Governor's Schools Initiative Gets Boost from Dell, Gates

Gov. Rick Perry announced the creation of a major public-private education initiative called the Texas High School Project (THSP) yesterday. The initiative - which partners the State of Texas, the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Communities Foundation of Texas - is designed to increase high school graduation and college attendance rates in school districts statewide.

The $130 million high school completion initiative, which includes $65 million in state funds along with roughly $65 million in private funds, is one of the largest public-private efforts of its kind to improve Texas schools.

The state's portion of the funding was allocated in the budget during the regular session of the Texas Legislature. Under the THSP, the Texas Education Agency will award grants of up to $600,000 to approximately 140 school districts. The grants will help pay for additional services for at-risk students at low-performing high schools to help them graduate and be academically prepared for college. Grants to the first set of 70 districts are expected in February, with a second round to be allocated in September.

The private contributions to the THSP will be administered by the Communities Foundation of Texas, a Dallas-based company that has managed philanthropic ventures for fifty years. The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation donated $20 million for the effort, the Gates' Foundation, $35 million, and the Communities Foundation added $ 7 million to the project, along with another $2.5 million from an anonymous donor.

State funding will be used for Early Intervention grants at low-performing campuses, dropout prevention programs, after-school programs and individual graduation plans for students at risk of dropping out. The Communities Foundation will direct the private donations, however, to redesigning existing underperforming high schools and to creating new specialty high schools, which will focus on math, sciences and technology. Charter schools and early college high schools will also be created with foundation funds. The first grants for these purposes are expected in August.

While appearing with the governor at the announcement, Susan Dell expressed her support: "It is critical that we work to transform schools throughout the state so our children are encouraged and inspired to meet their greatest potential."

"Our focus has long been on bringing students up to the minimum standard," Perry said. "I envision a new approach where schools earn additional funding based on the number of students who meet the maximum standard."

Governor Perry Inaugurates State Energy Council

Acting at the behest of Texas Railroad Commissioner, Victor Carrillo, Governor Perry signed an executive order creating the Texas State Energy Planning Council on Monday of this week. Along with the executive order creating the agency, Gov. Perry announced that the first appointment to the council was that of Carrillo himself, to act as chair with other appointments to follow shortly.

Carrillo formally requested the creation of such a council in mid-October, citing the need for Texas to have a solid, cohesive, long-term energy plan. He called for an assembly of "visionary thinkers" who would construct a plan that would "include both legislative and non-legislative recommendations to guide our great state to where we need to be in decades to come."

At the signing in Midland, Carrillo emphasized how a state energy plan will compliment President Bush's efforts to develop a national energy plan, and insure that Texas remains a key player in the energy industry. Looking ahead, Carrillo commented, "The Texas energy plan will help strengthen our energy sector, increase America's energy security and independence, and keep energy revenues flowing to Texas schools and families."

As the Chairman of the Railroad Commission, the agency that regulates the energy industry, Carrillo has a good perspective on the issues facing Texas' energy market. Crude oil production has been declining at around 5 percent annually; meanwhile the demand for fossil fuels is steadily increasing. Given the situation, the council will evaluate measures aimed at effectively correcting the supply and demand imbalance-conservation initiatives, production incentives, etc.-as well as research new energy sources that could prove profitable and practical for Texas. To this end, the executive order calls for the council to explore alternative and renewable sources of energy, including wind power, biomass and fuel cells.

The Energy Planning Council will have over a year to formulate its recommendations and create a blueprint for the future of Texas' energy industry. The council is expected to submit the full report to the Governor, Lt. Governor, and Speaker by December 31, 2004.

Governor's Office Accepting Proposals for Federal Clean Watershed Grant Program

The Governor's Office began accepting proposals for President George W. Bush's Watershed Initiative last week. The program, which is now in its second round of grant awards, was first proposed by President Bush in the 2003 Budget. In May 2003 the EPA awarded $15 million in grants to 20 watershed organizations. The president has requested Congress to supply another $21 million in grant assistance for state and local communities to protect and restore inland and coastal watersheds.

Organizations that won grant awards in May received an average of $700,000 each. The EPA reports that it chose these organizations because their projects were most likely to achieve environmental results in a relatively short time period. The current call for proposals echoes this sentiment, emphasizing the need for marked results in the short-term. For this round, however, the EPA is emphasizing market-based approaches, trading, and other socio-economic strategies that will instill behavioral changes necessary for conserving and maintaining clean water.

Two proposals from Texas will be nominated by the Governor's Office and reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). All nominations will be required to explain how grant funding would support projects that quickly improve water quality. EPA will be responsible for approving up to 20 watershed projects nationally with grant awards expected to range from $300,000 to $1.3 million. Selection and funding are contingent on congressional budget approval of the full $21 million for this initiative.

A copy of the request for proposal, which outlines the grant eligibility criteria, is available on the governor's Internet site. Applications must be received by close of business on Dec. 5.

The governor's nominations to the EPA are due by Jan. 15, 2004. EPA is expected to announce the projects receiving grants in March.

Corrections Corporation of America, Wackenhut Corrections Corporation to Manage Ten Texas Jails

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice awarded ten contracts for facility management last Friday. The current contracts will expire this year, so the companies will assume responsibility for the facilities as of midnight on January 15, 2004. The Nashville-based Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) will oversee five state jails and two correctional centers, and Wackenhut Corrections Corporation will oversee two correctional centers and one work program.

CCA is currently the largest corrections vendor in Texas. CCA gained six new locations with the announcement, while continuing to hold one facility it already managed (it lost one facility, the Sanders Estes unit, to Wackenhut). The new contracts amount to 8,315 beds and a total of $487 million dollars for the company. The prison contracts will be in effect for seven years, the correction center contracts, for five.

As of January 15th, when the contract goes into effect, CCA will operate 64 correctional facilities nationally with a 65,000-bed capacity.

Commenting on the process, TDJC spokesman Mike Viesca stated "We could have other contract negotiations over the course of the year, but these were the ten affected at this time."

NEW SPI GOVERNMENT OPPORTUNITY MANAGEMENT PACKAGE

As a follow up to its successful roll out of The Guide to the Texas State Government Marketplace, and because of repeated requests, SPI is announcing a new procurement information package comprised of:

• Electronic information on unannounced procurement opportunities for 50 major state agencies plus major cities, counties, and other entities (you choose 3 industries).
  
  
• One year of customized daily bid monitoring.

Event Links

Power to Purchase (DIR) - 11/20/03

Resources for Success as a Small Business (A&M) - 11/20/03

Small Minority and Women Business Owners Conference (S.A.) - 12/10/03

TASSCC State of the State - 12/5/03

TML Conference and Exhibition - 11/19/03 - 11/22/03

Williamson County Growth Summit - 11/17/03

The CIA, the FBI and the Role of Intelligence in the War on Terror (UT) - 11/17/03

Seventh Annual Texas Workforce Conference (TWC) - 11/19/03 - 11/21/03

Past ABJ articles by Mary Scott Nabers

It's smart for vendors to watch 'smart card' deals - 10/6/2003

Watch Cap Metro, AISD for vendor opportunities - 9/22/2003

Watch state water board for flow of grant money - 9/8/2003

New state laws open up market at state agencies - 8/25/2003

Vendors can dive into law enforcement pool - 8/11/2003

Insider Archives

Volume 1 Issue 1 - 11/7/03

Opportunities in Biometric Technology

If you haven't familiarized yourself with biometrics, you might want to do so soon. Chances are good that you'll hear a lot about biometrics in the coming months. Government markets appear to be a fertile environment for the technology, with projects already underway in federal, state, and local governments, and in areas such as law enforcement, schools, health care, aviation, and finance. Strategic Partnerships' CEO, Mary Scott Nabers, provides the details on these opportunities and more in the Austin Business Journal at http://austin.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2003/11/03/smallb2.html.

Power to Purchase: Maximize Your Purchasing Power

Hosted by Department of Information Services (DIR) at the International Apparel Mart, Dallas on November 20. For more information and to register, contact Cobe Dunn at 512.475.4775 or visit http://www.dir.state.tx.us/busops/marketing/fallptp_2003.htm.

Resources for Success as a Small Business

Hosted by West Texas A & M University, Texas A & M Agricultural Program, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the Texas Building and Procurement Commission at the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Amarillo on November 20, 5:30-8pm. For more information or to register, contact Ann Caraway, 806.651.2105, acaraway@mail.wtamu.edu, or Kathy Wingate, 806.677.5600, Mk-wingate@tamu.edu.

Issues & Eggs: Rapid Transit for Austin

Hosted by Downtown Austin at the Southwest Tower (211 East 7th St), Austin at 8am on November 20. Breakfast meeting on the possibility of rapid transit in Austin, featuring speaker John Almond, Project Director for Potential Rapid Transit. For more information or to RSVP, call 512.469.1766, or email rsvp@downtownaustin.com.

Third Annual Small Minority and Women Business Owners Conference

Hosted by Bexar County and the City of San Antonio at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio on December 10 from 8am to 7:30pm. For more information, call 210.335.2478 or 210.207.3901; visit http://www.bexar.org/smwbe or http://www.sanantonio.gov/edd.

Small State Agency Task Force Meeting

At the William B. Travis Building, Rm. 1-100, 17th and Congress, Austin at 9am. For more information, visit http://www.tx.net/ssatf/.

Texas Higher Education Human Resources Association, Winter Conference

Hosted By THEHRA at the St. Anthony Hotel, San Antonio on January 11-13. For more information, or to register, contact Bunny Davis, University of Texas Human Resources, or visit http://www.hsc.unt.edu/Departments/Hrs/thehra/Events.cfm.

2004 Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Facilities Conference

Hosted by the University of Houston System at the Hilton University of Houston Hotel on February 4-6. For more information or to RSVP, visit http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/Conferences/FCPR.

Governor Perry Appoints Morgan to Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation

Gov. Rick Perry announced on Monday the appointment of Luann Roberts Morgan of Midland to the Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation, which oversees the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

Morgan is the marketing administrator for Warren CAT, an agricultural equipment dealer for West Texas and Oklahoma. She serves on the Midland City Council and is a member of the League of Women Voters, Midland Executive Women and the Leadership Texas Alumnae Association. She also serves on the Texas Tech University College of Human Sciences Dean's Advisory Council, and the boards of the Texas Women's Alliance and the Commemorative Air Force American Airpower Heritage Museum.

She received a bachelor's degree from Texas Tech University, a master's degree from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, and is currently a doctoral candidate at Kennedy-Western University. Her term will expire Feb. 1, 2009.

Governor Perry Appoints Gordon, Reappoints Conine to TDHCA Governing Board - Designates Anderson as Presiding Officer

Gov. Rick Perry Monday announced the appointment of Patrick R. Gordon and reappointment of C. Kent Conine to the Governing Board of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) for terms to expire Jan. 31, 2009. Perry also designated Elizabeth Anderson as the board's presiding officer. The TDHCA addresses a broad spectrum of housing and community development issues, as well as overseeing titling, licensing, inspection and enforcement of manufactured housing.

Anderson of Dallas is an information technology consultant and a consulting employee at Science Applications International Corporation. She has served on the board of directors for Senior Citizens of Greater Dallas, the Family Place, Nexus Recovery Center, Girls Inc. Auxiliary and the Junior League of Dallas. Anderson was appointed by President George H.W. Bush as regional director of ACTION, now the Corporation for National Service. Anderson received her bachelor's degree with honors from Southern Methodist University and attended Harvard University's, John F. Kennedy School of Government program for senior managers in government.

Conine of Frisco, who has served on the TDHCA Governing Board since 1997, is the president of Conine Residential Group. He is a board member of Home and Apartment Builders of Metropolitan Dallas, the president of the National Association of Home Builders and the Texas Association of Builders, where he is a past president. Conine also is a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dallas, the Center for Housing Resources, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Dallas Symphony Association. He received a bachelor's degree in finance from Texas Tech University.

Gordon of El Paso is a shareholder and attorney at Gordon & Mott P.C. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the American Bar Association and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Gordon serves on the board at Insights-El Paso Science Museum and is a merit badge counselor for the Boy Scouts of America. He is a published author and speaker for numerous professional organizations and universities. Gordon received his bachelor's degree in finance from Texas A&M University. He received his master's and law degrees with high honors from Texas Tech University, where he was associate editor for the Texas Tech Law Review.

DHS Announces $2.2 Billion for State and Local First Responders

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge has announced the allocation of over $2.2 billion dollars in grant funding from the Office for Domestic Preparedness demonstrating the Administration's commitment to enhance the abilities of our first responders to prevent, respond and recover from potential acts of terrorism. For the first time, states can apply online for their allocated grants using one form that will serve as a "one-stop-shop" application for three different programs that benefit first responders and will provide additional resources to state and local government counterterrorism efforts. In addition to the single application, DHS is launching an interagency grants and training section on the DHS website at http://www.dhs.gov/grants.

Department of Homeland Security Unveils Technology for US-VISIT Entry and Exit Procedures

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has unveiled the capability it will have in place at airports and seaports on December 31, 2003 to process visitors holding visas as they enter the United States. The US-VISIT program - United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology - is a cornerstone of the Department's goals to improve border management at our ports of entry. DHS says by capturing more complete arrival and departure data for those who require a visa to enter the United States, the US-VISIT program will enhance the security of U.S. citizens and visitors while expediting legitimate travel and trade.

For more information on the US-VISIT program, you can access DHS' fact sheet at http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/press_release/press_release_0287.xml.

LBJ School's War on Terror Lecture Series: the CIA, the FBI and the Role of Intelligence in the War on Terror

The LBJ School of Public Affairs will host a discussion on the role of intelligence in the War on Terror with Oliver "Buck" Revell, former associate deputy director of the FBI, and James Olson, former chief of station and chief of counterintelligence of the CIA. The discussion will be held at the Bass Lecture Hall, LBJ School of Public Affairs at UT Austin, on Monday, November 17, 2003, at 7 PM. Revell and Olson will each give 20-minute presentations, followed by a question-and-answer session.

This is the second lecture in a War on Terror Series organized by General Montgomery Meigs, a leading military analyst who holds the Distinguished Visiting Tom Slick Professorship of World Peace at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. The first lecture in the series took place on October 29 and featured USA PATRIOT Act co-author Viet Dinh. The third event in the series will be a one-day conference, which is scheduled for February 2004. For more information, visit http://www.utexas.edu/lbj.

2004 Government Convention on Emerging Technologies: Partnerships for Homeland Security

The Homeland Security-centered conference will take place January 7-9, 2004 in Las Vegas, NV. It aims to create a forum for representatives from federal, state, and local governments, along with the private sector to collaborate on and experiment with information technology solutions that address Homeland Security priorities. Of special interest is technology that eases the exchange of actionable information among all organizations engaged in the War on Terrorism. The emphasis at this Convention will be on the Department of Homeland Security and the new Presidential Counter Terrorism initiative known as the Terrorist Threat Integration Center. In addition, the Convention will offer a live threat simulation exercise using the very tools that are showcased at the Convention as part of a crisis management test bed and learning exercise.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to view emerging technologies at this year's Government IT Showcase, the Government's Premier Venue for Homeland Security technologies, as part of the 2004 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the world's largest annual consumer technology event. The convention is sponsored by the Government Emerging Technology Alliance (GETA) and produced by National Conference Services, Inc. (NCSI). For more information, go to http://www.federalevents.com/govcon.