I'm Back! To talk about the Open Meetings Act

Actually, I never left.  But I've spent the last few months working on settling my mom into her new digs, and working on some projects that I promise to write about soon.  But tonight I'm writing to comment on the School Board's new initiative called "The Exchange".  I went to the first one tonight, and I have some comments:

• It was exciting to see a fairly large number of people there for the first time.  The usual folks who follow the Board were there, but also a number of people I didn't know, and that's a good thing.  The Board needs to hear from lots of people.
• It was hard to hear in that particular setting, primarily because of the size of the crowd.  Easy to fix.
• Some people were frustrated, because they thought this would be a chance for them to bring THEIR issue to the Board and get an answer.  This was not going to happen because of the Open Meetings Act ("OMA"), but perhaps we'll get closer as The Exchange initiative progresses.  As I listened at my table, I realized some of the people there didn't understand what the OMA is, so here is an explanation, and a request that you hang in there:  

The Open Meeting Act is NOT a district policy or a marketing name for these meetings.  It is a state law that dictates how a governmental body can talk to "the people".   The intent behind the law is to make sure that if a quorum of a governmental body is present and talking about something, that topic is disclosed to the rest of the world so that anyone else interested in hearing the conversation can show up and listen to it.  That's why the Board had to frustrate some folks this evening-- they came to hear what the Board had to say, but the Board could not comment on specifics that had not been posted.  For instance, one of the ladies at my table wanted to talk about specific books used in 12th grade at a particular high school.  The Board could listen to her concerns (everyone has Free Speech rights) but could not comment on them because it wasn't posted so that my absent friend Jan, who is VERY passionate about books, could be there to hear what the Board has to say about the topic.  

That disclosure happens by "posting" 72 hours ahead of the meeting, meaning the topics to be discussed are literally tacked up in a public place so that people can plan to attend and listen to any discussion that interests them.  Nowadays, the posting also appears on the website, so you don't actually have to drive down to the ESC to check out the bulletin board outside, to see the topics to be discussed.  Of course, there are exceptions, but this is the general intent of the law.  

Speaking of the topics, they have to be posted with some specificity.  Since the entire Board was expected to be present, tonight's discussion had to be posted, so the Board chose the topic "Governance and The Role of The Board."  The Trustees were able to talk about how they decide policy, the difference between oversight and management (this is their role under the Texas Education Code), etc.  That was frustrating because people wanted to talk about lots of specific topics.  The Board handled this by telling people to write the topic they wanted to discuss on a piece of paper, all those papers were gathered and posted on the wall, and then everyone was given three dots to "vote" for topics they want to discuss next time.  This way, the School Board can post some specific topics to discuss at the next Exchange meeting.  It's a compromise, but it is does prioritize the topics that those present want to hear about from the Board in upcoming meetings, and then gives those who were unable to attend tonight a chance to be sure to be present when topics they are passionate about come up for discussion.  Hopefully, those who were frustrated tonight will hang in there until their topics gets to come up for discussion.  The really GREAT news is that even when the Board was unable to comment on something, they were LISTENING to what people were saying.  

Thank you for hanging in there with me.  I look forward to "musing" some more with you...

Summer Time, and The Living is...

Well, not exactly "easy".  I have spent the last month looking into assisted living options for my mother.  This is not a fun exercise. All I'll say is if you don't yet have a long-term care insurance policy or about $40K per year for each year you plan to live in assisted living (not talking nursing homes, which are double the cost), then you are going to be in trouble...

My summer might not be easy, but here is something that is sort of fun to explore.  This very interesting Texas Tribune website is an interactive tool exploring public education numbers at the school, district and state levels.  You can see numbers and graphs that show demographics, academics, college readiness, staffing and spending.  For instance, here you can see a comparison of how Katy ISD spends relative to the state average.  You can see that Katy spends well below the state averages by program (Regular, Bilingual, CATE, Athletics and Accelerated) but a bit over the state average for Gifted & Talented and Special Ed.  I'll have to think about and ask smarter people about why that might be.  Scroll down and you see Katy ISD spending per pupil by function, and you'll see that Katy spends below the state average in all areas (Instruction, Student Support, Central Administration, School Leadership, Food Services, Transportation, etc) except Security and Data Processing.  I understand about security; being situated in three counties necessitates our own police force while many districts in the state just have agreements with another law enforcement agency in their county or city.  I'm not sure about Data Processing, but will have to ask.  (Not sure what "Student Support" means?  Scroll around and find where the term is underlined and a box will pop up explaining what it means.  Cool.)

Anyway-- numbers, numbers, numbers.  They can provide answers but often raise questions, too.  I'm sorry the Tribune didn't include a tool allowing us to easily compare demographically similar districts, or districts in our geographical region (Region IV), but with more exploration on my own I'll be able to see that picture, too.  Good news is, it is a comparison that shows where we are below the state average (spending) and above it (academics).  Since it is only a comparison tool, it doesn't answer absolute questions such as "are we as a state spending enough money on education?".  However, as a tool to give us insight on how we are spending and what we are achieving compared to others in our state, it's a fun way to see how we stack up in Texas, and good data to use as a filter through which we can process emotion-driven statements like "Katy spends too much at the District Administration level".

Enjoy your summer-- it will be over too soon!

Robotics and Thinking Outside the Box

The School Board met on Monday night for a very long but very informative meeting.  The highlight of the evening was seeing the Cinco Ranch CRyptonite Robotics team and its robot.  It shoots baskets, but does SO much more.  I encourage you to check out the presentation including a video of the robot in action here.  Just click on item IV on the right hand menu.  Frankly, when I heard the challenge was to make a robot that shoots basketballs, I thought it would stand on the free throw line and chunk them up there.  But this robot actually PLAYS basketball-- it scoops up three basketballs and then loads them into a chute, beams a light to the backboard and adjusts trajectory and velocity to shoot the ball from wherever it is with amazing accuracy.  And high school students designed and produced it.  WOW!  The Cinco Ranch Robotics team participates (and excels) in competitions sponsored by FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology).  Check this out. This is a terrific organization whose motto is: Igniting Young Minds. Nurturing Passions. Practicing Gracious Professionalism. 

Professionalism, poise, confidence: the students who spoke at the board meeting certainly exhibited those qualities!  And how exciting for them to be able to report that 100% of the graduating seniors in the club were accepted to colleges where they will enter a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) field.  Kudos!

The club not only impacts its members but the surrounding community, too. The club mentors other clubs at the feeder Jr. Highs, and they appear before sponsors with their requests for funding and to justify costs.  They learn that even in science fields, there is a business side to the endeavor.  This is a very real world experience.  They are anxious to have similar clubs at every high school, and have helped get one started at Morton Ranch.  This is a tough situation, because as a general rule, club formation and participation is not done at the district level, but is driven by student interest and, more importantly, sponsor availability at the campus level.  I wish them well, and hope they will ignite fires all over the district!

They have corporate sponsors who cover costs, but asked the district to provide space for them to use as they build their robots.  I hope the district will "think outside the box" on this one.  I'm reminded of my former school board colleague, Eric Duhon, who always felt the district should utilize the space under the seats at a stadium by building it on top of another building, rather than on top of a big pile of dirt.  He suggested meeting space, offices or even storage-- just so long as it is used the OTHER five days a week. Perhaps providing space for "robot garages" in a centralized area (sort of like an Ag Barn for robots) would be a good use of that space when a new stadium is built?

Kudos to City of Katy for Recycling!

Here's news that will make my friend Karen K very happy-- the City of Katy has started recycling!  I know change is hard, and some of the people in Katy will complain, but recycling is so important.  The more we implement Reduce/Reuse/Recycle, the less our children will have to clean up from landfills in the future.  Kudos!!

I've been a recycler for many years, and feel better about using a product if the container it comes in is recyclable.  In looking up info about recycling, I realized I MUST get with the program as far as using shopping bags, though.  This is from the Clean Air Council:
Every year, Americans use approximately 1 billion shopping bags, creating 300,000 tons of landfill waste.⁶
Plastic bags do not biodegrade. Light breaks them down into smaller and smaller particles that contaminate the soil and water and are expensive and difficult to remove.⁶
Less than 1 percent of plastic bags are recycled each year. Recycling one ton of plastic bags costs $4,000. The recycled product can be sold for $32.⁶
When the small particles from photodegraded plastic bags get into the water, they are ingested by filter feeding marine animals. Biotoxins like PCBs that are in the particles are then passed up the food chain, including up to humans.[7]

While I find the last sentence motivating in a gross-out sort of way, I'm staggered by the cost outlined in the penultimate one.  If it costs $4000 to recycle a ton of bags, but only $32 of that cost can be recouped, a different solution has to be found.  Switching to paper is not the solution; Paper takes more water and energy to produce than plastic and since paper is heaver, the environmental impact is greater to truck paper bags from the manufacturing facility to a warehouse and then to a store.  So, I am going to develop the habit of carrying reusable shopping bags.

I confess, it could be easier:  In Rochester, NY, I visited a Wegman's grocery, and they really have it figured out.  Their bags are a reasonable size (some of the ones I've seen here weigh 25 lbs. when loaded), they have little loops under the handles so they fit on a standard-sized rack that holds them open while being loaded at the store, they have a plastic liner in the bottom so the bag holds its shape even when filled with oddly shaped items, and when I stand up and carry them, the handles are short enough that the bags don't drag on the ground.  Also (and perhaps most importantly), they train their baggers so you don't wind up with one bag full of all the heavy stuff.  

Next thing someone smarter than me needs to figure out is how to get rid of the little plastic bags to collect your apples and hold them as you check out.  When I was a kid, there were paper bags.  That's not a solution, but maybe someone else has modern idea?  

Graduation Perspiration Inspiration

Another round of graduations has come and gone.  I am so proud of all the young men and women who crossed the stage and got their diplomas, and of the parents, grandparents and siblings who supported those students in this achievement.  For some grads, it was a pretty easy trip, with enough money and support for cars, clothes, tutoring, grad parties, etc.  For others, the trip was not so easy.


I heard about a student at Morton Ranch High School who must have had a rough road getting to graduation.  I'm filling in blanks, here, because I only know about his arrival at the graduation ceremony, and am imagining the path that got him there.  I'm told he arrived dripping in sweat, without a dress shirt.  He was at first chastised for not dressing appropriately, but when the circumstances were known, Herff-Jones fashioned a man's "shirt" collar out of a ladies' collar, a staff member lent a tie, and he walked across the stage and got his diploma.  Why did attitudes change?  Because they learned that the young man is homeless, and in order to get to graduation, he JOGGED there.


I'm sad that this student did not have the family support that the vast majority of our students do, but he certainly had the support of someone at Morton Ranch, which I learned a little bit about when I followed up with Mark Grisdale, MRHS Principal.  Apparently, the young man had a falling out of some sort with his family several weeks before the end of school, and felt he had to drop out to work.  Someone helped him see that with so few weeks left, it would be possible to graduate and he'd never have to do it again, if he just worked through the end of school.  It took a lot of cajoling and follow-through, but he made it to enough classes to graduate, and passed them.  He could have so easily fallen through the cracks, but he was "caught" by someone at Morton Ranch.  Another cool side note: Mark didn't know about this and had to track down the story for me, which means he is lets his people handle problems on their own and doesn't feel the need to micromanage. The best leaders hire great people and then get out of their way.  Kudos to him!


I'm THRILLED this student moved a mountain to get to graduation, and am wondering what fabulous Morton Ranch teacher, class, or experience with his peers or campus staff inspired this perseverance?  What inspired this young man to jog for miles in 90+ degree heat to get to the ceremony?  It must have been powerful...  But not surprising.  There are thousands of terrific stories in our schools of someone making a difference in another's life.  It could have been something like the teachers at another High School who worked till the wee hours of the morning with students who barely missed the mark to help them make the KOLA requirements so they could graduate with their peers.  It could have been like the community member who organized a fund-raising campaign to help a group of Miller Career Center students travel to a national competition because he knew they had no "booster club" to help make that happen.  We are so lucky and blessed to live in a community where these types of stories are common.  Sadly, we don't really have a "news source" willing to cover those stories.  The traditional newspapers don't cater to the entire district geographically, and the internet "news" pages are all about generating "hits", so the tear-down stories are preferred over the feel-good.  Closest thing is a Facebook page called "IHeartKISD".  Not enough people know about it, though.


In addition to being proud of the graduates and their families, I'm particularly proud of the people of our school district, and especially those wonderful folks at Morton Ranch who did not let this young person fall through the cracks.  Katy ISD is a terrific school district, where wonderful things are happening, and we need to shout about it more often.  Tell those wonderful stories!  Anywhere and everywhere!  

Importance of Funding Innovation in Education

Back from Montana by way of St. Louis.  Daughter is in southwestern Alberta researching grizzly bears, Son is in his new house but summering in Chicago, and GrandDog is here visiting.  Whew!

With one child at UT and one graduated from A&M, I try to keep up with what is happening in the world of Higher Ed.  I'm glad to see the University of Texas receive a foundation grant that will allow them, along with other institutions of higher learning, to develop and implement cost-effective ways of increasing educational attainment and improving student success.  The Lumina Foundation has given the university and others a $745,000 grant to expand collaboration among higher education institutions, with the goals of improving educational access and increasing postsecondary completion rates.  
This is exciting, important work that should be done a larger scale.  I suspect UT would not be able to do this work without the grant, because in May, the Regents elected to freeze tuition for the next two years for in-state students, against the recommendation of UT President Powers.  Like K-12 public education, any innovation in education will happen only when funded from outside sources, because the current funding systems are only sufficient (and even that is arguable) to cover current delivery.  Fortunately, there are foundations that understand the critical role they have in fostering innovation and improving the "industry" of education by funding projects like these.  It's unheard of for a major corporation to not have a "research and development" department, but this is not something that our legislatures have agreed to fund in the educational arena (although they understand the critical importance of it as evidenced by the P-16 initiative).  As a result, we have school districts and colleges doing great jobs of educating the current crop of students with the current crop of teachers using current thinking and current tools, but not many are able to fund anything innovative.  As a result, what will education look like in 25 years?  

Board Meetings are Finally Available On-Line

How great is this? Here I am struggling to thumb-type on my i-pad in Great Falls, Montana, but I was able to watch last night's board meeting online at www.katyisd.org (sorry; can't get a link to work).

While my daughter is thoroughly bored, I am very glad to be able to watch what went on in the last meeting. This new tool was too long in coming, and I'm glad it finally happened. Thank you to the Old New board members who got this idea moved from bucket list to reality.

ALL change is not bad...

Primary Elections

Primary elections are May 29, with early voting going on right now.  Here are links to information from
Harris, Ft. Bend, and Waller Counties.  In Harris and Ft. Bend, you can even vote on Sundays, although the hours are different, so check out the websites.

In many of these races, the only real contest is between two people in the same party, so it is very important that you vote in the primaries.

GO VOTE!

Mrs. Murray Langley is Brewing Tea...

For heaven's sake-- what a tempest in a teapot.  This is a response to the ridiculous allegations raised by Cynthia Murray Langley and "reported" in Instant News Katy--  I won't comment there because I don't want to actually acknowledge them as a "news" source.  Perhaps one of my readers will post this to INK so others can get the full story.

Anyway, if Mrs. Murray Langley had taken three minutes to ASK the election officials what the delay was, as I did, she would have had the whole story, too, and put her mind at ease:

To set the stage for those not present:  the election officials were counting the ballots in the back of the ESC.  Observers in the room included Eric Duhon as the properly appointed Poll Watcher named by Michalsky and/or Griffin.  Mrs. Blackman's and Mrs. Majors' husbands were there representing them.  This is customary and there is nothing sinister about it.  They were present early in the process (by 7:15 p.m., I'm told) so they could see the ballot boxes and electronic machines come in after the polls closed, and were present during the count.  A rather large gathering of interested persons were assembled in the lobby and in the board room awaiting the results.  (Typically, results are announced between 9 and 10 o'clock.)  I saw Mr. Adams and Mr. Shaw come in the FRONT of the building along with all the other interested parties (including myself) and never left that area of the building; I imagine they were reluctant to go past the big sign "ELECTION OFFICIALS ONLY BEYOND THIS POINT" placed just past the bathrooms near the board room.

Results were not announced until around 12 o'clock.  The reason it took so long to announce them explains the "missing" votes:  The machines are new to the district, because the State's redistricting nightmare pushed the primaries to May 29, so we couldn't have the machines we usually use.  No matter; the various election judges went to trainings and were ready to go.  Apparently something had to be done to the machines after early voting but 2 of the polling places followed the directions in the booklet provided by the voting machine manufacturer which unfortunately omitted that step.  The remaining polling places followed the directions provided in the training and did that step.

As a check to the whole process, Kathy Adams, the assistant to the Election Official, Bill Haskett, kept a chart showing the exact number of early and election day voters.  When her list did not match the list that came out of the electronic machines plus the paper ballots, she would not sign off on the results, and caused a ruckus with the electronic machine company's representative over the two lists not "balancing".  Eventually, they narrowed the issue to the few machines that were treated differently, fixed the problem and re-ran the tape from the electronic voting machines.  VOILA, they balanced perfectly with the hand-written chart that Mrs. Adams kept, so there was confidence that the number of ballots cast were there on hand to be counted, and therefor the results were correct.

Yes, it was a long night, and I'm sure tempers were taut.  But I have to give Kathy Adams and Bill Haskett a big atta-boy for maintaining order and ensuring an accurate count.  Mr. Haskett did NOT allow additional poll watchers, including Mrs. Murray Langley, to bust in while they were attempting to reconcile why the two lists had different numbers of voters.  This was exactly the correct thing to do-- the LEAST productive thing would be to allow additional people in the room.  If you ever worked as a cashier or bank teller who had to balance the books at the end of your shift, you know what I'm talking about:  what you need to figure out the discrepancy is quiet reflection and no additional fussing with your cash drawer.  Since poll watchers from both "sides" were already present who could attest to what transpired, adding additional people halfway through the process is actually COUNTER productive.  I find it telling that it was someone standing OUTSIDE the room that is belly aching the loudest; Mr. Blackman and Mr. Majors are NOT saying anything was amiss.  Since they were present in the room as every ballot was counted, I want to hear what THEY have to say, not Mrs. Murray Langley!

While I'm talking about Mr. Haskett and Mrs. Adams, I want to note they have conducted Katy ISD elections for many years, and I dare you to find more earnest or honest people.  This lady and gentleman take great pains to be fair and above-board with everything they do.  To have Bill Proctor verbally assault them is reprehensible, and to have the process of tabulating these votes called into question by Mrs. Murray Langley is ridiculous.  Bill Proctor should be ashamed of his appalling behavior towards these people.  I certainly am.  While I understand his extreme disappointment in the outcome of this election because it derailed his power grab, he needs to learn to control his temper.

In summary, Mrs. Murray Langley's complaint to the Secretary of State is a terrific waste of her time, his time, and your time.  More theatrics for political gain.  I encourage you to dismiss this behavior as such.

Teachers of the Year

Last week, I attended the Katy Area Chamber of Commerce Teacher of the Year luncheon, and had a wonderful time celebrating this year's best teachers. What an amazing group of teachers--they represent a small portion of the talented men and women who move mountains every day in our classrooms.  I was happy to have the opportunity to congratulate them on being chosen by their campus peers for this honor.

It was also great to be with a wonderful community of business leaders and elected officials that appreciates what teachers do for our kids and how the health of our school district impacts every aspect of our community, such as our home values, business income, availability of skilled workers, ready customers, informed electorate, etc.  Their generosity to these teachers is absolutely incredible, and reminds me that people other than students' parents recognize the importance of a strong school district.  Please say "thank you" to them for showing our Teachers of the Year that the Katy community is grateful for these dedicated educators.  For a list of sponsors, see here.  Also thank HEB Katy Market for beautiful floral arrangements, and Sam Schultze of Country Park Portraits for photographing the event.

What's Next?

Check out this idea.  Babytiger has done a great job of identifying a vacuum in our community, and suggesting a way to fill it.  I look forward to hearing how many people show interest in establishing such an organization.  I hope many do; I know three different people who have already talked about a similar idea.

Gotta work on the name, though, and think BIGGER!  My independence-loving nature would rather not identify it with any political outlook, because in my experience, the "liberals" of Katy (who aren't all that liberal compared to, say, Massachusetts) might differ with you on "national" issues but agree whole-heartedly about wanting Katy to be the best community in the State, doing the right thing, and elevating the good in our community.  When you say "What if they just came together from all over our area and started to, you know - talk", think beyond geography!

Party affiliation is irrelevant for school boards (and SHOULD be for judges, too).  This is because school boards occasionally act in a judicial capacity and the LAST thing you want a judge to do as he is considering an issue is to factor in your political affiliation-- it is not relevant.

Perhaps Keep Asking and Thinking Year-round (K.A.T.Y.)?

Election Results Are In!

The election is over!


For Position 6: Bryan Michalsky won with 55.8% of the vote.  (2931 votes to 2322 for Majors)
For Position 7: Charles Griffin won with 48.6% of the vote.  (2569 votes to 1846 for Blackman, 635 for Howard, and 233 for Powell).  


My take-away: 

1. 5283 voters cast ballots.  YEAH!  While this is still well under 5% of the registered voters in the district, it is more votes than those cast in recent years by a good bit, particularly since this was a 2-seat race with no real hot-button issue: 
• 2008: 4893 voters.  3-seat races typically bring out more voters.
• 2009: 2063 voters.  2-seat race.
• 2010: 1744 voters.  2-seat race, but Fox was unopposed.
• 2011: 4544 voters.  3-seats plus a hot-button issue: teacher layoffs.
2. It would appear that a lot of new voters came to the polls.  That is a good thing-- people in Katy are beginning to pay attention to and understand what is happening in the community and do what is necessary to protect it.  We are no longer in an environment where it works to express your overall satisfaction with the district by NOT voting.  
3. Many new people worked on the various races, and that is a VERY good thing.  More engagement by a broader base of people means more viewpoints factored into our trustees' decisions.  
4. Enough people voted for Griffin to avoid allowing Blackman to win with 35% of the vote.  That's exactly how Huckaby won last year.  While I respect Neal Howard and his service to the board, incumbents faced huge challenges this year.  Just check out Ft. Bend ISD's election results.  I appreciate Betty Powell's willingness to run for the board and hope she will continue to be engaged in the process.  I hope she will do Leadership Katy next year and be a resource to new board members regarding technology.   

Is it over yet?  Already rumors of voter fraud and tampering are being spread by the Nay-Sayers.  Lawsuits are being threatened. Fortunately, Mrs. Blackman's and Mrs. Majors' husbands served as poll watchers and witnessed the counts.  Although there was a technical problem with the electronic voting machines, the election judges waited until all issues were resolved before announcing results around midnight.  Perhaps a good night's sleep will help people see there was no wrong-doing, just as there was none last year.  

Now, the real work starts:  The new board will have to form a new team (because the board as a WHOLE, not individuals, oversees the district's management).  That will be difficult, given that Proctor and Huckaby hand-picked and openly campaigned for Majors and Blackman, including Instant News Katy  comments, robo-calls and mass e-mails.  I hope the remaining five members can move Proctor and Huckaby to work for the good of the district rather than for power plays.  I also hope the new board can make a commitment to stop infighting and get out of the way of the district's regular business.  Too much has been put "on hold" for the past year. 

"A bend in the road is not the end of the road...unless you fail to make the turn."

--Unknown

Why You Should Phone a Friend

If you voted early, WAY TO GO.  Numbers indicate about 5% of registered voters will wind up voting in this election, so every vote has impact.  That actually is a (relatively) large increase in the number of people voting this election compared to recent years, even though it's still a small number.

I spent some time this morning wondering why people don't vote.  5% is so small-- why do over 100,000 registered voters let 5,000 people decide on the Katy ISD school board?  And yes, that number is REGISTERED voters.  I'm sure a large number of people aren't even registered, given Katy ISD has over 250,000 residents. 

Yet 93% of infrequent voters and 81% of non-voters in a survey said it is an important part of being a good citizen and an important way to voice their opinion on issues that affect their families and communities.  

The strongest motivators influencing infrequent and non-voters are conversions with family (65%) and friends (59%).  So, TALK TO THEM!  Encourage them to get to the polls on Saturday.  They will listen to you!  If everyone who voted talked to 3 friends and only 1 of them made it to the polls, that would double our turnout!  WOW.  A small effort with a huge impact.

POLL INFO:  Here is the rub:  in order to cut costs, the number of election day polling places was reduced this year.  

IT IS LIKELY THAT YOUR POLLING LOCATION CHANGED.  

Be sure to check this map  before you head out.  Saturday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Be a good friend, and tell them where their polling place is when you call them...

Questions Remain as Election Day Approaches

The Chronicle has published a story about an ethics complaint filed against the Save Our Teachers PAC by John Eberlan.  Read it here. 

Now that an 8-day report has been filed, where is the missing $88.68?  The report is here.  Perhaps we need to elect Mrs. Horsley to the school board, since she was able to pay a $900 bill with $838.11.       :-)

So many questions remain unanswered as we rapidly approach election day. The treasurer for the Unity PAC (it paid for a mailer that was sent on behalf of Mrs. Blackman and Mrs. Majors) has not returned my calls.  His name is Curtis Williams, Jr., and he, as well as a Michael Harris are listed on the PAC establishment documents I received in response to a PIR as the "contribution and expenditure decision makers."  I'd like to know their connection to Katy ISD, and who contributed the money to mail these fliers.

Also of note:  as I read the election laws, Unity PAC was also required to report their activities to Blackman and Majors so they could report it on their own campaign finance reports.  I wonder if they are trying to figure out who is behind Unity PAC?

By the way, hurrah for new law that requires the school districts to post on-line the campaign finance reports of the candidates and PACs.  So much easier than public information requests, and more cost-effective for school districts, too.

VOTE! 

ELECTION DAY: SATURDAY, MAY 12, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.  

Find your precinct location at the bottom of this page. 

He's No Relation To Me...

Whoa-- someone confused me the other day for the Crockett mentioned in another blog, "babytigersays." My name is Chris Crockett, and although my middle name is Anne, I am NOT the Ann Crockett mentioned in the post, nor is MY mister the W.E. Crockett that babytiger mentions.  My husband is David Crockett and he and I are not related to Ann and Bill Crockett and we don't know much about them.  My husband's family hails from West Texas, not this area, and we moved here when my husband's job transferred him to the area in 2000.  
When I heard that a candidate's family was being attacked, I was horrified. In the past, candidates were called names, but an unspoken rule was in place that families were "off limits."  Please, PLEASE, PLEASE do not confuse me or my husband with this "gentleman."  Anyone who knows me knows that I believe his tactics are beyond the pale.  I am so saddened by what his actions say about our community.  Thank you, babytiger and others, for standing up to this kind of bullying. 

Why I Will Vote for Michalsky and Griffin

I've had people say to me, "OK, Chris, I get who you are AGAINST, but who will you vote for?"  This is an updated post from several days ago:

Bryan Michalsky is my choice for Position 6.  He is chief financial officer for a local company, and has five children ranging in grades pre-K through 12.  He has children at both Seven Lakes and Katy High Schools.  The board needs someone with a strong financial background, and Mr. Michalsky's business experience will serve the board well on many of the decisions coming up.  

In Position 7, I will vote for Charles Griffin.   Mr. Griffin is a retired Lt. Colonel and airline pilot with strong Katy roots, having graduated from Katy High School and the Air Force Academy.  He has four children, and his wife was a cafeteria monitor who was let go when those positions were eliminated last year.  His uncle is Michael Griffin, after whom Griffin Elementary is named.  He brings a depth of knowledge about our heritage, and is anxious to work hard to improve the reputation of the district, and he is keenly interested in improving the communications from the district. 

Like most Katy voters, Mr. Griffin and Mr. Michalsky were not paying attention to school board elections before last year.  They are working hard to catch up fast.  They have met and are meeting with administrators, teachers, community leaders, former school board members such as myself, and the current board members, including Proctor and Huckaby, in order to ask opinions on issues the district is facing.  They will bring a diversity to the board that is envisioned in the State Law that requires seven board members elected from the community to oversee the professional educators who will actually run the district.  We don't need five superintendents; we need one superintendent properly tasked and evaluated by seven school board members who bring to the board expertise in a wide variety of areas such as business and financial acumen, community relations, technology, human resources, law, government relations, etc.

I have tremendous respect for Neal Howard and would be happy if  he won, too. However, given the anti-incumbent fervor I still see in our community, I believe it will be impossible for an incumbent to be re-elected this year.  I also respect Betty Powell for being part of the electoral process.  However, remember: in our school board elections, THERE ARE NO RUN-OFFS.  Whichever candidate gets the most votes will win, even if it's only 26% of the vote in a four-person race.  I am very concerned Cynthia Blackman will win if the vote splits, just like Huckaby won last year with only 35% of the vote.  Please vote, talk about the election, and encourage your friends and neighbors to vote. 

Early voting is Monday and Tuesday this week only;  7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m at:

KISD Education Support Complex,

Wolfe Elementary,

Cinco Ranch High School, and

Taylor High School. 

You can vote at any of those locations during Early Voting.  On Election Day (Saturday, May 12), you will need to vote at your polling place.

More information on voting is here.

Questions About the PACs Supporting Blackman & Majors

The purpose of the Campaign Finance Laws is to ensure transparency as to who is financing a particular candidate, so that voters can make an informed decision when they go to the polls.  So who is backing Majors and Blackman? Their campaign finance reports can be found here.  They show an interesting line-up of people. Also interesting is what is MISSING from their reports: Political Action Committees.

Two different PACs have spent a lot of money trying to get Mrs. Blackman and Mrs. Majors elected, including a series of ads on Instant News Katy and a expensive flyer.  There may be others, but until they are reported, we won't know.  Fortunately, PACs who support a candidate are required to report contributions and expenditures in their own campaign finance reports. That's how we get an idea of who is funding a particular candidate.

• The "Save Our Teachers" PAC, which had not filed anything in months and is the subject of an ethics complaint, did file an 8-days-before-the-election report, reporting it had bought $900 ads in INK.  The PAC actually only had $811.32 in contributions, so who paid the additional $88.68?  Did John Pape and INK advance them that amount?  How was that bill paid if they didn't have any money? Something is missing from this report...
• The "Unity" PAC paid for a bulk mailing of slick flyers.  As of this writing, they have not filed their required 8-days-before-the-election report (due 5/4/12).  You can check here to see it when it gets filed.  Hopefully, it will reveal who is willing to bankroll these ladies' candidacy.  These flyers are very expensive to mail, even more so to produce.

In their defense, if Mrs. Blackman and Mrs. Majors were unaware of the mailings and ads, they did not have to report it on their own campaign finance reports.  But, whoever proofed the copy knew an awful lot about them!

Frankly, I don't mind people contributing money to candidates and financially supporting their efforts to get elected.  That is an expression of free speech, too. However, the campaign finance laws are there to enable us to know WHO likes a particular candidate, and when they don't file reports that are complete or in a timely manner, we don't know what we need to know.  What I DO mind is having people who do not have a stake in our community (either children in schools, a home, a business, or work in the district) throwing money around to get someone elected to the Katy ISD board.  And I find hypocritical those candidates who beat the "transparency" drum so loudly while not insisting their own backers be transparent by following the laws on campaign finance reporting.  

A Question of Transparency

I received a slick, expensive bulk mail flyer supporting Majors and Blackman. It raised a lot of questions in my mind about who paid for it, the "Unity PAC". Here is a posting that raises most of the same questions I have about this group.  
In addition to the questions raised in that link, I would ask:  Why is a State-registered General Purpose political action committee that has NOT registered with the Katy ISD election authority, with a downtown Houston filing address and a Treasurer from Sugarland, interested in the Katy ISD school board election?
And to reiterate babytigersays' main questions:  Who is funding this? And what do they hope to gain from having Majors and Blackman win?

"Covert Proceedings" is a Bunch of Hooey

Katy school board has two types of meetings each month, a "Work Study" and a "Regular" meeting.  Basically the same issues are discussed at both meetings.  The "work study" is usually 1-2 weeks ahead of the "regular" meeting and is a meeting for the board to ask questions and discuss the issues so that the administration can figure out where a consensus is likely to be.  Once that is discovered, the superintendent and administration can make a recommendation at the regular meeting where the issue will be voted on, hopefully 7-0 or close to that, so that the direction from the board is clear. Frequent 5-2 or 4-3 votes indicate a dysfunctional board. For more on that, see here.  


Now, within each type of meeting, there are two "sub-meetings": a "Closed Session" and an "Open Session."  The Closed (sometimes called "executive") Session is exactly as it sounds: closed to the public.  Everything that the school board discusses must be done in open session, unless the topic is one of the exceptions listed in the Open Meetings Act.  For school districts, the exceptions include discussions involving personnel matters, matters involving specific students, consultation with an attorney, employee complaints, purchase or lease of real property and security measures.  These matters are set aside for logical reasons, like protecting the privacy of individual employees and students or not wanting to give away a negotiating position.  The board discusses the items in closed session, but all votes must later be made in an open meeting.

Proctor and Huckaby walked out of that meeting to kill the quorum and avoid voting on individual employment contracts. Blackman and Majors say there should have been public input before vote was taken.  They are wrong.  Discussion about employment contracts is  never appropriate for open discussion or public input.  Therefore, there was no reason NOT to vote on contracts in a work study meeting.  The exception to this would be the new hiring of someone whose job is of wide public interest, like a principal, where the vote should be taken after the public has had an opportunity to speak at the Open Forum part of the regular meeting.  The district is a BIG BUSINESS, one of the largest employers in west Houston, and needs to move forward in a timely matter.  


So, why are Blackman and Majors (and Proctor and Huckaby) talking about "covert proceedings"?  It is a catch phrase with no merit but lots of emotional weight.  When you vote, don't be swayed by rhetoric that is not backed up with solid information and common sense.  


Early voting continues this week through May 8; 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Taylor and Cinco Ranch High Schools, Wolfe Elementary, and the Education Support Complex.  

Teamwork and Volunteers and Voting

I had the BEST time yesterday morning.  This time of year I always enjoy the camaraderie and "reunion" feeling at the annual VIPS Breakfast thanking the district volunteers.  I see people I worked with on elementary projects and get to hear about what those cute 4th graders are doing in college now (yikes!).   Once again, Janet Theis, the Partners in Education department, and the Volunteers in Public Schools board had very inspirational speakers-- the team that worked with Gabby Giffords at TIRR Memorial Hermann.  Also inspirational-- the awarding of campus Volunteer of the Year awards-- individuals whose work this year made them the stand-out performers of teams of campus volunteers.  

I'm mindful these days of the great work being done by individuals and the great work being done by teams.  Even accolades going to individuals are often a reflection of their leadership of a team.  Most of the great work being done in the world is done by teams of like-minded people all moving in the same direction.  

As you, the voters, work to assemble the team that is the School Board, think about whether your team will go farther if everyone is pulling in different directions, or in the same direction?  And which direction do you want?  Campus teams are directed by the Administration.  Administration is directed by the School Board.  The School Board is directed by the community of voters who put them in office.  

Vote!

Congratulations to Tory Hill, MCJH Principal!

Congratulations Mr. Hill!!  Last night, Mr. Hill was recognized for having been named Region IV Middle School Outstanding Principal of the Year!  This explanation is from the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals' website:
The Texas Association of Secondary School Principals is an association formed by and for over 5000 campus level administrators. Established in 1922, its purpose is to build an active network of educators that want to take responsibility for the quality of school leadership....School administrators are nominated and chosen by their peers within their regions and then applications from these recipients are reviewed by the TASSP Principal Image Committee who selects the finalists. Nominations are based upon exemplary performance and outstanding leadership in secondary education.  
So typical of Mr. Hill-- When I ran into him in the board room just before the meeting, we talked about the construction going on at the school and I assumed he was there for Teacher of the Year or a student recognition.  I've known for a long time that he does a wonderful job leading Mayde Creek Junior High, and have watched him lead by example with humility and compassion.  I'm so pleased and proud to see him recognized by this organization! Katy is lucky to have such a terrific administrator and leader.
Frankly, this is a big deal, and I am disappointed I can't find it on the Katy ISD website :-(
Good luck in Austin, Mr. Hill!  I hope you win Texas Middle School Outstanding Principal!  

KPGT Debate Final Questions and Closing Statements

Question #8: What changes, if any, should be made to school board policies?

• Cynthia Blackman (Positon 7) says biggest thing is transparency. Decisions are made in closed session.  Work study is not the place for voting.  It takes 3 members to place a taxpayer's concern on the agenda.  For years the dissension has been 6-1 or 5-2.  Wants open forum often so that she can hear concerns.  That is missing in the National, State and local levels.  
• Neal Howard (Position 7) would like to add penalties for bad behavior by board members.  He thinks the requirement of 3 members needed to add something to the agenda is fine.  You only need 3 people to talk about something, not to vote on it.  He would lower the gifting policy to a lower amount, like the cost of BBQ sandwich at Midway BBQ.
• Terri Majors (Position 6) said lots of policies need revising.  They are a thick document and they are gibberish and should be re-written to be clearer.  She would make a policy that prohibits voting on Work Study meetings, so public can talk about the concerns.  Also would increase open forum time.  
• Bryan Michalsky (Position 6) said a review of policy is good; he is not saying they need to change but would like to see discussion and debate.  Concern about needing 3 for an agenda item is a good point, but should talk about it.  Having more topics on the agenda and healthy debate is a good thing as it would improve the discourse among the trustees.  Penalties for violating policies should be added. 
• Betty Powell (Position 7) said the gifting policy under federal law the limit is $10, and that would be good.  Need boundaries.  Katy needs to not look out of control, as it has been recently.  Policies have lots of legal language and can be hard to understand.  To sum, all members need to come with an open mind.  

Question #9:  What other successful school districts across the state or nation should Katy ISD use as a benchmark and what benchmarks would you use?

• Betty Powell (Pos. 7) worked for Fort Bend ISD, and at that time principals were the instructional leaders and more involved on their campuses.  She also worked at HISD and New Orleans Public Schools.  The family feeling here is good.  Teachers here are teams and they grow and learn together in Katy.  
• Bryan Michalsky (Pos. 6) said no, Katy doesn't want to benchmark against other districts; we should be their benchmark.  Katy ISD is a destination district. We attract the best teachers.  "Why are you trying to be like everyone else, when everyone else wants to be like you?"
• Terri Majors (Pos. 6) said we need to be the district other districts look to. North Richland Hills ISD is a strong district, and she would look to those districts that have achieved exemplary status.  Need to get all our schools to exemplary status.
• Neal Howard (Pos. 7) said some of these things costs money, like visiting other ISDs. He is in favor of staff development travel. Best practices need to be found and shared. Teacher of the Year candidates discussed this in their interviews so it is happening now but could be funded more.
• Cynthia Blackman (Pos. 7) said "the heart of our schools are teachers".  KISD is a Recognized district, and Morton Ranch High School is acceptable.  Teachers need to be able to start teaching. Paperwork is burdensome and needs to be reduced.  Teacher morale is low due to what happened last year.  Administrators need to visit schools, and she wants to empower parents go into schools so they can help with a positive attitude.

Question #10:  How should Katy achieve its mission statement?  Katy Independent School District, the leader in educational excellence, together with family and community, provides unparalleled learning experiences designed to prepare and inspire each student to live an honorable, fulfilling life...to create the future.

• Terri Majors (Pos. 7) said that is what she'd like to see.  It is a lofty statement and good.  Should continue to work to make things better.  As Ms. Blackman said, we need to make teachers excited to come to school.  Years ago, they were, but not so much now.  We are a family community with outstanding programs that everyone is proud of and let's make us even prouder.
• Bryan Michalsky (Pos. 7) said communication is key. Board must do its job and have a very high-reaching vision.  Need to annually set measurable goals and direct the superintendent to achieve them.  Then, board needs to evaluate the progress toward the goals, and then share that with the public.  Need to get feedback from campuses.
• Betty Powell (Pos. 6) said Board members' duty is to review curriculum.  Technology should not work better at home than at school.  Tools need to work.
• Cynthia Blackman (Pos. 6) said the heart of this mission and of the schools are teachers.  Teachers have been forced recently to use KMAC.  KMAC shouldn't have to be used because teachers have their own methodologies.  KMAC steals a teachers ability to touch the heart of a student.  The requirement that teachers differentiate should be removed so that teachers can be empowered to do the job they were hired to do, which is to teach.  She also disagrees with reteaching and retesting, and would not require teachers to do it.  
• Neal Howard (Pos. 7) believes public schools are a great thing.  Kids are shaping our future.  Kids are doing amazing things here and beyond the district.  Mission statement mentions community.  He thinks the district is doing a good job of building community-- evidenced by lots of emails received by the board during the rezoning process saying no one wants to leave their school.

Closing Statements:

• Charles Griffin (Pos. 7) had a written statement saying he will answer the questions posed on his website.
• Neal Howard (Pos. 7) talked about his involvement in schools, coaching, Young Life, and his church.  He clarified that PBK doesn't tell the district where to build schools, the community does.  As for the statement "schools are built too soon and in the wrong place", he thinks the folks at Stanley Elem and WoodCreek Jr Hi would disagree, because they are severely overcrowded, in spite of opening new schools next year.  Land purchased for HS7 (currently under construction) was purchased in the 1980's when land was cheap, but was way out in the middle of nowhere.  Community entrusts the board to look far in to the future, and for instance to buy 120 acres in that location now would be extremely expensive. 
• Cynthia Blackman (Pos. 7) justified the numbers about enrollment as being in response to a public information request made in March, and told Neal to check those out.  She said "...I can reassure you that Dr. Proctor and Terry Huckaby are very much apprised of Robert's Rules of Order and they knew full well that they were within their right to do what they did at that particular Work Study".  She was personally rezoned 3 times, which was not mindful.  Wants to know what the district plans to do with the land that was recently purchased behind Powerhouse Church, which was not on any agenda.  She doesn't agree with moving busing to beyond 2 miles because there is too much traffic.  She pledges an open door policy and will represent everyone on the Board.  She will provide diverse thoughts and 22 years classroom experience.  She is a small business owner and is a stakeholder in the district and wants to keep things under control.  She is concerned about academics has some ideas she wants to implement to improve academics.  She wants academics improved by empowering teachers.  They are the heart of the district, and she relishes the thought of walking into a school as your board member and supporting your teachers and administrators.  She can look into a classroom and see that they don't need flat screen TV's, but instead the teacher needs more help or more books, because "she has been there".
• Betty Powell (Pos. 7) worked for Katy ISD until last spring and has recent experience in the classrooms and working with teachers.  She is a technology specialist and knows Katy because she worked in every school.  Wants to run for School Board because she cares about the kids and is invested in the district.  Her husband is a teacher at Katy High School.  Moved here because they wanted to teach in great schools.  She wants to keep Katy great.  Her only agenda is the kids.  She has high integrity because she has been vetted by the US Marshal's office.  She promised to do her best and won't run to the press and embarrass KISD.  She would handle conflict at the table with other board members.  Can help with curriculum because she has a bachelor's degree in that area.  She can offer expertise with technology currently in the schools; for instance, we don't have "flat screen TVs", they are flat screen monitors which are lots cheaper.  The TV signal they get is from the district's "tower" which is like a server.  Loves the community and is passionate about Katy.
• Bryan Michalsky (Pos. 6) said Katy ISD has been a source of pride for a long time.  It attracts great families and teachers.  We must give kids exceptional opportunities.  He is a fiscal conservative and understands prioritizing budget needs.  He would like to return support positions to the classrooms so they run as efficiently as possible and free up teachers to teach.  Should strive to run the district as efficiently as possible and non-instructional areas need to justify their expenses every year.  His experience as Chief Financial Officer will help the district deal with periods of economic uncertainty like last year. Primary objective is to provide students with a sound, quality education that will serve them after graduation. He has 4 kids and a rising kindergartener, so is invested in the district for 13 more years. To meet that objective, the board needs to give exceptional goals to the superintendent and then evaluate him on them.  The district needs a strong and diverse board to do this.  His experience as a business executive would be useful on a board which already has 2 educators, a volunteer, a foundation director and a small business owner.  He is prepared to build relationships, listen to all points of view, provide leadership, and make informed decisions for the benefit of our students, teachers, and taxpayers.  
• Terri Majors (Pos. 6) pledged to protect programs and advanced curriculum that are effectively educating our students.  Must continue to offer accelerated learning opportunities.  She prefers site based decisions.  Top-down decision making is not working.  They need guidelines and a good mission statement.  Data needs to be honest and open.  For example, both Morton Ranch HS and Mayde Creek HS are praised in the article in the Chronicle, but she is concerned people will think they are performing at an exemplary level, and that is not true; both campuses are "Acceptable". Their SAT scores are "frighteningly low".  MRHS average is 973, and students need 2000+ to get into our best colleges.  MCHS's average is 975.  We need to educate all our students.  These 2 campuses are  economically disadvantaged and that impacts learning and we need to provide the extra support that is needed.  Also, laws don't protect GT program monies from State and Federal government.  Are we spending it wisely and can we get more dollars?  Need board members who are willing to fight hard for change.  She is willing to do that.  She was principal at a very at-risk elementary, Golbow for 13 years.  

KPGT Forum Recap Part 2

Here is the next group of questions asked at the KPGT forum.  If my notes are too cryptic and you want a full quote, let me know and I'll transcribe if for you.  This is intended as a recap, but I want it to be understandable.  If I've missed the mark, let me know...

Question #3: Given that capacities in buildings have changed due to growth in the district, changing demographics, etc, how is it best to do rezoning?  Is it time to do a broader rezoning throughout the district?

• Betty Powell (Pos. 7): There must be a better way, but we don't have a crystal ball.  Many opinions are needed to analyze the situation.  Let's hope we continue to have this problem!
• Bryan Michalsky (Pos. 6) says it's time to at least study the budgetary and community impact of a district rezone.  It's inevitable.  Not sure he's for it, but it's time to review it.  Also would like to review the current process, to make sure that every area potentially impacted gives input.  
• Terri Majors (Pos. 6) says rezoning is difficult and she isn't sure it can be made better, but agrees with Michalsky about getting more public input.  She believes in neighborhood schools.  Says we should look at other districts to see what they do to get as much public input as possible.
• Neal Howard (Pos. 7) talked about the board doing a limited rezoning of three high schools several years ago, and one benefit was moving closer to pure feeder patterns.  Would be in favor of a district rezone to achieve pure feeder patterns, but not to just balance capacity.  
• Cynthia Blackman (Pos. 7) said "in the last 4 years, Katy ISD's enrollment has declined.  The only year since Alton Frailey has been our superintendent where our enrollment actually went up was in 2008, when we grew by 120 students."  [an aside from me: But see...  ]  Problem is that we build schools too soon in the wrong place based on bad demographics.  We need better demographics and PBK shouldn't pick where we build Jr. High and High Schools schools. 

Question #4:  Political discourse has come to Katy.  What would you do to bring unity to the board and focus the board so the district work can be done?

• Cynthia Blackman (Pos. 7) says there is no transparency.  Vote for someone you can trust; an honest leader who will be open.  Vote for her and you'll know what you are getting.
• Neal Howard (Pos. 7) said the shenanigans of Washington have come to Katy and we've seen a lot of it in the last year.  It's remarkable that it hasn't filtered down to students.  We would suspend students who behave as board members have been behaving.  Job is to study, discuss, try to persuade, and vote, but not to walk out on meetings to avoid that activity. That doesn't work at any level, much less here where the community expects the board to do the job of educating 62,000 students. 
• Terri Majors (Pos. 6) is concerned about unity on the board.  Dissension has trickled down from Washington.  Must have transparency and openness.  Must talk to public.  Wants to increase the time for public comments.  The board should listen and do what taxpayers and patrons want them to do. 
• Bryan Michalsky (Pos. 6) agrees with Neal Howard and says the walkout (by Proctor and Huckaby) was politically motivated.  That has no place on the board.  Elected to represented different viewpoints, and trustees need to stick around and express those views.  We need to build better relationships and communicate goals better.  He is in favor of more debates.
• Betty Powell (Pos. 7) says we need to develop better communication and restore trust with the community.  The school board needs to communicate ends, which means to communicate the results that are sought.  The website and planned webcast meetings will increase openness.  When openness comes, trust will increase.

Question #5: RE: budget cuts: If not teachers, what would you cut?

• Terri Majors (Pos. 6): stop paying for consultants.  Make people on salary do that work.  Look at busing.  Look at HVAC bills and increase temperatures to reduce bills. 
• Neal Howard (Pos. 7) would look at busing.  Bill Moore has saved the district lots of money  by refinancing bonds.  He would continue to look at that kind of savings.  
• Cynthia Blackman (Pos. 7) would cut central administration which is 4% of the budget (?)  She would get rid of consultants like the one payed 48K to recommend budget cuts.  Would depend more on maintenance rather than replacing components and stop buying astroturf that needs to be watered.  She would also stop buying flat screen TVs. which are only used for announcements. 
• Betty Powell (Pos. 7) would cut some technology.  She wants to use what we have better.  Wants to bring more money into the district, like by having more events at the Merrell Center and putting ads on buses.  
• Bryan Michalsky (Pos. 6) would outsource the tax office.  He would  also look at cutting community education, which is great but doesn't go to our mission of educating K-12 students.  He would also look at eliminating busing to the 2 mile state requirement.  

Question #6: RE: recent Chronicle article that indicated magnet schools in HISD are very successful.  Is it time for KISD to have a magnet school for GT students?

• Neal Howard (Pos. 7) said we looked at that 2 years ago with the IB program.  It raised lots of questions and the program, though "neat", would have cost a lot of money.  He could not justify that during times when money is short.
• Terri Majors (Pos. 6) disagreed.  She said we need special campuses, like the DeBakey medical magnet and the HSPVA, a science school at Rice, etc.  Katy should do that because it would make us an outstanding district and would be wonderful for our kids. 
• Bryan Michalsky (Pos. 6) supports all the outstanding programs but creating a special school is most likely cost prohibitive given our current financial situation.  He suggests working on improving programs at all campuses.  HSPVA is great, but all of our campuses have great fine arts programs.  We should focus on providing great programs for all our students. 
• Betty Powell (Pos. 7) agrees with Majors and Michalsky because we can research and crunch the numbers.  If other districts do it, why can't we? She "wants Quality over Quantity."  
• Cynthia Blackman (Pos. 7) said the article revealed there are 7 exemplary high schools in HISD and none in Katy ISD.  Is it due to magnets?  She doesn't know.  Need more money in the classroom.  Is it feasible?  Not now.  

Question #7: After last year's cuts, what should be restored, and how would you do it?

• Bryan Michalsky (Pos. 6) doesn't know, but believes that everything should be looked at yearly to justify the expense.  He believes in great classroom instruction, but also as parents, we try to develop our kids interests and talents, and we want the district to do the same.  The litmus test should be: how does it prepare kids for the world after Katy ISD?
• Terri Majors (Pos. 6) would restore curriculum specialists to the administration level.  (They were moved to the campuses.) A lot of those people made more money at the admin building, but now they are sent back to campuses, so no one is helping teachers at the administration building.  She would also get RNs back on campuses.  Also, technology support that was removed from campuses needs to be restored, because teachers need an in-house technologist.  
• Neal Howard (Pos. 7) says his focus would be on classroom sizes that we are moving to, especially in Jr. High.  That's were programs should not be cut because that is where children are exploring. Main thing is to get more teachers on campuses.
• Cynthia Blackman (Pos. 7) would restore bilingual staff and special ed aides.  Also would restore the stipends paid to team leaders.  Bottom line: don't cut anything.  Bilingual kids should not be bused but should have their own neighborhood school.  Currently they are bused a long distance to  "that Maurice Wolfe area".
• Betty Powell (Pos. 7) said the wounds of last year's cuts are still fresh.  Need to reexamine all areas cut.  She would look for weak areas by asking community and teachers.  Would reconsider all cuts but especially those that impact kids.  Instructional coaches should be beefed up.  They should get GT training first, because they are modeling for other teachers.

Whew!  I'll finish tomorrow.

KPGT Forum Recap Part I

Tuesday night's Candidates' Forum hosted by KPGT had a slightly different format from the Rotary Forum.  Candidates gave opening statements, answered two questions drafted by KPGT, and audience members submitted additional questions.  Questions and answers went until 8:30, when candidates made closing statements.  Unfortunately, Charles Griffin was unable attend due to a work conflict.  However, in his closing, he indicated he would take all the questions from the evening and answer them on his website.

The opening statements did not add anything that wasn't already covered in either my recent blogs about the Rotary, the Houston Chronicle articles about the Postion 6 race and the Position 7 race, or the Katy Times questionnaire.  The Times also had a good story covering the forum which sadly only seems to be available in the print edition (Thurs. 4/16, pg. 1A)

Q #1: According to one recent estimate, the shortfall in the state budget will be $10-$13 Billion in the next legislative session.  What will you do to preserve the quality of Katy ISD education in the face of such shortfalls?

• Bryan Michalsky (Postion 7) said he opposes cutting classroom instruction.  Last year we lost some teachers positions and a lot of support positions.  Texas is responding better than other states and he hopes the shortfall will be less than predicted.  However, we need to protect programs that give kids opportunities.  Must continue to look at other areas to cut.  Operations needs to justify spending on an annual basis.  
• Terri Majors (Postion 7) said there is lots of "wiggle room".  There was plenty of money last year and there was no need to fire any teachers.  We did not need to cut staff, and she is angry about it.  Katy needs to keep instruction just like it is and make it better.  Instruction needs to be at the top of the budget, and teachers need to get the perks they need to stay in the district. Teachers are looking elsewhere because the climate has been negative.  Should increase pay for teachers.  Need to get more teachers to come to Katy.  "Another thing we don't look at very often, we keep saying that Katy is growing and growing and growing.  However, our population in the schools is actually decreasing because students are being home schooled and because they are going to private schools. We need to look at those numbers and say 'uh-oh' what are we doing and how to get those kids to come back."  Wow... But see this...
• Neal Howard (Position 6) thinks that the best thing is to keep the shortfall from happening by working through the courts and with our legislators.  Will advocate doing what we did last year, which is to leave instruction, give teachers a raise, and cut everything else.  Wants to maintain programs, and may have to do that by increasing user fees.  Also wants to look at buying buses that run on natural gas.  
• Cynthia Blackman (Position 6) advocates cutting central administration, because Dr. Merrell had 4-5 assistant superintendents and Mr. Frailey has 15.  Would never cut teachers or teacher salaries.  Would not cut Special Ed aides like the district is currently doing.  Also would look severely at new construction.  Schools are built too soon, too grandiose, and savings must go to classrooms.  All dollars need to go to instruction; right now about half of the money per student goes to instruction.
• Betty Powell (Postion 6) says last year's layoffs and displacement was uncalled for.  Yes, they got jobs but many took pay cuts.  She knows someone who lost their home.  Would never cut teachers, custodians, drivers, anyone who supports educating children.  As a technologist, she knows where stuff is that has never been used.  As a trustee, she could look at technology and see what is needed and what is extra, and now there is no one on the board who can do that.  And no candidate other than herself has that experience.

Q#2:  Gifted and Talented students need special education services.  Specifically, what will you do to seek improvement within GT education in Katy ISD?

• Neal Howard (Pos. 6) says he's not qualified to answer those questions but knows there are people in our district who do, and he would take the reins off them and let them do their jobs.
• Terri Majors (Pos. 7) says programs are great, but they are special ed under the law.  Handicapped children get lots more money and treatment than GT.  Need to look at expanding programs for GT. Currently, elementary kids are pulled out one day a week.  In secondary, we need more programs.  Need to enrich and spend more money on our GT programs.
• Bryan Michalsky (Pos. 7) said awareness about GT education needs to be increased.  They need to be challenged.  Agrees with Majors that elementary Challenge program is a valuable program.  In secondary, the AP program is very good but other things can be done to challenge older students.  We celebrate our athletes and fine artists and we need to do that for our most gifted students as well.  We have good programs, but there is always room for improvement.  Awareness is key.
• Betty Powell (Pos. 6) taught GT most of her career. Usually Challenge classes are in temporary buildings.  They need to have more storage, a sink, access to library and computers in those classrooms.  Should get "regular" teachers certified for GT.  Our teachers get dual certification in ESOL, but not in GT.  Teachers who teach to the top get better results for all their students because of increased rigor.  
• Cynthia Blackman (Pos. 6) taught GT most of her career.  Often, the GT kids get to be the tutor or the helper in the regular classroom.  In High School, the AP program needs to be improved.  GT kids should not have to be responsible for the curriculum taught on the day they were pulled out.  Would like increased funding to go to GT/Advanced Academics program.  Kids might be gifted in some things but not in others.

More tomorrow...