05-17-2022 Alief ISD Area Superintendent of Innovation Patrick Cherry, No Public Participation

Here are my concerns with the district’s response to Teacher Union Ronald Kotts May 17, 2022 patron presentation concerns: Video of Patrick Cherry

·        Whenever the district wants something from our community or wants the support of the community they go above and beyond to notify the public of what the district is doing, how to support it, and in what way they want the public to support it.

·        Whenever the district does not want the participation from our community or does not want us to be involved/know about details ahead of time they do the bare minimum to allow our community to be informed and knowledgeable.

·        Area Superintendent of Innovation Patrick Cherry stated that the district posted a notice to the public about the Alief Educational Improvement Council’s Meeting, and there was no participation from the public or teachers union.

·        The public notice was posted on the bulletin board outside of the administration building on Friday, May 13, 2022 at 1:03pm for the Tuesday, May 17, 2022, 4:30pm District of Innovation Renewal Plan Meeting; so, if a person did not drive to the Alief Administration building between Friday and Tuesday, and walk to the front doors of the administration building, there would be no way the public would have known about the meeting in order to participate.

·        No where on the district’s website or the District of Innovations section of the district’s website (https://www.aliefisd.net/Page/5516 does the scheduled meeting show up for the public to have known about the May 17, 2022, 4:30pm District of Innovation Renewal Plan Meeting which Area Superintendent of Innovation Patrick Cherry mention he had no public participation for.

·        85% - 87% (possibly more) of Alief’s families are socially and economically disadvantaged, which means they are working multiple jobs just to survive, how in the world is hosting a meeting at 4:30pm in the afternoon equitable to the community that the district is paid to serve? Even if one were to work a regular 9am to 5pm job they would have to leave work early and fight traffic just to make the 4:30pm meeting that was not posted other than on the board outside of the administration building, a location where the District of Innovation Meeting WAS NOT being held at.

·        If Area Superintendent of Innovation Patrick Cherry truly wanted public participation of the District of Innovation Meetings, then he and the district would also live stream those meeting in the manner which the school board meetings are live streamed.

·        If Area Superintendent of Innovation Patrick Cherry truly wanted public participation of the District of Innovation Meetings, then he and the district would post video recordings of the meetings on the district’s website.

Alief ISD leadership continues to show the community and parents that they don’t really care about us, and the want to keep using the word EQUITY for their decision-making processes, and reference the community as if we don’t care or are not present when decisions are being made.

Leadership matters, and Alief’s student outcomes will not change until the adult behaviors of district leadership changes.

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