P E Y T O N W O L C O T T |
| 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 . Copyright 1999-2006 Peyton Wolcott |
| Commentary |
| N E W |
| HOW I SPENT MY SATURDAY IN EDGEWOOD: SOMETIMES IT'S GOOD TO GO BACK INTO A NEGATIVE SITUATION WITH AN OPEN MIND AND A FRESH HEART By Peyton Wolcott - August 22, 2006 - 11 pm |
| WHAT DOES THE TEXAS COMPTROLLER HAVE TO SAY ABOUT EDGEWOOD ISD? |
| Eager to correct the negative impression I'd received of Edgewood ISD resulting from my detainment by three armed EISD police officers almost three weeks ago, kind of like getting back on a horse you've fallen off of, I headed back to San Antonio Saturday to take a fresh look at Edgewood, to find and report what's good there. A brief history of Edgewood The community, located due west of downtown San Antonio and just inside Loop 410, is even by U.S. standards relatively new; although land was purchased for a dollar in 1905 for the express purpose of a school, the Edgewood community did not develop in earnest until the Depression when families relocated from San Antonio to the edge of the woods beyond city limits, hence the |
| FAST FACTS According to the Comptroller's School District Watch List--a handy and useful guide--Edgewood ISD is ranked the 82nd largest school district in Texas, and is also one of the state's poorest districts, currently 1,011 out of 1,031. Edgewood ISD currently has 12,075 students enrolled, and has earned an "Academically Unacceptable" rating from the Texas Education Agency for the 2005-06 school year. The district only spends 43.3 cents out of every education dollar in the classroom. Edgewood ISD residents currently pay $1.72 in property taxes per $100 valuation. SOURCE: Texas Comptroller http://www3.cpa.state.tx.us/district s.nsf/b6646a99a0dbee598625680 e0054b52c/020a40384a87062386 2571c0006ee4a5?OpenDocument |
| Was this the photo that caused the receptionist to call 3 armed police officers to detain me at Edgewood ISD? A photo of a secretary through a glass door? |
| name "Edgewood." Then, in the 1940's, "because of Edgewood’s proximity to Kelly AFB, Duncan Field and Normoyle Quarter- master Depot, many families and workers flocked to Edgewood to be close to World War II related defense jobs." (SOURCE-- Edgewood ISD) Although housing in the area continues to be affordable, the area has not developed significant industry, and like many other Texas towns, the school district is the largest employer and the largest budget. |
| Lisa's Mexican Restaurant, conveniently located on West Commerce just blocks from EISD's main administration building. |
| Saturday After long meetings elsewhere in the city, one of my first Edgewood stops Saturday afternoon was Lisa's Mexican Restaurant. Easy to find, with a cheerful green roof and trim and plenty of streetside parking, we Texas girls like our Tex-Mex, and Lisa's offers a full-range menu. Easy to see why it's a popular destination for Edgewood ISD school district personnel, just blocks from the main administration building. The owner is Alicia Garcia Cendejas, who serves on the board of directors of the Edgewood Education Foundation of San Antonio, Inc. along with insurance agent Agapito B. Flores, one-time EISD teacher, former City Councilman and unsuccessful County Commissioner candidate Enrique Barrera, former Edgewood ISD board president Manuel D. Garza and Edgewood ISD vendor First Southwest's senior vice president Raul Villasenor. |
| After talking briefly with a fellow patron about digital cameras--I was erasing some photos to free up room on my memory card--for dessert I headed over to F&P Bakery on General McMullen Drive for their Mexican wedding cookies, before beginning an impromptu self-guided tour of the district. Naturally enough, I was curious about the number of police cars Edgewood operates. |
| My new friend, EISD PR guy Mario Rios, with EISD police officers. |
| Edgewood ISD police officer preparing to patrol the district--on a Saturday. |
| From what I could see from a streetside viewing at Edgewood ISD's police headquarters, in all I counted about ten vehicles total, marked and unmarked, both in front and out back with the district's buses, although confidential informants tell me the district has more out on patrol. I trust that the district's police officers are once again able to focus on their job of protecting and serving students and teachers rather than detaining grandmothers with cameras, and am happy to report a successful stifling of the urge to ring up Sam Talamantoz and ask if he'd ever gotten around to signing his police report. |
| Edgewood ISD back lot |
| Curiouser and curiouser Shortly after leaving the Edgewood main admin. area, I noticed an Edgewood ISD maintenance truck driving around and the thought came to me to follow and learn to what purpose Texas taxpayers' property tax dollars were being put on a Saturday afternoon, specifically which duty was so pressing that overtime would have to be paid for its performance. I'm new to surveillance work, but fortunately have read enough detective novels to know you have to keep your distance, which is trickier than you'd think, especially when you're trying to take photos like the one at left as you drive. |
| EISD maintenance truck |
| Stopping by the Fitness Center Imagine my surprise when my maintenance truck drove behind Edgewood Academy to the Employee Fitness Ccenter where he appeared to drop someone off. The maintenance truck then looped back around out on the street and headed back towards Commerce. |
| Edgewood ISD Employee Fitness Center |
| EISD's Roosevelt ES |
| Eventually we made our way past Gus Garcia MS and slowed down in front of Roosevelt Elementary (above left) where he entered a gated parking lot (lower left) and parked on the track out in back where another EISD truck was already parked (above right); a man was operating what appeared to be a grader (lower right). When I returned 75 minutes later both trucks had departed. |
| I guess some things will always be a mystery: Like why EISD is using Robin Hood money to employ maintenance workers on a Saturday doing what appears to have been work that appears could have been done during a normal work week. It's been suggested that I ask for the names and schedules of the personnel involved which sounds like a fine idea. Another great mystery are the two light fixtures out in front of Roosevelt Elementary. Wondering why the maintenance guys didn't stop and fix them--one appears to have no light bulb or glass shade, and the other's shade is awry and birds or something else appear to have nested. Wouldn't two sources of light be useful in an urban neighborhood at night? Why else were the lights paid for and installed if they weren't meant to be used? While they're at it, maybe the maintenance guys can find the missing "U" for the teacher congratlation sign. Oh, I get it. EISD police officer Sam Talamantoz (right) hasn't signed my Aug. 3, 2006 police report yet because he's looking for the missing "U" for the teacher congratlation sign, that's it. So relieved I finally figured that one out. Our brains really are our helpers, aren't they. |
| Lighting & sign at Roosevelt ES |
| And now for something a little different Ready for a complete change of scene, I headed north on I-10 to visit friends. The farther north you travel from Edgewood the more things change; you notice the Hummer-slash-Cadillac dealership and the jewelry stores selling diamonds; in Edgewood there were no new car dealerships that I could find and the goods being sold were more modest. First stop was The Dominion, which appears to be almost entirely populated by the San Antonio Spurs and their families; The stone signage at the entrance (above left) has chiseled gilt letters, and there's a beautiful clubhouse (below left)--and it's a seriously gated community with golfing, large villas along with what realtors call "the Gardens" featuring smaller homes on smaller lots. |
| The Dominion--entrance & clubhouse |
| Symbolically, the sun finally broke through and I must say it was a relief. My last stop before heading home was to check in on friends a new subdivision just across I-10 from The Dominion called "Stagecoach" or "Stage Run," something like that. The afternoon sun silhouetted a large bronze mustang at the entrance bridge |
| Stage Run subdivision in Leon Springs area |
| and the fountains were impressive, as were the clubhouse and playground amenities. In fact, it was such a marked contrast to what I'd just seen in Edgewood I wished for a moment that I could move all those families north so the kids could live in such a nice environment. How do we do this, folks, make the world beautiful and safe and wonderful for all of our children? Alas, socialism doesn't work, no matter how romantic-sounding a name we give it such as "Robin Hood," or how practical and righteous a label we use like "equity." All I can do is make sure as much of our tax dollars go directly into the classroom--not wasted on grownups' stupidity and excess. And that friends is how--and why--I spent my Saturday in Edgewood. Blessings. |
| Anatomy of August 3, 2006 |
| Presenting this diagram below because there appears to still be some confusion as to what happened where and when on the day of my police detainment; hoping this clears things up. |
| Seldom seen up close, this image was smuggled out by a secret informant who claims it is the badge worn by Edgewood ISD police officers. Roughly translated from the Latin, the department's motto appears to proclaim, "We serve as one brave proud force, protecting our superintendent from grandmothers with cameras." |
| YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK |
| (Above) Edgewood ISD police officer on duty in front of HQ, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2006; (below) EISD bus/police car parking lot. |
| COMPARE AND CONTRAST |
| Above red line, Edgewood ISD's fleet of buses and police cars. Below, Edgewood's neighborhood competition, St. John Bosco--with one bus and no police cars. Also by contrast, there were several cars parked in the parochial school parking lot, adults working on a Saturday afternoon. Compare that with the empty front Edgewood ISD admin. parking lot indicating there were no adults working in the admin. bldg. on a Saturday afternoon. NOTE: EISD partners with St. John Bosco in its VECOT consortium: "Virtual Education Classroom of Tomorrow Project." |
How we take back our children's education: one person, one question, one school at a time. |
AASA - American Association of School Administrators ASA - Association of School Administrators CSD - Consolidated School District DOE - Department of Education ES - Elementary School HS - High School ISD - Independent School District JHS - Junior High School MS - Middle School MSM - Mainstream media NSBA - National School Boards Association NSPRA - National School Public Relations Association PS - Public School(s) SBEC - State Board for Educator Certification SD - School District Sup't - Superintendent TAKS - Texas Assessment of Knowledge & Skills TASA - Texas Association of School Administrators TASB - Texas Association of School Boards TASBO - Texas Association of School Business Officials TEA - Texas Education Agency TEKS - Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills USD - Unified/United School District |
| GUIDE |
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| QUOTES |
Separatists in India's north-eastern state of Manipur have shot six male teachers in the leg for allegedly helping students cheat in exams. Two women teachers were beaten with sticks for the same offence, the rebels of the Kanglei Yana Kan Lup group said. The teachers were abducted from their homes after an exam on Thursday. The rebels said the teachers took up to 5,000 rupees ($110) for helping students cheat and warned of further punishment if the cheating continued. The Kanglei Yana Kan Lup (KYKL) is one of many separatist groups fighting Indian administration in Manipur. It said it abducted the eight teachers from their homes in and around the state capital, Imphal, because of reports they had taken bribes. --By Subir Bhaumik - BBC |
| 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 1999-2006 Peyton Wolcott |
| POP QUIZ: How do you yourself know for a fact that your state or local supe is actually using the funds entrusted to them for the correct purposes? |
David v. Goliath: How America's Moms & Dads are taking on Education, Inc. PEYTON WOLCOTT |
| QUERY THE SUPE & THE PR GUY |
TO:
KATHY COX-GEORGIA
SUP'T OF SCHOOLS &
CEO-GEORGIA DOE
CC:
DANA TOFIG-
GEORGIA DOE
PUBLIC INFO. OFCR.
DATE: JAN. 22, 2006
Can you please send me
the annual dollar
amount for each school
year (the five annual fiscal
cycles 2000-2005) that the
Georgia Public Schools
DOE has spent with
vendor Computer
Consulting Services
Corp., described as a
consultant to Georgia's
DOE.
KATHY COX-GEORGIA
SUP'T OF SCHOOLS &
CEO-GEORGIA DOE
CC:
DANA TOFIG-
GEORGIA DOE
PUBLIC INFO. OFCR.
DATE: JAN. 22, 2006
Can you please send me
the annual dollar
amount for each school
year (the five annual fiscal
cycles 2000-2005) that the
Georgia Public Schools
DOE has spent with
vendor Computer
Consulting Services
Corp., described as a
consultant to Georgia's
DOE.
| STATUS: No response rec'd from Sup't Gray as of Aug. 20, 2006 |
The question is not how to measure excellence at public schools and education agencies. The question is how to measure competence. -- Dianna Pharr |
| QUERY THE SUPE (& CC THE BOARD) |
DATE FIRST SENT:
FEB. 14, 2006
RE-SENT 03/26/06
Dear Strongsville
Superintendent
James Gray:
I'm hoping you can
clear something up for
me for my book and
website regarding your
standards for
administrative
practices in
Strongsville as there
have been not one but
two situations this past
year warranting
scrutiny....
Regarding special ed
teacher Christine
Scarlett's offering a
date with herself as a
grades incentive
1. What rules/
guidelines do you now
have in place to
assure that nothing
like this happens
again? Would these
be administrative
changes or has your
board set specific
policies in place for
you to follow in future?
2. Rumors of an affair
between Scarlett and
Bradigan persisted for
several months. You
have stated that you
have no idea such an
affair was going on.
Do you feel the fact
that you are
commuting from your
home in Akron (if this
has changed, please
let me know) has
adversely impacted
your ability to monitor
what's going on with
your employees in the
Strongsville
community in an
important and
sensitive area such as
this? Has your board
since made a
condition of your
employment that you
move to Strongsville
and become an
integral part of their
community?
Regarding the sex
education booklet
placed last fall in
young children's
lockers
4. What guidelines
did you follow from
your established
board's policies for
such?
5. There appears to
be a growing number
of parents who want to
be consulted before
such materials are
given to their students.
As one mom put it,
"What's wrong with so
many people in the
educational fields that
they don't even think
twice about providing
children with
inappropriate
materials and not even
consider the parents
wishes....Their tactics
mirror those used in
Communist China and
Cuba where children
are considered not
children of parents, but
wards of the State."
While this is clearly the
statement of an upset
parent, it does raise an
interesting issue
regarding public
school administrators
in the U.S. Do you
consider the students
in your schools yours
to educate as you
deem best or the
offspring of parents to
be consulted before
disseminating such
materials?
Regarding trainings
and conferences
6. Of which
education-related
associations are you
and Strongsville City
Schools a member?
What are these
organizations'
guidelines for
disseminating such
materials?
7. In which
education-related
conferences have
your and your staff
participated this past
year? Where were
they and what were
the costs for each?
Have you attended any
other seminars,
workshops or the like
offering guidance in
this area, and what
were those costs?
It may well be that
there are perfectly
reasonable
explanations for your
approving the placing
sex-education
pamphlets in young
students' lockers
without notifying
parents first, and it may
also well be that there
is a perfectly
reasonable
explanation for your
allowing a teacher to
offer a date at the Dairy
Queen with herself to a
young student; if so, I
am eager to learn such
reason or reasons.
==================
She said the booklet,
which also provides
information on the need for
parental consent for
abortion and a Web
address for the
Lesbian/Gay Community
Service Center of Greater
Cleveland, is
inappropriate for
11-year-olds. I believe
some sex education needs
to be given, but when
subjects are discussed or
material is given to kids of
this nature, a notice
should be sent home to
the parent and they should
be allowed to opt out of
the program if they wish,
Fleming said. School
Superintendent James
Gray said he gave an OK
for the pocket-sized
directories, which were
provided to the district by
United Way Services in
conjunction with the
county health department
and county commissioners,
to be given to students at
the high school, middle
schools and to sixth
graders. Gray said he
received two calls from
parents who took
exception to the booklet's
content. I understand that
and probably, in
retrospect, I should have
considered sending a
letter along with it as far
as an explanation, he
said, adding, this is a
developing situation. I
don't know what we are
going to do at this point.
Colleen Grady, a city
resident and a member of
the state school board,
said she got calls from four
parents concerned about
their children getting the
directory. Grady, who is
also a former city school
board member, said she
has not personally seen
the publication, but they
(parents) read me sections
over the telephone. She
said the state board of
education may wish to
make a legislative
recommendation to the
Ohio general assembly,
and the board could also
consider discussion about
adoption of a model policy
for the distribution of such
materials. Gray said there
will be continued
discussion, in the district's
curriculum and pupil
services departments on
whether to curtail
distribution of materials
which are considered to
be sensitive, particularly
for the younger kids.
FEB. 14, 2006
RE-SENT 03/26/06
Dear Strongsville
Superintendent
James Gray:
I'm hoping you can
clear something up for
me for my book and
website regarding your
standards for
administrative
practices in
Strongsville as there
have been not one but
two situations this past
year warranting
scrutiny....
Regarding special ed
teacher Christine
Scarlett's offering a
date with herself as a
grades incentive
1. What rules/
guidelines do you now
have in place to
assure that nothing
like this happens
again? Would these
be administrative
changes or has your
board set specific
policies in place for
you to follow in future?
2. Rumors of an affair
between Scarlett and
Bradigan persisted for
several months. You
have stated that you
have no idea such an
affair was going on.
Do you feel the fact
that you are
commuting from your
home in Akron (if this
has changed, please
let me know) has
adversely impacted
your ability to monitor
what's going on with
your employees in the
Strongsville
community in an
important and
sensitive area such as
this? Has your board
since made a
condition of your
employment that you
move to Strongsville
and become an
integral part of their
community?
Regarding the sex
education booklet
placed last fall in
young children's
lockers
4. What guidelines
did you follow from
your established
board's policies for
such?
5. There appears to
be a growing number
of parents who want to
be consulted before
such materials are
given to their students.
As one mom put it,
"What's wrong with so
many people in the
educational fields that
they don't even think
twice about providing
children with
inappropriate
materials and not even
consider the parents
wishes....Their tactics
mirror those used in
Communist China and
Cuba where children
are considered not
children of parents, but
wards of the State."
While this is clearly the
statement of an upset
parent, it does raise an
interesting issue
regarding public
school administrators
in the U.S. Do you
consider the students
in your schools yours
to educate as you
deem best or the
offspring of parents to
be consulted before
disseminating such
materials?
Regarding trainings
and conferences
6. Of which
education-related
associations are you
and Strongsville City
Schools a member?
What are these
organizations'
guidelines for
disseminating such
materials?
7. In which
education-related
conferences have
your and your staff
participated this past
year? Where were
they and what were
the costs for each?
Have you attended any
other seminars,
workshops or the like
offering guidance in
this area, and what
were those costs?
It may well be that
there are perfectly
reasonable
explanations for your
approving the placing
sex-education
pamphlets in young
students' lockers
without notifying
parents first, and it may
also well be that there
is a perfectly
reasonable
explanation for your
allowing a teacher to
offer a date at the Dairy
Queen with herself to a
young student; if so, I
am eager to learn such
reason or reasons.
==================
She said the booklet,
which also provides
information on the need for
parental consent for
abortion and a Web
address for the
Lesbian/Gay Community
Service Center of Greater
Cleveland, is
inappropriate for
11-year-olds. I believe
some sex education needs
to be given, but when
subjects are discussed or
material is given to kids of
this nature, a notice
should be sent home to
the parent and they should
be allowed to opt out of
the program if they wish,
Fleming said. School
Superintendent James
Gray said he gave an OK
for the pocket-sized
directories, which were
provided to the district by
United Way Services in
conjunction with the
county health department
and county commissioners,
to be given to students at
the high school, middle
schools and to sixth
graders. Gray said he
received two calls from
parents who took
exception to the booklet's
content. I understand that
and probably, in
retrospect, I should have
considered sending a
letter along with it as far
as an explanation, he
said, adding, this is a
developing situation. I
don't know what we are
going to do at this point.
Colleen Grady, a city
resident and a member of
the state school board,
said she got calls from four
parents concerned about
their children getting the
directory. Grady, who is
also a former city school
board member, said she
has not personally seen
the publication, but they
(parents) read me sections
over the telephone. She
said the state board of
education may wish to
make a legislative
recommendation to the
Ohio general assembly,
and the board could also
consider discussion about
adoption of a model policy
for the distribution of such
materials. Gray said there
will be continued
discussion, in the district's
curriculum and pupil
services departments on
whether to curtail
distribution of materials
which are considered to
be sensitive, particularly
for the younger kids.
| CONTACT: Peyton Wolcott P.O. Box 9068 Horseshoe Bay, TX 78657 peyton@peytonwolcott.com |
| F o c u s i n g o n accountability f i r s t |
| Et Pluribus Protectoratus grand potentate Superintendentatus Oppogno Grandmotherus et Camerae |
| 1. Here's the visitors' lot where I first parked, then entered the EISD admin. bldg. at the far right side. |
| 2. Next I drove back to HR--it was hot and didn't sem prudent to walk across the parking lot alone. |
| 3. Last, I drove from HR towards this exit, noticed the supe's truck, thought I'd try to say hello again, and re-entered the admin. bldg., when/where the 3 police showed up. |
| doorway below marks EISD's police dep't. entrance |
| Edgewood ISD's main admin. bldg. |
| Motor entrance to Edgewood ISD admin. complex on West Commerce |
| HR is left side of this bldg. |
| Edgewood ISD Police Dep't |