Excerpts from Karen Hughes' speech at
February 2011 Cosmos bond luncheon at
Hotel Omni in Austin:

"I am here to welcome you on behalf of Harmony
public schools."

"I am a long-time advocate for public education."

(What Karen might have said:   























"Because I believe it is the most important driver of our
future, I believe in public schools.  And I believe that
choice and competition make all of them better."

"I believe in high standards, and that is what I see in
charter schools like those operated by Harmony."  
[NOTE TO KAREN:  Cosmos Foundation, Inc. is the
charter operator, not Harmony.)  

"For all of those reasons I am a strong supporter of
charter schools, and of course worked in Governor
Bush's office at the time they were authorized here in
Texas."

"And I am delighted to be working with Harmony
because of its outstanding record of success.  
Harmony is truly a leader and an innovator, not only
here in Texas but also nationally among charter
schools.  It offers a safe and disciplined school
environment."

"All Harmony students begin specialized math and
science instruction in fourth grade.  And each one of
them has to do a science project every year which
teaches more than science.  It teaches analysis and
problem solving and teamwork."   
P E Y T O N   W O L C O T T

How we take back our children's education:
one person, one question,
one school at a time.
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"Walk softly
and carry a big stick."
-- Teddy Roosevelt

"Trust but verify."
-- Ronald Reagan
Just because you can
doesn't mean you should.
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  .     F o l l o w   t h e   m o n e y  ,  h o n e y !
Texas Hill Country - Mesquite and Wildflowers
Boerne
Cosmos Foundation, Inc. (Texas) - PR hire Karen Hughes & SB 597 / HB 1437
Bringing you the information and tools you need in order to improve public education and lower taxes and spending; during the past two decades of the voucher debate an entire generation has grown up in the public school system.  
If you don't think this is important look at the Nov. 2008 election where folks voted based on emotions and hope rather than facts.  Let's put a stop to the school-to-prison pipeline -- and keep our public schools locally run, strong and free..
The 13 states who have stood up
to the feds and declined to apply
for Phase II of Race to the Top:
13
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  • Texas
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About the "Don't Tread on Me" Gadsden flag:
"it was in the fall of 1775 when the United States Navy was
established. Their main job was to intercept British ships who
were attempting to deliver supplies to the British troups in the
colonies. To support the Navy, five companies of Marines
were mustered to accompany them on their first mission.
These first Marines originated from Philadelphia and carried
drums painted yellow with a coiled rattlesnake with thirteen
rattles. These thirteen rattles represented the original thirteen
colonies. The motto painted on these drums was "Don't
Tread On Me". This is the first recorded telling of what the
future Gadsden flag would symbolize. This flag was designed
and named after American patriot Christopher Gadsden."
(SOURCE)
April  2011
ONER U
CELEPCIKAY   
     
MUSTAFA
ATIK
KADIR ALMUS
ELLEN A
MACDONAL
DR. SONER
TARIM
BILAL AKIN
CENGIZHAN
KESKIN
DR. IBRAHIM
SEL
Email at
University
of Houston
Joe Straus
Ken Paxton
actual
expenditures, all
funds
Wendy
Davis (SD
# 10)
Aledo ISD  
Arlington ISD  
Birdville ISD
Burleson ISD
 
Carroll ISD  
Castleberry ISD  
Crowley ISD  
Eagle MtSaginaw
ISD
Everman ISD
Fort Worth ISD  
Godley ISD  
Grapevine-Colleyville
ISD  
Hurst-Euless-Bedford
ISD  
Keller ISD  
Kennedale ISD
Lake Worth
ISD  
Mansfield ISD  
White Settlement ISD
$  15,773
$    8,668
$  12,471
$  18,014
$  11,790
$    8,908
$  13,063
$  14,527
$  14,446
$  10,884
$  25,709
$  11,255
$    9,013
$  11,424
$    9,150
$ 13,056
$ 10,474
$    9,496
LINKS
Cosmos Foundation,
Inc.:  Links re Karen
Hughes' work on
their behalf

Facebook:
Cosmos Foundation
Harmony Public
Schools...Karen Hughes
Attends to Harmony Bond
Luncheon in Austin
www.facebook.com/
HarmonyPublicSchools

Cosmos Multimedia:
www.harmonytx.org/news/
multimedia/
SOURCE:  Harmony Newsroom  

Bond Financing for
Charter Schools

As part of Harmony Leadership
Luncheon Series, Harmony Public
Schools organized "Bond Financing
for Charter Schools" luncheon on
February 1, 2011 at Omni Hotel in
Downtown Austin.

The luncheon was organized for
the sole purpose of helping
charter school movement through
tax-exempt bond financing and
discussing the importance of
school bond financing, issues
related to school bond, and facility
financing specifically for growing
charter school organizations. The
luncheon featured a distinguished
audience consisting of charter
school operators, bond counselors,
investors, bankers, legislators,
educators, community leaders,
parents and students.

The Honorable Rob Eissler, Chair
of House Committee on Public
Education; David Dunn, Executive
Director of TCSA and Karen
Hughes, Global Vice Chair of
Burson-Marsteller each made a
welcome speech in the event.

There were also very distinguished
panelists including Ken Mercer
from State Board of Education;
Deborah Jones from Morgan
Keegan; Dr. Soner Tarim, the
Superintendent of Harmony Public
Schools; Thomas Sage from
Andrews Kurth LLP; Nathan
McClellan of Regions Bank and
Thomas Torkelson, President and
CEO of IDEA Public Schools. Each
panelist delivered a brief speech
while also answering the questions
from the audience.

To see the photo album on our
Facebook page, plaese [sic]  click
the link below:
Public charity Cosmos
Foundation hosts $10,000*
luncheon at Austin's
"magnificently appointed
luxury hotel" Omni  
* Estimated cost based on Austin
Omni minimum facilities, plating
and service charges.
Senator Florence Shapiro's SB 597
and Representative Rob Eissler's
house companion bill, HB 1437 would
both grant access as a guarantee for
their construction bonds to Cosmos
Foundation, Inc. and other charter
operators, our schoolchildren's
money, the Permanent School Fund
Endowment that pays for their
textbooks.  

Unlike local public school trustees
who are elected, charter board
members are appointed and we know
  "Although I say publicly
that I am an advocate for
public schools, when the
pedal hit the metal -- when
I worked at the White
House -- I sent my own
child to St. Abans, a
'snooty, elitist,
inside-the-Beltway
institution' costing
upwards of $20,000 per
year per student.  But
public schools are good
enough for your child and
St. Albans, Washington, DC
The Texas legislation Karen Hughes is being paid to get passed:  
SB 597 & HB 1437
By Peyton Wolcott
Monday, April 4, 2011
next to nothing about them; Cosmos does not even post their names and titles on the Cosmos
website.  As a good example, see how challenging it was to find any information on Cosmos VP
Ellen MacDonald.   Look how many times I've queried the
Cosmos superintendent -- with no information yet, 10 months
later.  Further, unlike local public school district trustees who
are required to be US citizens, we have no idea how many of
the Cosmos Foundation, Inc. officials are here from Turkey on
an H1B visa or are American citizens.

MIA at Senate hearing
So given the hiring of Karen Hughes & Burson-Marsteller by
Cosmos -- at God only knows what expense -- why would
Karen and the entire Cosmos crew not put in an appearance
Testifiers at SB 597 hearing did not
include Karen Hughes or Cosmos crew
at the public hearing on March 22, 2011 for the charter school legislation they're credited with being
major advocates for? Especially given the costly Omni Hotel luncheon on February 1, 2011 with the
pretty speeches splattered across YouTube?  
Sometimes the savviest move a high-priced
PR pro can make is to vacate the premises --
or at least stay out of any limelight they cannot
control.  Houston ISD government relations
powerhouse Rebecca Flores is always a
fixture at the Lege but safely behind the scenes
in the gallery working her world through her
laptop or Blackberry, or confabbing in the halls.

For Karen Hughes to host the February
luncheon was brilliant and safe; she presided
over tea and crumpets and the crowd was
friendly.  It was also a closed event, meaning
closed to the press.

A Senate hearing is something else entirely.  
The rich and powerful are forced to actually
interact with the common man and woman --
and reporters.

For some reason the Cosmos folks have been
insisting on controlling every venue they
operate in.  Fine for Turkey or for police states,
perhaps, but not in America.  

Here's hoping the Cosmos officials and their
handlers will soon embrace the concept of
transparency and accountability and learn to
talk with the press -- and answer questions.
so long as Texas taxpayers don't balk too much
about my good friends at Cosmos, Inc. paying my
firm's humongous fees befitting one of the world's
greatest crisis management PR firms I'll keep saying
I'm a long-time advocate for public schools and will
in fact welcome you warmly indeed." )
Houston ISD supe Terry Grier's hard working
behind-the-scenes gal, Rebecca Flores
(PHOTO--Peyton Wolcott)
Even if Chris
Matthews doesn't
make you go
a-tingle... he makes
some interesting points
about Karen Hughes' new
associates including
former Hillary Clinton
campaign chief (she lost)
Mark Penn, here.
Map from Cosmos Foundation
showing Texas cities in which
their schools are located.