01/31/06  Why Did Wilmer-Hutchins ISD Close?

Could this school district have been saved and the closing avoided?  What if the TEA and the Dallas County District Attorney's office had prosecuted the WHISD for not bidding contracts identified in the Comptroller's audit in 2002?  Complaints were filed.  Why were they not prosecuted then?  What if the Commissioner had actually met with WHISD residents to discuss the situation?  What if WHISD board members had been elected from single-member districts, which was also identified in the 2002 audit?  Why did the TEA not address the conflict of interest with Senator Royce West being the WHISD's delinquent tax attorney while representing residents in the WHISD as their Senator?  What if the Commissioner had appointed residents from each of the cities in the WHISD (Wilmer, Lancaster, Ferris, Dallas and Hutchins) to the Management Board?

Why did the Commissioner appoint a person to run the district that was not certified as a Superintendent? 

Why did the Commissioner handpick Albert Black, the Campaign Treasurer for Senator Royce West, to make up half of the Management Team? 

Why is there no PENALTY in the laws for conflicts of interest?  I doubt this was oversight -- I suspect it was intentional.

Why did the Commissioner handpick a person to the Management Board who was employed by the Dallas ISD? 

Why did the Management Board postpone tax elections at the Commissioner's request until after a response was received from the Justice Department? 

Why is the Commissioner forcing all the children to go to DISD, instead of letting the residents attend schools closer to where they live (Ferris ISD and Lancaster ISD)? 

Why are WHISD buildings being leased to third parties when they were "not suitable" for the WHISD children? 

Unfortunately, we will never know the answers to these questions.  Our elected officials and the people in charge have failed the people, and most of all, have failed the children!! 

Until the State Legislature adopts a PENALTY for violations of conflicts of interest, nothing will change.  I hope everyone remembers who was in office at the time of this fiasco the next time they vote.

Oh, I almost forgot, DISD School Board Trustee and WHISD employee Lew Blackburn (WHISD employee) now signs checks at the WHISD, too.

Barbara Senter, Former WHISD Resident