Board Transparency

May 6, 2016

I would like to thank the people over at EPISD for the quality of the board information on their web site.

The items almost always include backup material and the videos of the board meetings are conveniently indexed to the agenda items so that one can watch the video for only those items of interest.

El Paso Community College and the County of El Paso lag far behind.

I have not been able to find either videos or backup materials for YISD board meetings.

Socorro posts their video on YouTube but does not provide backup material.

The county hospital does not grace us with details about it’s agenda items but does provide a video of their board meetings.

The city still has agenda items with no backup material often times, depending on how important the person who put the item on the agenda thinks he or she is.

We deserve better

Brutus

Leave a Comment » | City government, El Paso Independent School District | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

First they came … and I did not speak out

May 2, 2016

Once again I have no personal knowledge of what the five former EPISD officials that were arrested the other day did or did not do.

What troubles me is the massive machine that has been deployed to convict them before they have their day in court.

“Today’s actions by the FBI further places EPISD on a path to recovery after years of uncertainty.”

“The actions today by the FBI allow us to further put this incident behind us.”

These statements from EPISD officials imply that the five arrestee’s deserve what is happening.

Particularly troubling is that both of the statements came from EPISD officials who are lawyers.  Both of these officials have been doing good work at the district but seem to have forgotten their places in this situation.

It would have been appropriate to say something about the standards and expectations that the district has in place today, but to paint the defendants as guilty when a jury has not decided the issue is unfair.

I would hope that they stay out of it in the future and let the system work.

We deserve better

Brutus

22 Comments | El Paso Independent School District, Federal Government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Brownfield on the indictments

April 29, 2016

This came in from Brownfield:

 

Brutus,

 

I have one thing to say about the austin hs indictments. I TOLD YOU SO! Please consider putting that up on your blog.
While the El Paso Times was running air cover for EPISD, I was telling the truth as I knew it. I feel vindicated and am enjoying the misery of those who were indicted.
-brownfield

16 Comments | El Paso Independent School District, El Paso Times | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Perp walk

April 28, 2016

What a coincidence!

Just days after EPISD, one of our former mayors, and the Times complimented our former state senator for his fight against a “large criminal ring” the FBI has arrested five former EPISD employees on charges relating to the almost six year old  cheating scandal.

Somehow the local media people were on hand at the very moment the accused were taken to jail.

I don’t know what these people did or did not do.

I do know that they deserve a fair and objective process.

What bothers me is that it looks like they are being tried in the court of public opinion instead of in a courtroom.  Actually their chances of making it into the courtroom are slim.

More on that in upcoming posts.

We deserve better

Brutus

 

 

 

12 Comments | El Paso Independent School District, El Paso Times, Federal Government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

School spending per student

April 20, 2016

I received the link below from Tim Holt and asked him if I could attribute it to him.

His response:

Sure..

But be sure to point out that I think ALL the school districts in El Paso county spend below the state and the national average per student.
(Food to think about when people complain we waste money…when in reality we simply dont have ht money to spend.)
The link:

Schools district spending per student:

2 Comments | El Paso Independent School District | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

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