12-13-2022 Patron Presentation, Damon Barone
Greetings, Damon Barone, Alief ISD parent, taxpayer, and alumnus.
From March 01, 2022 until November 08, 2022 Trustee Lily Pham Truong ran for a Texas House of Representative District 149 position for the second time while sitting on Alief ISD’s school board.
After losing her election on November 08, 2022 to Hubert Vo, Alief Board Trustee Annie Joseph Williams nominated Lily Pham Truong to serve as the Boards Vice President, which you all unanimously voted yes to.
I question how trustees who do not want to serve on this board continue to be lifted into board leadership positions. There is no formalized contingency plan if those who have no desire to be here and quit during the middle of their school board term, or were to become elected to other public positions which they campaigned for while seated on this board.
8 months after signing a 3-year contract (August 24, 2021) for nearly $400,000 per year, Superintendent Henry David Chambers Jr. abruptly announced on April 19, 2022 that he would be retiring on December 31, 2022, from being the district’s superintendent. Four months after his April 19, 2022 announcement, Superintendent Chambers quit on August 31, 2022, in the middle of the 2022-2023 academic school year.
To add fuel to the fire on November 09, 2022 this board voted to hire Anthony T. Mays as Alief ISD’s next Superintendent to replace HD Chambers. I did an open records request on Mr. May’s application and resume, and found out that he does not even possess a superintendent certification yet. Mr. Mays indicated to the school board that he is in the process of earning his superintendent certification.
How is Anthony Mays the best qualified candidate to be Alief ISD’s next Superintendent if he is still working on obtaining his certification? Then to find out from JG Consulting that this board did not require applicants to have a superintendent certification as a minimum qualification.
Was Mr. Mays selected by the board as the lone finalist because he worked at the Harris County Department of Education (HCDE) with School Board President Darlene Breaux, and Board Vice President Lily Truong?
Or maybe Mr. Mays was selected because he is the Vice Chairman of the Texas Alliance of Black School Educators (TABSE) with immediate past Board President Ann Williams and current Board President Darlene Breaux?
I think the public should know who is capable of serving as the districts next superintendent, Alief ISD’s very own Gina Tomas, Kathy Jahn, Charles Woods, and Ava Montgomery who already has her Superintendent certification.
You all talk about growing our own teachers but you insist on importing all of our leadership positions, or cherry-picking leaders who in turn are indebted to owe favors.
Student outcomes here in Alief won’t improve until the adult behaviors of our leadership changes.
Damon Barone, Alief ISD parent, taxpayer, and alumnus.