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Ayan Mittra is the senior managing editor at The Texas Tribune. Ayan joined the Tribune after working more than 10 years at The Dallas Morning News and has built expertise in Texas politics. He spent his first seven years there as a copy editor. In 2008, he moved to the political desk, supervising the daily presentations and working with reporters in the field. He then worked as a night city editor, supervising the coverage of late-breaking news. He was also on the editing team for the 2009 and 2011 legislative sessions. A native of Beaumont, Ayan graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He is based in the Austin area.
Since Texas began looking to privatize many state services more than 20 years ago, multiple contracts representing billions in public dollars have blown up in the state's face. Here's a look at Contract High, our series taking a look at some of those contracting problems. Full Story
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Today we take our public schools explorer — your source for graduation rates, test scores and other Texas education data — to the next level. Our revamped explorer makes it easier for you to navigate information on all Texas school districts and public schools. Full Story
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The Health Care track at the 2015 Texas Tribune Festival featured panel discussions on the Legislature, the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. We also featured a conversation with Texas Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Chris Traylor. Full Story
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The Justice track at the 2015 Texas Tribune Festival featured panel discussions on criminal justice reform, the Legislature, open carry, and gay rights and states' rights. There was also a conversation with several Texas Court of Criminal Appeals judges. Full Story
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The Transportation track at the 2015 Texas Tribune Festival included panel discussions on high-speed rail, transportation planning, urban mobility and the Legislature. Listen to audio from each session. Full Story
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The Public Education track at The 2015 Texas Tribune Festival featured panel discussions on turning around struggling schools, pre-K, public education and the Legislature, and charter schools. There was also a conversation with Education Commissioner Michael Williams. Full Story
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The Higher Education track at the 2015 Texas Tribune Festival featured panel discussions with several university system chancellors and private college leaders. Also, there was a one-on-one conversation with Mike Perrin, the interim athletic director at the University of Texas at Austin. Full Story
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The Environment track at The 2015 Texas Tribune Festival featured discussions on the water supply, the climate debate, related legislative issues and lessons from the May floods. There was also a conversation with Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller. Full Story
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The Energy track at The 2015 Texas Tribune Festival featured panel discussions on the state’s drilling industry and the state of the electric grid. We also featured a one-on-one interview with Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick. Full Story
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The Open Government track at The 2015 Texas Tribune Festival featured a panel discussion on public integrity and state government and a conversation over ethics. We also featured a conversation with Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar. Full Story
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