Italian pastries, gelato and more.
“Palmieri Cafe is an authentic Italian coffee shop,” Palmieri said. “We also make pastries which go well with coffee and gelato—all authentic Italian—without the use of any preservatives or coloring.”
UNT partners with North Texas colleges to launch new workforce development plan
University of North Texas President Harrison Keller announced the Texas Talent Accelerator, a program designed to better develop and match workforce talent with employers, during a Sept. 4 panel event at UNT’s Frisco Campus.
In a nutshell: The Accelerator aims to optimize education and job training to meet labor demands in the growing North Texas economy, Keller said.
“We have rising sectors in financial services, supply chain and logistics, healthcare, film and entertainment,” Keller said. “We have the most top-tier higher education institutions of any of the metro areas. ... We have all the pieces of the puzzle, but we need to connect them more strategically.”
What to know: Most Texas school districts required to display donated Ten Commandments posters under state law
Most Texas public schools are required to display donated posters of the Ten Commandments in classrooms under Senate Bill 10, a state law that took effect Sept. 1.
The details: On Aug. 20, a Texas federal judge temporarily blocked the following 11 school districts from displaying the Ten Commandments:
Alamo Heights ISD
Austin ISD
Cy-Fair ISD
Dripping Springs ISD
Fort Bend ISD
Houston ISD
Lackland ISD
Lake Travis ISD
North East ISD
Northside ISD
Plano ISD
Attorney General Ken Paxton appealed the ruling and directed other school districts to begin displaying donated copies of the Ten Commandments.
The debate: Proponents of SB 10, including Paxton and Republican state lawmakers, have argued that seeing the Ten Commandments on a daily basis will help Texas students better understand U.S. history and learn about morality.
Some religious scholars have stressed the importance of teaching students about religion in an “appropriate educational context.” Democratic lawmakers have expressed concerns that non-Christian students will feel left out or be bullied by their peers for not following the Ten Commandments.
