mclark

The Light wins over darkness every time

[mclark @mclark]

@statesman He branded himself. There’s really not any work for them to do.

[Audit Austin City Council @saveaustintx]

@KirkPWatson Couple things here… 1. You should not be giving any other city advice. 2. Sister city program has no benefits other than a taxpayer funded vacation for city employees. 3. Austin is no longer the live Music Capital of the World… Nashville is.

[C3 @C_3C_3]

Spencer Pratt got 0 out of 24,000 votes in a late night LA ballot drop.

0/24,000

A guy getting around 30% support got 0 out of 24,000.

Astronomically small probability of happening.

Impossible.

California no longer even hides it.

Doors need to be kicked in.

[CJ Vogel @CJVogel_OTF]

The University of Texas has won the 2026 Softball National Championship!

Mike White’s squad goes 6–0 in elimination games during the postseason, and completes the defense of their 2025 Title to go Back to Back!

https://t.co/Aj97EVnCEM

[G-MA & G-PA @GPAIndiana]

There's a part of being a dog owner we don't talk about enough. We all know, deep down, that one day the Rainbow Bridge will come into view-but most of us do our best to tuck that thought away, somewhere far in the back of our minds. We focus instead on the wagging tails, the muddy paw prints, the quiet companionship on long days and even longer nights.
That's the trade we make without ever signing a paper.
But when the time comes, and our best friend, our shadow, our loyal partner crosses over, it leaves a space that never quite fills back in. Not really. You can clean up the toys, put away the bowls, even convince yourself you're "moving on," but that silence... it lingers.
That's why getting another dog can feel like such a battle.

It's not about not loving dogs. It's because you loved one so deeply that the thought of walking that road again, knowing exactly how it ends, feels almost too heavy to carry. You remember the last look, the last walk, the last time they rested their head on your knee... and you wonder if your heart can take that kind of goodbye again.
But if there's any truth in all of it, it's this: they were worth it.
Every single moment.
And maybe, just maybe, the reason it hurts so much is because of how much love there was in the first place. 🐶💛

[mclark @mclark]

@mattvanswol 💔🥺

[Elijah Wood @elijahwood]

For the first time yesterday, I experienced the new @alamodrafthouse QR code ordering system and I can tell you it’s truly awful. Rather than making ordering food and drink more efficient, it actually adds steps to the process AND if you want to order additional items during the film you HAVE to open your phone. No, your cute reference to that irony in your How To Alamo video doesn’t negate how ridiculous this is. Please don’t cut corners with your staff and revert back to physical menus and order cards.

[ATX data @data_atx]

Very sad stat that the city audit department produced last month: 40% of Austin's pedestrian deaths involve homeless people

This is another reason why allowing camping ( especially near highways and roads ) is not humane!

[Matt Van Swol @mattvanswol]

@elonmusk I didn't want to become the media when I first got on X to share stories about Hurricane Helene.

...but they left us

So I had no choice.

I had to become the media, or the truth would never have gotten out.

If you don't choose to tell the truth, who will?

[ATX data @data_atx]

We are now in June, Austin city council voted on a policy in January requiring council office card purchases to be reported quarterly

None have been reported yet, did this fall through the cracks @KirkPWatson ?

[Jen Robichaux @JenRobichaux]

I spend a lot of time reading local Austin news - journalism, editorials, newsletters, press releases... whatever I can get my hands on.

I've built a webpage to start archiving all the information that I come across. Find it at https://t.co/kAuqQrNmWu

This is just the start. I have hundreds more documents in my queue which I'll be adding in the coming days and weeks.

Let me know if you have feedback or if there's a publication that I should be subscribed to!

[Jen Robichaux @JenRobichaux]

As we watch the public school system in Austin implode, over in New Orleans they have achieved one of the most dramatic public education turnarounds in American history - by converting nearly its entire K-12 system to an all-charter model after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Before the storm, New Orleans public schools ranked among the worst in the nation. More than 60% were labeled failing, with abysmal test scores, low graduation rates (around 54-56%), widespread corruption, financial mismanagement, and frequent classroom disruptions. Students in high-poverty areas often learned little amid chaos, with survival taking precedence over academics.

New Orleans transformed their school system through charters and school choice.

State leaders seized the hurricane's post-disaster moment to overhaul the system completely. They eliminated neighborhood attendance zones, allowed union contracts to expire, fired over 7,000 underperforming staff, and shifted most schools to independent charter operators.

By 2018–2020, New Orleans became the first major U.S. city with an entirely charter-based public school system.

Families gained true school choice.

Parents can select any school in the city, via lottery if too many applicants, rather than being trapped in failing neighborhood schools.

This structure delivers clear advantages over the old traditional public school model:

Autonomy with accountability.

Charter schools operate independently but must meet performance standards or face closure. This creates strong incentives for innovation, better teaching practices, and rapid intervention when schools underperform - something rigid district bureaucracies often struggle to achieve.

Extended learning time.

On average, charter schools provide 16 more days of reading instruction and 6 more days of math instruction per year than traditional public schools.

Focus on results.

Operators have flexibility to hire effective teachers, implement strong discipline and academic programs, and tailor offerings to student needs without layers of central bureaucracy.

New Orleans has seen dramatic gains in student success.

The results have been striking and sustained:

Test score growth.

In recent national assessments (2022–2025), NOLA Public Schools ranked in the 99th percentile nationally for reading growth and 98th percentile for math growth. Louisiana as a whole is the only state to surpass pre-pandemic levels in both subjects.

Proficiency jumps.

Eighth-grade reading mastery rose from about 20% pre-reform to 48% by 2016. Math mastery increased from 14% to 35%. Overall, the district climbed from the bottom of Louisiana rankings to near or above state averages across categories.

Graduation and college outcomes.

High school graduation rates climbed significantly, to around 79% in recent years, with college enrollment and completion rates also rising by double-digit percentages compared to similar students elsewhere in Louisiana.

School quality.

Today, ZERO public schools in New Orleans are failing. 92% earn A or B ratings, and the district as a whole earned its highest-ever B rating. Students are accelerating at about 1.35 grade levels per year on average.

Superintendent Fateama Fulmore and charter advocates credit relentless focus by educators, families, and leaders, plus the power of sustained autonomy and innovation.

What we can learn from New Orleans.

More money doesn't buy better outcomes.

Charter schools in New Orleans (and nationally) typically receive about $3,500 less per pupil in total public funding than traditional district schools, yet they deliver stronger academic growth.

Autonomy and school choice encourage better outcomes.

The New Orleans model proves that when families can choose and schools must compete on performance, with quick closure of failing operators, student outcomes improve dramatically, even in high-poverty, majority-Black districts.

Read more about NOLAs success story 👉 https://t.co/N5pyJHYTK6

[Save Lucy @SaveLucyTheDog]

"I will wear a muzzle. I will wear a harness. I will wear two leashes at all times. I'm not dangerous, but I will do all the things that a dangerous dog would be expected to do, without complaint. Just let me come home."

If Lucy could talk, that's what she'd say.

#SaveLucy

[Sue @suekhim]

@chamath American schools are dealing with underperformance by lowering the standards.

This is the WORST way to solve underperformance.

Kids are capable of more than we are asking of them!

https://t.co/avQyzBYMuj

[Milton Friedman Quotes @MiltonFriedmanW]

Milton Friedman: “Keep your eye on one thing and one thing only: how much government is spending, because that’s the true tax.”

“If you’re not paying for it in the form of explicit taxes, you’re paying for it indirectly in the form of inflation or borrowing.”

[Rand Paul @RandPaul]

We are nearly $40 trillion in debt. Working families are stretched thin. And Washington is still sending federal benefits to people who entered this country illegally. 

My End Welfare for Non-Citizens Act supports American citizens instead of rewarding those who came to the U.S. illegally. This is basic fiscal responsibility, and it is long overdue.

[Senator Rand Paul @SenRandPaul]

Hot take for Washington: Innovation and responsible resource allocation are fully compatible with a balanced budget.

[Jen Robichaux @JenRobichaux]

If you're looking for in depth reporting on AISD, it doesn't get better than @KendallGPace - who's just published another substack covering Austin ISD's academic decline and fiscal collapse.

Grab a drink, a comfy chair, and settle in for a closer look.
https://t.co/rC1ssUy84x

[mclark @mclark]

@camhigby the car is being stopped and bullied by a guy carrying a grocery tote bag. you could knock it off his shoulder and he would fall to pieces. this is so embarrassing for all

[Brendan M. Jones 🇺🇸 @brendanmjones]

When this began, I had 3,000 followers. Most had just followed me after I followed them. Now I have 10,000 and I keep getting rate limited on the follow backs. Thank you all!

With the #SaveLucy community going away tomorrow, I just set up a new profile for @SaveLucyTheDog.