FAT Tuesday..SUPER Tuesday...BLUE Tuesday...

They are celebrating in Louisiana..and we will be celebrating here in Dallas tonight...Happy FAT TUESDAY to you all! Hope to see some of you tonight!

It is also SUPER Tuesday..and primaries are going down in over 20 states (not Texas) today! For my friends in participating SUPER Tuesday states, PLEEEAAAAZZZZEEE go vote today!!! I'll tell you I could not be more ready to BaRACK the Vote than I am right now!!! The list of reasons as to why stretches for me...but if you know me, you know how much I detest calling Dell for tech support! I am almost always guaranteed to have to deal with someone overseas who understands none of what I say and vice versa! (they always wanna notate my account that I'm an irate American..WTH?!!!?!!) It frustrates me highly!!! Well, amongst other things that Barack takes the lead on, he has taken the lead and was the first Presidential candidate to speak out on taking tax breaks away from these companies that choose to outsource their call centers and other operations overseas!!!! Go BARACK!!!! I support him for many other reasons as well!

And as I think about Barack and having the audacity to hope..I am saddened and having a BLUE Tuesday as I recall the events of the Dallas ISD school board meeting last Thursday! There seemed to be no hope for the future as I listened to the trustees conduct the business of the school district.

I really do not even know where to start as I sat for 4 hours in sheer disgust and disbelief as to what was taking place before my eyes. There seemed to be no order for most of the meeting, with the parliamentarian not speaking up and clearly defining rules and giving some order to the meeting. I'm going to try not to call names, but several of the trustees disrespected the speakers and their fellow colleagues with an audience FULL of young, impressionable students! What an example they set..and throughout the meeting they talked about building morale in the students and having a model for excellence, but it is best to lead by example DALLAS ISD SCHOOL BOARD!

The President of the school board voted the wrong way several times and each time had to ask for a re-vote because he hit the wrong button..what is so difficult about hitting Y or N Mr. President? After all of the public patiently sat and waited for hours through the insanity, Mr. President, Jack Lowe, decided he would leave the meeting just at the point of the public speakers (with no explanation for his early dismissal). One of the students from Skyline burst out in tears and later told me how disrespected she felt by him doing so..and it seems that this move is nothing new...

Trustee Carla Ranger hung in there and fought HARD ALL NIGHT long from issues dealing with not limiting the time for public speakers at meetings to addressing the changing of grades (as mandated by the district policy! vs. punishing schools for doing the very same thing) to very crucial policies that will affect all of our children! I must say THANK YOU (I also was reminded of why I try hard not to listen to what others say about people and experience them in action for myself!) for hanging in there even when she could not so much as get a second on her amendments from her colleagues at times. Hats off to Dr. Blackburn as well, for being quick on his research and coming to Ms. Ranger's aid and championing his own issues as well!

To the students that spoke from Skyline- JOB WELL DONE! I was so proud to see you all speak with passion and intelligence and represent and advocate for what you believe to be right! You all have been mislead and that is all I will say about that! So keep fighting the good fight! I commend the parents and students that used their creativity in speaking up for their school and finding ways to push Skyline's name in other areas of the agenda (the haters tried to stop you- but you prevailed and conquered the red tape and bureaucracy!)

I was fighting back tears as I walked out of that meeting after 10 p.m. to know that children's lives- our future- rest in these folks hands making such integral policies. I was not pleased with Trustees that acted uninterested, laughed at their colleagues suggestions and basically had utter disregard for the business at hand throughout the night.

Props to the parent that pulled the LAW out on them! When all else fails...as it was said many times throughout the night..if the fight has to go to the ballot box or the courthouse, I encourage you all to do it until your voice is heard and a righteous decision is made!

There was a parent that spoke about her child having sexual harassment issues (amongst many other issues) at her ELEMENTARY SCHOOL! She also talked about the school having a closed campus policy for parents. I simply don't understand how we talk about increasing parental participation in our kids lives and we block the parents off, as I was also told is the case for eating lunch with your child at C. A. Tatum in Pleasant Grove. Is this what we have allowed OUR public school system to become?? I remember the day, as a DISD student, when my mother had the right (and she exercised it when she chose :)) to come sit in on class, come to a school program and come eat lunch with her child(ren) if she wanted to! It starts from the top people, with the leadership and trickles on down to each and every school campus!

As a successful product of the Dallas I.S.D., I thought I'd never be one of the parents to say this, but I must say, that God willing I will not be enrolling my future child(ren) in the mismanaged Dallas I.S.D. - -unless a change comes!

But what I will do is be sure to bring my peanuts to feed the elephants and have my mind right for a 6 ring circus the next trustee meeting that I show up to!

Check this link if you wanna see parts of the meeting.

See ya at the next Circus, until then....

Let's Go To Work!