Make a difference in an important HISD runoff
On Dec. 10, the City of Houston and the Houston Independent School
District are having a runoff election for several seats.
This message is about the runoff in HISD District IX for School
Board. You don't have to live in that district to care about this
race, though -- we are all affected by public education.
We discussed this at the last PAA meeting, and there was considerable
interest in taking part in this runoff, both to help a good candidate
unseat an incumbent who doesn't seem to know what to do about our
schools, and to help build more ties in a largely minority district
that can be helpful to us in future political organizing.
If you have some time in the next week to make some phone calls to
voters, or later to do block walking or handing out cards to voters
on election day, please read on, and reply to me if you'd like to
help.
Daisy Maura won 43% of the vote in the Nov. 8 election for HISD
District IX, while the incumbent (Lawrence Marshall) received 49%.
Marshall was first elected to the HISD board in 1997 and was
re-elected in 2001.
There were less than 13,000 total votes cast in the HISD District IX
race in the Nov. 8 election. Many fewer votes than this are likely
to be cast in the runoff. This means that a relatively small number
of votes -- whoever gets folks out to the polls on Dec. 10 (and
during early voting) -- will determine who's the next HISD trustee
from this district.
Marshall has been a disappointment, to say the least. He brags about
what he has done for schools in his district and HISD's vision for
the future, but their performance continues to decline and he seems
to have no plan with specific ways to improve the schools. I'm told
he has little or no grass-roots campaign.
Daisy Maura has been an educator for 45 years, with 13 years as a
teacher, and 32 years as a principal. She has worked at several
schools in HISD. All of her children and grandchildren who are old
enough to attend school are HISD students or graduates. She is
familiar with the problems of HISD at all levels, and knows what is
needed to make it better. She's conducting a grass-roots campaign to
tell voters about her and get them to the polls. This is what is
needed in this election.
The third person in the race, Bennie Swain Muhammad, received 8% of
the vote and has endorsed Daisy Maura.
Candidate Comparison
To illustrate the differences between these candidates, compare their
responses in the latest Voters Guide from the Houston League of
Women's Voters http://www.lwvhouston.org/ . Daisy Maura has specific
plans to make things better, while Marshall gives vague answers to
every question and basically just says things are great now:
1. What can be done about the number of HISD schools rated
"Academically Unacceptable"?
DAISY MAURA: "We must provide staff development for teachers in all
areas needed (Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies). Devise
programs to increase attendance of all students to increase academic
achievement. Conduct parent workshops for parents to assist their
children at home, discuss graduation, TAKS certification and other
important issues. Parental involvement is a major component to
academic success."
LARRY MARSHALL: "HISD must develop a Blueprint for Excellence to
improve Academically Unacceptable Schools. We must re-examine our
interventions to determine impact. Ineffective strategies must be
discarded and bolder (research based) approaches must be considered.
Serious consideration should be given to Best Practices from other
urban districts who have been successful and should be provided to
our schools that show improvement and. . ."
2. Can school facilities be utilized in additional ways to better
serve community needs? Please explain. (60 word limit)
DAISY MAURA: "Schools can offer leisure evening courses for parents
and community. Allow the community to use school facilities for
Little League activities (soccer, basketball, baseball, banquets,
etc.). Schools can be opened on weekends for various activities
(mini church conferences, community workshops, etc.). School
commencements can be held in Fieldhouses, but they must be air
conditioned, this will also save the district. . ."
LARRY MARSHALL: "Yes. A bold and visionary approach is needed by
educators. The concept of shared facility useage must be explored by
all communities of interest. This approach has the potential to make
a difference in resource restricted communities and provide the
opportunity to establish unique partnerships with universities and
nonprofit organizations. We must improve delivery of instruction and
services to students."
3. How can HISD effectively recruit and retain quality teachers?(60 word limit)
DAISY MAURA: "District must provide professional development on a
regular basis for teachers. Provide each teacher with a buddy or
mentor. Working conditions must be safe and conducive for teaching
and learning. Offer incentives such as paid hospitalization premiums
and small classes and college tuition assistance for advance degrees.
Great salaries are important for teacher retention."
LARRY MARSHALL: "HISD is on the road to effectively recruiting and
retaining new teachers. We are providing capable school leadership
and marketing nationwide through university centers and related
organizations such as Teach for America (TFA). The young TFA
educators assigned to HISD have been remarkable in every aspect.
HISD must continue to provide safe and attractive facilities with
stable leadership by the..."
Read more about Daisy Maura's beliefs on her web site:
http://www.daisymaura.com/ (Sorry, it doesn't display well on some
browsers.)
Make a difference
In the 2002 City Council election, members of the Harris Co. Green
Party, and several other volunteers who are now in the PAA, helped
make the difference in a close election in electing Ada Edwards, one
of the most progressive voices on city council. We can make a
difference again with the HISD District IX race.
I have telephone lists for key precincts in district 9, that I got
from Daisy's daughter/campaign manager, and she is very interested in
working with us.
Please let me know if you'd like to help Daisy Maura, either by
telephoning, block walking/distributing info cards, or working at the
polls for part of the day Sat. Dec. 10.
Thanks. Let's make a difference in this election, and build some
ties that will help us with other issues and future elections, too.
Bill