THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW FROM THE 2015-2016 SCHOOL YEAR:
There is great news in Katy,Texas! The current superintendent has resigned.
It was time for Mr. Frailey to leave Katy ISD, and I welcome the news that he finally realized that fact. When our amateurish school board re-upped his multi-year contract every summer as soon as no one was paying attention and kept giving him huge raises (and stipends until they realized that was not legal), it's no wonder it took him so long to leave. He's had it pretty cushy. [The Houston Chronicle today says his salary is $288,000. That's wrong. This year he's making $322,171.29.] He's sticking around until August so that he can get as much in retirement as is legally possible.
What is upsetting to me is that Mr. Frailey is sticking around, just like Superintendent Leonard Merrell did, to pick his replacement--no matter his claims to the contrary. That's not his purview. The minute he told the Board members last fall that he was going to retire, he should have been put out to pasture, and an Interim Superintendent should have been named. Over the last four months, we have witnessed one misstep after another by Mr. Frailey.
The fact that he is staying until August is very troubling. Combine that with the School Board's failure to give all the administrators a new contract until the new superintendent has been selected, looks like either Mr. Frailey or the headhunters (Thompson and Moses) have given the Board some seriously bad advice. If I were an administrator in Katy ISD, I would be looking for another job as hard as I could. This ploy is designed to allow the new superintendent to bring in all his buddies from wherever! One thing's for sure, all of you administrators better start getting your names on new buildings as soon as you can, because it won't be long before we have a new set of panderers naming our schools after each other!
I'll make one bet--Bonnie Holland will still be here next year. She's the only administrator smart enough to know what they're all supposed to do and what the public school laws are.
Such mistakes in actions of authority happen because we have an inept school board that doesn't know how to do things properly.
We got Mr. Frailey because the school board in 2007 let Superintendent Leonard Merrell stick around to name his successor. He brought in the same old incompetent head hunter, Bob Thompson, from Lamar Tech who ran the usual scam on the public pretending that he was listening to our requirements and desires for a new superintendent. I was on the "search" committee for that purpose that they convened in 2007, and the committee and its actions were a total farce. I was on the school board in 1995 when we were getting ready to look for a new superintendent. Headhunter Thompson was picked one night when I was not there after I had told the Board president that I was going out of town and had asked him to please not select the headhunter while I was gone. I had to rewrite Thompson's superintendent publicity materials because Mr. Thompson couldn't do it himself properly.
It's hard to think of even ONE large well run organization that allows the retiring head of affairs to pick his own replacement instead of letting the Board of Directors do that!
This lack of proper responsibility and protocol by our School Board is just another example of how they don't know what they are doing and continue to let the superintendent, even one that's essentially retired, lead them around by the nose.
Just so you know; the best year KISD ever had was when we had an interim Superintendent for a year (Dr. Don Stacy) who did what the board asked him to do instead of the other way around, and the District ran like a charm with no problems for an entire year!
KISD board members can save themselves a lot of time, money and foolishness by choosing someone as superintendent who is already a KISD employee. That way they know them, they know if they are honest, they know if they are literate, they know the content of their character, they know whether or not they are steeped in education malarkey, they don't have to pay them an arm and a leg to get them, and our students will reap the rewards of that action.
The next superintendent needs to have a doctorate, a degree in something besides teaching reading to first graders, a superintendent's certificate, and a track record of successfully running a large school district full of students who want to go to college. We haven't had one of those in a long time.
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Alton Frailey, Katy ISD's superintendent who is beset with incontrovertible numbers that undermine his words and actions from the fall of 2014, brought in KISD's paid demographic consultant, Pat Guseman, of Population and Survey Analysts, a year later to get ahead of those numbers at a recent Board meeting.
Last year Ms. Guseman, in an apparent effort to help the superintendent and the board pass their bond referendum calling for many new schools, proclaimed that from now into perpetuity there would be at least 3,000 new KISD students every year! Ms. Guseman and the District have recently claimed that she is 99% accurate in her predictions! But read on....
The truth of the matter is that it had been seven years (2007) since KISD had 3,000 students more than the previous year show up, and the fact that 3,000 showed up in 2014 at the same time they were trying to pass a bond was just a happy coincidence.
Obviously, the superintendent and the board needed something to sway the public to vote for the stadium proposal which had been soundly defeated the year before, so they threw in some new schools to help sell the deal.
Mr. Frailey was brought to KISD ostensibly to pass bond referenda and build a new stadium. He had no other qualifications, in my opinion, other than that he had done those things in other school districts and on a much smaller scale, but that didn't seem to matter. He was not well known for being personable, improving academics, or anything else important.
The Board and the superintendent, in my opinion, are simply trying to appease and please the builders, contractors, financial dabblers and other hangers-on who feed at the KISD taxpayer funded trough. Those same people/companies, in return, donate considerable amounts to KISD board members' campaign funds. "Quid pro quo" as they say. As long as we have school board members who take campaign contributions from vendors, nothing is going to change. Dishonesty is being taught by precept and example in Katy ISD! If we had legislators worth a hill of beans, they would put a stop to this practice.
New schools in new subdivisions sell houses. It's as simple as that! KISD takes the measure a step further by building those new schools BEFORE there are any students to fill them or houses for them to occupy.
Ms. Guseman, as reported in the Houston Chronicle, stated last Monday night [October 2015] at the Board meeting that 2,000 new students would now be coming to KISD every year. Amazingly no one has reported that this is a 33% drop in her prediction that she made again just last spring! Not even the Chronicle reporter, Sebastian Herrera noticed! For Ms. Guseman to be 33% off in her analysis is huge! A thousand kids off is an entire school's worth of students. She should be replaced, in my opinion.
Actually THIS fall, the 3000 students they were expecting turned out to be 2,450! That's 550 short of 3,000 and back at the level in 2008. Please recall that this anticipated number of new students was very instrumental in Mr. Frailey being able to convince the public that KISD NEEDED new schools!
If the Board had any gumption, they would be rezoning from west to east, and/or utilizing the portable buildings (of which there are hundreds sitting around) instead of building expensive new schools.
Does anyone remember that our neighbor, Spring Branch ISD, overbuilt in the 1970's and 1980's? They had built a new high school, Northbrook, on the Katy freeway. They had to just tear it down because there was a decline in enrollment! They sold the property. There's Embassy Suites sitting on that spot now. They also tore down Spring Branch High School and closed Westchester High School, which was only 18 years old at the time. Although you wouldn't know it by his actions, I'm sure Mr. Frailey remembers these closings as he was an employee of Spring Branch ISD. His job, actually, was to figure out something to do with Westchester.
The bottom line is that KISD is NOT going to be getting huge influxes of new students, and we DO NOT need new schools anytime soon. We just need a superintendent and board members who instead do what's right. These are not private schools, and no one has the right to expect a school in their own subdivision when there's room for their child in an already existing school building within this school district.
Mr. Frailey was brought here to float bond issues and build a stadium as far as I can tell. That's what all of this is about, and it's unconscionable.
The only way to stop this nonsense is to vote out incumbent board members every time they run again. My favorite bumper sticker of all time says, "Never re-elect anybody!"
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Parents of Special Education students need to start now asking (with written letters) Katy ISD to have the cameras and multiple recording devices that are now required in place by the beginning of the August 2016 school year. A Texas state law that addresses the issue was signed in June of 2015. The school district has known about the law for almost a year now. Anyone seeing cameras going up? If they are not in compliance on day one, parents of Special Education students need to file complaints with the Attorney General and lawsuits if necessary, in my opinion.
Go to "Education" and then "Special Education" to find sources for this new law.
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Dennis Spellman of www.CoveringKaty.com (the best news media coverage of things Katy) wrote an opinion piece on October 30, 2015 that will knock your socks off.
Here it is:Opinion: Katy School Board It’s Time To Stop the Nonsense
October 29, 2015
By Dennis Spellma
n11 Comment
sToday we learned that Katy Independent School District Superintendent Alton Frailey has withdrawn from his scheduled Friday morning appearance on Fox 26. The program is designed to promote Katy and will still be aired with numerous other Katy area officials who have been booked to appear. Frailey’s decision to withdraw comes one day after Fox 26 News reporter Andrea Watkins asked the Superintendent very pointed questions in a news conference. The district says Frailey has a scheduling conflict, that he has to speak to a group of students.
We believe these developments make it imperative that we review Frailey’s relationship with the media so all can understand that today’s developments really aren’t surprising, and we feel this type of nonsense needs to stop.
All the recent horrible publicity that’s descended upon the Katy Independent School District did not happen in a vacuum. It’s the result of several years of destructive behavior on the part of an undisciplined superintendent and his inept communications staff. The God controversy at West Memorial Junior High, and the recent gang initiation at McDonald Junior High, should have been only one or two day stories, but they dragged on, and one of them even went national. If handled professionally, the district would have been scratched by these stories but not scarred.
There is a reason why Katy ISD can’t get in front of bad news and reduce or eliminate the stain that it has on the school district. The district’s problems can be summed up in two words: “trust” and “relationships.” None of the real reporters in the Houston market trust or have a good relationship with Superintendent Alton Frailey or his communications team. Every news organization has been burned by them in one way or another.
The news media in Katy and Houston have been deceived, mocked and misrepresented during the years of Superintendent Frailey, and he’s doubled down on those tactics since the departure of former communications manager Steve Stanford, and the ascension of Chief Officer of Communications Dr. Andrea Grooms. The post-Stanford era has marked the complete destruction of the mutual professional respect between the media and the district.
Seasoned journalists respected Stanford, and in retrospect he did a good job of controlling Mr. Frailey. Until he left we had no idea that the superintendent was a train wreck. Even though Stanford represented an administration known to be secretive, he was still able to maintain good relations with journalists. Reporters understood that Stanford was frequently between a rock and a hard place, and he understood that journalists had a job to do. Basically we all liked the guy, even when frustrated by his answers. Stanford’s handling of a bomb scare at Seven Lakes High School was a one-man performance in how to handle the media during a time of crisis. He was fantastic.
The Houston media is unfamiliar with Dr. Grooms. She’s made no effort to cultivate relationships with the media. She needs to be out building trust, and saving Frailey from himself. The district does not need a person with a doctorate, it needs a person with experience in media relations. The district needs a person who understands that one negative story by a reporter should not dissolve a relationship. That same reporter will be back to cover positive stories too, if you know how to cultivate relationships.
I believe the relationship between the real news media and Katy ISD reached rock bottom Wednesday at the district’s disastrous news conference. It is now clear that this administration will never repair the damage it’s done in its relationship with the real journalists who cover Katy’s schools and actually ask challenging questions.
The district’s mocking, misrepresentations and deceptions were on full display for all to see in person, and live on the Internet, Wednesday. During the question and answer session, Mr. Frailey flippantly mocked a television reporter by implying that she was making up her facts. Publicly implying that a reporter is making up facts is the fastest way anyone can burn a bridge with a reporter. A reporter is nothing without credibility. Frailey did not have the discipline to remain calm, and she made him look like a fool with her follow-up question.
Andrea Watkins of Fox 26 asked about an allegation that the teacher in the center of the God controversy was aggressive toward her students. Frailey said he’d never heard that claim before Watkins brought it up. Watkins then pointed out that Frailey had heard the claim, and he was on video tape when he heard it, and that many people had seen the tape. Alton “Loose Cannon” Frailey was up to his old tricks, but this time the public was watching on a live stream and was allowed to see the real Frailey. The guy just can’t shoot straight. His default position is mockery, condescension and nonsense.
It wasn’t but a few weeks ago that the Frailey supporters made the same claim about Covering Katy. They claimed we also make up our facts. Then, 48 hours later, the crow was served up to those who concocted that allegation. These actions are from the same old tired playbook. If they don’t like the facts, they claim it’s all a big lie, but the public knows better.
Here is a nugget of information that no one else has revealed. The reporter who was unfairly targeted in Wednesday’s news conference was recently assigned to cover Katy permanently. I suspect it was her first taste of dealing with Katy ISD as the head of the newly established Fox 26 Katy bureau. Her new assignment began on Monday, and it took Frailey less than 72 hours to move the honeymoon directly into divorce court. His staff was aware of her new role, so Frailey should have known too. Still, he couldn’t resist lobbing a cheap shot, which she quickly dropped back in his lap. It was ugly, and when it was over you could not see the egg on Frailey’s face because the crow he was eating blocked the view.
Frailey and West Memorial Junior High School Principal Gina Cobb also struggled to answer questions about whether there was a grade assigned to the classroom activity dealing with God. Members of Team Frailey should have anticipated that question, but they don’t have the experience to handle major market reporters. Again, another disaster that could have been avoided with some forethought.
This entire mess comes on the heels of the recent gang initiation event at McDonald Junior High School. Since then the district has engaged in efforts to delay Freedom of Information Act requests for documents that must be made public. There is a much more professional way to handle these situations, but the Frailey administration has only three plays in its media relations playbook: mock, deceive and misrepresent
Mr. Frailey’s attitude is that no reporter should ever post a story that he hasn’t personally approved. We all know that’s not how it works, but when his nose is out of joint he’s done some really foolish things, like sending emails to parents mocking reporters, which eventually land back in every newsroom in Houston and Katy.
One night, not long ago, I watched in stunned silence as Frailey proudly showed a PowerPoint presentation in a public meeting where he openly mocked reporters. He was mad because it was reported that the funding for a new stadium would be on the ballot for a second time, after being defeated the year before. The bond committee had been talking about the stadium for weeks, but somehow Frailey thought no one in the media would notice. Again, it was an issue that he and his team should have known would be reported and should have been ready with a response. Then again, his team probably had no idea he’d get mad over something so trivial. Only in Frailey’s world would this story be considered “sensationalizing.”
Many years ago Mr. Frailey announced that everyone should view Katy ISD as “the center of truth” for all things that have to do with public education in Katy. It was a foreshadowing of what was to come. We had a government official who was claiming his bureaucracy was the center of truth. How very Orwellian!
While attending Catholic school the nuns said the pope was infallible in church doctrine. Given that the head of the Roman Catholic Church and Katy ISD are the center of truth for their respective domains, perhaps we should change the superintendent’s title to Pope Frailey.
All humor aside, Mr. Frailey lacks discipline and his antics transcend any positives he brings to the role of superintendent. Someone on the school board must round up the votes and then step forward as the Sen. Howard Baker of our community and say, “Mr. Frailey, your time is up.”
11 Comments
Bill Proctor
November 2, 2015 at 4:08 pm
I worked over 34 years in education and I am familiar with education around the country. Texas has placed all the local power in overpaid Superindents who want to be treated lik CEO’s of corporations.
If Katy is such an outstanding district why were we unable to get a leader who did not and does not have a PhD.
Weak school boards and highly overpaid superintendents is the case in Texas.
Bill Proctor
November 1, 2015 at 4:28 pm
Everything that comes out of the KISD propaganda machine has to be good news. The Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Council, and most of the Realtors have a vested interest in good news because they want to sell Katy as a destination. Like Marco Rubio mentioned in the debate the other evening,the above mentioned groups are KISD’s Super Pack along with the builders and architects that are selected, by law, without bids. A very close relationship.
The politics of KISD remind me of how the Clinton’s react when they are challenged by students, parents or teachers.
Kim Belcher
November 2, 2015 at 8:50 am
Thank you for your past service to our community, Mr. Proctor. I wish you would have had colleagues that could work with your experience and knowledge for the betterment of our children’s lives.
Bill Proctor
October 31, 2015 at 8:13 am
KISD has been run and those elected to the board are a part of the Katy insiders, Katy Chamber of Commerce,the Economic Development Council, and other insiders. As long as voter turnout stays low nothing will change. The Superintendent and Board reminds me of how DC works. There is no way they are looking out for the people. I believe KISD is run on fear. When I was on the board, the board never sided with a student or teacher that filed a grievance.
It is past time to elect board a that will not be Frailey puppies. Get involved and vote!
Mrs. George
October 30, 2015 at 10:41 pm
Maybe he’d do better with the media, the public AND our kids if he were just honest.
Just Wondering
October 30, 2015 at 5:43 pm
I am sure Mr. Frailey has many strong personal traits he brings to the job as leader in chief of Katy ISD. One of his strengths is how well he conceals them from public view.
I doubt there is anyone we can install as Super who will be loved by all, but why do we need to have a lightening rod who does all he can to draw negative attention to our district with his over bearing personality?
Alton often cites his examples of belief and truth not being the same, and for the record they don’t have to be all you have to do is look at his performance. He believes he is great, the truth is; not so much.
This fellow has it made.
For years people have asked how his job is to be evaluated. For years the school board says they will be getting around to that task and even brought it up during school board elections. The sitting members said they were getting close to having their check list in hand even as they extend his contract, cave into all his demands and give him a raise.
The truth is I am jealous and wish I had whatever he drinks for breakfast on my table as he is without a doubt a master at what he does.
Seems to me I recall another pillar of truth with similar sway over the masses in pre world war Germany but can’t quite recall his name.
(Note to Alton: The truth is I was thinking of Otto Bismark, but your belief is I was thinking of someone else.)
Kim Belcher
November 2, 2015 at 8:48 am
😉 I wish that we could get people more involved. We have 70,000 students in Katy ISD and can’t get ten percent of their parents to the polls when there is not a general election. Public information indicates that almost 20% of that student population is illegal or non citizen, so even adjusting for that factor the turnout is very poor. Talk to your neighbors. We need people with solid values that cannot be swayed to run for the school board. We need people talking to their state legislators about returning the power to the boards to deal with the incompetency that these 6 figure administrators bring to town with them.
JackALope
October 30, 2015 at 5:25 pm
When we moved to Katy many years ago, several schools were adorned with “Exemplary” titles. Seems those titles are hard to come by over the past 20 years as those titles are weather-beaten and old. Why is it that as the KISD’s superintendent’s salary has risen, expectations have fallen?
Kim Belcher
November 2, 2015 at 8:44 am
We have taken the real power away from the school boards and the superintendents are left unchecked to push agenda lobbies for organizations to include, but no limited to, TASA, TASB, AASA and the like, who are at the mercy of their big business contributors. Assessment and Accountability is a joke. You cannot gauge where your kid’s learning is today based on those tests.
Mark Langford
October 30, 2015 at 8:37 am
Amen and amen! Frailey simply cannot stand anyone who dares disagree with him. It’s one of the marks of his gross incompetence. Katy ISD deserves a Superintendent who is fully literate, who can think clearly, and who can express himself/herself clearly. Perhaps the next Superintendent can meet those fundamental qualifications.
Kim Belcher
November 2, 2015 at 8:40 am
It was eye opening to read your comments. It reminded me of the way I feel about the current US President.
While many find them to be incompetent, they are very successful in their own agendas. Frailey has been a ring leader in the “education transformation” or “reform” movement. His roles in TASA, TASB and AASA have been instrumental in setting up Katy ISD as a model for 21st Century Learning and the College/Career Readiness programs that are destroying our public education.
Common Core, the Texas TEKS process standards, etc are all just symptoms of the push for the nationalization and eventually globalization of education.
Those of us with any sense can run for the hills and hide our kids, but it doesn’t stop what is in play. If we want to restore education and hopefully preserve our nation, we have to start (in Frailey’s words) plucking out the thorns like this. We have to ensure they do not have roles in the future of our public education system.
We may rid Katy of him, but he will just move on to use the influence that he has had to divide this community in other ways throughout the state or nation.
https://coveringkaty.com/2015/10/29/opinion-katy-school-board-its-time-to-stop-the-nonsense/
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Yesterday in the Houston Chronicle ( http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/article/Katy-student-alleges-school-activity-called-faith-6597109.php?cmpid=btfpm the Katy ISD superintendent, Alton Frailey, was given a chance to give the District's side of the "There isn't a God" debate.
Interestingly, if one looks carefully at Alton Frailey's comments, one can learn all kinds of things. First, there was indeed a worksheet and that this matter didn't emanate from the first year teacher (at least her/his first year at West Memorial Junior High.) We know from the past that the worksheets are all generated by KMAC (Katy ISD's curriculum management plan which may now have been replaced by another one without a name,) and are therefore used all over the District with everyone being on the same page on the same day. The curriculum management plan is online and required as a source for all lesson plans. [I prefer to call the "curriculum management plan" a "teacher/student management plan" as that is a more accurate description of what it is.}
Second, Katy ISD thinks it's their purview to teach 11 year old children how to think critically. As a former teacher, I can tell you that 11 year old children do NOT think critically, ever! In the first place these days they've not been taught anything of substance about which to think critically! I would also unequivocally state that students cannot think "critically" until they are at least in the 11th grade--and even then it's not easy for most of them. Thinking critically is best left to experience or academic college coursework and is NOT the purview of a first year seventh grade teacher. And yes, I do understand that what current educationists call "critical thinking" isn't really "critical thinking" at all.
When Frailey admits that this "lesson" is ill-advised, he is also admitting that it was indeed a lesson (for which he does not apologize but simply suggests that they will pull that part of the lesson from the curriculum.)
Make no mistake, this cockamamie and inferior curriculum that is being force fed to Katy ISD students is straight from Obama and the Federal Government. It is Common Core. It is designed to change belief systems and separate children's beliefs from their parents' beliefs. The public in Katy Texas just got a taste of how it operates. Note that the Superintendent claimed that the subject matter was not instructional or curricular, but the mere fact that the statement is made (in whatever context) is how they manipulate minds and initiate change in our children.
Grab your kid and get them to a private school or home school them as soon as you can. And the next time you get a chance to vote, vote against the Katy ISD school board incumbents who have sat stupidly and allowed this sort of thing to happen.
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Yesterday's first story on the Ten O'Clock News on Channel 11 was a about a young female student at West Memorial Junior High who had the courage to appear before the Katy ISD school board to report that her teacher had instructed the class that "There is no God." Go here: http://coveringkaty.com/2015/10/27/katy-teacher-instructed-there-is-no-god-according-to-student-testimony-video/#comment-25967 and here: http://abc13.com/education/teacher-reportedly-tells-student-god-doesnt-exist/1054271/ and there are 224 comments on this one that mostly miss the point of what happened, and here: http://eagnews.org/video-student-says-tx-teacher-forced-7th-graders-to-deny-god-is-real-or-take-a-failing-grade/ , and here: http://americanactionnews.com/articles/video-this-7th-grader-was-forced-to-deny-god-or-fail-what-she-did-will-inspire-you where Alice Lanahan also lays into the Texas governor for even considering Superintendent Alton Frailey for the soon to be empty spot of Texas Commissioner of Education and http://www.khou.com/story/news/local/neighborhood/2015/10/27/student-says-teacher-taught-god-not-real/74723050/ and here: http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/katy/schools/articleComments/Katy-student-complains-to-school-board-after-6595512.php and while you're on this one, do not miss the 675 comments that follow the article!
You might also want to freshen up your memory of Katy ISD's past record regarding religious free speech: https://www.libertyinstitute.org/file/LIB0914-LIB-Book-Contents-with-Index.pdf and go to page 5.
And by the way, in the photos of the Katy ISD school board meeting--where are all the other people? Did they clear the room because they knew what this young lady was going to say? What happened to free speech in KISD? I didn't hear the name of any teacher mentioned, so why does it look like this became a private matter? Just asking....
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Please read the latest CoveringKaty.com story about the gang fight at Morton Ranch Junior High School. (Dennis Spellman of CoveringKaty.com http://coveringkaty.com/2015/09/28/katy-isd-confirms-covering-katys-integrity-and-mcdonald-juniors-gang-activity/#comment-25542 is doing everything he can to tell the truth about our school district). Mr. Spellman walks a fine line and is ethical about every thing he does. He's been rewarded by having the largest audience for his journalistic work in the Katy area. The school district and their hangers-on (read those who benefit financially from being a vendor or business person who gains from increased population) attack him regularly--mostly on Facebook where they don't have to give a real name. I'm sure he loses advertising revenue for the same reasons as well. When I realize that someone has pulled advertising from Covering Katy, I stop going there or using their services.
That's why I don't go to Chick Fil'A any more.
Katy ISD would probably not have ever told the public about the attack on a student at McDonald Junior High if Mr. Spellman had not written about it. Now Channel 2, Channel 11, Channel 26 and Channel 13 have also reported the attack. Channel 11 STARTED their newscast on Sunday night with the story. But they got the story from CoveringKaty.com which was brave enough to print the story in the first place.
Notice that a week later the superintendent is hoping this will all go away and that we'll all forget what happened here. That is his practice with controversy. Not a very good quality in a "leader" in my opinion.
The only way to stop this attack on a FREE PRESS by the Katy school district is for those who still care about America to realize that the disintegration of our country begins right in our own back yard. Politicians get their start at the local level. It's YOUR duty to monitor who gets to serve in our governments. Pay attention to the issues.
Vote OUT the incumbents after two terms. No one should stay on the school board more than two terms. If they stay longer than that, they are serving their own interests, not those of students and their parents. The two people running next spring, Joe Adams and Rebecca Fox, no longer have children in the school district. They haven't had children in the school district for years. They haven't a clue about education anyway, and they don't need to be there! SOMEBODY with some sense, who is honest and intelligent--who has a four year academic college degree, not a technical two year degree, from somewhere besides second or third tier colleges in Louisiana or east Texas, needs to run for the Katy school board!
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I've recently posted the salaries and stipends for Katy ISD employees under "KatyISD" You might want to notice the increasing number of administrators that the superintendent has hired, and in my opinion, they are all way overpaid. Those are YOUR tax dollars floating out the window and not being spent on your children.
There is approximately one administrator for every four teachers in Katy ISD.
KISD is indeed administratively "top heavy." I define "administrator" as anyone who makes more than a teacher, but who does not have classroom responsibility for the same students (no matter how many) every single day of the school year. And if you don't agree with that definition, please send me yours!
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KATY ISD has fewer National Merit Semifinalists this year than it had last year reflecting the dumbed down curriculum that is currently being provided by KISD. There are 51 semifinalists this year compared to 63 last year. We had 47 in 2008 when this latest superintendent first arrived. That's a gain of 4 with thousands more Seniors! A 19% drop is a significant decline. See the story under Education/National Merit Semifinalists on this web site.
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Anyone know why the superintendent's contract, which expired two months ago, has not been updated on the Katy ISD web site? Is he working without a contract? The Board usually gives him a new five year contract which is re-upped every year right after school is out in May when no one is paying attention. Is the Board trying to get rid of him?Is the IT Department getting lax about posting important stuff? Inquiring minds want to know!
Finally an answer. The superintendent's new contract is now posted on the KISD web site: http://www.katyisd.org/SiteCollectionDocuments/Contract.pdf You should read it and see all the perks he gets at your expense! He did indeed get a raise. But I don't find his stipend on the Stipend List. Perhaps he got a cut in "pay" after all. The Board can't cut his salary increase, as that is automatic per his contract, but they can cut the stipend. And they CAN stop renewing it every year so that it goes on into perpetuity. NOBODY in their right mind does that. What difference would it make if his contract ran out every three years and then had to be renegotiated if the Board wanted to keep him? Do any of you have a multi-year contract that gets renewed every year where you work?
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Be sure to read Donna Garner's piece on the 2015 SAT scores which are the worst SAT scores in 40 years. We can thank the Federal Government's Common Core curriculum (which is widely used in Katy ISD) for the dip. Her article is posted here under KatyISD/SAT/#8. She points out that "the best predictor of college success is how well students know their English grammar and usage." Remember that 40% of Katy ISD students graduate being functionally illiterate, i.e., they cannot read with understanding and fluency.
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What is this baloney about the Katy "area" and the City of Pittsburgh having anything at all to do with each other! The Katy Area Economic Development Council President, Lance LaCour, must not have much to do these days. And he certainly didn't do much research to find a place with which to compare Katy! Comparing the Katy "area" population [See The Katy Times September 17 edition and the Houston Chronicle on Sunday September 20] with that of a declining Pennsylvania industrial city that has lost half of its population since 1950, is quite a feat! Who cares how the Katy "area" compares with that place? These two areas have absolutely nothing in common. Who has ever been to Pittsburgh? When we were close to it, we drove around it to avoid it. Maybe that will happen to Katy in the future.
Also, what constitutes the "Katy area"? Surely Mr. LaCour isn't taking credit for developing the Bear Creek "area." Or how about Hiway 6? Or maybe Fry Road? I get more credit than Mr. LaCour for that part of the Katy "area."
Such nonsense! The Katy area has developed ONLY because of the cheap land, cheap houses, and the fact that the school district takes our taxes and builds schools in subdivisions BEFORE there are any children living there to help the builder sell the houses. Once people figure out how poor our Katy ISD schools are with regard to academic achievement, then that will all stop. When is everyone going to realize that the Katy school district, led by Alton Frailey, is driving population growth. It is happening because growth lines the pockets of those large land owners who got tired of growing rice and had lots of land to sell that was otherwise worthless or at least not going to be worth anything for decades!
Now the Chronicle has posted a piece claiming there is "more growth for Katy," however all of their statistics are based on information and surveys acquired in 2014! Leah seems to ignore the stats from 2015. The decline in growth didn't start until last December. And she's still comparing Katy to Pittsburgh. Maybe she's right. Pittsburgh's a city in decline and so is Katy because of the price of oil and all the lay-offs. The underlying fact is they don't want to alarm people about the fact that their home values will probably decline next year. The Chronicle is also feeling the decline--they're throwing free issues of the Chronicle at my house these days probably just to bolster their circulation numbers so they can keep advertisers.
KISD Board member Bryan Michalsky was correct in opposing the cut in the tax rate. Combined with lower housing prices, lower student population, the building of schools we didn't need, and the fact that parents of Special Education students can legally request that an operational camera with stored footage be placed in every room/bus/space that their child inhabits during a school day beginning next school year(Fall 2016) means that KISD is going to need every dime it can find. Once they lowered the tax rate on those over 65, I don't believe that they can ever raise it again.
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Everybody in Texas needs to read this article:
This superintendent is no different from other
superintendents of Texas school districts.
Read about Alton Frailey being named the president-elect of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) and what that means for Katy ISD. I'll give you a hint--maybe it means he'll be out of town for two years, and we won't have to listen to his strange utterings. On the other hand, you as a parent or an interested taxpayer need to see the Legislative Agenda for the AASA. It's pretty revealing, and you must remember that it was probably designed and then approved by Mr. Frailey. Think Common Core implementation, messing with the mental health of your child, and dreaming up other unconventional ways to deprive our children of a traditional academic education. Here comes social engineering big time! Everything like this stuff gets driven from the top. The AASA is just one of many such organizations that represent their constituency and not our children.
Everyone also needs to remember that Board Member Joe Adams was responsible for bringing this particular superintendent to Katy ISD. Mr. Frailey had lackluster leadership and academic credentials, but he HAD passed a bond issue and orchestrated the building of a small stadium. That was the only reason he was picked. Mr. Frailey had been on the Cy-Fair school board, and Mr. Adams had friends who were also on that Board.
Mr. Adams is up for re-election next spring, and we all need to send him a message: "You're done!"
Go to Katy ISD/Superintendents I Have Known and go from there.
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Don't miss Aaron Layman's assessment of the high taxes to be paid if one buys a home in the new Katy subdivision called Cane Island: http://coveringkaty.com/2015/05/28/high-property-appraisals-hit-katys-master-planned-community/
Yearly taxes on a $350,000 home of $13,000 (before the homestead exemption) are pretty steep and liable to keep buyers at bay.
Go on line and take a look at the "$350,000 houses they are building in this subdivision. YUK!
The state built new Cane Island residents an overpass so they can get on Interstate 10 without going through the City of Katy. Now it seems they'll get to turn in front of the new Buc-ees that's being built at the Cane Island exit. Bet they'll love that!
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If you haven't watched this choice encounter (http://northwest.hccs.edu/top-news/katy-mom-bloggers-gather-to-discuss-future-of-education.html), please don't miss it. It will reveal to you more than anything I can say or write what is wrong with the Katy public schools!
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Anti-Defamation League
This note is posted on the KISD web site: http://www.katyisd.org/Pages/default.aspx
"Katy ISD Campuses Receive No Place for Hate (Registered Trademark) Designation
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Don't miss this new story on Covering Katy about Linebarger and their connections to the 1Katy PAC and Bryan Michalsky and Charles Griffin: http://coveringkaty.com/2015/04/29/cnn-report-debt-collector-runs-texas-influences-katy/
Also don't miss Part II of the Linebarger Story at http://coveringkaty.com/2015/05/01/campaigns-money-linebarger-meet-6-linebargers-victims/
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Here's something that Alton Frailey should read every night before he goes to bed:
Government is the servant and not the master of the people.
Open Records
6.1.2015
Sec. 552.001. POLICY; CONSTRUCTION. (a) Under the fundamental philosophy of the American constitutional form of representative government that adheres to the principle that government is the servant and not the master of the people, it is the policy of this state that each person is entitled, unless otherwise expressly provided by law, at all times to complete information about the affairs of government and the official acts of public officials and employees. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may retain control over the instruments they have created. The provisions of this chapter shall be liberally construed to implement this policy. (b) This chapter shall be liberally construed in favor of granting a request for information.
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New Post on matters that continue in our school district: Freedom of Information, Speech, and to Teach These are commentaries on the situation at Golbow Elementary. In the "Children at Risk" ratings in last Sunday's Houston Chronicle, Golbow Elementary dropped from being 346th with a B- rating in 2014 to 629th with a D+ rating in 2015. No way to explain that catastrophic decline except to put the blame squarely at the feet of Superintendent Frailey for not taking care of all the Golbow teachers' allegations of being bullied by the principal at that school. Bullied teachers can't help but convey their dismay and stress to their students. The kids aren't dumb! That the public and the parents of Golbow Elementary students aren't storming the KISD board meetings is bewildering to me! What a shame to see so many who apparently don't care about their own children. See # 13 Under Education/Academics for more KISD school ratings.
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Everyone needs to look at this one!
Gun Threat Leaves Morton Ranch HS Parents Frustrated With Katy ISD’s Lack Of Communication
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Here's how to file an AG complaint against the teacher and KISD if they make your child use Common Core materials. Go to Katy ISD/CommonCore/No.23 This article tells you how to spot Common Core materials. It's going to take all of us to FORCE Superintendent Frailey to abide by the law and NOT USE COMMON CORE materials. He also needs to stop with the duplicitous language about how what they are using isn't really Common Core or how it's "aligned with the TEKS" as well, so it's OK. I don't believe that.
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Am I amused that Katy ISD's own liberal Chronicle reporter, Leah Binkovitz, cannot spell "STAAR TEST"?
Yes, I am!
It's been corrected on line, but the headline on the front page of Wednesday's Chronicle (April 8, 2015) says "STARR test opposition spurs calls for changes." The misspelling continues in the article, and the headline writer obviously picked up the misspelling from the content of the article.
The reason for the article is that Ms. Binkovitz is walking hand in hand with Alton Frailey these days, doing his bidding as asked, it appears. Why else would she write an article that is pure fabrication? Parents need to figure this out! The TEKS were changed three years ago (2012) by the State Board of Education to go BACK to real teaching which emphasizes learning to read (with phonics, not whole language methods that don't work), math (learning math facts so that students can think mathematically without a calculator in their left hand and not according to the NCTM's idiotic agenda,) and learning science facts instead of pouring water from one container into another and calling that "hands on science," and learning history at the proper time and so on.
Real Conservative Republicans (which most of you in Katy claim to be but are NOT) were in control of the SBOE and got this set of TEKS passed, and the LAW SAYS that school districts should CHANGE THEIR CURRICULUM to match the dictates of the TEKS. The thing is, your liberal Katy ISD administration and school board is unwilling for obvious reasons (or else they aren't smart enough to get it), to fix the liberal KISD curriculum to fit the tests that are being given (the STAAR TESTS). THAT'S why your children are doing so poorly on these standardized tests. They are NOT being taught what is on the STAAR TEST in Katy ISD!!!!! Get it? The KISD School Board and the Superintendent are in violation of the Texas Legislature's dictates, and no one is doing anything at all to stop them! To get rid of the STAAR TEST is to let them have their way--that's what this is all about.
The dolts that run this school district DON'T WANT TO CHANGE!!!! They are all part of the conspiracy, and yes it is a conspiracy, to dumb down our populace. They've been dumbing down students for years. It started in the late 1970's and hit its peak in the late 1990's. If you are a parent who was in public school during that time (and I'm guessing many of you were), you were also dumbed down. You should be very angry that they did this to you and that they continue to do it to your children!
When the recent "Katy ISD Resolution" suggests that the STAAR TEST is trying to implement "new" things, that's a big fat lie. They want to keep teaching THEIR stuff as they have done for the last forty years! The STAAR TEST is designed to force them to go back to the proven methods and curriculum of the past--before 1975). They know that this matter has been made so complicated that the general public cannot understand the issue. They are trying to make fools of parents which is not a very nice thing to do. Chances are that they are laughing about it all behind closed doors.
The STAAR TEST is supposed to take us back to the proven, age old liberal arts academic education that people in America got for three hundred years--and that curriculum and those methods worked just fine until Education professors and liberal politicians and businessmen who were looking for workers who would work for nothing got involved. PLEASE read Education/Business Roundtable and Education/Outcome Based Education elsewhere on this web site if you do not understand what is happening in our public schools. You owe it to your children to become educated yourself about what they are doing. Public schools are supposed to provide EVERYONE with a basic education. They are NOT supposed to train people for vocational jobs or multiculturalize them, or continually assess students' personal behavior and beliefs in order to alter them, or any of the other extraneous junk that they've instigated in our K-12 schools. They are supposed to educate them so that AFTER they graduate they can continue on with further education of whatever variety they choose.
If you want to listen to the School Board's discussion or lack thereof regarding their support of getting rid of the STAAR TEST go here: http://katyisdtx.swagit.com/play/03302015-635/%20-%2011
Hundreds of you should be at the next school board meeting to DEMAND that they teach your children the way the State Board of Education told them to do three years ago!
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Be sure you read this article on www.CoveringKaty.com today: "New Construction Home Sales Drop 40 Percent In Katy ISD" http://coveringkaty.com/2015/04/09/inventory-high-prices-push-buyers-homes-march/
Seems my admonitions about overbuilding when things were cooling down in the oil patch all last fall (2014) were correct! We didn't need such a big bond. Now all of you who handed the school district a blank check with your thoughtless votes, can watch as they fritter all that money away on needless, useless projects. The only good thing is that maybe all those construction companies won't have so much money to waste on Bond PACS!
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If you haven't read this editorial by Dennis Spellman on CoveringKaty.com, please read it right now. It is the most refreshing journalistic position I've seen in a long time by someone who already has the public's ear in Katy, Texas!
"This morning it hit me, Covering Katy has won a cold war against a political clique of self-absorbed liberal educators and conservative business people that many believe run this community. This strange group of bedfellows have one thing in common; they don’t want you to know what’s happening in Katy. They’re like the small town cop at the crime scene who tells you “nothing to see here.” It’s why they want to go back to the way things used to be with a local media that goes along to get along. These folks have thrown everything they have at Covering Katy and they’ve lost. Their defeat is your victory."
"This is not about Covering Katy, it’s about you. When the liberals hate you and the conservatives hate you and the people in the middle keep coming back to read more it speaks volumes. Don’t fear the elephant in the room. Ask questions, be strong and challenge the power structure because we’ve proven they just aren’t all that powerful."
.................. (Be sure you read the rest of the article.)
Local media outlets in Katy have long ago realized that ignoring genuine articles about Katy ISD issues and instead just printing the press releases from the Katy school district is the best road for them to take if they ever want to get any school district advertising.
The school board members like it that way because they know they won't be held accountable if the people don't know the truth about what goes on in our school district. The truth doesn't get printed when there are so many press releases. Mr. Spellman's predecessors, George Scott and Dave Mundy at the Katy Times and John Pape at the New Katy News were effective in changing things in the school district, but things happen, and politicians always win. Let's hope that Mr. Spellman is able to prevail over those obstacles. I think he will since he probably has fifty times the readership of any other press outlet. MM
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Watch this video if you want to see what a REAL conservative government official should sound like: https://www.billwhittle.com/speaking/david-horowitz-freedom-center-palm-beach-fl
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If you don't read anything else today, please read this: http://www.dallasnews.com/investigations/watchdog/20141002-watchdog-school-boards-team-up-against-change.ece
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Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier would appear to be behind the push to get rid of our current TEA Commissioner of Education. Hopefully Governor-Elect Abbott is smart enough to see through the ruse--i.e., getting a new Commissioner who won't force Texas school districts to change their curriculum to the TYPE #1 teaching that the State Board of Education is mandating (and which the law currently requires). Donna Garner figured this out! We like the current Commissioner just fine! Let him do his job. Go here if you don't understand about the differences: http://nocompromisepac.ning.com/profiles/blogs/type-1-and-type-2-two-completely-different-philosophies-of?xg_source=activity Go here to see the story in the Chronicle: http://blog.chron.com/k12zone/2014/11/a-new-tea-commissioner/
Texas superintendents, like Mr. Grier, should do what the law says they must--implement a new curriculum in their school district to complement the STAAR Test so students can pass it with better than a 37% standard of passing!
If you want to see copies of previously given STAAR tests, follow this link: http://scotthochberg.com/taas.html
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Time to start looking for intelligent, well-educated Katy ISD citizens to run for the school board. Joe Adams and Rebecca Fox are up for re-election in 2016. These two have lasted far longer than they should have. They no longer have children in the District, and neither one has a clue about what it is that they are doing that is so wrong! We need new people to run for the Board of Trustees who care more about students than helping out their friends with bond funds or with gerrymandering high school zones so one school can win football games with an unfair advantage.
T
he last time there were three good candidates who ran at the same time was in 2008. The candidates were Cynthia Blackman, Chris Sanders, and Kameron Searle. Instead we got Chris Crockett, Eric Duhon and Judy Snyder
At this point in time we know how the victors of that election in 2008 turned out! (To refresh your memory these three eventually all voted to fire hundreds of teachers that didn't need to be fired because none of these board members understood the budgeting cycle of a biennial Texas state legislature and were misled to believethat KISD was out of money (by Frailey and his sidekick Dr. Harris). Additionally, after Crockett and Snyder were voted out of office the next time they ran, Judy Snyder got fined heavily by the Texas Ethics Commission for election reporting process mistakes. Eric Duhon saw the handwriting on the wall and bailed before he could be voted out of office. Dr. Harris was forced out, it would appear, for her misstep.)
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Here's an indication of the problem that Katy ISD has:
Is the Katy ISD Superintendent worth it?
(Salaries below are now a few years old, so it's worse!)
Name Position Salary Expense Account
Barrack Obama President of the United States $400,000 $50,000
Alton Frailey Superintendent of Katy ISD $322,171
John G. Roberts Chief Justice of the Supreme Court $255,500
Antonin Scalia Associate Justice of the Supreme Court $244,400
Martin Dempsey Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff $243,162
Joe Biden Vice-President of the United States $230,700 $10,000
John Boehner Speaker of the House $223,500
Michael Williams Texas Commissioner of Education $215,000
Kevin McCarthy Majority Leader of the House $193,400
Ted Cruz United States Senator $174,000
KISD Teacher With Doctorate* and 40 years experience $76,642
First Year KISD Teacher With Bachelor's and 0 years experience $49,000
*There are KISD teachers with doctorates. Alton Frailey doesn't have a doctorate, but Frailey makes $238,717 more than a KISD teacher with a Doctorate and 40 years of experience! Frailey taught school from 1983 to 1987. He has four years of teaching experience. His certification on what he may teach is listed below. That's apparently all the educational training that he has other than a Master's in "Educational Administration." I'm guessing that his reading training is in teaching children to read using the "whole language method" which has been proved since 1987 to not work. One would think that his 30 year old math training would tell him that the way math is being taught today is backwards, but he seems not to notice or care.
So what good is his "education" to the students in KatyISD? (And you'd think the State Board for Educator Certification would update their website so that the term "mentally retarded" would be something kinder and more definitive.)
Here is what is on the Stephen F. Austin State University web site (Mr. Frailey's Alma Mater) concerning obtaining an Elementary Education Degree:
Overview of the EC-6 Program
Classes in the EC-6 program include university-based courses designed to develop future teachers' knowledge and skills in education along with field-based courses designed to give future teachers hands-on experiences in working with children.
Core Curriculum
The core curriculum includes 44-45 hours in Communication, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Humanities and Visual and Performing Arts, and Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Interdisciplinary Academic Major
The Interdisciplinary major includes courses in Early Childhood as well as courses designed to develop teaching techniques in Reading, Math, Science, Art, Music, and Health and Physical Activities.
Pre-Professional Teacher Education
Pre-professional teacher education courses provide the foundational skills and knowledge in areas of technology, special education, and educational psychology.
Practicum I
Practicum I (typically completed in the 2nd semester of a student's junior year) gives future teachers the opportunity to work directly with students in a classroom setting, focusing on literacy and reading skills, while taking additional courses in education. (8 hours a week)
Practicum II
Practicum II (typically completed in the 1st semester of as student's senior year) gives future teachers experience teaching Science, Social Studies, and Mathematics to students in a classroom setting, while taking additional courses in education. (12 hours a week)
Student Teaching
Student teaching (completed in a student's final semester) provides extensive and full-time experience in a classroom setting.
http://www.sfasu.edu/elementaryed/97.asp
And remember it was probably different thirty two years ago.
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Alton Frailey's Texas Teacher Certification:
Texas Educator Certificate
This certifies that
Alton Lee Frailey
has fulfilled requirements of state law and regulations of the
State Board for Educator Certification
and is hereby authorized to perform duties as designated below:
STANDARD
Description Effective Date Expiration Date Status
Superintendent
Superintendent 06/01/2014 05/31/2020 Valid
Grades (EC-12)
PROFESSIONAL
Description Effective Date Expiration Date Status
Mid-Management Administrator 12/20/1986 Life Valid
Grades (PK-12)
PROVISIONAL
Description Effective Date Expiration Date Status
Elementary Self-Contained 05/14/1983 Life Valid
Grades (1-8)
Elementary Reading 05/14/1983 Life Valid
Grades (1-8)
Mentally Retarded 05/14/1983 Life Valid
Grades (PK-12)
STANDARD
Description Effective Date Expiration Date Status
Superintendent
Superintendent 06/21/2008 05/31/2014 Expired
Grades (EC-12)
TEMPORARY
Description Effective Date Expiration Date Status
Superintendent 05/07/2005 05/07/2010 Expired
Grades (EC-12)
Official Record of Certification
Friday, April 10, 2015
https://secure.sbec.state.tx.us/sbeconline/virtcertdisplay.asp?spid=291641&mode=C
There ought to be legislation enacted that limits Texas school superintendents to receiving a salary that is less than that of the Texas Commissioner of Education!
State Representative Schofield??? You campaigned on getting rid of waste. Fix this problem, please.
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Just finished watching returns for the March 15 Republican Primary Elections. Nice to see
Donald Trump winning most of the races today. While both Trump and Ted Cruz say they will
eliminate Common Core, I'm betting Mr. Trump will get rid of it faster than Cruz. In fact,
I'm not sure Senator Cruz WANTS to get rid of it. Watch this:http://www.newswithviews.com/Hoge/anita126.htm Anita
Hoge, if you recall, was the first parent/writer to realize what Outcome Based Education
was. She is the guru of education reform and what is wrong with it. You
might also want to watch this: http://www.newswithviews.com/Nelson/kelleigh291.htm
I voted for Trump and will vote for him again. I have talked at least ten people into voting for him in the last two weeks. Doing what I can!
I donated to the Cruz campaign before Trump got in the race, but I wish I had my money back! His campaign spent most of what I gave him asking me for more. I've liked what I've seen about Ted Cruz in the past. I stayed up all night to watch him filibuster. But as time has passed the esteem in which I held him has diminished. I don't like that he took out a loan from Goldman Sachs, where his wife Heidi is a managing director, to support his Senatorial campaign and that she didn't report it as required by law. That's not what an upstanding person would do.
What's irritating to me is to watch the media, on ALL channels, pervert and spin every single fact there is with regard to Trump. I don't believe the public is as ignorant as the main stream media seem to think, and the growing number of votes for Mr. Trump shows that they are not!
As an alternative to the mainstream media, we used to have FOX Business and FOX News as Conservative television stations, but over time, most of us have realized that they are moving to the left pretty fast. The only reporters/commentators on these channels that are still trustworthy and believable, in my opinion, are Andrew Napolitano, Laura Ingraham, Stuart Varney, Charles Payne, Andrea Tantaros, Eric Bolling, Sean Hannity, Brian Kilmeade, Martha MacCallum, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Gretchen Carlson, Judge Jeanine Pirro, Tucker Carlson, Catherine Herridge, Dana Perino, Lou Dobbs, Lisa Kennedy Montgomery, and Gerri Willis.
I'm also put off by the liberal pundits who claim that Trump only has 40% of the vote and that 60% of the Republicans are against him. They're counting on the fact that most of the general public has been educated in public schools where real math is no longer taught! He has 40% with four candidates splitting the pie. He has 40% of the votes of people who are in favor of him, and the others have collected votes of their supporters, but there is no way when it gets down to a two man race, that all 60% of the rest of the votes will go to Cruz. Trump is winning against three opponents. And as people become more aware of the foibles of his opponents, his percentage will increase. Just because voters are in favor of someone else, it doesn't mean that they don't like Trump. Common sense is greatly lacking in the American public, and the media uses that flaw to great advantage.
The silly action by Marco Rubio to tell his supporters in Ohio to vote for John Kasich instead of himself that was not reciprocated by Kasich with HIS supporters in Florida should give Senator Rubio pause. The favor was not returned. Kasich did NOT think Rubio should get his votes! Rubio should not forget that! Kasich is in the wrong party, in my opinion, and if I hear one more time that his father was a postman.... The media should jump on his sexism! It's "mail carrier" dummy! And someone needs to tell him that he doesn't need to keep on wearing his father's "postman" jacket.
Heidi Cruz' position as a member of the Board of the Council on Foreign Relations is troubling. I don't care if it were, as has been reported, something she had to do in regard to her work as a managing director at Goldman Sachs, one doesn't stick one's name on things if one doesn't believe in them. I'm guessing she believes in the work of the CFR and willingly served. Like I said, that's troublesome. Is Senator Cruz the CFR's anointed one? They picked Obama over Hillary in 2008, so I can't imagine that Hillary's now their favorite. And why isn't anyone in the media concerned with Heidi Cruz' being employed by Goldman Sachs? One does not go to work for a firm unless one totally agrees with the purpose and philosophy of those who run the firm.
Ted Cruz and others are quick to provide the public with their own interpretation of Donald Trump's every move. If one is astute, he sees through the ploy. However, the game can be played on Ted Cruz as well. Read this article and then decide for yourself what is true:http://www.newswithviews.com/Nelson/kelleigh284.htm One should also investigate "Dominionism" so that one may understand this line of thought and actions. An additional question has to do with whether or not Cruz is in favor of a North American Union, after all he WAS a Canadian until just last year. The second question that needs an answer is-- does Ted Cruz believe in FREEDOM of all religions and not just his own religion. There's room for all religious belief systems within America.
*
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Those of you who agree with me about how worthless Common Core is, should read this:http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/11/11/donald-trump-close-loopholes-federal-privacy-law-prevent-student-data-mining/
*
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Finally we got rid of Joe Adams. It was high time, and a handful of votes did it! Thanks to all of you who voted. Congratulations to George Scott on his victory.
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Katy ISD also has a new superintendent, Dr. Lawrence Hindt. I'm hopeful that since he is a product of the "old" Katy ISD (you know, when they used to teach kids how to read by the end of the first grade, how to do basic math by the end of the fifth grade, some American history, some real science, some government, and so on) maybe he'll realize that HIS education let him get ahead in the world and is just what today's students need as well. That would be refreshing.