by Lou Ann Anderson
Akin to Mark Twain and his famous “report of my death was an exaggeration” quote, the same seems increasingly applicable to the alleged demise of CSCOPE, the controversial curriculum management system developed at taxpayer expense by Texas Regional Education Service Centers (ESCs) and used by approximately 875 public, private and charter schools. While CSCOPE’s lesson plans are theoretically scheduled to be unavailable after Aug. 31, the program appears alive and well – at least in consuming taxpayer dollars – as evidenced by a convention currently underway in San Antonio.
A recent article asked CSCOPE’s lesson plans: gone or gone into hiding?. The last State Board of Education meeting suggested the lesson plans were merely hiding – in fact, hiding in plain sight as they are now alleged to be in the public domain and, per Texas Education Agency attorney David Anderson, with “no statute” that would require districts to refrain from using CSCOPE.
With the Texas legislature now adjourned from its third special session, any legislative fixes anticipated prior to the school year start appear totally off the table. Meanwhile, in a Have No Fear CSCOPE Is Here? post, Red Hot Conservative alerted readers to the 2013 CSCOPE State Conference scheduled Aug. 6-8 at the San Antonio Convention Center.
The event’s 72-page agenda includes a welcome in which the “20 regional education service centers of Texas that comprise the Texas Curriculum Management Program Cooperative (TCMPC) are pleased to present this unique event filled with a wide variety of sessions and networking opportunities.”
The TCMPC board is staffed by ESC executive directors, all Texas public school employees, as was the Texas Education Service Center Curriculum Collaborative (TESCCC), a governing board of the nonprofit corporation formed to oversee the CSCOPE curriculum management system. The board disbanded in the wake of CSCOPE’s controversy based on concerns over its formation without legislative authority and administrative operations that include a history of resisting to post or make public its meetings as per the Texas Open Meetings Act and efforts to withhold information requested through the Public Information Act, efforts that included using taxpayer-funded lawyers to argue it was a nonprofit.
As the San Antonio conference runs through Thursday, CSCOPE’s long-term fate remains unknown. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, Attorney General Greg Abbott and Sen. Dan Patrick have called for administrative audits and other new transparency with Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Pauken echoing those concerns.
Meanwhile, since its 2005 inception and 2006 rollout into schools, CSCOPE has received new tax dollars for a program taxpayers paid to develop, for a curriculum that’s been a fight to see while generating financials so far withheld from all interested parties.
But one certainty: CSCOPE’s command of public dollars currently continues with Texas taxpayers footing the bill as thousands of Texas public school employees travel to San Antonio for this conference.
Lou Ann Anderson 
Lou Ann Anderson is an information activist and the editor of Watchdog Wire – Texas. As a Policy Analyst with Americans for Prosperity – Texas, she writes and speaks about a variety of public policy topics. Lou Ann is the Creator and Online Producer at EstateofDenial.com, a web site that addresses the growing issue of probate abuse in which wills, trusts, guardianships and powers of attorney are used to loot assets from intended beneficiaries or heirs. Contact Lou Ann at Texas@WatchdogWire.com with story ideas and for ways to get involved with citizen journalism in Texas.
