Last week we went over how our SAISD school board has failed to give parents notice of any board meetings in the past few weeks. The more significant issue is the lack of communication between the board and parents. As parents, we are often called into a teacher conference so that we can talk about our child’s grades or behaviors. Now we need to ask why it is that the SAISD school board will not have special meetings that would allow us to speak to them for longer than three minutes. Parents, we need accountability from our school board, especially from district 2 school board member Alicia Sebastian, the board’s Vice President. Reach out to her by email asebastian1@saisd.net and let your voices be heard because some of our children live in an educational nightmare. I have spoken to many of you who have emailed me, and I thank you for reaching out and I urge you to further your reach to Alicia. She must hear your voice.
The loss of teachers, cafeteria workers, bus drivers and librarians, and other staff significantly affects our children’s education and future. The question now is what incentives our district plans on offering our teachers and other required professions in the upcoming school year. We know that our children need consistency which means seeing the same faces around their schools. But, as I read over the PayScale for our teachers, it is truly not enough for what they are doing. Some districts have come up with a four-day week to help their teachers while others are trying to cut back on paperwork. So, today, I would like to hear from our teachers to ask what you think will help you stay in our SAISD classrooms?
If that isn’t enough, we have our current Governor Gregg Abbott saying that he wants to create a school voucher system that will allow parents to send their child to a private school. The voucher program money would come from the tax dollars we have paid. This voucher would only cover a child’s tuition cost and not any uniforms, shoes, or other items that your child might need. Parents- know that this idea would only take funding away from public education and cause a more significant educational crisis. As parents, I agree that we should all know our rights, so know that he took the Trigger Law away from all of us. This law was a critical component that once gave parents the right to petition TEA to let us help fix our schools if they weren’t performing well. Now we have SB 1882, which allows underperforming schools to be dealt with by TEA or by partnering with a charter school. That should explain why SAISD has so many charter schools, so in some ways, it is like sending your child to a private school. The idea that our Governor wants to take more money out of the public education system in Texas is sickening. So, parents, do you think this is fair for our children in a public school? Parents keep in mind that this is just another political campaign promise that may not come true. This idea has been pushed through the House before, and it was voted down by bipartisan legislation. I believe that instead of making false promises, we need our Governor and other politicians to fix the mess were in today before we lose an entire generation. We must never stop asking hard questions because this is the only way we can save our children’s future.
If anyone has any questions or concerns, please email me at lena.lopez@observer.com. Have a Blessed Week.
