Jealousy and a Mueller Report

KISD Blog by Liz Ramos

7/27/2019

“The Mueller Report” KISD’s Open Records Request and the Public Information Act

(Lengthy so pull up a good chair)

I’ve been holding on to some stuff that has been bothering me. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII. All this talk about how KISD is broke and how literally the new Texas House Bill 3 came and saved KISD’s ass from being in the red. I also assume that KISD has some bonds out and I am not sure how much that totals or how much the payment coupon is. I could probably ORR that. I wouldn’t bring this up as an issue if board members didn’t bring it up during board meetings and workshops as an issue for them. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII. The whole “kick the can” speech has been used several times. This leads me to wanting more information about what the board members do with our tax payer money. I have been told by many people in the community about certain board member‘s behavior pertaining to conferences. Now, I have no way to prove any of it so I figured I would see about at least scanning the top of the mountain on this one.

As far as I am aware board members have gone on three conference trips in the last few months. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII. They have gone to a few I know of like the Region One School Board Association 2019 Spring Conference in South Padre Island, TX, another to the TASB Summer Leadership Institute Conference in San Antonio, TX, and lastly another one in Philadelphia for the NSBA Conference. (The NSBA Conference, National School Board Conference, from what I have been told isn’t worth the weight of green paper to go on as there really isn’t enough information given at these conference to benefit a district as a whole. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII. Texas conferences are more informative and cheaper.)

I just want ya’ll to know how extremely vague some of these open record requests have been for me. I put in for an ORR the 6th of June asking “1. All expenditures for EACH board member that attended Region One School Board Association in SPI….Hotel, travel, lodging, food, ETC. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII I also asked, for your information and confirmation, “Can family members attend school board conferences?” I already knew the answer, but I want everyone to know it IS LEGAL. Here is the request below:

Now here is the bullshit I get back from KISD. They didn’t include ETC if there was any ETC. They didn’t break it down into EACH board member and gave me a tally of what I am to assume is what each and every board member cost to travel to this conference. They all must have had identical expenditures (which is weird because rumor has it that one board member will stay at another hotel…so both hotels cost the same?). IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

I have done an ORR in the past to other government entities and never did each member ever spend the same amount. So that had me entirely suspicious!!!! Take a gander at this simple and vague response below. It looks like a 7th grader put it together. This literally took 13 days to put together. I felt like I was handed the Mueller Report!

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Since KISD didn’t want to break it down Barney style for my dumbass I requested the following on July 8th and added a bunch of stuff to be a petty jerk about it. I literally had to spell it out like a jackass so they get the point in what I was trying to ask. This way they can’t dick around it.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Along with asking about expenditures I also included a request for Texas Open Meetings information. You remember “Bleeping Ice Cream Cell Phones?” Yes, they are ALWAYS on their phones. Garza Jr., Garza Sr. and Prado. Just so everyone understands, anything that is said, typed, texted, messaged, recorded, whispered, or just about anything that goes on when the board is in an open session the public should HEAR, READ and KNOW about. I added that they give me all of the three-board member’s electronic information during the time they are in open session. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Not including playing with cell phones they do a hell of a lot of whispering to each other as well. I have been a witness in other board meetings where this is sometimes done, but not on the level and frequency as these three chatter boxes do.

I am sure my request has irritated some people on the board as Garza Jr. made a statement during a meeting along the lines of, “The reason why I am on my phone so much is because I am looking up state board laws.” Sweetie pie, that is for the lawyer to do. But he is sitting on his ass the whole time. I also see Maddox, KISD’s Attorney, texting and messaging away during the board meetings as well. KISD’s lawyer comes in wearing jeans and cowboy boots and sits back in one of the comfortable chairs just straight chillin’. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Damn, I am kinda jealous at that. Getting paid big bucks relaxing.

Back to Garza Jr.’s statement of being on the phone. It is kinda sad that he has to be on the phone to look up said information. He must have a problem remembering common sense policy for his job. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII As someone who has had a license from a state board in the past, they require you to know state law and the law based on what it is you do. In today’s climate of technology, all that shit is found online. If he cannot print it out and read it and remember all of it, maybe this ain’t for him. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII I also get emails of any new changes the state makes to laws and policies. You get those and read those as well. It really isn’t a tough concept!!! I realize they have many different entity policies to remember, but if you can read it, then anyone who graduated high school should be able to retain that important information. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Or maybe I am just really good at reading and remembering policy and law because that stuff interests me? They have school board policy to remember, TEA, IDEA, TASB, TOMA, and federal law to name a few. If it is too hard, quit your day job or leave the board! I know TX Chapter 92 (landlord/tenant law) like the back of my own hand, and as a massage therapist, I look at the back of my hand a lot.

This blog may be boring to you. This is the crap I get hand fed. I put in the new request on the 8th of this month. Today is the 27th. They have had 11 working days to give this to me. To be honest, this should take a couple of days. The information for classes and credits can be done fast. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII All they have to do is login to TASB in their account and print it. Easy peasy! All they have to do is go to finance office in the same building and find the expenditures and write them out. All of them have already been approved. I am pretty sure they have on hand the amount of salary certain staff is paid that I requested. The only thing that should take a minute is the Open Meetings Act information. And if it is taking that long, I wonder how much stuff was deleted, is being deleted, etc. I mean, do they text each other while sitting next to each other? Do they email each other? What is so important that you need to show Prado next to you and giggle softly about what was on the phone? Children!

When I do these, I wonder how much of the information has been redacted, CHANGED, falsified, and watered down by the time I get it. I wonder if staff tells board members I am looking into information with their name associated as soon as I leave the building. If I were a board member, I wouldn’t give a damn because I’d have nothing to hide!

One more good reason why I am pulling the conference information is because I feel certain board members use it as a free and paid for vacation by KISD. Yes, board members can take family and friends to these conferences. I battled whether to write my feelings about this for a while. I even asked other board members (in different regions and states) and teachers in several different communities how they felt about what our board members are doing. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII. There were only three responses in favor of how things go down. Most responded, “Well, that seems okay to me as long as they are not paying for the family.” Then I respond with we are an F rated district and they respond, “Oh, well then hell no!”

Certain board members go to these conferences and bring their family with them. The problem I have with this is KISD isn’t doing so hot. They aren’t an A district. They face many challenges. They need HELP.IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII I have gone to my own professional conferences. I go alone or with another professional. We save money on travel by going in the same car, rooming in the same room, and sharing what and whenever we can. I go bright and early and have coffee and snacks paid for by who holds the conference. In the morning I pick which CEU classes I feel that will benefit myself as a professional and I take as many as possible. Filling my entire day. Lunch is usually provided by the conference as well. I go in at 7:30am and don’t leave sometimes until 5-6pm.IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Why am I telling you this? Because I feel that these board members are not in a position to lollygagging around town with family and friends after the conference if the district is not doing well. If they were, I wouldn’t give a damn! And let me explain what else I do at these conferences. For those who have never been to a professional conference, usually you can find people that are the best of the best at what they do at these events! IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Sometimes my eyes light up at the amount of experience and education some of these people have. (Usually they don’t have many kids! Lol) You know what I do when the conference is over? I invite myself to be in their presence for the rest of the evening. Sometimes going late into the night as most people like to stay up drinking and talking and having a good time. This is the opportunity and time that I take to talk to some of these wonderful people. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII I pick their brain. Most are excited to divulge their knowledge and information and are more than willing to be a mentor. I also take down names and numbers and network like a mother fucker after these conferences are over at 5pm. Maybe this is why I have a 90% plus re-booking rate!

But instead KISD members are out gallivanting around town having a good ol’ time with family. THIS is a great opportunity to learn. THIS would be a time to pick people’s brains. To tell them their situation and ask for help! This is why I am irritated! But, I am my own creature and sometimes I have to realize not everyone is like Liz. Not everyone does what I would do. I dunno, maybe my common sense is just too strong for some people that it just gets under my skin! Character flaw, I guess. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII.

And to further complicate my hatred for this fun family vacation issue I have, I think in the back of my head why aren’t they taking the same car? Why aren’t they sleeping in the same room? This saves money, right? I mean if Garza Sr. and Prado can coffee it up every morning at Tapatio then why can’t they take the same car and throw Garza Jr.s’ ass in it too? I mean, they are father and son! They can’t be seen in the same vehicle? While they ride in the same car can’t the father and son get double beds in a hotel? IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII That right there would save $502.24 for the SPI conference. I am going to assume the other conferences were more expensive. Times that by three and you can save around $1,600. Money for some crossing guards! Nope, they can’t and they won’t because other family members will be sleeping in the room! (Not all board members do this. You can look up some of the board member’s Facebook page and see that the whole family was with them in San Antonio during conference time!)

Not only am I wondering if some people don’t have a good concept of how to read and remember policies, I am starting to think they have no concept of money. Especially after the stipend debacle! Maybe I am just jealous. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII. Maybe I envy them because it has been years since I have been able to go on a vacation. All I know is I have never gone anywhere on anyone’s dime, ever. Hell, even on school trips the kids had to all room more than 3 persons in a hotel and ride in the hooptie school van with no AC. Board members get paid to go on their trips. They get their own room, and mileage, and daily food stipend I assume. (By getting paid I mean reimbursement of nearly $160 to travel to SPI and back. I go to Brownsville often and it takes me $25 to get down there and back. If I drove a gas guzzling truck it would be about $50-60. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII So yea, they make money.

Stay tuned. I may do a part two to this one. I will have a more positive blog coming within the next week. I also want to blog about the new principals and assistant principals along with the next board meeting coming up next month. When I get my ORRs back I will post them in another blog. So, maybe 3 blogs in a week total!

This is what I really think of some people on the board: IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII.