Harry Trujillo

First, I would like to belatedly congratulate you for becoming the President of the Dallas Independent School Board of Trustees, as of Dr. Parrot?s departure, and for your company?s commitment to public service and the belief in ?Servant Leader? concepts. Mr. Lowe, as President of the Dallas School Board, I ask that you review the following data on both the deficit for the 2004-2005 school years by looking at both the total revenue generated to operate our schools, and the total spending. Secondly, ask that you look at the horrendous scoring results that many of our schools are experiencing according to the National Center of Education Statistics. Much of this information you have already been exposed too, or have a better grasp on the information than many of the stakeholders do because Dallas ISD exist in a vacuum?so much information provided to the public is outdated or incorrect. I am not asking you to micro-manage our schools as you have been chosen to serve as both the President of the Board and steward of the Dallas Independent School District .

On pages 1,2, and 3, of the IES National Center for Education Statistics, CCD data, 2005-2006 school year, you will find that the total revenue for the school district is $1,432,324,000, and the total revenue per student is $9,064, while the total actual expenditures are $1,833, 704,000, and the per student expenditure is $11,604. This is a deficit of more that 401,380,000 million dollars, or a per student deficit of $ $2,540 dollars. (These are the latest figures available, as it will be December 31, 2007 before we get the actual expenditures for 2006-2007 school years.) With Custodial Services, Maintenance Services, Police and Security Services, and Building Improvement Division expenditures, and an increase in Instructional Expenditures, all being both upward trended and shooting upward on these division charts that covers the duration between 2003 and 2006, how can the stakeholders be assured that the deficit problem is being properly budgeted, administered, and that a complete annual expenditure report is available to properly inform the public between what is budgeted and actually expensed on an annual basis?

Learning Community?s is an old concept; presently re-surface admirably by the NEA, and adopted in the New York City Schools. However, the following pages from the National Center for Educational Accountability, Just for the kids, you will find information telling a different story. The NCEA charts indicate that a very few successes occur in many Regular schools, while some gaps are indicated even at some magnet schools; and a lot of disparities occur in the Dallas ISD Regular schools. Although, I must commend Dr. Hinojosa for his effort on the Dallas Achieves Committee and the committees goals, the fact that students are passing standardized test does not indicate that students are being properly prepared for ?college readiness?. I will begin with the ?Meeting with College/ Career Benchmarks? between 2003 and 2006, fourth grade mathematics at Harry Stone Montessori, Lakewood Elementary, and Lida Hooe Elementary. Notice that while the chart reflects an upward trend for Harry Stone Montessori Vanguard, the school has meets an approximate 28% of students meeting the college readiness scores on the chart, which is an extreme low percentage of students doing so, as opposed to the comparable schools which if you look at the same chart have percentages in near the 80%. Now, if you compare those score with Lakewood Elementary, you will see that Lakewood Elementary fourth graders were closer to comparable schools in the state to Lakewood . Now, to take this a step forward, then take a look at Lida Hooe Elementary and you will see that the charts for the fourth graders indicate the percentage of students being college ready drops to less than 20%.

I attempted to share this information with the Harry Stone Montessori Vanguard and Academy. First, I went to the teacher, who told me that she was not in the campus improvement committee. I asked that she provide the information to the committee, she said that Harry Stone is unique, and she could not make an input as the campus improvement committee was great and already working on suggestions. At the present, more funds are expensed at Harry Stone Montessori than at regular schools like Lida Hooe because it is a Magnet Elementary or Vanguard. I support the Harry Stone Montessori program. But when gauging the scores with comparable schools within Dallas ISD, I find that other magnet schools, like William B. Travis El (Talented and Gifted Vanguard and Academy) surpass their comparable state schools, as opposed to Harry Stone Montessori, which is in a way at odds with its teaching curriculum under the Montessori curriculum and the goals and objectives that are written in the state TAKS requirements. I then called the interim principal at Harry Stone and she said that I could fax the information to her or send it with my child. I am not suggesting getting rid of the Montessori program, but besides there being a big gap in college readiness to comparable state schools, there appears to be a difference between schools in how curriculum instruction is instituted to the detriment of poor schools, and low social economic students, and breach in how to improve the student scores on college readiness.

Another problem that I would like to address with you is that of being denied access to Dallas ISD e-mails. Dallas ISD e-mails are public e-mails, not private accounts. There is no difference with a dot org e-mail, and an e-mail that has an e-mail address ending in .gov. Soon after, I e-mailed the following e-mail to Dr. Hinojosa commenting on the Alice Black statements to Ken Fisher and Molly Blythe from the Dallas Morning News and their story titled ?Extra pay boost for DISD workers?Officials loosely monitor DISD employee? pay? which appeared in the Sunday, Dallas Morning News front page and subsequent pages. After making these my comments on questions on extra pay my e-mail was rejected to all dallasisd.org e-mail addresses which are public e-mail addresses. I have attached the e-mail to Dr. Hinojosa dated 2 September 2007, and the failure notices to a subsequent e-mail address to Alice Black reminding her of the ceremony for the inauguration of the Mendez vs. the Westminster School District stamp by the USPS title ?Dean of the School of Government and Law?. Usually this would not be done to any other activist, be that person black, or white. Well, yes it would, to other Hispanics like Gehrig Saldana from Dallas LULAC Council 4496, contact email at gehrigs302@sbcglobal.net. The Dallas ISD e-mails are public e-mails and the public should have access to those e-mails, especially if we have children in the Dallas ISD. I have one child in Elementary, two in high school, and four grandchildren with Dallas ISD. No public technology department should make a whole scale blocking of public e-mails simply because the general superintendent is publicly criticized. My first amendment rights to criticize the superintendent should not be violated. Yesterday, September 5, 2007, my daughter had an emergency. My grand children attend Tom C. Field Elementary. Not being able to contact the principal at Tom Field Elementary, I had no option than to e-mail Ms. Ivonne Durant the Area Superintendent for Northwest Elementary Learning Community being I had her public e-mail. Respectfully request that e-mail address paid for by Dallas ISD tax dollars, and as such public e-mail address be made available to the general public, stakeholders, and parents of children attending Dallas ISD. I can understand that it is sometimes difficult to receive and accept criticism from both activist and parents. But, unlawfully blocking access to public e-mails, and not answering the public?s phone calls, is wrong and should not a policy of the Dallas ISD, or be accepted practice in Dallas ISD. Besides, congress has not passed any legislation pertaining to blocking of e-mail address for constructive and legitimate criticism against school policy or other criticism of other actions of other educators, administrators, policy makers, or teachers of any Independent School District in this state. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act (1986)?an amendment to federal wiretapping prohibitions from the 1970s?makes it illegal to intercept electronic messages in transit. Demand is hereby made that the illegal Dallas ISD intercepting of my electronic e-mails cease immediately. My children should have equal access to public education, and as parents we should have equal access to our public schools communications systems, including communicating with our educators, policy-makers, and teachers via e-mail. Please advice, of an end to this electronic ban or blocking of Dallas ISD e-mail, by either electronic mail or registered mail of bring to a close such abuse under the federal wiretap laws and the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act (1986).