2. Discussion, consideration and possible action on extending virtual distance learning for all BISD students & faculty for the entire 2020 fall semester. (Board Member Request Minerva Pena, Board Support Dr. Prisci Roca Tipton, Eddie Garcia and Dr. Sylvia P. Atkinson)
Special to El Rrun-Rrun
The Brownsville Independent School District is petitioning Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to sign a waiver to continue long-distance learning until the end of the Fall Semester and has enlisted the assistance of State Sen. Eddie Lucio to petition Abbott and prevent financial sanctions by the Texas Education Agency which wants a "soft opening" at the end of next week.
Lucio's letter was read to the board Tuesday where he cites the danger of COVID-19 fatalities in Brownsville saying that in the last two days more than 100 deaths have been reported in the city from the virus and even a soft opening would be exposing teachers, staff, students and their families in the community to infection.
The letter was drafted and sent yesterday from Lucio's office and Superintendent Dr. Rene Gutierrez said it now rests on Abbott's desk awaiting his decision. He said that should Abbott agree, the financial sanctions by the TEA if the district does not have a "soft opening" would be prevented.
The decision now rests upon Abbott's response to the BISD's request for a waiver.
The board had passed its yearly schedule to open August 25 back in February, but the onslaught of the virus delayed a return to classrooms until Sept. 28. At that time TEA wants all districts to have a soft opening where students who had no internet and devices like tablets and notepads and hotspots can come into the class rooms.
However, the onslaught of the virus here convinced the board and administration to petition the governor to postpone any "soft opening" until the end of the Fall semester. A unanimous board asserted its support for the waiver. Depending upon Abbott's answer to the waiver request, all students may not be required to attend classes until January.
3. Discussion, consideration and possible action to review, amend and/ or terminate BISD Board Attorney Baltazar Salazar. (Board Member Request - Laura Perez-Reyes/Board Support Eddie Garcia and Philip Cowen).
With Perez-Reyes absent from Tuesday's meeting, the board considered the matter closed after appointing local attorney Kevin O'Hanlon who reportedly cleared Salazar after issuing a finding that board counsel was not considered a convicted felon based on an early termination order issued by then-107th District Judge Gilberto Hinojosa "set aside" the conviction for theft-by-check in 1985.
Salazar also provided O'Hanlon a copy of a Texas Department of Public Safety letter he said cleared him of having a theft conviction.
Dr. Sylvia Atkinson pushed for the board to open a wide-ranging discussion at the time the item came up on the agenda backed by member Drue Brown. However, the majority of the board decided to take the item out of time and agreed to delete the item from consideration and action.
Perez-Reyes had unearthed allegations that Salazar had lied on his application to the BISD about three felony charges of theft by check totaling more than $11,500, a felony conviction on one of $5,700, that he had lied on his application to the BISD, and of creating fictional PACs to attack board members, and of manipulating the board.
At Tuesday's meeting Salazar said he was satisfied with the board clearing his name by deleting the item from the board agenda and repeated his assertions of his innocence.
23 comments:
This report is not very accurate.
¡ Compadre Roberto Mata, te están poniendo los cuernos !
It is like I am seeing a "movie" on corruption at it's best, and it makes me ask why Laura was absent from the meeting. Was she being held hostage somewhere? This is just too unbelievable and unexplainable. Who of all the judges and previous opinions is right. Does it boil down to the fact that we have nothing but inefficient lawyers and judges down here? How I wish Judge Darrell Hester were still around and all would go to jail, go directly to jail, do not pass go and do not collect $200. What happened to your assertions from the previous meeting, Laura. Cluck, cluck, cluck?
DO NOT VOTE FOR ERASMO CASTRO FRANKIE OLIVO CARLOS ELIZONDO.
THEY ALL HAVE CRIMINAL RECORDS. THEY ARE ALL JOKES. THEY WILL MAKE BISD CRASH AND BURN.
ERASMO CASTRO: NO MORE COMPADRE SYSTEM
ALSO ERASMO CASTRO: VOTE FOR ME AND MY COMPADRES
ERASMO CASTRO: OTHER CANDIDATES HAVE MONEY ARE EDUCATED AND WORK HARD
ERASMO CASTRO: I DONT HAVE MONEY AND DONT WORK HARD PLEASE HAVE PITY FOR ME
Voting for Trump: El Paya Jerry McHale, Erasmo and La Frankie.
Erasmo and Frankie is that all you have on Garza, assuming she is having an affair. you have it all wrong. As an ex coworker I witness Denise go through her divorce. Her relationship with her new beau brought out the happiness she was missing. Seeing her smile and happy was in fact noticeable in our department. Sad how people have to lie and make up stories. Of course you all will continue trying to make a fake story happen that is not there. Mr Manriquez did in fact work closely with a Denise but not Denise Garza/Mujica. It was Denise Magallanez who was mentored by him when she started at special services. Frankie and Erasmo ask your buddy Marco Hinojosa as Denise Magallanez was his ex wife and she had her fair share of accusations of having an affair. Looks like you have The wrong Denise.
An investigative journalist who fact-checked a racist, taxpayer-funded propaganda video released by Border Patrol said the agency has “doubled down,” re-uploading the garbage after earlier pulling it from YouTube. It had done so following her initial report on the false anti-immigrant statistics and fictional, racist imagery used by federal immigration officials on the taxpayer’s dime.
“I encourage all reporters to ask Border Patrol about its promotion of false statistics in this video,” Jean Guerrero tweeted. “Despite my fact-check, they doubled down and re-uploaded this. Check the stories they cite yourself. The numbers are fabricated.”
“When you turn an election into a three-ring circus, there’s always a chance that the dancing bear will win.”
― Nancy Isenberg, White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America
As voters it is time to step up our own responsibility and vote out crime and unjust from our board...we as tax payers and as a community in whole must reject criminals from playing role models to our students!!!!!! Would you honestly trust a thief with your money? Would you honestly trust a pedophile with your child? Would you honestly trust a pervert with your child or wife? Now, ask yourself who among the BISD candidates fall into these categories? Remember, your vote is not for the candidate, it is for the well being of our community and students!!!!
Where did those pendejos got their degrees in HR or the board? so many PHD and no common sense. This individual, even when he was not convicted, he committed the crime so that shows his moral turpitude therefore, they don't have to put the smoke and mirrors, just fire his ass! Texas is an "At-Will" state.
This is all so very sad, especially because morale in the district is at an all time low. Workers, especially teachers are treated like garbage by this superintendent, and all his power base, which includes school principals who can inflict a lot of pain for him by abusing their power. It's sad how many good teachers are retiring, or resigning because after devoting all their lives to their calling, teachers are treated like dirt.
The district architect is the brother of the chairman of the Texas democratic party. Philip Cowen pushed and pushed for this individual to be hired at a big salary. Even the TASB salary experts thought the district architect was overpaid. Could this have been a deal for one of the Cowans who might want to run for another elected position as a democrat? Perhaps a state-wide position? Maybe a current Brownsville city commissioner has big election dreams.
Here is an interesting fact. Blogger "Bobby Loco" has been posting comments in this blog and in some cases defending his comments made in this blog. However, in his blog, comments are not posted. Does he fear that the few readers of his blog will read all the negative comments made about his ridiculous posted articles and prove him wrong.
Let's let our kids go back to school. All we're asking for is a choice
As a Special Education SHARS Clerk, you only imput information into the computer by those performing their job in educating children with disabilities. The job of the clerk is to assist the teachers and other personnel in making sure that their information is correct in order to generate funds for their services. The job of the SHARS clerk is simply a data processing job that can be perform by any individual with a simply high school diploma.
Just because a position is listed as a clerk in the district doesn't mean that the hired "clerk" is only pushing buttons. Don't under estimate the district clerks. We do so much more and our job title as "clerks" is a way the district keeps us from making money. So many of us "clerks " have to audit, submit reports, work close with administration. If are titles were "specialists " or "coordinators " would you people that consider us clerks as pushing buttons people...think of us differently.? A degree or title doesn't make a person. Just a "Clerk " that will continue to work and go above and beyond..why? Because I was raised with morals. !
Remember when the county commissioners wanted a raise and Joey Lopez was behind it all? Not to long ago. And who was trashing him? No other than Jerry McHale! And now he’s supporting Joey Lopez’s daughter! Jerry was all over the courthouse with Nurith recording him opposing these raises. The articles about Joey Lopez are still in his blog and videos are still on Facebook. How much is Joey Lopez paying him? Does Daniela know how he went after her daddy?
Interesting comment posted by 12: 21 pm. As a long time employee of the district, I have never heard an administrator especially in a position held by this gentleman to spend so much time mentoring an office clerk. Remember, this gentleman a crony of the newly appointed director of this department during that time was brought to this department with no experience in this area. Therefore, whatever he might have been doing was certainly not mentoring.
Now, ask yourself a question. Why would a person with minimum education living in this community with good employment seek a job in a small district away from that person’s home? Unless, somebody might say, there are special benefits and that person is willing to go the extra miles smiling all the way.
You have to love “politics”. It brings out the very best and the very worse.
Such is the situation in this arena that “El Paya Blog Reviewer” aka “Jethro” might have posted a comment like this: “ha esa vieja si le gusta, a la mera neta. Se va ser camote del “Baboso”, el que se creye la voz de los piojos del barrio”.
@9:19am well said. Candidates who don't have the district experience will not understand the importance of the clerks positions. Records Clerk, PEIMS clerks, Registrar Clerks, Special Ed Clerks, attendance Clerks etc... All have deadlines and reports that must be met to stay in compliance to keep schools and departments running. The above comment mentioned must be a Frankie supporter and will do anything to make Denise Garza seem she is not qualified. For once we have a candidate who understands classified employees. Vote for Denise Garza PL2.
9:19am Yes, us so called "clerks" know more than the Department Specialists or Coordinators. We call the Department in CAB, and they are clueless. We all call this person in CAB, and all the Specialist does is transfer our calls to the Secretary that knows more. That Specialist lady does nothing but send emails. All of us clerks can take this lady's job. But BISD promoted this lady because she was related to an AA.
The former special services director who came to Brownsville from Los Fresnos quickly saw Denise Garza as a fake. This director was very knowledgable about how a special education department operated and she knew how to spot a con. As soon as superintendent at the time and his wife left Brownsville for San Antonio this lady began to move all of the former superintendent wife's so called clerical friends out of Special Sevices including Denise Garza. All these so called friends including Denise Garza used to cause many headaches for the director by running to the superintendent anytime she did something the friends didn't like or agree with. The supt would then meddle in the special services operations in order to keep his wife and her friends happy. One of the director's biggest headaches with Denise Garza was her unprofessional and shameless behavior in and out of the office with the special services business manager (new beau?) This caused many issues between some employees and their family members which then spilled into the special services office with families confronting each other. This relationship led to domestic troubles which resulted in broken homes and destroyed marriages. I guess the 2 Denises from special services liked to play around back in the day. Voters, we have enough drama in the district and do not need anymore.
Erasmo , Frankie , Carlos is the way to go!
If you want to go to jail
" For once we have a candidate who understands classified employees. Vote for Denise Garza PL2." 2:42 pm.
Electing a candidate for the Board of Trustee is not about classified or certified employees. It is about the education of the children in this community. Your comments has fail to address the most important thing that a candidate should be concern with (providing the best educational system for our children in this community).
Clerks are an essential component of the management of any organization or business just like all the other personnel (administrators, teachers, custodians, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, etc.). However, they should not be glorified for doing their job. This holds true for any other employee who receives compensation for their hard labor in performing their job.
This community is tried of incompetent individuals who seeks a position for their own benefits. It is sad but it seems that those seeking office have agents not suited for the purpose of which they should be elected.
2:42pm do not repost a comment made previously by an other person. Learn how to make reference to that post when making a comment (Need help, look at
McHale's blog on how he makes reference to posted comments.)
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