"The staff of our incredible coalition partners — Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, Annie’s List and The Lilith Fund for Reproductive Equity – were the unsung heroes of the incredible mobilization of Texas men and women over the past month. We have been proud to stand with them and with the women of Texas."
Heroes? I'm glad they exist to provide services, push for appropriate legislation, enable grand-scale PR. "Unsung" hereos? No.
The "unsung heroes" are those sitting in Travis Co jail, those on-site (outside) at TravCo jail, those who risked arrest/injury (job? other?) because they made themselves heard in/outside the state capitol building. Those who shared stories via testimony, news reports, social media, etc. Last, certainly not least, those who support them, whether online or off.
THEY are the *true* UNSUNG HEREOS!!
Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, in a sneering email to his supporters late last night, boasted about the state Senate’s passage of legislation that puts government between pregnant women and their doctors. This supposedly “small-government conservative” proudly declared that the Senate passed the bill“within earshot of a roaring mob” — meaning the thousands of concerned women and men who filled the Capitol and the steps outside."
About Me
- LadyoftheM
- Native Austinite. Well educated.. always learning in my own way. Strong-willed & opinionated. I believe in making a difference. I believe in making myself a better person.. in my own eyes, not the eyes of society.
Mainstream society, and the social mores it professes to hold as "normal," "average," etc. are all hogwash as far as I'm concerned. I am very much a "trail blazer" and I live my life that way.
If you want to know more.. ask me :)
to be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best day and night to make you like everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight and never stop fighting. - e.e. cummings
Showing posts with label ATX. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ATX. Show all posts
13 July 2013
07 July 2013
Austin's racist attitudes .. more prevalent than you might think
"What did Bandera Road and Whiteway Drive teach me about Austin’s residential segregation? It helps foster an environment where we become fearful when someone who doesn’t look like us so much as walks down the street — even in a city many regard as a wellspring of progressivism."
TALES OF THE CITY: by JOHN SAVAGE
Mapping the color lines in a ‘progressive’ city by John Savage
In the summer of 2007 I bought a house on Bandera Road, four miles east of I-35, just off Martin Luther King Boulevard. Buying a house on Bandera Road was an important milestone, the fulfillment of an adolescent promise made a quarter-century ago.
On a sweltering Saturday morning I stuffed my Honda Civic with books, clothes and CDs, and lit out for my new digs. As I crossed the freeway, the neatly maintained homes and xeriscaped yards on the west side gave way to a different reality on the east. Houses began to sag and wilt, grass turned to dirt and street corners rustled with fast-food wrappers and Styrofoam cups.
I-35 has long delineated the two worlds of Austin — the haves on the west side with their charming Craftsman bungalows, crunchy organic co-op grocery and hip indie coffee shops, and the have-nots on the east side with paint peeling from their rickety frame houses, Church’s Fried Chicken franchises and Pay Day Lenders.
From house-hunting walks I knew I would be the only white person on Bandera Road. That, you see, was the point. Like many of you reading this, I grew up in a segregated community — a small town in North Carolina. At 12 years old, I grasped the fact that I lived in a segregated neighborhood. The youthful version of myself, lacking the cynicism of adulthood, made a solemn vow: One day I would live in a neighborhood where everyone didn’t look like me.
Segregated neighborhoods are part of the American experience. Not only across Texas but across the country, racially restrictive housing covenants were common during most of the 20th century. In Austin, the 1928 city plan locating municipal services for black citizens east of what was then East Avenue served to further concentrate the minority population there.
I wasn’t pondering racist housing policy the morning I moved into my 720-square-foot slice of the American dream. I was simply excited to be a homeowner. As I struggled to carry an armful of clothes and books, a group of teenage girls sashayed past my fixer-upper house. “Stupid white boy!” one of them yelled. Her friends laughed loudly.
My immediate neighbors, all of them elderly, greeted me warmly with smiles and handshakes. I often contemplated the decades of conspicuous racism they had endured, and marveled at their kindness in the face of that history. The teenagers on the block weren’t quite as affable — the “stupid white boy” comment wasn’t an isolated event.
After two years on Bandera Road, I married my girlfriend, sold my little house and moved west to the almost exclusively white Allandale neighborhood, to a street fittingly named Whiteway Drive. I rationalized the move because we would be close to my wife’s job.
Soon after, I joined the Allandale neighborhood listserv. Much like the 19th century West Texas frontier, neighborhood listservs can be uncouth places, and I found certain posts about “suspicious” blacks and Latinos spiritually wearying. Just two examples:
“There is a man distributing flyers on Nasco (Street). My wife became suspicious when he skipped our house where there is a car and lights on, but hit our neighbors’ houses who are not home. She described an African American male in baggy pants carrying a canvas bag. She is reporting him to 911 now … “ “There was a suspicious couple walking slowly up and down Daugherty Street this afternoon about 4:00 p.m. I did not see them going to any homes but they stopped for a long time at the corner of Albata and Daughtery and ‘seemed’ to be talking on cell phones and taking photos of homes. They were African-Americans and maybe in their later 20s or 30s […] Be on the lookout.”
That couple taking pictures of Allandale homes and talking on their cell phones — well, that sounds exactly like what my wife and I did when we were house hunting. As for calling 911 to report the flyer distributor who was just doing his thankless job, I was speechless. I still am. I like to think of myself as fairly thoughtful about issues of race and place — something I attribute, in part, to attending integrated schools. Unfortunately this is not an advantage afforded a child growing up on Bandera Road or Whiteway Drive.
Austin draws its school attendance zones so that children living on Bandera attend an elementary school that is 99 percent minority students; if they live on Whiteway Drive, their school’s student body is 80 percent Anglo. Both mirror their surrounding neighborhoods. In this way, our public schools, the bedrock of our democracy, tend to reinforce a lack of cultural understanding in Austin — an unpleasant reality not discussed often enough.
What did Bandera Road and Whiteway Drive teach me about Austin’s residential segregation? It helps foster an environment where we become fearful when someone who doesn’t look like us so much as walks down the street — even in a city many regard as a wellspring of progressivism. My wife and I have moved again. Our new neighborhood isn’t quite as diverse as it could be, but it’s no Whiteway Drive.
And thankfully, I haven’t had to abide any comments about suspicious-looking brown people or stupid white boys. Perhaps the day will someday come in our progressive city when no one else will have to, either.
TALES OF THE CITY: by JOHN SAVAGE
Mapping the color lines in a ‘progressive’ city by John Savage
In the summer of 2007 I bought a house on Bandera Road, four miles east of I-35, just off Martin Luther King Boulevard. Buying a house on Bandera Road was an important milestone, the fulfillment of an adolescent promise made a quarter-century ago.
On a sweltering Saturday morning I stuffed my Honda Civic with books, clothes and CDs, and lit out for my new digs. As I crossed the freeway, the neatly maintained homes and xeriscaped yards on the west side gave way to a different reality on the east. Houses began to sag and wilt, grass turned to dirt and street corners rustled with fast-food wrappers and Styrofoam cups.
I-35 has long delineated the two worlds of Austin — the haves on the west side with their charming Craftsman bungalows, crunchy organic co-op grocery and hip indie coffee shops, and the have-nots on the east side with paint peeling from their rickety frame houses, Church’s Fried Chicken franchises and Pay Day Lenders.
From house-hunting walks I knew I would be the only white person on Bandera Road. That, you see, was the point. Like many of you reading this, I grew up in a segregated community — a small town in North Carolina. At 12 years old, I grasped the fact that I lived in a segregated neighborhood. The youthful version of myself, lacking the cynicism of adulthood, made a solemn vow: One day I would live in a neighborhood where everyone didn’t look like me.
Segregated neighborhoods are part of the American experience. Not only across Texas but across the country, racially restrictive housing covenants were common during most of the 20th century. In Austin, the 1928 city plan locating municipal services for black citizens east of what was then East Avenue served to further concentrate the minority population there.
I wasn’t pondering racist housing policy the morning I moved into my 720-square-foot slice of the American dream. I was simply excited to be a homeowner. As I struggled to carry an armful of clothes and books, a group of teenage girls sashayed past my fixer-upper house. “Stupid white boy!” one of them yelled. Her friends laughed loudly.
My immediate neighbors, all of them elderly, greeted me warmly with smiles and handshakes. I often contemplated the decades of conspicuous racism they had endured, and marveled at their kindness in the face of that history. The teenagers on the block weren’t quite as affable — the “stupid white boy” comment wasn’t an isolated event.
After two years on Bandera Road, I married my girlfriend, sold my little house and moved west to the almost exclusively white Allandale neighborhood, to a street fittingly named Whiteway Drive. I rationalized the move because we would be close to my wife’s job.
Soon after, I joined the Allandale neighborhood listserv. Much like the 19th century West Texas frontier, neighborhood listservs can be uncouth places, and I found certain posts about “suspicious” blacks and Latinos spiritually wearying. Just two examples:
“There is a man distributing flyers on Nasco (Street). My wife became suspicious when he skipped our house where there is a car and lights on, but hit our neighbors’ houses who are not home. She described an African American male in baggy pants carrying a canvas bag. She is reporting him to 911 now … “ “There was a suspicious couple walking slowly up and down Daugherty Street this afternoon about 4:00 p.m. I did not see them going to any homes but they stopped for a long time at the corner of Albata and Daughtery and ‘seemed’ to be talking on cell phones and taking photos of homes. They were African-Americans and maybe in their later 20s or 30s […] Be on the lookout.”
That couple taking pictures of Allandale homes and talking on their cell phones — well, that sounds exactly like what my wife and I did when we were house hunting. As for calling 911 to report the flyer distributor who was just doing his thankless job, I was speechless. I still am. I like to think of myself as fairly thoughtful about issues of race and place — something I attribute, in part, to attending integrated schools. Unfortunately this is not an advantage afforded a child growing up on Bandera Road or Whiteway Drive.
Austin draws its school attendance zones so that children living on Bandera attend an elementary school that is 99 percent minority students; if they live on Whiteway Drive, their school’s student body is 80 percent Anglo. Both mirror their surrounding neighborhoods. In this way, our public schools, the bedrock of our democracy, tend to reinforce a lack of cultural understanding in Austin — an unpleasant reality not discussed often enough.
What did Bandera Road and Whiteway Drive teach me about Austin’s residential segregation? It helps foster an environment where we become fearful when someone who doesn’t look like us so much as walks down the street — even in a city many regard as a wellspring of progressivism. My wife and I have moved again. Our new neighborhood isn’t quite as diverse as it could be, but it’s no Whiteway Drive.
And thankfully, I haven’t had to abide any comments about suspicious-looking brown people or stupid white boys. Perhaps the day will someday come in our progressive city when no one else will have to, either.
05 July 2013
Austin is snobby?
Snobby? Maybe, maybe not. If any aspect of Austin (my hometown) is going to land it on such a list, it should be due to the racist/classist attitudes, it should be due to the fact that governmental bodies continue with prejudicial practices of making sure the "haves" have more and the "have nots" have less.
That and that alone is perfect reason for being on a list of snobby cities.. I can think of a better list: Top Ten Racist Cities!
Related article: Come again? Austin lands on America's Snobbiest Cities list
That and that alone is perfect reason for being on a list of snobby cities.. I can think of a better list: Top Ten Racist Cities!
Related article: Come again? Austin lands on America's Snobbiest Cities list
16 October 2012
Leage of Women Voters & Voting Guide
LWV’s Voting Guide (AISD/Dist 2)
Board of Trustees District 2
The Board of Trustees is comprised of Austin community members who are elected to serve four-year terms. Trustees provide public service to the Austin Community without financial compensation.
District 2 composes of the following schools: Allan ES, Allison ES, Brooke ES, Dawson ES, Eastside Memorial HS, Galindo ES, Govalle ES, Houston ES, International HS, Langford ES, Linder ES, Martin MS, Mendez MS, Metz ES, Palm ES, Perez ES, Rodriguez ES, Sanchez ES, Widen ES, and Zavala ES
___________________________________________________ AISD/Dist 2 Sam Guzmán (incumbent)
Sam Guzmán for Children First
sguzman061208@gmail.com ___________________________________________________
AISD/Dist 2 Rev Dr Jayme Mathias
A Voice for Progress | ¡Su voz es su voto!
512-522-4474
info@avoiceforprogress.com ___________________________________________________
Q1. Please describe your specific areas of interest, education, experience, and other qualifications for this office. (50 word limit)
AISD/Dist 2 Sam Guzmán (incumbent):
"1.Interest: Spending as much quality time as possible with my grandsons. 2.Education: BA in Sociology 3.Experience: 40 years of work experience including community organizer and social worker, youth programs, civil rights/equal employment/affirmative action, executive level administration of public and non-profit organizations. 4.Qualifications: Extensive involvement in leadership positions of civic and advocacy organizations."
AISD/Dist 2 Rev Dr Jayme Mathias:
"I am a 12-year resident of East Austin and fluent in both English and Spanish. On a solid foundation of public school education, I’ve built a curriculum vitae of two bachelor’s degrees, four master’s degrees, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership Studies. I have served on numerous boards and have founded three local learning centers."
___________________________________________________
Q2. Do you believe that School Board members have a responsibility to be accessible to the community? If so, what steps would you take to ensure that you are accessible to and communicating with members of your district? (75 word limit)
AISD/Dist 2 Sam Guzmán (incumbent):
"I already have an established process for communicating with and being accessible to the community via an advisory committee with which I meet frequently. I plan to expand this committee to provide for more geographic representation; conduct town hall meetings; hold community hearings on major issues. Will also establish a website for District 2 specifically in order to inform and communicate with community"
AISD/Dist 2 Rev Dr Jayme Mathias:
"I wholeheartedly believe that AISD Trustees must be accessible to the community at all times. As the elected Trustee for District 2, I will work with my colleagues to ensure the District's website allows direct email contact with Board members. Additionally, I pledge to routinely hold community meetings in Dove Springs, East Austin and Travis Heights, so that all community members can have a voice in our public schools."
Q3. What are the three most critical issues facing the Austin Independent School District, and what actions are needed to resolve these issues? (75 word limit)
AISD/Dist 2 Sam Guzmán (incumbent):
"1.School Finance and Budget Cuts which will adversely impact the District - need to mobiize the Austin community to become active to influence Legislators. 2.In the face of cuts, ensure that we continue to provide a rich porfolio of education curriculum and programs which will prepare all our students for their future endeavors. 3.Ensure that we continue of close the achievement gap, decrease drop-out rate, improve the attendance rate."
AISD/Dist 2 Rev Dr Jayme Mathias:
"The first priority is to work with the 83rd Legislature to save our schools. Second, AISD must work to retain teachers and professional staff through longer contracts and more competitive pay. Finally, we must restore public trust and dialogue with the community following controversial decisions where parents and teachers seemingly had no voice. Also, our trustees must work together to provide a comprehensive review of existing board policies."
___________________________________________________
Q4. What measures (such as bond issues, tax rate increases, public/private partnerships, or other measures) would you support or oppose to bridge funding gaps facing AISD? (75 word limit)
AISD/Dist 2 Sam Guzmán (incumbent):
"As long as we can determine with some degree of certainty, that the community will support and pass the items, I support bond issuances, and tax ratification elections particularly to provide a permanent salary increase for our employees. In order to get community buy-in, the Distict needs to continue to show that we are good stewards of taxpayer dollars, that efficiencies are in place, and that the District is going in the right direction."
AISD/Dist 2 Rev Dr Jayme Mathias:
"It does not seem that we will be able to rely on the legislature to step up and take responsibility for funding our public schools during the coming session. In light of this, we will need to eliminate inefficiencies and focus on those services that directly contribute to the education of our students. I support the consideration of bond elections and tax rate increases, but all such ideas must be appropriately vetted by our entire community."
Q5. How would you attract, recruit, and retain good teachers in the classroom? (75 word limit)
AISD/Dist 2 Sam Guzmán (incumbent):
"Austin is an attractive place to work and raise a family. We can attract, recruit, and retain good teachers as long as we provide competitive compensation and benefits. In addition, the District needs to provide an environment of fair threatment and show appreciation for our employees. Appropriate teacher training, adequate planning time, and an evaluation process which is not based soley on high stakes testing as a measue of student success."
AISD/Dist 2 Rev Dr Jayme Mathias:
"Improving morale through extended contracts and competitive pay is key to recruiting and retaining quality teachers and staff. Our teachers are professionals and deserve to be paid the prevailing wage with benefits. As a trustee, I will encourage our board to move from a top-down approach to governance and provide stronger direction to our superintendent in accordance with applicable policy and laws."
Disclaimer:
All statements and videos are posted directly by the candidate, unedited by the League of Women Voters and do not express the views of the League. The League never supports or opposes candidates or political parties.
Board of Trustees District 2
The Board of Trustees is comprised of Austin community members who are elected to serve four-year terms. Trustees provide public service to the Austin Community without financial compensation.
District 2 composes of the following schools: Allan ES, Allison ES, Brooke ES, Dawson ES, Eastside Memorial HS, Galindo ES, Govalle ES, Houston ES, International HS, Langford ES, Linder ES, Martin MS, Mendez MS, Metz ES, Palm ES, Perez ES, Rodriguez ES, Sanchez ES, Widen ES, and Zavala ES
___________________________________________________ AISD/Dist 2 Sam Guzmán (incumbent)
Sam Guzmán for Children First
sguzman061208@gmail.com ___________________________________________________
AISD/Dist 2 Rev Dr Jayme Mathias
A Voice for Progress | ¡Su voz es su voto!
512-522-4474
info@avoiceforprogress.com ___________________________________________________
Q1. Please describe your specific areas of interest, education, experience, and other qualifications for this office. (50 word limit)
AISD/Dist 2 Sam Guzmán (incumbent):
"1.Interest: Spending as much quality time as possible with my grandsons. 2.Education: BA in Sociology 3.Experience: 40 years of work experience including community organizer and social worker, youth programs, civil rights/equal employment/affirmative action, executive level administration of public and non-profit organizations. 4.Qualifications: Extensive involvement in leadership positions of civic and advocacy organizations."
Constituent/Monica Guzmán:
For someone who has four decades of “work experience,” including: community organizer, youth programs, civil rights, why do you appear to have issue meeting with your constituents? You certainly failed to do so at the Oct 10 "School Board Candidate Forum" hosted by Coalition SAUS forum.
I'd certainly like an answer. I wasn't able to make it to the AISD televised debate, so I was certain I'd still be able to hear presentations (if not debate) at Space12.
(Ref to PRIDE of the Eastside, Oct 7, 2012 )
When I arrived at Space12, I saw Dr J .. but Sam Guzmán was nowhere to be found! Pity. Don't know about y'all but I *always* expect an incumbent to show, ready to defend seat/position!!
AISD/Dist 2 Rev Dr Jayme Mathias:
"I am a 12-year resident of East Austin and fluent in both English and Spanish. On a solid foundation of public school education, I’ve built a curriculum vitae of two bachelor’s degrees, four master’s degrees, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership Studies. I have served on numerous boards and have founded three local learning centers."
Constituent/Monica Guzmán: N/A
___________________________________________________
Q2. Do you believe that School Board members have a responsibility to be accessible to the community? If so, what steps would you take to ensure that you are accessible to and communicating with members of your district? (75 word limit)
AISD/Dist 2 Sam Guzmán (incumbent):
"I already have an established process for communicating with and being accessible to the community via an advisory committee with which I meet frequently. I plan to expand this committee to provide for more geographic representation; conduct town hall meetings; hold community hearings on major issues. Will also establish a website for District 2 specifically in order to inform and communicate with community"
Constituent/Monica Guzmán:
Really? Tell me, how are you "communicating with" the community when you fail to appear (FTA) for a community-sponsored school board forum? How can you be "accessible to the community" when you FTA?
Care to clue your constituents in on exactly what this “established process” is? I've heard email to board members is routed through support staff and rerouted to a contact at the school-level. I can appreciate board members having support staff assisting with correspondence, not substituting for them. Please explain how this constitutes “communication with and being accessible to the community”.
Who heads this “advisory committee”? Where does it meet? How often does it meet? Are you present at every meeting? How/when does notice go out to your constituents about “advisory committee” meetings?
What, in your opinion, constitutes a “major issue”? Does this mean you don’t support regular meetings for routine issues?
Establish a Dist 2 website? Establish? Considering you became an AISD Trustee five years ago, in 2007, why have you not already done that? It really shouldn’t surprise me/anyone you don’t have a website for Dist 2 considering you don’t even have a functional website for your campaign.
You stated you’ll create a Dist 2 website “… specifically in order to inform and communicate with community.” Please detail how do you plan to communicate with constituents who are across the digital divide due to lack of computer/internet access?
AISD/Dist 2 Rev Dr Jayme Mathias:
"I wholeheartedly believe that AISD Trustees must be accessible to the community at all times. As the elected Trustee for District 2, I will work with my colleagues to ensure the District's website allows direct email contact with Board members. Additionally, I pledge to routinely hold community meetings in Dove Springs, East Austin and Travis Heights, so that all community members can have a voice in our public schools."
Constituent/Monica Guzmán:___________________________________________________
When you say “District’s website” are you referring to the AISD website? Will there be one specifically for Dist 2? Whether or not a Dist 2 website is created, how do you plan on communicating with constituents who are across the digital divide due to lack of computer/internet access?
Q3. What are the three most critical issues facing the Austin Independent School District, and what actions are needed to resolve these issues? (75 word limit)
AISD/Dist 2 Sam Guzmán (incumbent):
"1.School Finance and Budget Cuts which will adversely impact the District - need to mobiize the Austin community to become active to influence Legislators. 2.In the face of cuts, ensure that we continue to provide a rich porfolio of education curriculum and programs which will prepare all our students for their future endeavors. 3.Ensure that we continue of close the achievement gap, decrease drop-out rate, improve the attendance rate."
Constituent/Monica Guzmán:
Here you stated “School Finance and Budget Cuts which will adversely impact the District …” I find this rather intriguing considering your response to the Education Austin questionnaire, specifically Q9 “What do you view as the strengths and weaknesses of the district?” You answered, “… 4. A stable and healthy financial status even in the face of severe budget cuts by the State. …” Change of heart?
As for your response to the Austin Kids First (AKF) questionnaire (specifically, funding-related questions) ... I had to pull yours from their website since you failed to make it available by the deadline (in order to make it available at the Sept 19 Austin Kids First Community Event) imposed upon all candidates.
Your responses to the following questions:
AKF Q2. “… I will also continue to work to ensure that District maintains its healthy financial status …” You said “maintains”-implying said healthy status is current; you did not say “corrects,” “improve,” etc.
AKF Q3. "School Finance and budget cuts will continue to be an area of uncertainty ... a difficult challenge." Hm, this doesn't sound like AISD has a "healthy financial status".
(Ref to AKF for entire Questionnaire)
Oh, and by the way, since you are currently (and plan to continue) representing an educational/public educ board, can you at least take the time to conduct a Spell Check? At least three errors were found. I can’t speak for everyone else, but while I do not expect everyone to be flawless at spelling, I do expect those with a completed college education and/or representing (public) education in any respect to take the time out to double-check their own work for spelling/grammar errors. I do not want the interests of my children/grandchildren (or anyone else’s) represented by a person lacking common sense!
AISD/Dist 2 Rev Dr Jayme Mathias:
"The first priority is to work with the 83rd Legislature to save our schools. Second, AISD must work to retain teachers and professional staff through longer contracts and more competitive pay. Finally, we must restore public trust and dialogue with the community following controversial decisions where parents and teachers seemingly had no voice. Also, our trustees must work together to provide a comprehensive review of existing board policies."
Constituent/Monica Guzmán: N/A
___________________________________________________
Q4. What measures (such as bond issues, tax rate increases, public/private partnerships, or other measures) would you support or oppose to bridge funding gaps facing AISD? (75 word limit)
AISD/Dist 2 Sam Guzmán (incumbent):
"As long as we can determine with some degree of certainty, that the community will support and pass the items, I support bond issuances, and tax ratification elections particularly to provide a permanent salary increase for our employees. In order to get community buy-in, the Distict needs to continue to show that we are good stewards of taxpayer dollars, that efficiencies are in place, and that the District is going in the right direction."
Constituent/Monica Guzmán:
As this time, is the community (specifically Dist 2 constituents) empowered to make informed decisions at the voting booth? I think not. Far too many are disconnected from the civil/political process, in part because they exist on the other side of the digital divide.
Let me provide you with an example: Austin City Council also speaks of communicating with the community, yet they face the same issue AISD and others face. Reaching those who are technologically disconnected. I made City Council aware of this very issue, even went so far as to provide them with the information (Nov 2010) required in order for them to reach an already marginalized community. They have yet to act on it.
Are you aware of the means of communication necessary to reach them?
Are you prepared to act on them?
Hm, another spelling error.
AISD/Dist 2 Rev Dr Jayme Mathias:
"It does not seem that we will be able to rely on the legislature to step up and take responsibility for funding our public schools during the coming session. In light of this, we will need to eliminate inefficiencies and focus on those services that directly contribute to the education of our students. I support the consideration of bond elections and tax rate increases, but all such ideas must be appropriately vetted by our entire community."
Constituent/Monica Guzmán:___________________________________________________
How do you propose to communicate with Dist 2 constituents? Far too many are disconnected from the civil/political process, in part because they exist on the other side of the digital divide.
Are you aware of the means of communication necessary to reach them?
Are you prepared to act on them?
Q5. How would you attract, recruit, and retain good teachers in the classroom? (75 word limit)
AISD/Dist 2 Sam Guzmán (incumbent):
"Austin is an attractive place to work and raise a family. We can attract, recruit, and retain good teachers as long as we provide competitive compensation and benefits. In addition, the District needs to provide an environment of fair threatment and show appreciation for our employees. Appropriate teacher training, adequate planning time, and an evaluation process which is not based soley on high stakes testing as a measue of student success."
Constituent/Monica Guzmán:
Surely you meant fair “treatment” … Correct? Or perhaps it was a Freudian slip?
Teacher evaluation – “solely” on high-stakes testing or not (at all) on high-stakes testing? Put yourself in their shoes – Do they have any say in what goes into the standardized tests? Can teachers ensure any/all standardized test is written for the various learning styles/levels of all students? How about tests being written in the native language of every student? All are potential, if not very real, obstacles to a student successfully achieving a sufficiently adequate (high?) score. Why punish both students and teachers alike by making use of one-size-fits-all testing when our students are very much unique and individual learners?
{sigh} … spelling errors
AISD/Dist 2 Rev Dr Jayme Mathias:
"Improving morale through extended contracts and competitive pay is key to recruiting and retaining quality teachers and staff. Our teachers are professionals and deserve to be paid the prevailing wage with benefits. As a trustee, I will encourage our board to move from a top-down approach to governance and provide stronger direction to our superintendent in accordance with applicable policy and laws."
Constituent/Monica Guzmán: N/A___________________________________________________
30 December 2011
12 December 2010
East Austin via "Austin Unscripted"
A few months back, I was afforded the opportunity to voice my opinion about my hometown: Austin, TX. It wasn't for a school paper, an article, not even the local news.. It was for everyone, everywhere!
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, aka Preservation Nation, came to Austin. The team spoke with residents about what it means, to each of us, to "preserve Austin."
I may have grown up in what once was NW Austin, but I now live in Central East. So I was one of the voices speaking for & about preserving East Austin.
The endeavor is known as Austin Unscripted. According to Preservation Nation's YouTube account, "Austin Unscripted is a web documentary by the National Trust for Historic Preservation exploring what Austinites think about their growing city. Visit http://www.preservationnation.org/aus... to learn more, and use #atxunscripted to join the conversation on Twitter."
Many people gave voice to the issue, what follows are videos for: Carl Webb, my beloved and "partner-in-crime"; Susana Almanza, Co-Director of People Organized in the Defense of Earth and her Resources (PODER); Carmen Llanes, community activist and PODER Staff member; Daniel Llanes, community activist; Rocio Villalobos, community activist; and myself, social/political activist for the community-at-large.
Knowledge is Wisdom... Learn from those who are here, who can speak of those who came before us, and speak for those yet to come.
Enjoy!
Carl: History Isn't Just in Books...It's on the Streets
Susanna: Preservation Should Happen with Respect
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, aka Preservation Nation, came to Austin. The team spoke with residents about what it means, to each of us, to "preserve Austin."
I may have grown up in what once was NW Austin, but I now live in Central East. So I was one of the voices speaking for & about preserving East Austin.
The endeavor is known as Austin Unscripted. According to Preservation Nation's YouTube account, "Austin Unscripted is a web documentary by the National Trust for Historic Preservation exploring what Austinites think about their growing city. Visit http://www.preservationnation.org/aus... to learn more, and use #atxunscripted to join the conversation on Twitter."
Many people gave voice to the issue, what follows are videos for: Carl Webb, my beloved and "partner-in-crime"; Susana Almanza, Co-Director of People Organized in the Defense of Earth and her Resources (PODER); Carmen Llanes, community activist and PODER Staff member; Daniel Llanes, community activist; Rocio Villalobos, community activist; and myself, social/political activist for the community-at-large.
Knowledge is Wisdom... Learn from those who are here, who can speak of those who came before us, and speak for those yet to come.
Enjoy!
Carl: History Isn't Just in Books...It's on the Streets
Susanna: Preservation Should Happen with Respect
Carmen: Growth Should Pay for Itself
Daniel: Who Decides What's Historic?
Rocio: Austin Needs Balance
Monica: I Don't Want a Concrete Jungle
Collage: Voices of East Austin
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