Alief ISD's School Board Cant Be Trusted, Good Old Boy Systems Prevails Again
There were 6 questions asked by the board of all five candidates whom applied for the vacant school board seat, what past Alief ISD Administrator Janet Spurlock said during her responses that made this board feel that she was more qualified than Master Trustee, and eight term ELECTED Alief ISD School Board Member Nghi Ho?
The six questions asked of the five school board candidates by the School Board were:
1. Lily Truong asked: If you could select only one thing, what do you think is the most important responsibility of a school board?
2. Ann Williams asked: As a new board member you are torn between being a team player or representing your own point of view, how do you resolve this conflict?
3. Gregg Patrick asked: As a board member what will you expect from your fellow board members, and what can your fellow board members expect from you?
4. Jennifer Key asked: Could you support a board decision that you did not vote in favor of? Why or why not?
5. Rick Moreno asked: It is sometime difficult to balance family, professional, and school board responsibilities. We have two meetings a month and sometimes in late evenings, we also have occasional special call meetings, and special events for schools, retirements, graduation ceremonies, etc. Do you have any personal or professional commitments that prevent you from being available for these events?
6. Darlene Breaux asked: As part of the package of the link to TEA’s framework of school board development concerning board members responsibilities, which of those responsibilities would be the most challenging for you?
May 17, 2022 Patron Presentation, Damon Barone May 17, 2022 Patron Presentation Video, Damon Barone
Greetings, Damon Barone, Alief ISD parent, taxpayer, and alumnus.
Tonight, the Board swore in former Mata Intermediate Principal Janet Spurlock to fill Trustee Harvey Tong’s school board seat, which he vacated after only serving 57 days on this board.
Superintendent Chambers sent out an email discussing Ms. Spurlock’s board qualifications which the main qualification was her being an employee of Alief ISD for 27 years.
There were five candidates in total who applied for the vacated school board position. One being former Alief ISD Master Trustee Nghi Ho, with 20 years of being an elected Alief ISD School Board Trustee.
One has to wonder how this board defines a highly qualified school board candidate, if they did not select a former elected Alief ISD Master School Board Trustee.
When requesting applications from the public, the Board focused on past employment history; specifically, employment with Alief ISD. The Board should not have been focused on hiring a past employee but selecting a School Board Trustee focused on governance; yet the Board chose Ms. Spurlock based on her employment history with Alief ISD.
Because Superintendent Chambers announced that he is retiring in December of 2022, this Board also has to select a replacement Superintendent to run our district. But instead of selecting a new Superintendent, which is an actual responsibility of the board, not selecting other board members to sit on the board, they are outsourcing their main responsibility to an outside firm.
To further complicate the Board’s logic, they are deciding to renew the District of Innovation status all while choosing a new Superintendent. It does not make sense to create a plan when you are looking for new leadership who will have to implement something they had not been able to be a part of the decision-making process.
How can we trust the leadership of this Board to choose a new Superintendent when you all chose a new Board member who has no Board experience compared to Master Trustee Nghi Ho with over 20 years of elected Alief Board Experience?
One has to wonder if the selection process was rigged and that was why the focus of the board was stated to be district employment history, and not the duties of a school board trustee. The good old boy system. Student outcomes will not improve here in Alief until adult behaviors change.
Could it be that TEA will soon be taking over our District and that is the real reason that Trustee Harvey Tong left, Deputy Superintendent of Instruction Ava Montgomery left, Assistant Superintendent of Finance Deanna Wentz left, and now Superintendent Henry David Chambers Jr, has announced his exit plan, all within a matter of months from one another?
My final inquiry is why Superintendent Chambers is asked by President Ann Williams to take the roll of the Board if the Board has two Secretaries, an Assistant Secretary, and a Vice President?
Leadership matters.
Damon Barone, Alief ISD parent, taxpayer, and alumnus.