"Nobody Puts Kingsville in a Corner"

“Nobody puts Kingsville in a Corner”

KISD Blog by Elizabeth Ramos

12/8/2019

As I saw the agenda for Monday on Friday I was transported back to the NC mountains swimming in the same lake, Lake Lure, where "Diry Dancing" was filmed a couple of years ago. It is a pretty awesome place, no wonder why they picked this spot. Reading that I may be of topic on Monday's agenda got me feeling a certain kinda way. "Dirty Dancing" was the first thing that came to mind. Baby was learning all about this adult stuff as I am learning all about KISD. I have tried to help the best way I can. I do some things behind the scenes no one knows about. I haven't got everything right and I've stumbled. But damnit if I am not going to dance my heart out in February for these kids, parents, staff and teachers!

As the new year approaches, hopefully so does a better KISD. Will that be likely with a new Superintendent? Monday’s KISD agenda is filled with fun stuff. It may end up being Santa’s gift bag the board unwraps for Kingsville’s kids, parents and staff. It could also be a big, fat lump of grimy coal. Who knows. I will go live like usual. I want to point out real fast that KISD does their own live videos of the board meeting via YouTube. This was under the Director of Technology's personal YouTube channel. I believe it has finally been transfered to KISD? Please correct me if I am wrong. KISD's is still difficult to hear and you can hardly see all the members because the camera is located by the podium off to the right. People complained about how unprofessional mine are and how you cannot hear what they say. (Grab some ear phones. Some members refuse to speak in the mic.) Same goes for KISD. The lovely thing about my live feeds is I allow for commenting. Ya, know, transparency. KISD has blocked commenting on their YouTube videos. Uh, hu, Yall! They also would have never done that if it weren’t for me videoing because a lot of the public asked me to. Either way I would have blogged about what I heard and witnessed. I am grateful for all the positive comments as I was not sure this was important to so many. I get on average a couple of hundred to over a thousand views on these videos I produce. With that being said…

As everyone knows, Ms. Adams is the interim Superintendent for KISD. She is also the acting Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services since December 2018 and does or delegates the job of the non-existent Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction and the Director of Instructional Services. This is why I was so perturbed that certain board members like Cory Garza get on her and Bera about the small stuff during a public board meeting. I told everyone from the get-go that these two were doing the job of so many people. They couldn’t be perfect at everything all the time. They can now legally name the name(s) of possible Superientendents to fill Bera’s position. I hope that she applied for the position and I honestly hope they offer it to her. She has proven herself to be up for the job and I know works very hard for our kids. On the agenda is a possibility to hire for the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction and the Director of Instructional Services. Graciela Pizzini is the Asst. Super. for Curriculum and Instruction and was with KISD for a very short time and is leaving us soon. You know I never heard the rest of what happened about the board accusation that Ms. Grace Ruiz stole information from a KISD computer. Crickets. If you are going to accuse someone of stealing you should probably follow through on that or clear that person’s name. Tune in to find out what happens with hires, if any.

I personally think they will hire Prado’s friend from West Oso, Cissy Reynolds-Perez. A once time student of KISD. That is the rumor stated by three people. (Note: If I cannot get anything in writing from someone who states this is the information they know, I get three or more people to confirm the subject before posting on here. I do try to do my due diligence.) I don’t think certain people want Ms. Adams. I don’t think they want her at KISD at all. I can honestly see them letting her go and paying her out as well.

Speaking of payout. Here is what I have found so far on Bera’s resolution agreement with KISD. The information I requested is still probably at the TX Attorney General’s office. Amazing how she resigned on Sept. 23rd and yet she still got paid in October. Common sense would tell me that maybe this is prorated for the previous pay month. But, where is the proration? It is still a full salary. I have a feeling Bera is being paid via a monthly salary, maybe for six months? I will ORR that information Monday and some other stuff I am working on as well. My guestimate for her resolution is $13,750 x 6 = dun, dun, dun $82,500. Cannot say this is exact, but I am onto something. If this is the case, how can they afford two Super salaries at the same time? Go talk to a board member and ask them for something you feel the school needs or your student needs. They will most likely tell you, “We don’t have any money in the budget for that.” Oh, the hypocrisy! They have money for Superientendent abortions. Kinda like Baby borrowing money from daddy in the movie.

Baby has got a new rant. A few actually. I have heard now from three different people that KISD doesn’t have a Director of Technology anymore. I called Friday afternoon to confirm with the admin building and this was what happened. I was transferred to the Dept of Tech and spoke with the secretary that works in the office. I asked to speak with the Director of Technology and she said, “He stepped out for a moment, can I forward you to his voice mail?” I asked if he was still employed and her response was, “As far as I know he still works here.” The reason for the concern and annoying them for the information are the issues the district has with internet. Some schools are having outages. This is causing Raptor to go down. It also causes issues for some teachers to input information or email at school. Also, kids have assignments on Google Doc for classwork. That turns into homework when they cannot get it done in class. I am so glad KISD assumes every parent has access to internet 24/7. This has been an ongoing issue. Staff have notified KISD and had work orders put in. Rumor has it that this issue will cost $10,000 to fix. You know, Bera’s resolution money. I called the Director of Technology and asked him what is the problem. He said he hadn’t heard about it then asked me what schools it was happening at. I named two schools and was interrupted and he said he was going to figure it out. Shouldn’t these work orders somehow and in sometime pass his desk? How did he not know?

Garza Sr. stated a parent told him about the internet problems and Greenwood read aloud a text from a parent in concern of these issues. Ms. Adams and the Director of Technology denied every knowing about it. I have it on good account that both knew about this issue!!!! What planet were they both on? And if they didn’t know and the board members knew, WHY THE HELL ARE THEY NOT TELLING MS. ADAMS AND THE TECH DIRECTOR THEN and waiting for a board meeting t!!!??????? Especially since they have known for a while. Is this their way of throwing certain people under the bus?

Baby got another rant. Stop telling the board members about your problems at schools! This is not the way things are done! There is a dance you must do first. I goes a little something like this. Dance with the teacher, then the AP, then the Principal, then call admin and talk to a Director, then if all your dance partners suck you go file a grievance and do the boot n scoot with that slow and stupid process which has not changed by the way. I filed a Level 2 grievance right before I got a late response from Ms. Adams that they are developing new regulations and such. I guess they hadn’t implemented it when I did mine. This is the way it is supposed to happen. This is the dance you should be dancing. It also seriously irritates me that this is the feedback the board members are getting from the community and they don’t have the wherewithal to pass such important information along! THIS makes me angry. Garza Jr, Prado and Garza Sr. are more worried about hiring friends as the new super or the soccer team getting their tee-shirts from the AD than students being able to do their academic work in school! I believe from Prado’s and Garza Sr’s recent behavior they should take a step back. But they will be running for their seats again and won’t ethically do that. They need to be out and about being seen for votes.

Clarification for all. I have no ill will or personal issues with any of the board members at KISD. None. I do though have serious, valid concerns about they way some of them operate and behave. This stems from every day communication with the public to how they hire their friends and relatives. If I have any beef it is with them blowing off my safety concerns and Garza Sr. telling me to find him in the phone book which I haven't used in 10 years. I am upset that certain people have been wheelin' and dealin' a certain way and behaving unethically. It is said to see a board not in unison. They have been at it for about a year now that I have personally witnessed. I do not believe for a moment that certain members of the board are any good for KISD as a whole. Not in the least bit. Prado has only spoken up when it comes to police departments and now he is speaking up (pandering votes) for employee compensation. Otherwise he has been silent as a rock.

Prado took to social media this week. He was talking about how a professor used Trump’s son as an analogy to attack Trump and how politicians are not immune to public scrutiny. He believed it was wrong of her to bring a child into politics and accused me, without naming my name, of doing so. Let me copy and paste what I have said about his kids for transparency purposes:

“Family Affair” “Some do not know that Mr. Prado is married to Assistant Principal, Mrs. Prado, who worked at Perez Elementary school for 2018/2019 school year. Their kid went to that school and was voted school President. I believe Mr. Prado and Mr. Garza Jr. are the only members with their child at a KISD school. This school year was the first year Mr. Garza Jr.’s kid went to a KISD school.”

This is public knowledge. Nothing I said is anything that the public cannot get their hands on. I very well can say a lot about how the community feels about this subject. I have never gone there. I won’t go there. But it is pretty obvious that a lot of people in town feel “favoritism” when it comes to this subject. Lord forbid your child goes to the same school as a board member and you park in his parking spot. The line is very grey when it comes to Board members visiting schools. What capacity is it in? Father or Board Member?

Listen Prado, no one said anything vile about your kids other than you use board conventions and functions to take your family on vacations. The public should know that. I have no issue with you being an active parent. That would be stupid. Some of the public feels a certain way. Instead of yelling at parents, maybe you could do something to make them rest assure you care and aren’t always in a position of power 100% of the year. Also, you are in a position of power in education. What do you expect and how do you expect people to feel?

I still have not been given word of when my Level 3 grievance will be heard. There is on the agenda in closed session, “E. Discussion With Legal Counsel Regarding Status of Pending Litigation and Other Legal Matters.” Not sure if that is about my grievance or another.

Either way I am on the agenda on Monday. You can look at it more like YOU and the community are on the agenda on Monday. On the agenda it states, "E. Discussion and Possible Action Regarding Designating a Specific Area for Media during Board Meeings." Look here spaghetti arms! This is my dance space. This is your dance space. I don't go into yours, you don't go into mine! I wouldn't even be in this dance space if you didn't have appropriate means of professional recording of meetings or adequate access to information promptly!!

Texas Open Meetings Act allows the public like myself to film these public meetings. Here is the following law:

“Another section of the Act permits members of the public to record open meetings with a recorder or a video camera: (a) A person in attendance may record all or any part of an open meeting of a governmental body by means of a recorder, video camera, or other means of aural or visual reproduction. (b) A governmental body may adopt reasonable rules to maintain order at a meeting, including rules relating to: (1) the location of recording equipment; and (2) the manner in which the recording is conducted. (c) A rule adopted under Subsection (b) may not prevent or unreasonably impair a person from exercising a right granted under Subsection (a).326F327”

KISD can tell me where I can record and in the manner. They cannot impede me from doing so. Will they put baby in a corner to where you cannot hear anything, even with headphones on? Will they put me in a spot where you cannot see everyone. Will they put me somewhere where you cannot see Cory Garza Jr. texting on his phone? We will find out soon!

On another style of dance, KISD lawyer, Maddox, said in so many words, it doesn't matter what is written into board policy that it is up to KISD board to interpret it how they want if there is ever a future concern. True. Law can be up to interpretation. That is why America has a Supreme Court. Some laws are obvious and some are not. If by chance I get on the board I will put up for agenda every damn board policy there is and go over it with a fine tooth comb, hopefully with a committee, and make it so that the board policy is black and white. To protect the district and teachers, parents and the community.

It is so unfair for the uneducated, uninformed to have to go through what KISD makes people go through to be heard. It shouldn't be that difficult. You shouldn't have to be besties with board members. You shouldn't have to bring up a concern and be told you asked wrong or used the wrong verbiage. KISD can make a decision based on what the meaning of the word 'is' is. That is so unprofessional and spiteful. In other words it doesn't matter because KISD will always be right.