March 09, 2021 Patron Presentation, Damon Barone

Greetings, Damon Barone, Alief ISD parent, taxpayer, and alumnus. 

As an Alief ISD parent I am deeply disappointed that parents nor students were given the opportunity to express our feelings through a democratic process for Superintendent Chambers nomination. We have voiced our disapprovals of his leadership during Board meetings. If you all really valued us as stakeholders like you say in the mission statement and vision statement, you would have never submitted Superintendent Henry David Chambers Jr. name to be nominated from OUR community as TASB's Superintendent of the Year.  

When I looked at all of the previous winners of this award, I noticed that each winner had the letters DOCTOR (Dr) in front of their names. Alief’s Superintendent Chambers only has the letters MISTER (Mr.) in front of his name.  

To put things into perspective MISTER Chambers has served as superintendent for two different school districts, Stafford ISD for five years, and Alief ISD for 10 years; for a total of 15 years and counting. During MISTER Chambers ten years in Alief alone, I personally know of a multitude of teachers and administrators in our district that have obtained their doctoral degree while under the leadership of MISTER Chambers.  

My biggest concerns are that this is just an orchestrated ploy to assist in MISTER Chambers efforts to try and seek becoming the superintendent of HISD when DOCTOR GRENITA LATHAN leaves in June of 2021, or trying to seek becoming the superintendent of Fort Bend ISD when DOCTOR CHARLES DUPREE leaves in December 2021, or trying to seek becoming the superintendent of Lamar Consolidated ISD as DOCTOR THOMAS RANDLE retired in December of 2020.  If MISTER Chambers is successful in acquiring any of these three superintendent jobs, especially HISD’s as they are the largest school district in the state of Texas, MISTER Chambers personal and professional organized crime unit has an opportunity to continue flourishing and has a larger platform to reward kickbacks to his supporters and enforcers.  

Under MISTER Chambers leadership our:  

Student enrollment numbers have significantly decrease, even prior to the pandemic.  
Parents, students, and staff’s voices have been silenced and retaliated against when advocating our concerns. 
The district has admitted to systematic racism which can be found in the new Board Policy Educational Philosophy as it relates to the education and discipline actions, specifically towards African American males. This can also be affirmed by reviewing legal cases against Alief ISD. 
25% of our elementary schools, 6 out of 24, have remained on TEA’s improvement required status for multiple years; which will trigger a state takeover of our district.  
Every year the district loses almost 400 new teachers with 0 - 3 years of experience. 
The district alleges that they are implementing grow our own teachers from within our community, but you all spend extra money to import STUDENT TEACHERS from Nebraska who do not look like our community, nor can they relate to our community.  
You all spent extra money to go to Puerto Rico to import Spanish speaking teachers and we have a plethora of Spanish speaking teachers and individuals here in Texas.  

The icing on the cake for me was when Trustee Jennifer Key openly stated during a board meeting that the Alief ISD school board allows MISTER Chambers to participate in his own performance evaluations, and he is afforded the opportunity to give input and guidance in the tools which the school board uses to evaluate him on each year. 

I’m asking that the school board fully detail and disclose what data you all specifically looked at or are looking at to make your recommendation and subsequently vote on nominating MISTER Chambers for the TASB's Superintendent of the Year award. 

Although I am asking to see the data which you all may be using to guide your decisions, I’m also forever reminded that during MISTER Chambers first year in Alief as our superintendent, he openly stated during an Alief Leadership Network Committee Meeting that he and his administrators have the ability to make data say whatever they want it to say.  

Damon Barone, Alief ISD parent, taxpayer, and alumnus.