Wednesday, September 6, 2017

WITH 29 YEARS "SENIORITY" IN THE TEXAS HOUSE, OLIVEIRA WAS READY TO SELL TSC DOWN THE RIO GRANDE TO UT

(Ed.'s Note: It's getting tedious to hear the lambisonces laud District 37 State Rep. Rene Oliveira and call for his re-election to another two-year term to make it 36 years of being in the same position. Seniority, they say, is his forte over any other candidate. Well, look what Oliveira did when he had been in office 29 years (in 2011). If he had his way, there would be no Texas Southmost College. All its buildings and assets would have been "transferred" to the UT System, his alma mater. What can he possibly have learned in the last six years that would make him any more "effective?" Nada. No fawning semantic contortions can change the fact that he was ready to turn his back on our community's 91-year investment in their community college.) 

By Juan Montoya

In their "Brief History of Education in Brownsville and Matamoros," Milo Kearney, Alfonso G.Arguelles and Yolanda Z. Gonzalez, outlined the efforts of both cities to bring education to their children.

The work was published in 1989 as a one-year commemoration of the merger between Pan American University and the University of Texas System in 1988 by the U of Pan Am Press.

The authors painstakingly traced the humble beginnings of the first settlers to Matamoros who came from Camargo and Monterrey in 1774 as they tried to provide a basic education to their children by paying for tutors their children as far back as 1793. This work was then performed by the Apostolic Colleges of Zacatecas in 1796.

In 1814, 34 years before there was a Brownsville, the settlers in Matamoros established the first primary school (elementary) with a paid teacher. Peaceful (?) Indian workers were hired to do the ranching chores of boys who were sent to school. In 1833, the new Mexican government brought on by independence established the Dept. of Public Instruction, an overly optimistic effort that produced little or no financial support for local schools. In the void, Matamoros residents took up the slack. The schools lacked everything, including books and had to rely on what the parents sent with their children. But in 1837, the schools there were opened up for girls, too.

Through the years, it was the Catholic (Oblates and other monastic orders on both sides), including Presbyterian missionaries, who provided the instruction. In 1853, Matamoros established the first secondary school. On the American side, it wasn't until 1855 that Cameron County established the first country school housed on the Methodist Church and later in the first federal building. That effort fizzled due to lack of state funds and for 17 years, Cameron County lacked public instruction.

The Catholic Church – through the Villa Maria school for girls run by the Order of the Sisters of the Incarnate Word in 1853 and the St. Joseph Academy for boys run by the Oblates in 1862 – was the only educational force. If families could afford it, boys and girls from both sides of the border could get a religious-based education.

It wasn't until 1875 that the Brownsville Public School System was established, but again, like their neighbors across the Rio Grande, their efforts were not funded by their state governments. One-third of the children in Brownsville were enrolled for school, but only one-fourth attended, the authors say.

In 1889, the first grammar school was established in Brownsville at the site of the present-day Annie S. Putegnat Elementary next to Washington Park. It wasn't until 1916 that Brownsville had a high school, 63 years after there was one in Matamoros. It was located at the corner of Palm Blvd. and Elizabeth Street.

By 1926, the Junior College of the Rio Grande, later named Brownsville Junior College and renamed Texas Southmost College in 1941, came into existence.
Since the State of Texas had proven reluctant to provide funds for that purpose, the residents showed their desire to provide their children with an educational rung to higher education by establishing the district, that is, to tax themselves.

Matamoros had three colegios already in existence by the time Pan American University rented space from TSC years later to establish an extension and provide upper-level classes in Brownsville in 1973.  Four years later, the University of Pan American-Brownsville was established.

Then, in November 1988, Pan American merged with the UT System, and Brownsville residents complained that the result would be that state resources would be funneled to Hidalgo County to the detriment of the Brownsville campus.

Among some of their fears was that without autonomy from Edinburg the Brownsville campus would be ineligible to seek federal funding and would be at the mercy of Edinburg for funds. Also, they could not solicit private or foundation funds without the approval from Edinburg. Autonomy, they said, would help attract industry to Brownsville and help of recruitment and retention of superior faculty, and help it gain accreditation.

Efforts to get an independent free-standing university were rebuffed – as had the initial establishment of a public school system – by the legislature in Austin. This despite offers from the city to the UT System of donating 200 acres adjacent to the TSC campus. In the face of continued denials by the legislature, a half-baked answer was concocted to appease Brownsville.

Sen. Eddie Lucio and State Rep. Rene Oliveira bought into the disastrous "partnership" between TSC and the UT System that required the college district to foot the bill for UT to "partner" with TSC. The taxpayers of the poorest community in the state and nation would pay for hte oil-and-gas wealthy UT System to be here. Over the next 21 years, the community college district – under the "leadership" of President Julieta Garcia – "transferred" more than $1 billion to the UT System, indebted its taxpayers with $120 million construction bonds, and produced dismal graduation and retention rates in return. Tuition was charged at university level even for vocational classes and the community college mission abandoned.

It has only been since 2011 that an independent TSC board of trustees opted to separate itself from the UT System and gain operational independence two years alter in 2013. But before that happened, the trustees went to Lucio and Oliveira and asked them to support the separation and allow the college to return to its original mission of providing affordable, accessible opportunity to local students.

Oliveira had submitted a bill ( HB 3689) backed by then-UTB-TSC president Julieta Garcia to turn over all the assets of the community college to the UT System diametrically opposed to the wishes of college trustees and residents. It took the testimony before the committee of TSC trustee Adela Garza and Erasmo Castro to convince Oliveira to amend the bill to make TSC an independent institution. Even the chairman of the committee disapproved of the original Oliveira bill. A substitute bill had to be filed by State Rep. Dennis Bonnen, a Republican to boot.

If not for the resistance to the bill by the TSC trustees and district residents, Oliveira and Lucio were content to have TSC and all the assets nurtured by the district's taxpayers since 1926 gobbled up by the UT System, except for the $128 million in bond debt. As it was, Oliveira submitted a bill that in effect erased the $10 million in rent owed TSC by the UT System.

Now the worse fears of those back in 1988 that the new entity – in this case the UT Rio Grande Valley – would relegate Brownsville to a satellite campus without say so in its operations or academic decisions, have come full circle and a self-fulfilling prophesy.

These turns of events for the worse in the educational opportunities for students in the Matamoros-Brownsville are were made possible by our state legislators despite the fact that Oliveira's uncle – the late Arnulfo "Nuco" Oliveira – served as president of TSC and Pan Am Brownsville before his death. Additionally, trustee David Oliveira – Nuco's son and Rene's cousin, both Texas Exes – showed his loyalty was to the UT System and not to the people of the district by voting for Garcia's plan to turn over TSC's assets to UTB and to continue to let the community taxpayers subsidize it.

But even worse than that, both Oliveiras and Lucio were willing to turn their backs on the 224 years of the labor of love of Matamoros and Brownsville residents to provide an education to their children.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Plus, fucking TSC is a tax drain on the citizens. The return they get is never there! think about that angle, bro! Anglos tire of supporting an Alternative High School for a student body that is all-Mexican!

Anonymous said...

Montoya, you know what, GF Scully and Duardo Paz are very unethical cheap scum trash and serve no positive purpose for our community. The community turns corner when they arrive to a place. Community members prefer not conversing with either. Both GF Scully and Herma Paz are not taken seriously. It is sad that those two non Brownsville born freaks live amongst us. They both have seats on the couch in the Devil's Den soon

Anonymous said...

Rene Oliveira is an eye sore to the community he represents. If all the women Rene Oliveira has promised to marry voted against him, he would lose in a landslide. The only thing he is good for is keeping the penicillin sales moving strong. What good is it having seniority at capital if he is only interested in call girls and booze, instead of representing his community? Mr. Montoya is #1 and correct when he says that the frog looking Rene Oliveira,(aka Mr. Herpes)...was ready to sell out the community college. Pura basura! Come on community of Brownsville....we need someone that will work for us in Austin...not just browser the lady of the night specials for his own sexual gratification on the tax-payer dime! Enough of this home wrecker pulling the wool over the voter's eyes....Ya basta! Do not listen to McHale and his nonsense rhetoric defending his corrupt friend Rene Oliveira. Lets put this trash in the trash bin community! no more Rene Oliveira!

Anonymous said...

Mchale and Duardo Paz resort to pornography for readership. Montoya publishes news...WOW! Imagine that. A true champion journalist for the community. The orange hair typing monkey and the unethical Doctor Mchale are just reading and copying you Mr. Montoya. I wonder if Dr. Mchale is the one prescribing the penicillin for his freind Rene Oliveira? Hhmmmmm the community does not forget that you are a hypocrite Mchale. You pretended to be with the save TSC people. The one you protect, the homewrecker Rene Oliveira attended meeting at Senator Lucia,s office.. the picture is right on Mr. Montoyas story. Mchale backstabes the community....he stands with them and pretends to be for saving college....and then protects Rene Oliveira.... the 29 year representative that is a homewrecker and partner with lobbyist money that was ready to screw the college over. Shame on you Mchale.....shame shame sir.

Anonymous said...

Rene is a "douche bag" and has never represented this community....only himself. Rene sided with Queen Julieta because he thought she had UT by the balls and that Brownsville would be a big "wiener" with the forces in Austin, and thus it would be good for him. Rene and both Lucios are tied to lobbyists whose interests are mostly outside the RGV. Rene and the Lucios are "scumbags" who don't give a shit about their constituents and they should not be elected officials.

Anonymous said...

Robert, stop! You're embarrassing yourself. Jerry can't write himself out of a wet paper bag. Duardo is a total fake.

Oliveira has abused his office and his body.

Yet, you are not equipped to take anyone on in a verbal fight. You're a fifth grader going against high school seniors.

Google recipes online and try to fix your restaurant. You're not intellectually "up" for an internet fight.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of penicillin, do you keep a steady supply of it on hand considering who it is Poppa is with? Wouldn't want it to fall off. The CDC should have a chip on that walking Petri dish by now.

Anonymous said...

Maybe he's just not afraid of pissing off Captain Boob and his crusty little friend?

Anonymous said...

Hahahaha!!!!

Anonymous said...

Its a day of meetings coffee manicures relaxation texting magazine reading gossiping pencil pushing at Rene Oliveiras local office as we The people struggle to make ends meet as District 37 rep does nothing to help area with economic salvation. No Tenaska No Space X No major industry to arrive just drinking and drinking and drinking and drinking.

rita