Today, Texas Governor @GregAbbott_TX will visit @dallasschools for the second time in recent months. This visit will take place at the amazing @SolarSTEAMGirls, an innovative, mixed socio-economic campus where girls ages Pk-8 are redefining what public schools can be. (1/21)
As the Gov. tours the campus, there are a few things he should know. The first is that Solar Prep was originally Bonham Elementary, a blue ribbon school that was forced to shut down in 2012 due to low enrollment and draconian cuts to state education funding...(2/21)
funding that still hasn't been fully restored 6 years later and even if restored to 2012 levels would not scratch the surface of being adequate or equitable for districts like DISD. The Gov. should also know that right around the corner rests Cesar Chavez Learning Center, (3/21)
Solar Prep-Boys (formerly JFK Learning Center), Ignite Academy (formerly JW Ray Learning Center), and the Innovation, Design and Entrepreneurship Academy (formerly Fannin Elementary). All of these original schools were forced to close due to state cuts. (4/21)
Our board recently made the difficult decision to consolidate JW Ray and JFK into Chavez. Both schools received A ratings under the new A-F system. Ray's success had much to do with the innovative @ACEDallasISD initiative. Unfortunately this success came too late. (5/21)
When you are operating on a shoestring budget and you face the threat of "Robin Hood" recapture, it becomes difficult to keep low enrolled schools open when you are trying to fund groundbreaking initiatives like ACE and choice schools that rapidly improve instruction & (6/21)
provide school choices that attract families back to public schools & inject new money into the coffers. DISD should not have to choose between funding choice school concepts like Solar Prep or funding ACE which improves low performing campuses and keeps them from closing. (7/21)
When you prove yourself like we have (B rating and best in class) we should get to do both. This game our state political "leadership" is playing with public schools is having a devastating impact on public school children and educators. (8/21)
They ask districts for increased accountability and local solutions for improved teacher pay-we give them the Teacher Excellence Initiative, a revolutionary eval/pay system. Then they ask us to testify in Austin about the great work for 2 consecutive sessions, (9/21)
but then they do nothing to help us fund this system. They ask us to turn around our lowest performing schools or face district closure-we respond by creating ACE and transforming these schools to literally the best in one or two years. They ask us to testify about this (10/21)
"miracle" down is Austin, but then they refuse to fund the work. They force us to compete with charter schools and we create concepts like the collegiate and P-Tech academies. They (@DanPatrick) come to DISD 2X to host press conferences hailing the work as a beacon for (11/21)
other districts, and then do nothing to fund it. They tell us to expand pre-k, we make it universal and get unmatched results related to Kindergarten readiness while creating the first stand-alone early ed center, then they cut pre-k funding the next session. (12/21)
They tell us to make our schools safer in response to continued gun violence in schools and we come up with an innovative approach to shifting the culture of students reporting suspicious activity. (13/21)
They (@GregAbbott_TX and @DanPatrick and many North Texas reps) host a press conference at our facility, pledge to fund us, but no money has come yet and no special session has been called to secure this funding. (14/21)
Heck, the Gov. loves DISD so much he poached one of the best trustees to have ever serve our district, Mike Morath, to be his education chief, a great hire I might add. Mike knows what we need and it is my hope the Gov. will listen to his every word. (15/21)
Now the Gov. will visit yet another innovative DISD concept, one that comes as we are practically begging the tax payers for a $0.13 increase in property taxes that the legislature made it more difficult for us to even get on the ballot by requiring a super majority (16/21)
of the board to pass it (we finally succeeded in our third year). Let's be clear, the Gov. and Republicans will not advocate for this increase. In fact, they will actively oppose it and will falsely paint our district as the villain for "not spending the money we already (17/21)
have wisely." But that couldn't be further from the truth. I just told you what we are doing and they keep coming back to tout our success like they had something to do with it & host press conferences to give the appearance as if they are listening &support.They are not. (18/21)
It's campaign season. The Gov. and Lt. Gov.'s track records are clear. Expand charters, advocate for vouchers, balk at school finance reform, and get as much earned media from DISD along the way. Don't get me wrong, the Gov. should know that DISD is performing magic (19/21)
despite circumstances and today, he will no doubt be inspired by what he sees. But this magic comes at a cost. And we're tired of pulling the rabbit out of the hat. So are our principals, our teachers (both active and retired), our support staff, and our community. (20/21)
Instead of dog & pony press conferences, our district needs bold, innovative solutions to school funding down in Austin. We're done being the innovators. Do your job this session, @GregAbbott_TX. Those little girls you will place in your campaign photos need you to lead. (21/21) 
