09-06-2022 Patron Presentation, Damon Barone
Greetings, Damon Barone, Alief ISD parent, taxpayer and alumnus.
During the August 30, 2022 school board meeting this board did an 8-minute congratulatory recognition of Darlene Breaux becoming a leadership TASB master trustee. Trustees Rick Moreno, Darlene Breaux, Ann Williams, Jennifer Key, and Ronna Johnson discussed the rigor and responsibilities it takes to become a TASB master trustee. The public recognition was so overwhelming that trustee Breaux openly cried, and fought to contain herself.
It was stated that Trustee Breaux joined the ranks of more than 900 master trustees who are nationally recognized, and inducted into the highly selected program which only 1 in 4 applicants are accepted each year to receive 10 months of advanced leadership training; where they conduct personal research on topics of relevance to Texas trustees and Texas school districts. You all went on to say that Leadership TASB asks participants to work a little harder, meet challenges with new thoughts and renew their commitment to make a difference on behalf of the school children in Alief ISD, and the entire state of Texas.
Former Alief ISD trustee Nghi Ho’s name was mentioned three times during the August 30, 2022 board meeting. Once by Trustee Rick Moreno, once by Superintendent Henry David Chambers Jr., and another by me during my patron presentation speech, because Trustee Ho served 5 elected 4-year terms (20 years) here on this Alief school board and also became an Alief ISD TASB master trustee (1998 class).
According to the districts May 31, 2022 response to my May 10, 2022 open records request, the board selected Janet Spurlock over master trustee Nghi Ho to fill Harvey Tongs vacated school board seat without the board using any interview questions, no matrixes, and no scoring rubrics.
I also did an open records request for the applications and resumes submitted by all 5 school board candidates, which further caused me concern as to how and why this school board picked Janet Spurlock over master trustee Nghi Ho on May 10, 2022, to fill Harvey Tongs vacated school board seat, if being a master trustee and longtime Alief school board trustee is such an honor and distinction, and you all allegedly selected Ms. Spurlock without asking a single question, had no matrix, and used no rubric to score candidates over one another.
My biggest concern is that the same group of people on this school board, President Ann Williams, Vice President Darlene Breaux, Secretary Lily Truong, Assistant Secretary Jennifer Key, Master Trustee Rick Moreno, Pastor Gregg Patrick, and Janet Spurlock are now responsible for selecting our next superintendent to run this school district by October of 2022.
Damon Barone, Alief ISD parent taxpayer and alumnus