10/29/04  DISD or WHISD -- Both need leadership.

The Wilmer-Hutchins ISD's current and future woes are really the kinds of wide spread problems Dallas ISD faced several years ago with not only Rojas, but with Yvonne Gonzalez in 1997, and even back in 1979. 

On October 4, 1979 (the day I was born), the top story in the DMN that day was a DISD $10 million contract bidding scandal involving a company called Maxwell Consruction Company.

The only reason why Dallas ISD's problems weren't as extreme is because  it is a much bigger district.  I'm not worried too much about Dr. Lew Blackburn.   He's no Yvonne Ewell or Kathryn Gilliam.  He won his seat against Se-Gwen Tyler in 2001 who in turn won her seat against high school dropout Richard Evans in 1998.

Editor's comment:  I supported Tyler against Evans and then Blackburn against Tyler, totally based on their respective educations.  Dr. Blackburn's micro-management at DISD is a HUGE problem.  His employment at WHISD while serving on the DISD is a very questionable relationship.  There are computers and other WHISD equipment that have gone missing under Blackburn's watch.

I'm glad Dr. Moses is gone.  What a public service he made for Dallas students, teachers, citizens, and taxpayers!  He made some very bad decisions in the past couple of years and admitted it more or less to us just after he resigned.  He is the man who promoted John Hammerle from teacher to administrator and may have known about Hammerle's status as a
felon in the process.  Since then, three DISD middle schools- Atwell, Holmes, and Browne cannot account for thousands of dollars of band instruments.

Dr. Moses also failed to fully disclose to the public and several board members his relationship with law firm Bracewell and Patterson, which in turn did work for the district during Moses' tenure.  That is a clear conflict of interest.  

Dr. Moses' administration failed to properly handle at all allegations of cheating/misconduct at Pershing Elementary.  Rather than having the principal of that school put on paid leave, we had six teachers reassigned who went to their area superintendent to make their complaint beforehand.  It was not until a parent protest that the teachers were given their jobs back at Pershing and the principal of Pershing was removed in turn.

I will admit Dr. Moses gave the DISD credibility and a new image and addressed much needed issues such as the desegregation order and a bond package, but he was not willing to take it to a new level. 

We have some outstanding schools in DISD like W.T. White, but we still have pockets of mediocrity such as  Adamson, and Madison high schools.   We clearly have elements of the corrupt financial system of DISD's past.  We need someone who will urge and force lower-performing schools to adopt the successful models of higher-performing schools and aggressively promote overall better governance in day-to-day operations.