Cy-Fair's David Anthony
(C) at resort with bar cart
girl (L), AIG vendor Ken
Coffey (R) at 2:30 pm on
Friday, Apr. 20 of TAKS
testing week
Some folks leave office more graciously
than others.

Hard to imagine Texas edu-missioner
Shirley Neeley's release this week of her
inspector general's findings linking her
friend Jimmy Wynn's grant-writing activities
to TEA chief deputy commissioner Robert  
Scott as falling into the "kinder, gentler"
tone she invoked when joining the agency
in 2004.

Here's an excerpt from
TEA's org chart :
H o w   w e   t a k e   b a c k   o u r   c h i l d r e n ' s    e d u c a t i o n  --  o n e   p e r s o n ,  o n e   q u e s t i o n ,   o n e   s c h o o l   a t   a   t i m e .
P E Y T O N   W O L C O T T
Governor Perry:

In light of recent arrests in Pharr-San Juan-
Alamo ISD, and the 16 indictments against

How we take back our children's education:
one person, one question, one school at a time.
FAIR USE NOTICE:
This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.   We are making such material available in our efforts to
advance understanding of education issues vital to a republic.  We believe this constitutes a "fair use" of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law.  In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C., Chapter 1, Section 107 which states:  the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any
other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright,"  the material on
this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.   
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond "fair use" you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
ATTENTION EDUCATORS AND ADMINISTRATORS:
Every attempt possible has been made to verify all sources and information.   In the event you feel an error has been made, please contact us immediately.  Thank you.
Copyright 1999-2007 Peyton Wolcott
TEA's check register:
C o n s e r v a t i v e    C o m m e n t a r y
"Superintendents and school
boards would have to be
willing to be perceived as
being anti-open government
and anti-transparency to turn
down your request that they
post their check registers
online."

KEY POINT:

"Superintendents
and school
boards would
have to be willing
to be perceived
as being
anti-open
government and
anti-transparency
to turn down
your request that
they post their
check registers
online."

--Peyton Wolcott
www.tea.state.tx.us/tea/
CheckRegister.html
http://www.ednews.org
/articles/8244/1/An-Inte
rview-with-Peyton-Wol
cott-quotIs-the-Check-i
n-the-Mail-or-On-Line-
quot/Page1.html
Education
News
Interview
(Michael
Shaughnessy)
February 19, 2007
www.EdNews.org

ONLY 9
EASY STEPS
TO ACCESS DALLAS
ISD'S CHECK REGISTER
ONLINE:

STEP 1
START HERE:
www.dallasisd.org

STEP 2
ON THE LEFT
(GREY BOX
'QUICKLINKS')
CHOOSE:
Board of
Trustees

STEP 3
YOU'LL SEE 2 GREY LINES
OF TYPE; FROM 2nd LINE
CHOOSE:
Meeting
Agendas

STEP 4
SCROLL DOWN; FOR THE
MOST RECENT CHECK
REGISTER
CHOOSE THE MOST
RECENT "BOARD
BRIEFINGS"
------
STEP 5
CHOOSE:
FEB. 8, 2007

STEP 6
FIND
"Briefing Meeting -
February 8, 2007
11:30AM      
STEP 7  
CLICK ON:
"
AGENDA PACKET"

STEP 8
SCROLL DOWN TO
4. FINANCIAL SERVICES
(Business Services
Division)  
b.  Ratification
of List of Bills, Claims and
Accounts for Demember
1, 2006 to December 31,
2006 ($74,044,519.08)

STEP 9
CLICK ON "BillsClaims_
Attachment
"

VOILA!  
YOU'VE JUST ACCESSED
DALLAS ISD'S CHECK
REGISTER IN ONLY 9
--COUNT 'EM, 9--
EASY STEPS!
Fort Bend
Now - Editorial
Feb. 2, 2007
www.fortbendnow.co
m/opinion
Dallas Blog
Feb. 19, 2007
www.dallasblog.com
Houston
Chronicle
Feb. 13, 2007
http://blogs.chron.c
om/insidekaty
Looking for
articles re
online check
registers?
Education
News

www.EdNews.org
Dallas ISD's
check register
online! Houston's
soon!
Feb. 16, 2007
SEEING IS BELIEVING
Katy ISD supe Leonard Merrell's self-named
"Leonard E. Merrell Center" (above) at Katy
ISD bears his name not once but twice,
the only such edifice in the U.S. which a
working supe has named for himself.
Easiest way to
find articles:
Google
"Peyton Wolcott" &  
"check registers"
Almost 200 online as
of Apr. 4, 23, 2007
Not a PR pro?
How to talk to
your local school
board &  supe
about putting
your district's
checks online
By Peyton Wolcott
Copyright 2007
Updated Mar. 28, 2007

Friends, a
light bulb
went off
recently when an
astute friend
remarked,
"You know, most
grassroots
parents and
taxpayers aren't
good at PR."

This comment
took me off guard,
but
do you know
what?  He was
right.

Many of our best
volunteers are
rational people,
engineers and
accountants and
the like, who are
used to an
environment in
which facts reign.  
It takes us a very
long while
to
understand that
our public
schools are
essentially
socialist models
and their engine
and currency is
the realm of
emotions and
people skills.

Further, our
superintendents
attend confer-
ences and
meetings where
they learn how to
develop their PR
skills, and they
hire well-paid PR
guys and gals
who are skilled in
the art of public
relations. This is
the arena into
which we step.

Also, by the time
most of us get to
the point that we
are interested in
seeing how our
district spends its
money, there
have been
precipitating
incidents. As
another friend put
it, "I just wanted
to slug someone
at that board
meeting."  This
man is a
genuinely decent
human being and
the comment
surprised me--
but it's not the
first time I've
heard this from a
parent.

It wasn't always
that way.
Generally we
start out
assuming our
dealings with our
school districts
will be a rational
exercise. Most of
us are volunteers
and in addition to
our taxes give
generously to our
children's
schools. Then
when we spend a
lot of time there,
we notice things.
Years ago I
myself felt sure
that if I showed
my local supe
and board where
money was being
wasted in some
areas and not
adequately
safeguarded in
others that they
would welcome
this information
with open arms
and changes
would be made
on the spot. Hah!
Imagine my
surprise when
they reacted as
though to a
personal attack
when I was just
trying to help.

At this point we
often start
gathering hard
data on our
schools because
we assume--also
incorrectly, as it
turns out--
that "someone"
higher up is
watching out. But
the "someone"
turns out to be
us. We learn that
our local schools
have next to no
real oversight; as
just one example
witness the two
dozen state,
federal and local
governmental
bodies and
elected officials
two moms in
Texas contacted
in their effort to
bring their local
superintendent to
justice.

Besides, to focus
on spread sheets
and flow charts to
take to "someone
in charge" is to
focus on the
wake of the wave
and not the boat
and the pilot.

This is why I have
come to the
conclusion after
years in the
grassroot
trenches that the
best and most
effective single
step we can take
to help our
districts reign in
costs and
improve our
vendor-driven
curriculums in
order to better
educate our kids
is to persuade
our schools to
post their check
registers online.
When we
approach our
districts, we have
found there are
some things we
can do which are
more effective
than others. Like I
tell my kids, go
and make new
mistakes--don't
replicate mine.
To make it easier
for you to
successfully ask
your local district
to put its check
register online,
I've just posted
two new pages;
the
first walks you
through the
process, and the
second is a flyer
you can print as
is, or you can
copy and paste*
the report sec-
tion in the grey
box on the left.
I've done this
successful- ly,
and wouldn't
recommend that
you undertake
something I
haven't already
done myself.  
If I can do it, you
can, too-- and
probably much
better!
Our public
schools are
essentially
socialist
models
and their
engine and
currency
is the realm
of emotions
and people
skills.
Oct. 1, 2006
was the start date of
the National School
District Honor Roll
with four small
school districts in
Texas who'd posted
their check registers
online.
We now have
56 districts either
online or committed--
or where parents
and taxpayers have
begun asking.  
Districts are almost all
saying "yes"
immediately.
Why?
Superintendents and
board members
understand it's better
to be on the
beginning of this
wave than in its
wake.

Looking for
previous
COMMENTARIES
?

Click on
"Archives"
button up on
the tool bar.

CHECK
REGISTER
COMMENTARIES
?

Wondering
who came
online
and when?

Previous
check
register
commentaries
have moved
to:
* Please attribute
and include
copyright.
National School
District Honor Roll
FIRST  &  MOST
COMPLETE  U.S.  LIST
++++++++++++++++
Updated weekly
++++++++++++++++++
47 districts online
$28.3 billion!
Dallas
Morning
News
March 8, 2007
www.peytonwolc
ott.com/CheckRe
gisterNewsThrou
gh031407.html
UNBELIEVABLE BUT TRUE
Austin
American-
Statesman
March 23, 2007
Credit Cards
About
Contact
Former Bremond ISD supe
Technology
Subscribe
THE  BIG PICTURE
Public Records
Pass the Trash
Reader  Questions  &  Answers
SLAPP suit
Plea Bargain
Sentencing
Bremond ISD
Edgewood ISD
Education , Inc.
ERDI
HB 2264
Team of 8
Edu-Monopoly
AZ County Supes
CA County Supe
Home of the National School
District Honor Roll
47 districts   4 states   $28.3 billion
How to ask  your school district to post
its checks online
   Flyer     History
Archives
2006 in Review
Practical steps:    How to Organize    95 Questions    How to ask for public records
Conferences
Modern Minutemen
Origin of the
National School
District Honor Roll
Another day in paradise:  Texas'
hardworking supes golfing with
vendors during TAKS testing week
By Peyton Wolcott
Tue., Apr. 24, 2007/1:04 am
Supes golfing (TAKS week)  1  2  3
_______________
Open letter to Governor Rick
Perry: Please veto HB 2564
Updated Thursday, June 14, 2007/11 a.m.
a former Dallas ISD
associate superin-
tendent and tech
executives, and
given that in many
of our school dist-
ricts recent corrup-
tion unearthed
originated not with
questions from
board members or
governmental
officials but with
public records
requests by parents
and taxpayers, we
the undersigned ask
you to veto HB
2564.  This bill with
its exemptions for
certain classes of
requestors has been
written with the
result that all
requestors of public
records will not be
treated uniformly as
required by the
Texas Public
Information Act.
*
(Signed)

David Escamilla
Nancy & Robert
Gadbois
Donna Garner
Allen Gwinn
Mary McGarr
Peyton Wolcott

++++++++++++++++
* 552.223. UNIFORM
TREATMENT OF
REQUESTS FOR
INFORMATION.  The
officer for public
information or the
officer's agent shall
treat all requests for
information uniformly
without regard to the
position or occupa-
tion of the requestor,
the person on whose
behalf the request is
made, or the status of
the individual as a
member of the media.
Added by Acts 1993,
73rd Leg., ch. 268, §
1, eff. Sept. 1, 1993.  
Amended by Acts
1995, 74th Leg., ch.
1035, § 15, eff. Sept.
1, 1995.
+++++++++++++++
About us:

David Escamilla is
Travis County Attorney.

Nancy and Robert
Gadbois' public records
requests at Bremond
ISD were used by the
special prosecutor in
superintendent Kenny
Johnson's trial; Robert
was elected to the BISD
school board where he
served as president.  
Questions
Former Bremond ISD supe Kenny
Johnson  
(Sheriff Dep't/mug shot)
Former Llano ISD supe/Texas' first Public
Information Act conviction Jack Patton
negotiating settlement with board after trial, after
surrendering certificate
$38,00 missing and
another PTA mom
in trouble--
preventable?  How?
By Peyton Wolcott
Mon., June 4, 2007/1 am
The headlines tell a
too-familiar story:
Julie Ann Carr
Shawnee Mission,
Kansas Elementary PTA
fund raiser chair
o Woman charged with
stealing $17,000 from
PTA
o  Woman who stole
over $20,000 from PTA
"forgets" check to pay it
back
o  Woman Leaves Court
To Cash Check, Never
Returns
o  PTA mom turns
herself in
The first amount
mentioned was in the
$17,000 range; by
week's end it was
$38,000; in many
situations such as this,
record keeping is such
that it takes a while for
those responsible for
oversight to determine
the exact amount.

The solution
It's simple and not at all
glamorous:  tighter
internal controls, starting
with at least two people
counting cash at all fund
raisers and at least two
people both of whom
are awake signing all
checks--unlike
too-trusting officers in
Flushing, New York  
who signed blank
checks for PTA
president Laura AlQaisi,
charged two years ago
with mishandling
$40,000--
$23,000 of it from candy
sales.

Similarly, PTA officers
in League City, Texas
signed blank checks
over to Walter Hall
Elementary PTA
president and treasurer
Monica Tidwell,
eventually charged with
taking $52,000.  Often
those involved are
trusted members of the
community; Tidwell's
husband was a local
city councilman.

But what of Julie Ann
Carr,
the PTA mom/
fund raiser in Shawnee
Mission, Kansas?
Marjorie P. Kaplan,
Shawnee supe
When Julie Ann Carr
finally returned to
court
 Friday with her
cashiers check, the
judge sent her to jail,
"saying that she tried to
'scam the court' and that
her apology for stealing
from the organization fell
short....Carr, 40, will
spend the next 30 days
behind bars after
pleading guilty to stealing
thousands of dollars
from Shawnee’s
Bluejacket-Flint
Elementary PTA.  After
that, she will be on
probation for 11 months
and will face six months
in prison if she violates
terms of the probation."
 
(SOURCE--Laura Bauer/Kansas
City Star)

When an apology isn't
About the apology to the
community which the
judge had found
wanting, judge for
yourself:
Dear BJF [sic]
community:  I want to
apologize that through all
of my efforts, energy,
and excitement to make
our students, teachers,
staff and school a
greater place, and
extend programs to the
children, my inability to
keep accurate records
was not acceptable. I
want all of you to know
our children were, and
will always be, the first
priority in anything I was
asked to do or to help
with. I have learned
through this situation that
being a volunteer is an
important responsibility.  I
believe that not only
have I learned as a
person what to do or not
to do, but our organiza-
tion has created some
finer guidelines for those
of us who want to help
our children and our
school. Please accept
my apology for my
inaccuracies while trying
to help.

Sincerely,
Julie Ann Carr
"Inaccuracies"?  
"Inability to keep
accurate records"?
Julie Ann Carr appears
to not be the only party in
denial.  As almost always
occurs, Shawnee Mis-
sion School District
appears to have also put
its head in the sand; it's
not mentioned among the
20 "Top Shawnee Mis-
sion Stories" nor does
the loss appear in
Bluejacket-
Flint Elementary's web
news.  And as so often
also happens, the supe's
name is not mentioned at
all.
$306,000 missing
in Arizona
When Scottsdale USD
(AZ) employee Janet
Rice, who worked as an
assistant to the district's
attorney and had been
employed in SUSD's risk
management office office
for the past three years,
was arrested Friday for
allegedly embezzling
$306,000 from the
district's school
insurance trust fund to
cover gambling debts,
SUSD supe John Baracy
was available for
comment:  "From
November 15 to this last
check, we found an
elaborate scheme where
she was forging
signatures, doctoring
financial records and
copies of checks and
intercepting bank
statements."
  (SOURCE
--Carol Sowers/Arizona
Republic)
Corrective
actions by Baracy
include "setting up a bank
account that requires
two signatures and a
monthly audit by two
different district officials."
 (Ibid.)
Janet Winkler Rice
Remember Dallas ISD's tech guy Ruben
Bohuchot's use of vendor's"Sir Veza"?  
It's been-- forgive us -- "Rehabbed."
Groups asking
Gov. Perry to
veto HB 2564:

Access Cleburne ISD

Access Comal ISD

ACLU-Texas (NEW)

Americans for Prosperity
- Texas

Community Activists of
The Woodlands

Cy-Fair Citizens

Dallas.org

Greater Edwards Aquifer
Alliance

Houston Property Rights
Association

Katy Citizen Watchdogs

Keller City Limits

Leander Kids First

Lovejoy Parents

MetroCityBeat

Montgomery County
Taxpayer Awareness
Group

Pegasus

Pharr-San Juan-
Alamo ISD/Grupo
PODER ("We Listen &
Respond for Others")

Red Ink Texas

Save Our Springs
Alliance

Southlake-Carroll ISD
Concerned Citizens

Texas Eagle Forum

(The above represents a
representative sampling.)
One of the signatures
being forged
was
Baracy's own.  As Ser-
geant Mark Clark with
the Scottsdale police
department explains it,  
Rice wrote "fake checks
on a school insurance
trust fund, then
depositing them into her
personal bank account.  
She had forged her
boss's signature, which
was circumventing their
internal controls."  
(SOURCE--KTAR-TV)   

Baracy grabbed
headlines
a few years
ago for renaming his
employees' job titles.  His
receptionist became the
district's "Director of
First Impressions."  
Possible monikers for
Rice:   "Forger of
Checks"?  "Betrayer of
the Public Trust?"
If you haven't already:
Please call Gov.
Perry--Sunday is the
last day for Gov. Perry
to veto HB 2564 at
(800) 252-9600;
Chelsea Thornton
(512) 463-2000
Ask Gov. Perry to stay
the course on behalf of
parents and taxpayers
and
veto HB 2564.  
Email Chelsea:
chelsea.thornton@gov
ernor.state.tx.us
"Team of Eight" or "Gang
of Eight"? Pharr-San
Juan-Alamo ISD board
with  supe Arturo
Guajardo (front right)
SCHOOL DISTRICTS
WITH THEIR CHECK
REGISTERS ONLINE:

ILLINOIS:
Carpentersville SD 300*
Elgin U-46*
Huntley CUSD 158*
Naperville CUSD

MINNESOTA
Milaca ISD

TEXAS:
Arlington ISD
Bellville ISD
Big Spring ISD    
Blackwell CISD
Bremond ISD
Center Pt. ISD
Chester ISD
Comal ISD
Conroe ISD*
Cy-Fair ISD*
Dallas ISD
Denison ISD
Ector Co. ISD
Electra ISD  
Grandfalls-Royalty ISD
Hempstead ISD
Holliday ISD
Houston ISD*
Hunt ISD
Katy ISD
Keller ISD*
Kerrvile ISD
Leander ISD
Leonard ISD
Malakoff ISD         
Marble Falls ISD
Meadow ISD  
McKinney ISD
Nederland ISD     
New Caney ISD
Nordheim ISD
No.Forest ISD
Pasadena ISD
Quinlan ISD
Round Rock ISD*
Royce City ISD
San Angelo ISD      
Spring Branch ISD *
Tomball ISD
Van Alstyne ISD
Wharton ISD
Wimberley ISD

COMMITTED/SOON
El Paso ISD (TX)
Galena Park ISD (TX)
Miami-Dade CPS(FL)
Richardson ISD (TX)
Sundown ISD (TX)
Temple ISD (TX)
Ysleta ISD (TX)

STATE DOE ONLINE
Texas Education
Agency

MIDDLE EDU-LAYER
St. Clair County RESA
(MI)

PARENTS,TAXPAYERS
TRUSTEES ASKING:
Cedar Rapids PS (IA)
ChippewaVall.SD(MI)
Cleburne ISD (TX)
Eanes ISD (TX)
Lake Travis ISD (TX)
Lancaster ISD (TX)
Midway-Waco ISD (TX)
New York CPS (NY)
Omaha PS (NB)
Santa Cruz CPS (AZ)

*No check numbers
(Source for 6 districts-
Houston Chronicle)
"Prostitutes,
guns, cash
all parts of
Valley case"
--San Antonio Express-
News headline
By Peyton Wolcott
Wed., June 6, 2007/11 pm
and is also president of the
Donna ISD school board, and
Harlingen insurance agency
owner Arnulfo Olivarez. Mr.
Hernandez was arrested
Tuesday; Mr. Olivarez was
expected to turn himself in,
officials said.

"Mr. Hernandez and Mr.
Olivarez are accused in the
22-count federal indictment of
offering bribes that included
payments of up to $210,000, Las
Vegas trips, guns, prostitutes
and $14,000 worth of tickets to
the NCAA Final Four.

" 'In a nutshell, we had millions
of dollars at the disposal of
trustees,' U.S. Attorney Don
DeGabrielle said. 'The
allegations in this indictment say
that these people who are
entrusted with this obligation
failed miserably.' "

But they were a "Team of
Eight," right?

Wonder if they went fishing
much.
Who is this Rep. Kelly
Hancock who has
attempted HB 2564 on
Texas parents and
taxpayers and why is
he against us--and
where does he work?
By Peyton Wolcott
Thu., June 7, 2007/1 am
Updated Sun., June 10,
2007, 2:08 am
Kelly Hancock
Kelly lists four
companies on his
official House of
Representatives
biography:
"Hancock’s extensive
business enterprises
with Advanced
Chemical Logistics,
Agvantage  Farm and
Ranch, HancockF
Industries and CKC
Trinity Investment has
provided him with a
prolific understand-
ing of issues deal-
ing with agriculture,
real estate, environ-
mental quality and
regulated industry."
UPDATE:  The listing
for "Hancock Indus-
tries, Inc."
in Decatur,
Texas with taxpayer ID
#17515935488 is Kelly
Hancock's family
business.

Although a search for
"ACL" yields 61 results,
none of them appear to
be Kelly's company as I
was unable to find his
name listed under
officers and directors
for any of the 61; it's
possible I made a
mistake.

When I contacted
Kelly's office at the
Lege this afternoon to
learn more, including the
name of Kelly's current
company--and under
what name might it be
found at the Comptroller
and Secretary of
State--an aide
responded that they "do
not maintain those
records."

Huh?   Where might
they be maintained?

Disappointing given that
Rep. Hancock is the
fellow who has
attempted to curtail
parents' and taxpayers'
ability to access public
records at their school
districts with the writing
of HB 2564.
Business Name
Advanced Chemical
Logistics was not
found.

Business Name
Agvantage Farm and
Ranch was not found.

Business Name CKC
Industries was not
found.
Curious about the
companies that could
give a person a
"prolific" understanding
of any issues, I
searched the
Comptroller's online
information bank and
found the following
information for the
businesses listed
above:
The headlines on the front
page of my local paper this
morning more closely
resembled a supermarket
tabloid than an account of
recent events in a Rio
Grande Valley public
school district in which
officials were exhibiting
displays of fiduciary duty of
care.

Here's an excerpt:
PHARR-SAN
JUAN-
ALAMO ISD
SCHOOL
BOARD
MEMBERS
(ABOVE LEFT)

Mr. Ben Garza
Jr., President

Mr. Pete Garcia,
Vice-President

Mr. Raul "Roy"
Navarro,
Secretary-Treasurer

Mr. J. Fernando
Lopez, Assistant
Secretary-Treasurer

Mrs. Vangie
Garcia-De Leon,
Member

Mr. Reymundo
Gonzalez, Member

Mr. Roy
Rodriguez, Member
IN A LIGHTER VEIN
Kindergarten
teacher survives
the attacks of the
Momzillas!
By Peyton Wolcott
Fri., June 8, 2007/10 am
Scenario: Presentation of year-
end gift to teacher, Mrs. O.
Locale:  Upscale suburban
Texas school district
Date:  Last week
It was the third email
forwarded from a
"Concerned Parent" over
the presentation of a
sterling silver charm
bracelet, one from each
child in the class, to their
kindergarten teacher that
grabbed my eye.

Here's the series of
escalating emails
between Momzillas Room
Chair JulieLee and Room
Vice Chair Shea:
Hats off to Mrs. O.
and all other teachers for
surviving such end-
of-year storms  as this
one, and here's hoping
they enjoy their long
summer vacations.

And here's hoping they
all enjoy their
end-of-year gifts.
From:  JulieLee
To:  Mrs. O.
cc:  All Kinder Parents
Thurs., 5:09 pm

Mrs. O.,

If you could please assist in this
awkward situation
tomorrow......by refraining
from making any pronouncement
about Jason Gould's party....or
having the kids...talking about
it....same for all the kinder
parents.....wehave not told Little
BillLee ......that his own
kindergarten graduation party
and teacher gift presentation
have been deliberately taken
over by people who have taken
this whole thing holy out of all
due portion....despite all the
work we've done on this as a
family.....my mom gave us a
discount.....so it's three
generations of  our family in on
this.... giving Mrs. O. her gift at a
pool party is not the same thing
as giving it to her at
graduation....where ALL of the
children can participate.

Thank you.

JulieLee & Family
From: Shea
To:  JulieLee
Cc:  Party Committee
Wed 07:34 PM

Subject: End of school gift

Heads up, y'all!  JulieLee's out
of town -- what a shame she had
to be gone during this
all-important week in our kids'
lives -- which is why she hasn't
participated in our dialogue this
past week regarding the
presentation of Mrs. O's gift at
our pool party for the entire
class here at our house in
Gated Entry Estates on Friday
afternoon right after the
graduation ceremony at school.  
Our committee made the right
decision.

Thanks,
Shea
From: Superintendent BillLee
Fitzmorton, Ed.D.
cc:  Mrs. O., all K parents
Friday, 8:36 AM

Dear Parents and Students,

You are all cordially invited to
attend our kindergarten
graduation this afternoon at
2:00 pm in the Cafetorium.  This
will be the only school-
sanctioned event.  All
kindergarten-related activities
should be conducted at this
event.  I personally will attend to
see some of my wife's
handiwork.  Many thanks to my
daughter, JulieLee, for
coordinating all of this in such a
fine manner of which I am sure
we can all be proud
indeed....and to watch my
grandson walk across the stage
in cap and gown.

For our children,
Dr. Bill Lee
From JulieLee
To:  Party Committee
cc:  Shea
Thurs  11:13 AM

Hiya, everybody.....we just picked
up Mrs. O's gift from my mom's
store and little BillLee and I are
bringing it to graduation
tomorow.....so all our kiddoes
can be part of the presentation
to Mrs. O.....
please know that we 100%
respect the fact that this is a
present from the children to Mrs.
O........and they ALL should be
able to celebrate....
I will take a picture of her with
our gift......so you can all see how
great it turned out.....
My mom's store did such an
awesome job......Shea, sorry, we
will not be able to attend your
pool party....
we have a previous engagement.

JulieLee
From:  Shea
To:  Party Committee
cc:  Mrs. O.
Thurs. 1:19 pm

JulieLee, we've already planned
the pool party and Mrs. O. has
agreed to come even though it's
"after school".  The whole class is
invited as per ISD rules.  Joe
Montana* will be here to talk ball
with the boys and we have a
manicurist lined up for the girls
plus Michael Buble* for the
parents in the gazebo with wine
spritzers.

Please wait and bring the
*SURPRISE* to the pool party.  
Repeat, do not bring the
*SURPRISE* to school to the
graduation party.

Thks a bunch!
Shea and Michael Gould
More about Kelly
Hancock, HB 2564
author
By Peyton Wolcott
Mon., June 11, 2007/1am
"I am Vice President of
Advanced Chemical Logis-
tics, a wholesale chemical
distribution compay
[sic] as
you were told....The other
companies you located are
owned by my family and I
maintain a percentage of the
companies but recieve
[sic]
no compensation from any
of the other companies."
From Kelly himself
comes this account of
his business
activities:
A closer look at
Kelly Hancock's busi-
ness relationships
according to public
records on file at the
Secretary of State:
Advanced Chemical
Logistics;
as a Texas
limited partnership they are
not required to pay
franchise tax.  Formed
April 7, 2004.  Has one
one general partner:  
Trinitity Logistics LLC.   
Trinity Logistics, LLC,
also formed on April 7,
2004, has two managing
members:  Kelly Hancock
and Cary Hancock (Kelly's
brother).  Registered Agent
is Kelly Hancock.
Kelly Hancock is
involved in several
other companies:
CKC Trinity Investments,
LLC
was formed in 2005
and is still in existence.
There are three members:  
Kelly Hancock (also the
registered agent), Cary
Hancock and Cory Priest of
Moody, Texas.
Curious about
Kelly Hancock's
business partner
Cory Priest?  Me, too.

As it turns out, the  
same year Kelly and
Cory joined forces in
creating CKC Trinity
Investments, Cory
also made a $750
donation to Kelly's
campaign; according
to records at the
Texas Ethics
Commission, Cory's
occupation in Moody
was listed as
"rancher" and his
employer as "Self."

Another
contributor
just
above Cory's entry
catches my eye, L.C.
Tubb, Jr., who made
a $500 donation to
Kelly; his occupation
at MICA Corp. is
"Executive/Self."  
According to Tarrant
Central Appraisal
District, L.C. also
lives in North
Richland Hills and
his home is valued in
the $800,000+ range.

But what about
MICA Corp.?
According to MICA's
website, the corporation is
"the premier Texas
specialty contractor in
highway signing, lighting
and ITS (Intelligent Traffic
Systems). MICA also
installs cellular telephone
tower sites and performs
much of the related work of
these sites."
Gee, that seems
mighty handy, for
someone whose
business is highway
signs to contribute to
a politician.  

And what about
MICA's coporate
structure?  What
does the Comptroller
have to say?  
According to Susan
Combs, MICA Corp.
"is not in good
standing as it has
not satisfied all state
tax requirements."  
Oops.  You'd think
with an $800,000+
house . . . .
MICA's registered agent is
L.C. Tubb, Jr.; the
corporate charter is dated
1962.
And isn't this handy:  
Kelly's brother Cary
founded Carriage
Communications,
Ltd., Limited Liability
Company, on Jan.
31, 2006.   "Carriage
communications" is
the formal name for
the service your
land-line phone
company provides.  
Golly, wonder what
kind of governmental
regulations an outfit
like that might
encounter.
Cary Hancock has
reserved another
business name,
"Hancock Securities
& Investment, LLC,"
as of just last week,
on June 7, 2007.  The
LLC paperwork has
not been filed yet.
Trinity Logistics, LLC has
two managing members:  
Kelly Hancock (also
registered agent) and Cary
Hancock.
CKC Trinity
Investments, LLC
is
not to be confused
with the brothers'
other company,
Trinity Logistcs, LLC:
UPDATE/June 10,
2007:
 According to
an email from Kelly
Hancock, he was
reimbursed about
$100 per year for the
13 years he served
on Birdville's board.  
"A superintendent for a Rio Grande Valley school
district, several board members and others have been
charged in connection with a scheme to steer lucrative
contracts to certain firms in exchange for more than
$600,000 worth of bribes, federal officials said Tuesday.

"Charged with extortion and conspiracy were
Arturo Guajardo, superintendent
of the Pharr-San
Juan-Alamo Independent School District, and school
board members Raul Navarro, Evangelina De Leon and
Rogelio Rodriguez.

"Ricardo De Leon, Mrs. De Leon's husband, was
charged with conspiracy as were two businessmen:
George Hernandez, who owns a contracting business
Pharr-San
Juan-Alamo ISD
supe indicted with
his board members
By Peyton Wolcott      
Mon., June 11,
2007/2:26 am
INDICTED:  Rogelio
"Roy" Rodriguez, Raul
"Roy" Navarro, Arturo
Guajardo, Evangelina
"Vangie" de Leon;
Richard de Leon,
George Alonzo
Bernandez, and Arnulfo
"Arnie" Olivarez."
Parole denied 05/31/07;
courts used parents'
public records
Pharr-San Juan-
Alamo ISD
supe Arturo
Guajardo
indicted May
22, 2007;
whistleblower
group did
public records
searches then
talked to FBI,
indictments
Parents' and taxpayers' public
records searches led to these 3
supes being brought to justice
For a quick tour of conditions in
PSJA ISD,
local newspaper The
Monitor has prepared a graphic
display:
http://multimedia.themonitor.com/m
ultimedia/media/060607poster.pdf
ERDI CONSULTANTS/
SUPES IN THE NEWS
Carlos Garcia,  
Joe Wise, Arlene
Ackerma
n
By Peyton Wolcott
Wed., June 13, 2007/1 am
Those ERDI
consultants
can't seem
to stay out
of the news.
First it was
Arlene "the
Joe Wise
children come first"
Ackerman
suing her
former employer
(second time she's
done so) San
Francisco USD for
$172,000; seems the
$45,000 Diners Club
tab and $375,000
golden parachute
weren't enough--on
top of her salary and
living allowance.
Joe Wise gets a
demerit in Florida
Based on Tia Mitchell's
report that Duval
County Schools supe
Joseph Wise has
missed over 70 days
of school in the 18
months he has been
superintendent, the
Florida Times-Union
awards Wise a
demerit, noting that,
"We arrest parents
whose kids miss over
a certain number of
days."  Wondering if
those 70 days missed
were actual vacation
days.
Carlos Garcia (far right) on
AASA party boat 2005
Now comes word
from San Francis-
co that Carlos
Garcia
is their lone
finalist to replace
Arlene Ackerman.

Gee, last time I saw
Carlos he was
running away from my
microphone at the
ERDI conference at
the Hyatt Hill Country
Resort in San Antonio
two years ago--and
the questions I was
trying to ask him about
his consulting for
ERDI; this was the
same week he
hopped on a party
boat (photo above) to
tour the San Antonio
River.  

Interesting, Carlos'
consulting for ERDI.  
McGraw-Hill is an ERDI
vendor, and shortly after
the AASA/
ERDI conference Carlos
left his post at the helm
of Las Vegas schools
(Clark County, Nevada)
to take a job with
McGraw-Hill.
San Francisco
edu-bloggers
are busy
fielding comments from
Las Vegas parents such
as this:  
"You need to be very
aware of the poor
performance of Mr
Garcia during his tenure.
He left the district on
shambles, really I’m not
exaggerating. He hired
many of hes cronies to
high positions on the
district and now we
have many problems
because they are like mr.
garcia, very incompe-
tents and with no care
about education…why
the people from san
francisco didn’t met with
the parents of las vegas
....I can’t afford to travel
to san francisco to show
proofs of what I’m talking
about, but I know there
may be somebody who
really care and make the
parents of clark county
be heard…!!!  I’m really
sorry about my english…"
More here:
http://leftinsf.com/blog/index.p
hp/archives/1955
Llano ISD's
Jack Patton
(above)
became Texas'
1st Public
Information
conviction
Regarding
how then-
Llano ISD
superinten-
dent
Andrew
Jackson "Jack"
Patton was
brought to justice,
parents and
tapayers filed
150+ public
records requests
in their effort to
bring Jack Patton
to justice, as
verified by the
Comptroller in the
TSPR audit
findings; since
TSPR has been
moved to the LBB,
TSPR audits
appear to have
disappeared.  
Perhaps you can
find Llano's:
www.lbb.state.tx.us
(Left) Bruceville-Eddy ISD's
"Danny the Peeper" Doyen;
Bryan Neal (Como-Picton ISD)
5 Texas supes
"in the news"
Did Texas state representatives really vote for
HB 2564?  How do we know for sure?
By Peyton Wolcott - Thursday., June 14, 2007/4:33 p.m.
Section 47. Voting for
Another Member
Any
member found guilty by the
house of knowingly voting
for another member on the
voting machine
shall be
subject to discipline

deemed appropriate by the
house.

EXPLANATORY
NOTES:
 A possible
serious consequence of
permitting this practice would
be a vote recorded for or
against some important
question contrary to the
intent of the absent member.
Such a vote might not be
detected until after the
permanent journal is
published, when it would be
too late to make correction.
Hats off to alert-
eyed KEYE-TV in
Austin for airing this
footage at right
(click on photo to
view footage)
of
Texas representa-
tives violating their
own rule
(below
right in greybar)

against voting for
another member.  

In this captured image
one of the representa-
tives is Kelly Hancock,
author of HB 2564
--which gives rise to
myriad questions,
including which
representatives really
voted for his anti-
sunshine legislation?  
As you will recall this
bill was apparently
targeted at the parents
and taxpayers whose
public records
requests helped bring
at least three of the
five public school
superintendents
above right to justice.
Kelly Hancock (left) voting
for Tommy Merritt (inset)
In fact, how do we  
really know who voted
for any other bills?  
More below
(see
bluebar below).
The following
questions were
asked of Rep.
Hancock today
(June 14, 2007):

Could you please verify
whether you did or did not
vote to approve the
"Rules and Precedents of
the Texas House, 80th
Legislature - 2007"?

Could you please explain
why a CBS affiliate
broadcast visual footage of
your not complying with
Rule 47 which states:
"Section 47. Voting for
Another Member - Any
member found guilty by the
house of knowingly voting
for another member on the
voting machine shall be
subject to discipline deemed
appropriate by the house...."
Donna Garner was presidential appointee to the
National Commission on Migrant Education, and
writer, Texas Alternative Document.

Allen Gwinn founded www.dallas.org on which he
posted a year's worth of Dallas ISD credit card
receipts leading to the district's eventual abandonment
of the cards after $71.5 million, largely unsurpervised,
was spent in three years.

Mary McGarr, longtime Katy ISD volunteer, served
on the KISD school board 1991-96.

Peyton Wolcott founded PEAK$ in two school districts,
Texans for Education Accountability and the National
School District Honor Roll.
READ
HB 2564
HERE
Happy
Father's
Day     







Dear Dads,

Here's wishing you a
special day today.  
I am so grateful for
the wonderful men
I've been
blessed to get to
know through this
grassroots school
reform movement.  
Here's wishing you a
few minutes this
afternoon in the
backyard hammock
to rest and watch the
sky and listen to the
birds and enjoy the
spring greenery; I
don't know how
most of you keep
the schedules you
do.  Here's wishing
you continued
strength and courage
and laughter.  Here's
expressing gratitude
for my own dad, a
remarkable man who
taught me that
curves were safer if
you took them fast,
who showed me how
big this wonderful
world is, and who
had a work ethic
second to none. And
gratitude for my
husband and
son-in-law, both
remarkable and
unique and who
serve as inspirations
to all. Go find that
hammock, guys!
Blessings --
Peyton  
Typo in HB 2564 summary as it
appears on Perry's signed bill list
By Peyton Wolcott
Sunday, June 17, 2007/9:37 pm
This anti-sunshine legislation, targeted
at grassroots moms and dads and
taxpayers seeking to hold their local
school districts accountable, has shown
up on the governor's signed list, but there
appears to be a typographical error.  

See if you can spot it:
Relating to the authority of a governmental  body to
require the
payment of a charge before complying
with certain requests for the production of public
information or for copies of public information.
Did you find the typo?

"Payment of a charge" should have read,
"payment of astronomical and
discriminatory charges which school
districts will now be able to use in order
to attempt to deter parents and taxpayers
from asking too many questions they
don't want to answer."  

Maybe the truth was too long.  

But then isn't the truth often inconvenient
for school districts when we start asking
questions they don't want to answer?
Two words for DA's tempted to allow
politics to cloud prosecutions:
M-I-K-E   N-I-F-O-N-G
By Peyton Wolcott - Monday, June 18, 2007/12:44 am
Parents and taxpayers have
experi- enced a familiar problem
when approaching their district
attorneys with their school
district findings:  DA's have too
often passed in favor of easier
and more politically viable
prosecutions of meth kitchens
and the like.
Mike Nifong
Meaning political considerations have too often
played too great a role in DAs' decisions
regarding what to prosecute.

Among the charges against Nifong in his
disbarment proceeding last week:  "systematic
abuse of prosecutorial discretion."  
RANDOM NOTES
By Peyton Wolcott
Monday, June 18, 2007/2:03 am
Regarding Nifong's political motives:
At the time he was facing a primary, and yes, he was
politically naive. But we can draw no other conclusion
that those initial statements he made were to further
his political ambitions.  
--F. Lane Williamson, disciplinary committee chairman
As KC Johnson of
Durham-in-Wonderland
puts it, "Failure by public
officials and the bar
association to hold Nifong
accountable for his
improper legal and ethical
conduct has enabled him
to subvert groups that
citizens count on to
advocate for fairness and
justice."
Exonerated Duke
lacrosse player
Reade Seligmann

(PHOTO--AP)
Christine Scarlett (top,
with student Steven
Bradigan, below in
court)
(PHOTO--AP)
"Win a date with me
at DQ" special
education teacher
Christine Scarlett,
who pleaded guilty last
month to five felony
charges and was
sentenced to three
days' probation, no
longer teaches;
Strongsville, Ohio
supe James Gray,
who pled ignorance of
the situation involving
Scarlett and student
Steven Bradigan, still
lives in Akron, almost
an hour away.  Question:  If you don't
even live in the same community as your
schools, how are you going to hear
anything?
Was Rudy Crew ever
really, seriously, in the
running for the DC top
post?
Mayor Adrian Fenty said he
"was seeking someone who
had not already been a
superintendent with a long history inside
a district.  Too many 'career superinten-
dents' move from job to job, staying only
a few years at each stop."  
(SOURCE--
Washington Post)   
Another factor?  Michelle Rhee, Fenty's
pick to replace Clifford Janey, was happy
with $250,000 per year; Crew reportedly
wanted $1 mil.
Rudy Crew
(PHOTO--
Scholastic)
Going, going--almost gone!
By Peyton Wolcott  -   Tuesday, June 19, 2007/1:08 pm
Six words for DA's and other elected officials
who allow politics to cloud their decisions involving
schools or who disobey rules:  "Here's your
hat--what's your hurry?"   And speaking of hats,
hats off to Judge Hudson.
Mike Nifong will apparently not be allowed to go
gently into any sweet nights available to him.  
private lawyer to push ahead with a removal petition
claiming Nifong brings disrepute to his office."
 
(SOURCE--Anne Blythe and Joseph Neff/The News-Observer)
Durham
County DA
Mike Nifong
Cleburne ISD trustee
resigns two days
after swearing-in
By Peyton Wolcott - Updated
Wed., June 20, 2007/7:30 am
(L) Robert Damron;
Brad Allen
Last time we talked about Cleburne ISD,
they were in the news because school board
members and supe Robert Damron had spent
$908.61 of taxpayers' money on a steak dinner
while at the TASB Summer Leadership Institute
in San Antonio; more here:
www.peytonwolcott.com/CleburneISD.html
In a surprise move, "the county's
top judge plans to suspend Durham
District Attorney Mike Nifong today
after learning that the prosecutor,
soon to be stripped of his law license,
intended to hang around until July 13.
Judge Orlando Hudson said Monday
night that he will appoint a
Food for thought
By Peyton Wolcott
Tues., June 19, 2007/8:11 pm
From Colorado comes an
idea for FOIA requests:
Take a closer look at, as is
Denver District Attorney
Mitchell Morrissey, your
edu-executives'
travel expenses.  Make
sure they really went
where you paid for them to
go.
Donald Stevens asked his school to pay
for him to go to a five-day conference; turns
out, he only attended one day and traveled
the other four.   More
here.  (SOURCE--Howard
Pankratz/The Denver Post)
Developing . . . .
The May 22 indict-
ments cite district-
funded interstate
travel for board mem-
bers and administra-
tors, federal funding
for transportation,
education and nutri-
tion, and construction
bonds.   NOTE:  
Arturo Guajardo's
most recently
reported base salary
was $188,977 and
his FTE salary for the
same period was  
$324,201.
Former San Diego schools
chief administrative officer
pleads guiltyto stealing--from
elderly cancer patient
By Peyton Wolcott       
Wednesday, June 20, 2007/3:07 am
Henry Hurley in 2001 (PHOTO/NBC)
decades for assistance with her affairs, even
giving him power of attorney.  Hurley pleaded
guilty Monday--after initially denying all
charges--of grand theft and willful cruelty to a
dependant adult.  He also agreed to make
restitution of $10,441 to Mildred Catlin.  

"In exchange for the plea and restitu-
tion, the charge is to be reduced at sentencing
to a misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of
one year in jail. If he fails to follow through with
restitution, the felony charge would be
reinstated."
 (SOURCE--Helen Gao/San Diego
Union-Tribune)

Credit cards, travel, missing jewelry
"According to police, Hurley allegedly used his
power of attorney privileges to use Catlin's
credit cards, write checks to himself, travel and
even talked her into moving $70,000 into an
account he had access to.  Police also said
more than $12,000 in jewelry that Catlin gave to
Hurley to put into a safe deposit box is missing."
 
(SOURCE--NBC)

Video here

Developing . . . .
Somehow, that Mildred Catlin had been
Henry Hurley's secretary when they worked
together at San Diego City Schools--he was a
30-year employee when he retired in 2002--
makes the implausible even more so.

It would make sense that when she was faced
with another bout with cancer--the San Diego
Union-Tribune described her condition as
"gravely ill" --she would turn to her trusted
colleague and boss for the better part of three
Houston's KTRK-
ABC questions
House Public Ed
chair Rob Eissler re
anti-sunshine
legislation
By Peyton Wolcott
Sat.,June 23, 2007/9 am
Rob Eissler (PHOTO/KTRK)
Turns out HB 2564
wasn't Rob's only
anti-parent and only
anti-sunshine
legislation passed
this last Lege.
In apparent
response
to KTRK's
posting public
records last month
regarding Houston-
area teachers' and
administrators' often-
embarrassing
attempts to pass
certification tests,
Eissler succeeded in
passing legislation
this last session
removing parents'
and taxpayers' ability
to look at certification
test scores.   
His rationale?
Doctors' and lawyers'
test scores aren't
public. Where
his rationale fails:  
Where lawyers only
get five tries and
doctors three, edu-
cators apparently can
try unlimited times.  
As with HB 2564,
which he took to Kelly
Hancock, Rob
admitted on camera
that he had not talked
with any parents or
taxpayers, but
instead with the
special interest
groups that wanted it.
 Oops.
Texas edu-missioner
quits (finally)
By Peyton Wolcott
Sun., June 24, 2007/11 pm
Shirley Neeley
(PHOTO/Susan Bushart)
How (bad) are things in Texas
public education?
Come, let us count the FBI and DOJ
investigations:  Dallas.  The El Paso area.  The
Rio Grande Valley.  All public public
school-related entities (remember ESC 4's
"Stilton at the Hilton")  in the Houston area;
just last week Terry Abbott at HISD confirmed:
Let's face it,
Shirley got off to a bad
start with parents and
tapayers.

First it was this quote
to a group of supes in
Kilgore three years
ago:  
"Governance
violations in school
districts by
micromanaging school
board members are a
runaway train that
needs to be braked."
About the same
time,
quite by acci-
dent, I discovered that
Shirley Jane  
Williamson Roberts
Neeley (names
suggested by staff)
Caving in on
Caveon
Then, two years ago,
when Caveon, the
firm hired to find
cheats on TAKS
tests, found cheats
on TAKS tests in 700
schools, our girl Shirl
decided we couldn't
possibly have TAKS
cheating in our
schools--and promptly
invited the suspect
schools to
self-investigate.
Neeley with most often
named replacement,
deputy commissioner
Robert Scott
You're Gov.
Perry for a day:
Your pick for
Texas' next edu-
missioner is ____
?
By Peyton Wolcott
Monday, June 25/1:08 am

You've got one basic
decision; on it every-
thing else hinges:
North Carolina high school coach marries
student
By Peyton Wolcott
Sun., June 25, 2007/9 pm
Are you really ready to do something about the
mess our current vendor-driven public school
system has become, or are you going to
appoint someone from the same old tarnished
Education, Inc. gene pool we've been culling
from for the past dozen years?
   As guv-for-a-day, the person you hire will
either continue to plunge Texas public
education deeper into the subjective
touchy-feely  fuzzy math whole-language
abyss in which it's become mired -- the one
which has already produced a generation of
young adults who can't tell you what six times
nine is without a calculator and who don't
know where Alsace-Lorraine is and why
knowing that's important to the future of our
Southern border with Mexico -- or you'll find a
way to appease business interests and still
put someone in charge who is smart and
savvy enough to make the changes that are
necessary.

The nominees
The names most frequently presented this
past week:  Robert Scott, Sandy Kress, Bill
Hammond, Ric Williamson, Kent Grusendorf,
Talmadge Heflin, John Folks, David Anthony,
Leonard Merrell and Mike Hinojosa.
Meet Mr. and Mrs. Brent Wuchea, folks.   
They just got married.  He'll probably be her
date at her junior prom next year--the only
40-year old there other than the chaperones.

He was her coach until he resigned when
they married; she was a track star.
for many diverse reasons--including being a paid
education lobbyist--one of the biggest practical if
not political strikes against Kress is the fact that his
son does not attend Austin ISD public schools but
instead attends a private preparatory school in
Austin.  Somehow it doesn't seem quite cricket that
a fellow who's made a fortune from public
education would be sending his child to a private
school--especially if he really
believes, as again
and again he says does.

Is Kress tied to growing
New Orleans PS scandal?
Former NOPS board president Ellenese
Brooks-Simms pleaded guilty to bribery charges
earlier this week and "has agreed to cooperate
fully with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's office....
The plea by Brooks-Simms marks the zenith thus
far of a five-year federal probe into Orleans Parish
schools that has netted 28 additional indictments of
employees and contractors on various bribery,
fraud and theft charges....Records show the
company has paid lucrative fees to lobbying
juggernauts including...Akin Gump."
(SOURCE--New
Orleans Times-Picayune)
 Sandy Kress is a partner in
Akin Gump.  

For those of you just back from ten years
Zimbabwe, Kress is also a former Dallas ISD
school board trustee and was the education
advisor to President Bush credited as being the
primary architect of No Child Left Behind.

Among the groups with which he's been
associated:  Texas Business & Education Coalition
on whose board he serves with the likes of Mike
Moses, Bracewell partner David Thompson and
TASA's Kay Waggoner.  

According to Texas Ethics Commission records,
for just one activity--as paid lobbyist for Texans
for Excellence in the Classroom--
Kress expects his annual compensation to be in
the neighborhood of $100,000 to $149,999.99.
Sandy Kress
(2nd from left)
Education, Inc.
candidates
Business sector

Although Sandy Kress
epitomizes for many parents
and taxpayers what's wrong
with our public schools today
The blogospher on Kress
I still consider it one of life's great mysteries as
to how anyone who listens to Kress for as long
as it takes to spell c-o-r-r-u-p-t-i-o-n could be
impressed by anything he has to say about any
legitimate conception of education.
 (SOURCE--
School Matters)

Kress has used his knowledge and connections
to earn millions as a high-powered lobbyist for
test publishers...He’s made about $4 million in
lobbying contracts, in large part from companies
that profit from provisions of the law he helped
to design.
 (SOURCE--Emily Pyle/Texas Observer)

[Regarding NCLB/Reading First] Surely from the
beginning, from the crafty engineering and
writing of the law to its implementation, cronyism
and conflicts of intereset have abounded. Who
has benefited from this regressive and
oppressive law? The financial benefit to Sandy
Kress alone is probably staggering.
(SOURCE--
Educator Roundtable)

Thanks to Sandy Kress, several brand-new
spigots had begun to pump billions in federal
dollars out of public schools and into the private
sector, where corporate interests had only to
hold out their buckets and fill ‘em up.
 (SOURCE--
Daily Kos)  
Bill Hammond is another
business lobbyist--he's
president of the Texas
Association of Business--
and someone else many
parents and taxpayers
would like to see kept as far
away from public education
as legally possible.
Bill Hammond
To make this easier for you,
guv-for-a-day,
assuming you're short on
time, here's the short-form EZ graphics
version; the longer form with factual
supporting data follows:
Sandy Kress, Bill Hammond, Ric
Williamson and Kent "Pushing Laptops Is
My Middle Name" Grusendorf
are profiled at
right.

Austin insiders say Cy-Fair's David Anthony
has never really been in the running and that
his and San Antonio's John Folk's and
Dallas' Hinojosa candidacies may be more
a function of contract negotiations with their
boards; you see the idea.

Does Texas really need an education
commissioner who would leave his teachers
and students behind back in his hometown
to play golf at a resort on Friday of TAKS
testing week with an insurance vendor
(below)?  Or a paid lobbyist with deep and
rich connections to education vendors?  
That's what we'd get with David Anthony or
Sandy Kress.
Sandy Kress,
Bill Hammond,  
Ric Williamson, John
Folks, David Anthony,
Leonard Merrell and
Mike Hinojosa.
x
The blogosphere on Hammond
BRIEF: The head of one of Texas' largest
business lobbies was taken into custody
Monday after refusing to turn over documents
concerning the organization's secretly-funded
advertising campaign during the 2002 legislative
races.  Texas Association of Business
President Bill Hammond also decided not to pay
his $500 fine for contempt and was ordered
held in the Austin jury room until 5 p.m. when the
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals set bail at
$1,500 and he was released.
(SOURCE--KPFT)

Leave it to Shirley Neeley and her ventriloquists
in the governor's office to appoint a "task force"
of political insiders to investigate cheating on the
TAKS test. All five of the appointees are
connected to the Texas Public Education
Establishment....The five are Dr. Carole Francois,
education consultant; Bill Hammond, chief of the
Texas Association of Business; Sylvia Hatton,
former executive director of the TEA's regional
education service center in Edinburg; George
McShan, former president of the state and
national associations of school boards; and A.J.
Rodriguez, head of the San Antonio Chamber of
Commerce.  Some might remember Dr. Francois
from days when she was former Dallas ISD
Supt. Mike Moses' chief of staff. She also
worked for Moses at TEA.
(SOURCE--Scott
Parks/Dallas Morning News Blog)
Kent Grusendorf
The former House Public Education chair was
defeated for a variety of reasons last year
including his relentless pushing of taxpayer-
funded laptops for all students.  Putting
someone so out of touch with the populace,
including teachers, in charge of TEA seems not
wise.  Further, he was unseated by Diane
Patrick, a former teacher and considered a
friend of public schools.
Texas Senate Education chair Florence
Shapiro on Sandy Kress:
"When it comes to public schools and the
betterment of children, I don't know of anyone
who cares more about that than Sandy Kress.  
Ms. Shapiro said she sees Mr. Kress as a
friend, not one of the estimated 300 Austin
lawyer-
lobbyists who represent clients interested in
public education law. ' I have no idea who his
clients are,' she said."

Comment:  Apparently Mr. Kress' interest in
public schools and the betterment of children
does not extend to his own son, given that his
son attends a private prep school.
Other areas coming to the fore
Regarding rampant spending inefficiencies in
our schools, Gov. Perry  tried to do something
really good two years ago with Executive
Order RP47 which would have forced schools
to spend 65% of their money in the
classroom--except  that Shirley, true to her
supe roots, diluted the formula.

There a general perception that corruption of
all kinds--money and curriculum both--is
occurring at all levels in our schools; you've
read newspaper reports and commentaries on
this site and others.  We have children who
cannot multiply and divide without calculators
and worse if there's a worse we have too
many kids who cannot read.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, years/ decades
of state-abetted fudging on dropout rates is
beyond the place where it can any longer be
ignored.  In fact,
all of the problems created
by our allowing education to be vendor-driven
can no longer be ignored.  

As with requiring TEA to post its check
register online, Gov. Perry has already proven
himself capable of making timely, courageous
and bold moves.
Several HISD employees have voluntarily
met with Justice Department officials to
provide information in relation to documents
that were subpoenaed months ago in
connection with the Dallas ISD investigation.
The word  from
palace insiders is that
Shirley's problem
boiled down to her not
knowing her place.

How she could have
missed knowing is a
puzzle; all you had to
do was look at TEA's
organization chart to
figure out that all
Texas eduroads led to
deputy commissioner
Robert Scott; besides,
he earned more
money.  Her job was
to placate the supes,
not to really run things.
hadn't yet gotten around to changing her name
on her paperwork at the State Board for
Educator Certification, awkward given that
Shirley oversees this division--raising questions
of "Do as I say, not as I do."
High school in
Brunswick where the
happy couple met
Bride Shirley
Neeley, groom Bill
CLEARING UP A
MYSTERY:
In her
June 20 resignation
letter Shirley refers
to her new husband
only as "Bill," a
school architect.  
Bill M. Richardson
is head of the public
education division
of BLGY Architects
in Austin.
QUESTIONS FOR SHIRLEY
WILLIAMSON ROBERTS
NEELEY RICHARDSON:

1.  It appears that your
financial gifts to public
school education
foundations are tied to your
husband's work, as with
the examples of Manor ISD
and Leander ISD. Can you
please name at least ten
other public school
education foundations to
which you have contributed
within the past four years to
which BLGY has no ties
including submitted RFP's
and other bid proposals?

2.  Similarly, it appears that
you have been especially
active at school districts in
which your husband has a
work history such as
attending the Eanes ISD
foundation "Gala" above.  
COMMENTARY   
Call some of us populists,
call us egalitarian, but
seems to many folks that
anyone wanting to head up
Texas' public schools
should at the very least
have his son enrolled in
one.  

It is troubling that the man
who has been a part of
selling so much stuff to our
public schools finds our
public schools sufficiently
lacking that he has
enrolled his son in a
private school.

A nagging question:
If Sandy finds our public
schools sufficiently lacking
that he will not send his
son to one, does this
mean the stuff we are
buying from his clients the
school peddlers is not
working?  If so, we are we
buying it?
Developing . . . .
Shirley Neeley
Robert Scott
2 boxes:
Internal Audit
Insp. General
51 boxes:
(all other TEA employees including legal,
standards, charters,  audits, assessment,
finance, governance, certification, budget)
Shirley Neeley with
Jimmy Wynn at
Gates edu-
conference, 2005
TEA INSPECTOR GENERAL'S REPORT
Much ado--but about
what?   
(And why now?)
By Peyton Wolcott     Monday, July 2, 2007/11:07 p.m.
Is the report's timing accidental?

o Jan. 2007 - Gov. Perry doesn't reappoint Shirley
Neeley as Texas education commissioner.

o  Feb. 4 - Anonymous TEA tipster approaches Shirley
with "concerns" about TEA's grant process; Shirley
asks TEA inspector general to investigate.

o  Mar.-Apr. - Inspector general's report goes to Shirley.

o  June 15 - Date of inspector general's final report.

o  June 27 - TEA releases inspector general's report to
the press while Gov. Perry is in the Holy Land for a
week.

o  June 29 - Shirley's last day at TEA.
QUESTION FOR TEA'S INSPECTOR GENERAL:
Should Texas' edu-missioner be giving money
to education foundations in public school
districts where her fiance/husband the
school architect has projects?  
By Peyton Wolcott
Friday, June 29, 2007/ 1:08 pm
Shirley Neeley (L) with Eanes ISD supe Nola Wellman
at Eanes foundation gala, Feb. 24, 2007
Mobile Satellite Ventures L.P.
10802 Parkridge Boulevard  Reston, VA 20191-4334
Type of Compensation: Prospective
Amount: Less Than $10,000.00

Pearson Education
1 Lake Street  Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
Type of Compensation: Prospective
Amount: Less Than $10,000.00

Texans for Excellence in the
Classroom
515 Congress Avenue Suite 1780  
Austin, TX 78701
Type of Compensation: Prospective
Amount: $100,000 -
$149,999.99
The
Shirley
Neeley-
Jimmy Wynn
connection,
according to
all available
sources:

Their mothers were
childhood friends.

Shirley became
Galena Park ISD
supe; he, an
education PR guy,
including Harris
County DOE and
most recently
consultant for the
Gates Foundation.

He suggested her
name to Gov. Perry
as Texas Education
Commissioner.

They have
participated together
in multiple events
including a
Committee for
Economic
Development event
in Austin (photo
above).
Texas supes golfing on Friday, April 20,
2007 during TAKS testing week
TAS/MUS scrapbook
golfing pix here
1     2     3
More about
Jimmy Wynn,
featured in the
June 15 TEA
Inspector
General report
Should this man be Texas'
next education
commissioner?
By Peyton Wolcott
Monday, July 2, 2007/11:17 pm
Education lobbyist and
lawyer Sandy Kress
discussing NCLB on PBS
One of the tests of growing up is
learning that just because you can do
something doesn't mean you should.

Austin lobbyist/lawyer
Sandy Kress
has certainly paid his dues--in some
cases literally perhaps--towards the
cause of his being named Texas' next
edumissioner.  

He is after all most commonly called
"the architect of No Child Left Behind."
Where the dilemma lies is that for
some people this is a good thing and
for many others, it is not.

As regards his ties to a seemingly
endless stream of public school
vendors, it is very difficult to imagine
that with a few signed papers Sandy
could sufficiently divest himself of all
holdings for the period of his service as
Texas edu-missioner.  Look at this
sampling, judge for yourself:
TEXAS ETHICS COMMISSION:

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
300 West 6th Street Suite 2100  Austin, TX 78701
Type of Compensation: Prospective
Amount: Less Than $10,000.00

D.H. Texas Development L.P. c/o Darryl Hammond 326
Calhoun Plaza  Port Lavaca, TX 77979
Type of Compensation: Prospective
Amount: Less Than $10,000.00

Early Care and Education Consortium
805 15th Street NW Suite 700  
Washington, DC 20005
Type of Compensation: Prospective
Amount: $10,000 - $24,999.99

Edvance Research Inc.
9901 IH-10 West Suite 700  San Antonio, TX 78257
Type of Compensation: Prospective
Amount: Less Than $10,000.00

Governor's Business Council
515 Congress Avenue Suite 1780  Austin, TX 78701
Type of Compensation: Prospective
Amount: Less Than $10,000.00

MGT of America Inc.
2123 Centre Point Boulevard  Tallahassee, FL 32308
Type of Compensation: Prospective
Amount: Less Than $10,000.00