Xavier Miranda sent this in:
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As an educator in the El Paso Independent School District, I acknowledge the need to address the long-neglected condition of our schools, and the need to add facilities to accommodate for students enrolled in Fine Arts and athletic programs.
However, the notion that buildings and technology are answers to improve educational outcomes dismisses the role of educators. Technology does not provide the necessary encouragement to a student who comes from a home whose parent has to work two jobs to make ends meet. A new building does not provide inspiration to a student who goes to bed hungry. The closure of neighborhood schools dismisses the concepts of child behavior development, and the sense of community. Pedagogical considerations are a forgone conclusion.
The vilification of our education system is a strategy utilized by special interest groups to de-fund public education, promote test-centered curriculum, and further widen the economic gap between the wealthy and poor.
Realizing that early voting is scheduled to start on October 25, it is necessary to provide the following information that may assist in determining whether to support or oppose the $668.7 million EPISD Bond.
The following links provide insight to some private interests that have funded the El Paso Rising political action committee, that may profit from the passage of the bond, whether through construction or financial consulting services:
- Campaign Finance Report:
- Lockwood, Andrews, and Newman, Inc. contributed $5,000 to El Paso Rising PAC, and are involved in the lead contamination of the Flint, MI water supply.:http://www.bloomberg. com/research/stocks/private/ snapshot.asp?privcapid=4333041
- TCG Services from Austin has contributed $10,000 :
- David Neumark, an opponent to raising the minimum wage, has contributed $5,000: http://www.wsj.com/ articles/minimum-wage-hike- has-losers-many-of-them-poor- letters-to-the-editor- 1405274272
- Woody Hunt has contributed $10,000 to the El Paso Rising PAC, and $150,000 to Texans for Education Reform:
A significant contributor to the El Paso Rising political action committee is Dee Margo. He is a former Texas State Representative whose legislative record includes the cutting of the Texas education budget to the tune of $5.4 billion in 2011. He then later served as a member of the EPISD Board of Managers, of whom initially authorized the Jacobs Engineering study, currently used to close and consolidate schools included in this EPISD bond.
The campaign finance reports, include folks who have contributed significant amounts of money to Texans for Education Reform, an organization seeking to dismantle public education, through the promotion of vouchers and charter schools.
A prevalent concern expressed in our community is the issue of trust. A way to restore it, would be the commitment by district officials to re-locate administrative operations to one of the schools proposed for closure, or to the portable classrooms in which our students are currently housed. Given the City of El Paso’s non-renewal of the lease for the administrative offices on Boeing, this would certainly be a tangible action.
Please consider the education of our children and authentically engage in advocacy efforts.
Best Regards,
Xavier Miranda
El Paso Grassroots
elpasospeak 
Good research. All the feeders-at-the-trough. If you want to see them, you can find most of them at St. Clements on Sunday morning where they meet to drink the blood of Jesus. Jesus Lopez, that is, the poor homeowner who will have to shoulder the burden of paying for all this as they certainly will not.
Yes, Virginia, there are real vampires.
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Personally, I am an admirer of David Neumark’s work. He approaches minimum wage issues in a reasonable and researched manner. But I fail to understand how a San Francisco resident has an interest in the EPISD bond.
I also know that Ed Archuleta, who served on the Board of Managers, had an excellent plan to maintain and improve the existing facilities. What happened to that plan? Did the current board throw it out it favor of consorting a group of out-of-town consultants?
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Asking voters to spend $650+ million on public schools harldy seems to me some kind of nefarious plan to close the public schools in El Paso.
This piece is all over the place, first attacking technology which makes up less than 3% of the total price tag, and then trying to connect dots that are not there ala Martin Paredes, then ending with a call for the admin offices to move into portables.
In a city like El Paso, until more citizens actually get involved and either put up cash for causes or get phyically involved in things, and not just sit on the sidelines lobbing verbal word salad bombs ala Martin Paredes, there are very few people that actually give money or donate time. Consequently, their names will turn up over and over again on lots of different lists of organizations. Perhaps they have agendas, perhaps they do not. But if you need a donation in this berg, who you gonna ask? Foster and Hunt our resident billionaires. While I am no fan of Dee Margo, I must say that he did an admirable job as the head of the Board of Managers for EPISD while he was there. The ship was righted and is now sailing is a totally different direction than in the Lorenzo Garcia years.
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Xavier, cut the kumbaya crap. It is up to an educated and determined population that can and will stop this tax and spending nonsense, not whining about corporate donors. We need to grow a pair and start kicking butt and taking names. Only then will we see results. Xavier, you need to put all the blame on US!
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Stanley Jobe? $25,000? Don’t worry. There’s nothing going on.
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And their Campaign Manager is from San Antonio and has no property in El Paso that will have tax increases. Get a load of this crap: https://mobile.twitter.com/desicanela
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Off topic question. Can anybody confirm that Dino Coronado, one of the Area Superintendents , cussed out his principals during a meeting last week calling them whiny asses all because they had the nerve to disagree with his Royal Highness? Can someone also confirm that the same Dino is bringing in a Dallas consultant and software company called Scribesense aka Quaest that he used in Houston to to do drill and kill for the STAAR test? I hear tell that this company is so sure that Dino the dragon is going to get them El Paso Business that they are even hiring an El Paso Sales Manager! And the new software does exactly what the current Eduphoria software does! It’s November. It’s Thanksgiving! And the EPISD is a Thanksgiving Turkey with its drumsticks wide open on the table and all the vultures are circling and having themselves a plate of turkey meat and stuffing!
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Here is the link to the Scribesense El Paso Vacancy.
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/149258483
There goes another few million to an outside consultant and useless software firm. Dino the dragon has decreed that all of his schools will purchase this service and software. Giant sucking sound.
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On numerous occasions in front of multiple people Dino has used curse words including the F word. The district pays almost a million dollats for Renaissance STAR360 in addition to Eduphoria and schools have their own practice programs they pay for too. He is a bully and if you check out his resume, has not lasted past 2 years in any of the last 4 districts he has worked in. He even bragged to principals that he didn’t even have to interview in person for this job because he couldn’t fit it into his schedule getting his doctorate. He was hired over the phone through interviews. He was trying to make the point that he was that good.
(His doctorate is from UTEP)
Don’t worry though. He’s been interviewing in other districts for Superintendent jobs. He won’t be around long.
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