03-08-2022 Patron Presentation, Damon Barone

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

The definition of equity states it is the quality of being fair and impartial; specifically, to be equitable in treatment.

Nowhere in the definition does it describe race, color, or creed. Yet since the November 15, 2021 swearing in of the current board, you all have spent more time publicly talking about procurement; specifically, your definition of equity in the district’s procurement process, which has been subjugated to mean black versus white vendors, black female vendors versus white male vendors, with a hint of Hispanic and Asian vendors sprinkled within.

This boards political grand standing has encouraged and supported other elected officials to come to our district and highjack our school board meetings in an effort to push quid pro quo business agendas of procurement that resemble affirmative action or reverse discriminatory  practices.

In the past four months this board has talked more about the districts so called inequitable procurement processes than the Board's require House Bill 3 student outcome goals for 3rd grade reading, or College Career Military Readiness (CCMR).

You all routinely gloat that you do not have any questions during school board meetings because the board emails it’s questions in advance to the district. But how can this be possible when you all get the Board Books on Thursdays when the agendas are publicly posted, and the total number of pages are no less than 300 pages?

Then the Board says that the district is in constant communication back and forth with the board, thus little to no dialogue is needed during school board meetings. These are so called meetings of the Board but the public does not get to see those emails because you all protect them with alleged attorney client privileges.

Not only is this absurd practice of conducting board business in secrecy a violation of the open meetings act, but it is also a smack in the face to us parents, and district employees affected by the decisions of the board, local politicians, and the aspiring politicians who sit on this school board, whom care more about quid pro quo business practices than the duty to educate our kids and support our teachers, whom quite frankly are tired of your piss poor leadership, but are too afraid of retaliation to speak up.

You all’s equity procurement conversations have been all about political grandstanding that evolved into a battle cry for black owned businesses versus white owned businesses, or black female businesses versus everyone else, when the word equity really means equal opportunities.

An equitable procurement process would resemble the district publicly posting all of its requirements for each project, publicly showing its metrics on the front end, and the application processes being fair and impartial.

Although Alief ISD’s current procurement process absolutely is not the best, reverse discrimination does not make this process fair, nor does it redefine the definition of equity. Several times over the last 2 years, Charles Woods and Coach HD Chambers have told the board if you all do not like the equity policy, then you all should rewrite the policy. Instead, the boards policy committee focused on writing a policy to terminate teachers 10 days before the end of each school year.

How is this board complaining about the procurement process when you are the ones who approve every district contract? Maybe you should stop voting yes or stop abstaining from voting, and vote no to approving items that you all clearly do not agree with.

Over the last 4 years, Alief ISD School Board Trustees have run for other offices while sitting on this Board, while sworn under oath to be focused on student outcomes first.

School board President Annie Joseph Williams is currently running for the Harris County Precinct Four Commissioners seat, while remaining as the school board President, and still having 2 years remaining on her current 4-year term. She also previously ran for a Houston Community College (HCC) school board seat in 2013 while sitting on this Board.

School Board Secretary Dr. Lily Tuong is currently running for the State Rep seat for  District 149, for a second time while sitting on this Board. She also previously ran in 2020 while serving on this board.

Former School Board Trustee, John Nguyen ran for the Houston City Council District F seat in 2019 while sitting on this Board.

Trustee Harvey Toung was sworn into office in November 15, 2021 and resigned from office and turned in his resignation on January 11, 2022.  He had only served 57 days in office, and 33 of those days were district holidays and weekends.

Coach HD Chambers has secretly applied for every open superintendent position in the state of Texas, and as recently as the last Houston Independent School District (HISD) hiring process; not to mention applied for the Texas Education Agency (TEA) Commissioner position, all during his 11-year tenor here in Alief.

This board, including Coach HD Chambers continues to lead our district with one foot in the district, and the rest of their hearts and minds focused on their next political moves outside of their duties and sworn responsibilities to the students of Alief ISD.

Damon Barone, Alief ISD parent, taxpayer and alumnus.

TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL BOARDS (TASB) LEGAL:

Question: May the board generally prohibit criticism of the board or the district?

Answer: No. At no time may a board prohibit public criticism of the board or district, including criticism

of any act, omission, policy, procedures, program, or service. Tex. Gov't Code§ 551.007(e).

TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT:

The Open Meetings Act states that a school board may not prohibit public criticism of the governmental body, including criticism of any act, omission, policy, procedure, program, or service. Tex. Gov't Code§ 551.007(e).

FIRST AMENDMENT:

Treating speakers differently based on their viewpoints may be an unreasonable restriction on public speech protected by the First Amendment.

ALIEF ISD BOARD POLICY BED (LEGAL):

United States Constitution: A board may create a limited public forum for the purpose of hearing comments from the public so long as: (1) The board does not discriminate against speech on the basis of viewpoint;

MR. RONALD FRANKLIN,

“I’ve had conversations with MR. CHAMBERS recently about starting up an All-Sports Booster Club at Taylor”.