"Keep Travis Open" Community Group continues to push the board and the superintendent to honour the neighborhood community by giving it's voice some value. We've created a forum on our website that will allow the community to speak out and be heard. Thanks to a visitor's suggestion.

Tell us what you think!

Tell Superintendent Duron what you think!

Email your feelings, suggestions, thoughts, or pent-up anger to us at KeepTravisOpen@hotmail.com and we'll post what you have to say.

Please.... just refrain from vulgarity

Let us know if you'd prefer your comments to remain anonymous.

posted April 20, 2008

Our students are taught at an early age not to cheat or lie; there are real consequences for participating in such activities. What can be said of our public leaders in the SAISD? Considering the unfolding of the recent events involving the closing of schools in the SAISD, one has to wonder about the type of role models our leaders represent.

It was apparent from the start that Mr. Duron had a clear intention of seeking the existence of an early college high school for the district. Although such a program may have merit, it is the fashion of how the district has chosen a possible site that is concerning. An open records request indicates that the superintendent had selected Travis Elementary as the site for his brass polishing initiative prior to the announcement to the Travis community that the school would be closing. This is a lie to the community when it is clear that Travis does not meet the closure model presented by the district.

Travis was closed due to cost? Yet, Duron proposes a far more costly program (ECHS), which does not address the main problem infecting the district today; low enrollment. Not to mention, a budget deficit and a need for fiscal responsibility.

Olivia Garcia

posted April 20, 2008

Although conceptually the Early College High School sounds good and does benefit the at-risk and economically disadvantaged students, but can SAISD afford it at this time with a looming deficit?

According to SAISD documents, not shown to the SAISD Board, this concept will be at a $1.9 Million deficit by the 5th year. The grant money goes away by the 2nd year. $700,000 in other costs have not even been addressed. Not to mention the $200,000 required to convert the bathrooms for high schoolers. All this extra money needed to convert the elementary campus to a high school facility after spending $5 Million to add classrooms in 2002.

Didn't SAISD close six schools due to funding? They told the taxpayer and students, their schools were too small, too inefficient, and too costly to keep open. Now they want to house only 100 students at Travis Elementary after displacing 350 students on a lie for Superintendent Duron and Tom Frost's current pet project.

Are the SAISD Board members wondering why SAISD has a budget deficit while the SAISD Superintendent and Staff are still proposing more costly window dressing initiatives like the Early College High School, the Young Women's Academy, and the R4 Initiative?

The taxpayer is, again, footing the bill for the champagne circuit's pet projects, the Superintendent's buddies, and Board President Julian Trevino's business associates.

Nellie Shannon

posted March 11, 2008

I am a 4th grader at Travis Elementary; I have attended Travis since Kindergarten. I like Travis because I feel safe and secure every day at school. I was very disappointed when I heard that Travis was going to close. It felt like a mother who is caring for a child and wants to see the child grow, is told all of a sudden that she can no longer have that child. My question is: is there any way that another school could close and allow those students to join us here at our great school?

C. Garcia

Travis Elementary Student

posted March 11, 2008

We can all understand that difficult decisions are made during challenging situations.

But, considering all of the positive/ educationally-supportive attributes that Travis represents along with the positive scores Travis earned on the recent curriculum Audit Report (10/07) Travis should not be on a list for school closures.

The strong presence and participation of the Travis community in the past 20 days is granting each of you the wish you expressed throughout the past year as indicated in the following Board’s meeting minutes.

Mr. Howard: * in March/07 you asked if the board would hear from the community.

• May/07 you suggested that the Board and Community needed to “sit down and discuss what to do”
• Nov/07 you recommended staff from low enrollment schools serve on the committee (Task force)

 

Mr. Lopez: * 3/07 recommended the board “get input from the community and look at other alternatives”

Mr. Sellers: * March/07 you stated that it was “important that the district operate in a TRANSPARENT manner”

Mrs. Hernandez: 5/07 you state “the intention was to let the community know about the financial constraints facing the district.”

Mr Trevino: November/07 you commented on a recommendation that “was to include representatives from the low enrollment school on the committee in order to allow them to be proactive, rather than reactive.”

We trust that each of you whether mentioned or not, hold true to your commitment and responsibility as Board members to: “maintain the collaborative process for decision making”. Curriculum Audit report 10/07
AS well as honor our district’s core values of RESPECT AND TEAM WORK.

You MUST support the proposal to make Travis a college preparatory elementary school, MOST importantly because it is strongly aligned with our District’s mission statement “TO GRADUATE ALL STUDENTS PREPARED TO SUCCEED IN HIGHER EDUCATION”

KEEP TRAVIS OPEN!

Olivia Garcia

Parent of a Travis Elementary Student

posted March 11, 2008

For over a decade, vouchers have been the bane of my existence, and it will continue to be. The very people who claim they want to give vouchers to private schools because they care about the "pobrecitos" (English= poor little ones) in the West and East side are the very ones who have fought us on:
• Decreasing teacher-student ratios;
• Funding for building and improving instructional facilities;
• More funding for low-wealth schools (Alamo Heights is the only property wealthy district in Bexar; 9 out of 10 school districts are property poor);
• Teacher pay increases; and
• Better healthcare for Texas children.
The list goes on, but we need to sleep over here.

We must improve our public schools. SAISD is our district. We pay taxes. We have a right to make sure they are better. We have a right to a public school in our neigborhood.

Anna Romero

Horace Mann Parent

posted March 10, 2008

FIGHT BACK AGAINST RACIST SCHOOL CLOSURES!

As we speak, SAISD and Harlendale are planning to shut down several schools in these districts, and in the proces, disrupt the lives of hundreds of working class families in the city. These school closures, however, amount to more than a minor inconvenience. The planned school closures in San Antonio, just like the school closures in New York, New Orleans and Detroit all amount to racism -- occurring primarily on the backs of black and Latino workers and students.

In fact, as these inner city schools face closure, white suburban schools on the Northside are popping up left and right. It is clear that because of higher property values, these schools have a much larger budget to work with and receive better resources. A history of racism and neglect by the city and surrounding school districts has reduced the amount of jobs and educational opportunities in the inner city and moved them to other parts of town. These policies have left SAISD racially segregated and under-funded.

• SAISD is 97% black and Hispanic (saisd.net).
• 92.2% of all SAISD students are economically disadvantaged (saisd.net).

Why does the city of San Antonio continue to allow these racially segregated districts to exist? Unless of course their intention is to maintain a racially segregated city where blacks and Latinos who live in the low-income parts of town are doomed to work the lowest paying jobs!

SAISD and other districts in San Antonio give kickbacks to the very businesses that maintain these low-wage jobs. Tax breaks given to businesses such as Golden Aluminum (later Alcoa) and Crown Plaze by the city and San Antonio school districts have resultd in under-funding, a main reason the board gives for the need to close schools in the district. This marriage between school districts and businesses has resulted in nothing but poverty-wage jobs, higher tax rates for workers and eventually layoffs when these companies go under or bail out of town (MYSA.com).

The board and superintendent say these school closures are necesary because of low student enrollment and a strapped budget. They say that this is a "challenge" that we all face together. In reality our challenge is to unite as a community against these racist school closures.

In promarily black and Latino communities across the U.S., public schools and other public services such as health care are on the chopping block. As federal and state tax dollars continue to be spent on TAKS testing and the war, cuts in vital public services are inevitable.

We can't escape these attacks by relying on the board to "make the right decision". As we all know, the school board has already made it's decision to close the schools and is just going through the motions, hoping that we will eventually shut up.

If we allow the board to push through this proposal, who knows what ridiculous cuts in spending they will propose next time. We have to fight this attack against our community and every attack that follows. We must stand together as parents, school workers and students to show the board that united, we have the power to keep our schools open!

Jonathon

a High School Educator

posted March 9, 2008

Date: Sat, 8 Mar 2008 13:57:56 -0800
From: nellie@zemogdesigns.com
Subject: Duron (DoWrong), Do right!!!
To: rduron1@saisd.net

Mr. Duron,
I got a dose of your definition of hearing a community concerns and needs. it was one way, your way only. Your definition of hearing our concerns is to tell us that the special interest and monied elite has more say in my community than we who live in it and vote in it. At the Keep Travis Open meeting of March 4th , you were only willing to talk (dictate) about your idea of a high school college prep and would not even allow us to talk about our proposal for an early start college preparatory for PK to 8th. You dismissed our concerns and told us you knew what was right for us regardless of what we think. Clearly you have forgotten who you work for, the Board and us!

It became clear to me when you said that you, Tom Frost, and Ricardo Romo of UTSA want Travis for a high school college prep. I had evidence that the selection of Travis for closing did not fit your model for closings and thought something was sinister. You verified all my suspicions with you talking about Tom Frost and Ricardo Romo part in your plans for my community. You also stated that you would not even take into consideration the Keep Travis Open Community Group's proposal of a college prep for PK-8th. I was outraged at your arrogance and you talking down to us.

Also, you tried to discredit Ms. Angie Ruiz, President of Tobin Hills Residents Association's information of the growth and development of the area. I have been a resident of the Travis community for 12 years and I have seen the development and renewal with families moving in that Ms. Ruiz reported. You told Ms. Ruiz, it was all empty nesters in Tobin Hills and Alta Vista. Well, you need to stop running with the champagne circuit and start working with the community you serve and actually get on the ground with us and listen and take into considerations what we want. You are merely going through the motions thinking that we would be easily appeased. I am not star stark because I know that your job is to work for the community and not the special interests. The 09ers and the Dominion will not be able to vote at the next SAISD election, but we will and we will not forgot how you lied to us.

Why are grants and special interest dictating what SAISD should do? They can't vote, we are the ones that matter when you need to bring something to the polls.

Oh, by the way...you think it makes good business sense to displace 320 students for a high school college for 60. So, when you said that high school and middle school student want electives, so we must make large schools to offer more electives cost effectively to keep them engaged. And what about the cost per students for your idea for 60 students? What does it really cost, the communities you supposingly serve? You just contradicted you whole justification for closing schools, saving money...you are wasting taxpayers money to save a few pennies to satisfy the elitists. You are giving away taxpayers gold for pennies in grants and special interests of the 09ers and those who reside outside the district.

posted March 7, 2008
What is going on? My daughter reported to me that all hell broke loose today at Thomas Jefferson High School. Three food fights in the cafeteria, a brawl in the hallway, a gang fight and reports of at least 7 other fights were rumored to happen. She said the Campus Officer had to take out his club in the cafeteria and there were arrests. At the end of the school day, dismissal was done in sections of the school with students told they must leave the campus immediately.

Since Dr. Chavez announced his resignation as Principal of Thomas Jefferson (and his wife also resigned as the principal of the new girls school being put in Horace Mann) all control has been lost on that campus. Is Duron so caught up in his stardom for beating us down and supressing us that he is unable to take care of the properties that are still open?????? Is this an example of how they will make sure our children who are being sent away from their own neighborhoods will be protected?