12/17/12, Tonight's Showdown at AISD HQ could be exciting stuff.
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TR
Dec 17, 2012, 5:49:05 PM12/17/12
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Hello Friends! >>> ! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year ! <<<
"For the term of this Agreement, AISD shall provide to IDEA an exclusive, irrevocable, non‐transferable license to use and occupy designated space at the School Sites located at Allan Elementary School, 4900 Gonzales for operation of the School beginning with the 2012‐13 school year and Eastside Memorial High School, 1012 Arthur Stiles Rd. beginning with the 2014‐15 school year."
On October 20th, 2011, I was in a Parents' meeting, in Eastside HS's cafeteria, when Meria Carstarphen made her IDEA announcement. I was so ANGRY. I understood that she had just fired every staff member at two schools. And, dismissed the hard work of them and every student.
This will go to Court. We can't let AISD/IDEA destroy any more schools!
Your friend and Outraged Eastside Parent,
Toni Rayner
Austin, TX
IDEA has heavily recruited farther and farther out from Allan ES, trying to fill seats that east Austin fled. Whether or not IDEA takes over Eastside HS, IDEA is NOT really serving local East Austin kids.
***
So, with the new re-evaluation of the IDEA project, there are new questions & concerns:
Q1) Without IDEA, will TEA shut everything down? ... Answer) NO. The area schools are AA+.
Q2) If no IDEA, then what? ... A) Return it to the local community! (The IDEA "in-district" charter is headquartered 300 miles away.)
Q3) There is no time for community input. ... A) The community has been inputting for years! UNHEARD!
Q4) Where would AISD start? ... A) Start with the alternate plan submitted by the Eastside Community one year ago! It was Community built. It is full of do-able wisdom, and sincere commitment.
Q5) East Austin needs help. ... A) Sure! Help is Great! Thanks!
Q6) East Austin can't do it themselves. ... A) Except when they DO! East Austin artists & businesses succeed. EA churches succeed. EA families succeed. And EA schools are succeeding too!
East Austin (like any living thing) does better when they aren't BULLY-ED with put-downs, or threats, nor crippled by the nearly constant churning of money-wasting uninformed "improvement" plans.
And a quick shout out to a particular EMHS math teacher. He fought along-side parents to bring higher-level "engineering" maths to EMHS. Against naysayers that said poor kids won't take hard math! He told me last week that he feels "validated" by the hard work and good grades of his full load of (poor) Pre-Calculus students. HE feels Validated! Well thank YOU, sir. For believing in the kids. And for helping them believe in themselves. How many of the kids now feel validated, too?! ;-)
Austin Folks are Great about Supporting "LOCAL". Please Support Our LOCAL Community's efforts to reclaim the future for our children. !Contact AISD! Call at: 414-2413. Email at: trus...@austinisd.org And Join Us Monday night at AISD headquarters at 1111 West 6th, Austin, TX 78703, near Lamar. Meeting starts at 7pm. (Also webcast at www.austinisd.org ) Thank you for listening. :-)
Over the AISD school break, I hope that you will check your inbox for any
pantherpaws512 updates. Once or twice, would be nice. :-)
I hope y'all stay safe, have fun, and spread kindness to everyone possible.
Peace On Earth, Folks!
~ Toni R ~
attached: AISD Agenda item about IDEA discussion. Wow, they really hate the Eastside!
: My essay on some of the economic pressures on modern education.
*** FYI ***
My next email blast will have the normal calendar of events and cheer-leading. Promise. :-D
I choose to keep politics rare at pantherpaws512. I try to stay "happy" here.
But, today, I want to share my perspective on the AISD/IDEA controversy.
I believe these issues to be crucial to our children and must be discussed.
I urge you to also do research for yourself.
~ Thank you for your kind understanding. ~ Toni Rayner ~
================================================================
This is a VERY busy week before Christmas. With lots of important items. Here are a few:
1> 12/17 - 12/20 = AISD FINALS WEEK at our High Schools. HALF DAYS only: 9am -1pm.
Help encourage your Students to review, AND get some rest for their tests.
2> 12/21 = AISD, No Classes Friday. Enjoy your break! Rest up, See you in January.
3> 12/21/12 - 1/6/2013 = AISD Winter Break. Classes Resume = Monday, January 7, 2013.
Watch out for vacationing kiddies enjoying Austin's mild winter weather.
4 > AND >>> Very Important <<< ! Tonight ! Big issues during the AISD Board of Trustees Meeting.
12/17/12 Beginning at 7pm, at AISD Headquarters, 1111 West Sixth St, near Lamar.
60 minutes of Public Comments begin about 7:30pm. IDEA chat about 9:15pm?
With lots of action expected.
This includes a re-match of the of the heroic effort one year ago. When Thousands of protesters at meetings, phones and emails shared their concerns, ideas, and outrage before AISD voted yes to the IDEA plan. Too many of the AISD Board put down and ignored their Employers (US), and NOW, after the November 6th Elections, we have FOUR NEW TRUSTEES. (Including District 2. Yay!)
The outcome is not certain. I invite you to come downtown and lend your face and voice to this glorious comeback in a long struggle for self-determination in defense of LOCAL Austin Neighborhood Schools. Come TONIGHT and as often as you can. Stay involved in education issues: Local / State / National. Educate yourself.
Kids are our Future. If we allow junk policies to screw them up, now. We will ALL be screwed up, later. (Ugly factoid.)
================================================================
Long Story > Shortened: East Austin has "a bad reputation". EA gets put-down almost constantly. An perpetual attitude from on high that EA can't get it right has led to a long series of experiments upon this population. The worst cases usually involve the school kids. (Segregation, Desegregation, move it change it close it change it insult it ....) Most without ANY real conversation with those to be effected.
The local high schools have been abused heinously. The history of THAT is too long for here. But the current high school is called Eastside Memorial High School at the Johnston Campus. Born August 2008 to replace TEA-closed Johnston HS. EMHS inherited a lot, good and bad. Perhaps the worst: the stink of "Losers" in the air. It has been used to justify all sorts of shiny new experiments to "fix the Losers, over there".
Despite the continuous disrespect of others, and the heartache of repeated betrayal, the kids of Eastside (The Panthers) began to turn things around. With excellent teachers and a Principal that respected and treasured each and every one of them. The scores began going up, hearts started to heal, and Pride returned. In three years, for the first time in a decade, the campus was rated "Academically Acceptable". Things were gonna be great!
Then two months into the new school year, in our cafeteria on October 20th 2011, AISD declared that they had partnered with IDEA to take over Allan ES and Eastside HS !!! We have been fighting the takeover since then. The Long Story continues, but could have a happy ending.
================================================================
Below is an essay/letter that I wrote about Monday's AISD re-evaluation of IDEA . But, with what I just found out about the contents of the "slow down" agreement that AISD/IDEA drafted for Monday's meeting: I think that you need to read that first. Basically, if the Board votes to slow down IDEA during an evaluation period (as suggested on Dec 3rd), using THIS amendment, it automatically commits AISD to giving away both campuses. Regardless of the score of the eval, or other data! Here is a snip of the 12/7/12 drafted amendment from the AISD website, tonight's Agenda item# 7.6: (add to section > School Sites)
"For the term of this Agreement, AISD shall provide to IDEA an exclusive, irrevocable, non‐transferable license to use and occupy designated space at the School Sites located at Allan Elementary School, 4900 Gonzales for operation of the School beginning with the 2012‐13 school year and Eastside Memorial High School, 1012 Arthur Stiles Rd. beginning with the 2014‐15 school year."
~~~ verbatim! ~~~
Do AISD lawyers get paid by us? Or by IDEA? We need to FIRE them both. Immediately.
On October 20th, 2011, I was in a Parents' meeting, in Eastside HS's cafeteria, when Meria Carstarphen made her IDEA announcement. I was so ANGRY. I understood that she had just fired every staff member at two schools. And, dismissed the hard work of them and every student.
That was the very first that I had heard of the IDEA project. I had attended almost every EMHS campus meeting for three years. Am a member of the PTSA, CAC, DAC, SHAC, and more. And I had NO IDEA of it before Carstarphen's announcement! I had just spent that entire day (8am-330pm) with Her, Trustee Mr. Vince Torres, other AISD staffers and the DAC at the Delco Center. And I didn't know anything about IDEA.
Showing us the glossies and asking what color you want for your school's shroud, is NOT stakeholder input. It is fraud. IDEA was NOT in the public campus plans. It was NOT in the final version of the Eastside Memorial HS plan, voted on by the Board before submission to the TEA, in June 2011. (I have not yet found the deal in any of the Board minutes, either.) The closest I have found are a couple of references to field trips that AISD staff members took to Houston, etc. And IDEA representatives were among the several academic groups joining the tour. The Superintendent says that it was on our school's plan. NO, it is not. An item she claims does, only speaks of seeking best practices ADVICE and campus mentoring. Not a handover to anybody.
In my opinion, the IDEA project is illegal. Recent interviews by AISD & IDEA Representatives are claiming discussions from 2 YEARS ago! The planning process for this project obviously violated the Open Meetings Act. Violated several subsections of the TEA rules. And Chapter 7 of the Texas Constitution. As well as the spirit, bylaws and ethics of the AISD Board of Trustees.
>> This IDEA plan did NOT go through Public, Community discussion BEFORE the deal. <<
Showing us the glossies and asking what color you want for your school's shroud, is NOT stakeholder input. It is fraud. IDEA was NOT in the public campus plans. It was NOT in the final version of the Eastside Memorial HS plan, voted on by the Board before submission to the TEA, in June 2011. (I have not yet found the deal in any of the Board minutes, either.) The closest I have found are a couple of references to field trips that AISD staff members took to Houston, etc. And IDEA representatives were among the several academic groups joining the tour. The Superintendent says that it was on our school's plan. NO, it is not. An item she claims does, only speaks of seeking best practices ADVICE and campus mentoring. Not a handover to anybody.
In my opinion, the IDEA project is illegal. Recent interviews by AISD & IDEA Representatives are claiming discussions from 2 YEARS ago! The planning process for this project obviously violated the Open Meetings Act. Violated several subsections of the TEA rules. And Chapter 7 of the Texas Constitution. As well as the spirit, bylaws and ethics of the AISD Board of Trustees.
This will go to Court. We can't let AISD/IDEA destroy any more schools!
Your friend and Outraged Eastside Parent,
Toni Rayner
Austin, TX
512-927-1063 home
ton...@gmail.com
================================================================
====my letter / essay================================
Dear Austin Folks, Thank you for giving up a few minutes to read my letter. It suggests to me that you try to be open-minded and informed. Fantastic!
Some actions and words can be misconstrued. So, let me say plainly: I do not want IDEA in our AISD.
I am sorry that any Austin IDEA families will be distressed. But the IDEA deal should never have happened. I have fought this awful idea from minute one, and for over a year. And, as the proud mom of two honor-roll students & robot engineers at Eastside Memorial High School at the Johnston Campus, I don't want OUR campus attacked again.
***
Some in AISD/IDEA, the news media and others have said that "opposition" died down after AISD's vote for IDEA on Dec 20, 2011. That the noise was only "professional protesters", union posturing, and not the "real" community. ~ Wrong. ~ And another insult to us: the families and community friends of east Austin schools.
Realizing that many of our elected Trustees were steadfastly ignoring the sincere, diverse and passionate pleas for help from more than two thousand AISD citizens. We took our fight to the people of Austin. Educated Them. And, Nov 6th, WE ALL VOTED. NOW there are Four NEW Trustees on the AISD Board. And, the Officers have been changed, too. Replaced by Candidates that Pledged to Listen Better and practice True Community-Based Dialogue and Decision Making. As ethics, and Texas Law directs all school districts to do!
***
NOW some people are saying that bringing the IDEA project up for any discussion or vote is "rushed" and by-passes the community. Wrong.
The REAL Community has been playing by the rules and educating Austin for more than a YEAR. (Since the IDEA reveal on Oct 20, 2011.) The rules include: 1) Either party (AISD or IDEA) can terminate the contract by any January 1st for any following new school year. 2) In the current contract, IDEA will progress into Eastside HS by August 2013. Unless the contract is altered, or cancelled by either party, before January 1, 2013. So, 3) if the IDEA project is to be changed before it takes over another school; By the rules of the contract, the option must happen NOW.
This is neither artificially rushed, nor disregarding the community. Truly, it is in response to the concerns of the full community.
***
Since the election, there have been some comments in defense of the IDEA project. Among the most annoying was screamed on December 3rd by an almost hysterical Trustee Bradley, District 1. While arguing against any evaluation or changes to the IDEA project, she said (paraphrased): "Hundreds of families from all across AISD have chosen IDEA for their children. You can't disrupt their campus. It's wrong to disrupt all those children." What?!!! What did she say?!!!
Well, YES Cheryl Bradley, it is "wrong to disrupt all those children". It WAS Wrong to disrupt them all out of Allan ES. It will BE Wrong to disrupt them at Eastside HS. And it IS Wrong to disrupt all of the children in YOUR District with the twin-campus, single-gender MESS that YOU have wanted to start for almost two years!!! YOU would continue churning Pearce MS over and over, again and again. Shattering them. STOP IT. Let Pearce heal, and grow. Then, Greatness will come.
***
Speaking of "churning": My oldest is now a Senior at Eastside HS. Fourth year there. Third format change! And more on the way with IDEA?! Beyond the TEA-forced closing of Johnston HS in June 2008; It is inexcusable that EVERY YEAR AISD has made major changes to the framework of this campus' culture! (And broken lots of promises.) How can the Staff and Students be expected to build momentum and skills and scores, when the game and rules keep changing? I don't know. But God bless them. The Panthers DO IT!
Despite almost constant AISD abuse of EMHS' format, people and reputation, Eastside Staff and Students have built their own culture of caring, mutual-respect, and high expectations that have consistently raised academic performance and Pride! Imagine how they would soar if they had real encouragement and protection from AISD! Now, THAT is a good idea. Let Eastside heal, and grow. Then, more Greatness will come!
***
In fact, ALL of the schools in the vertical team of Eastside Memorial HS are Academically Acceptable or better. The former Trustees handed over two AA neighborhood schools as lab rats for their newest project. A very BAD idea.
***
AISD said that the IDEA project was to be a remedy for the "failing" EMHS. But:
1) Eastside was NOT Failing. IS NOT Failing. And its academic scores show strong year-by-year improvement.
2) East Austin REJECTED IDEA. Fewer than 16% of IDEA-Allan students are from that neighborhood.
3) Some IDEA-upset families left AISD altogether. Further lowering local enrollments. EMHS lost students each time a major change was forced upon us. It's estimated that almost 25 students left between Oct.20 and Dec.31, 2011. (The IDEA announcement and after Vote.)
================================================================
====my letter / essay================================
Dear Austin Folks, Thank you for giving up a few minutes to read my letter. It suggests to me that you try to be open-minded and informed. Fantastic!
Some actions and words can be misconstrued. So, let me say plainly: I do not want IDEA in our AISD.
I am sorry that any Austin IDEA families will be distressed. But the IDEA deal should never have happened. I have fought this awful idea from minute one, and for over a year. And, as the proud mom of two honor-roll students & robot engineers at Eastside Memorial High School at the Johnston Campus, I don't want OUR campus attacked again.
***
Some in AISD/IDEA, the news media and others have said that "opposition" died down after AISD's vote for IDEA on Dec 20, 2011. That the noise was only "professional protesters", union posturing, and not the "real" community. ~ Wrong. ~ And another insult to us: the families and community friends of east Austin schools.
Realizing that many of our elected Trustees were steadfastly ignoring the sincere, diverse and passionate pleas for help from more than two thousand AISD citizens. We took our fight to the people of Austin. Educated Them. And, Nov 6th, WE ALL VOTED. NOW there are Four NEW Trustees on the AISD Board. And, the Officers have been changed, too. Replaced by Candidates that Pledged to Listen Better and practice True Community-Based Dialogue and Decision Making. As ethics, and Texas Law directs all school districts to do!
***
NOW some people are saying that bringing the IDEA project up for any discussion or vote is "rushed" and by-passes the community. Wrong.
The REAL Community has been playing by the rules and educating Austin for more than a YEAR. (Since the IDEA reveal on Oct 20, 2011.) The rules include: 1) Either party (AISD or IDEA) can terminate the contract by any January 1st for any following new school year. 2) In the current contract, IDEA will progress into Eastside HS by August 2013. Unless the contract is altered, or cancelled by either party, before January 1, 2013. So, 3) if the IDEA project is to be changed before it takes over another school; By the rules of the contract, the option must happen NOW.
This is neither artificially rushed, nor disregarding the community. Truly, it is in response to the concerns of the full community.
***
Since the election, there have been some comments in defense of the IDEA project. Among the most annoying was screamed on December 3rd by an almost hysterical Trustee Bradley, District 1. While arguing against any evaluation or changes to the IDEA project, she said (paraphrased): "Hundreds of families from all across AISD have chosen IDEA for their children. You can't disrupt their campus. It's wrong to disrupt all those children." What?!!! What did she say?!!!
Well, YES Cheryl Bradley, it is "wrong to disrupt all those children". It WAS Wrong to disrupt them all out of Allan ES. It will BE Wrong to disrupt them at Eastside HS. And it IS Wrong to disrupt all of the children in YOUR District with the twin-campus, single-gender MESS that YOU have wanted to start for almost two years!!! YOU would continue churning Pearce MS over and over, again and again. Shattering them. STOP IT. Let Pearce heal, and grow. Then, Greatness will come.
***
Speaking of "churning": My oldest is now a Senior at Eastside HS. Fourth year there. Third format change! And more on the way with IDEA?! Beyond the TEA-forced closing of Johnston HS in June 2008; It is inexcusable that EVERY YEAR AISD has made major changes to the framework of this campus' culture! (And broken lots of promises.) How can the Staff and Students be expected to build momentum and skills and scores, when the game and rules keep changing? I don't know. But God bless them. The Panthers DO IT!
Despite almost constant AISD abuse of EMHS' format, people and reputation, Eastside Staff and Students have built their own culture of caring, mutual-respect, and high expectations that have consistently raised academic performance and Pride! Imagine how they would soar if they had real encouragement and protection from AISD! Now, THAT is a good idea. Let Eastside heal, and grow. Then, more Greatness will come!
***
In fact, ALL of the schools in the vertical team of Eastside Memorial HS are Academically Acceptable or better. The former Trustees handed over two AA neighborhood schools as lab rats for their newest project. A very BAD idea.
***
AISD said that the IDEA project was to be a remedy for the "failing" EMHS. But:
1) Eastside was NOT Failing. IS NOT Failing. And its academic scores show strong year-by-year improvement.
2) East Austin REJECTED IDEA. Fewer than 16% of IDEA-Allan students are from that neighborhood.
3) Some IDEA-upset families left AISD altogether. Further lowering local enrollments. EMHS lost students each time a major change was forced upon us. It's estimated that almost 25 students left between Oct.20 and Dec.31, 2011. (The IDEA announcement and after Vote.)
IDEA has heavily recruited farther and farther out from Allan ES, trying to fill seats that east Austin fled. Whether or not IDEA takes over Eastside HS, IDEA is NOT really serving local East Austin kids.
***
So, with the new re-evaluation of the IDEA project, there are new questions & concerns:
Q1) Without IDEA, will TEA shut everything down? ... Answer) NO. The area schools are AA+.
Q2) If no IDEA, then what? ... A) Return it to the local community! (The IDEA "in-district" charter is headquartered 300 miles away.)
Q3) There is no time for community input. ... A) The community has been inputting for years! UNHEARD!
Q4) Where would AISD start? ... A) Start with the alternate plan submitted by the Eastside Community one year ago! It was Community built. It is full of do-able wisdom, and sincere commitment.
Q5) East Austin needs help. ... A) Sure! Help is Great! Thanks!
Q6) East Austin can't do it themselves. ... A) Except when they DO! East Austin artists & businesses succeed. EA churches succeed. EA families succeed. And EA schools are succeeding too!
East Austin (like any living thing) does better when they aren't BULLY-ED with put-downs, or threats, nor crippled by the nearly constant churning of money-wasting uninformed "improvement" plans.
And a quick shout out to a particular EMHS math teacher. He fought along-side parents to bring higher-level "engineering" maths to EMHS. Against naysayers that said poor kids won't take hard math! He told me last week that he feels "validated" by the hard work and good grades of his full load of (poor) Pre-Calculus students. HE feels Validated! Well thank YOU, sir. For believing in the kids. And for helping them believe in themselves. How many of the kids now feel validated, too?! ;-)
Austin Folks are Great about Supporting "LOCAL". Please Support Our LOCAL Community's efforts to reclaim the future for our children. !Contact AISD! Call at: 414-2413. Email at: trus...@austinisd.org And Join Us Monday night at AISD headquarters at 1111 West 6th, Austin, TX 78703, near Lamar. Meeting starts at 7pm. (Also webcast at www.austinisd.org ) Thank you for listening. :-)
Paws Up! Let's Roar!
With Hope for Better,
Toni Rayner
Austin, TX
==end==
With Hope for Better,
Toni Rayner
Austin, TX
==end==
--
========================================================
The name "PantherPaws512" was chosen because we
Panthers are Paws/feet on the ground and Paws/hands ready to help our school. :-)
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PLEASE reply to this email with your updates.
I will delete/correct your info a.s.a.p. Thank you, TR >> Panther...@gmail.com
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