Embattled CPS Abruptly Announces Hiring Freeze to Stay Within Budget

AUSTIN — Texas protective services chief Henry "Hank" Whitman has ordered a halt to new hires at Child Protective Services and its sister agencies, despite state GOP leaders' repeated statements that a CPS overhaul is a top priority. In an email to about 13,000 employees of the Department of Family and Protective Services late Wednesday, Whitman said a combination of reduced turnover and concerns about staying within the department's expanded budget dictated that he suspend hiring, at least temporarily. "To ensure that the agency does not hire above our allotted number of positions or spend above the agency's appropriation, we are temporarily pausing any new job offers while we continue developing our hiring plan for the remaining months of fiscal year 2017," he wrote.   Continue reading...