Dallas ISD parent, Lori Kirkpatrick and Richardson ISD parent, Lynn Davenport joined forces with the Alliance-AFT, Texas AFT, and Dallas AFL-CIO to host a Legislative Priorities Dinner Presentation in Dallas on December 19. Despite the hectic holiday season, the incumbent and newly elected legislators showed up to learn about public education issues and priorities from parents, teachers and labor organizations. The event was held near Lake Highlands at Mariano's on Skillman. What better place to kickoff the 86th Legislature than Mariano's Hacienda, the birthplace of the frozen margarita machine.
The most pressing issues facing public education in Texas are funding, edtech, data privacy, curriculum, teacher pay, property tax relief, and high-stakes testing. The 86th Legislature in 2019 will likely produce bills centered around reforms being promoted by Dallas corporate education reformers, including the Teacher Excellence Initiative (TEI) and Accelerating Campus Excellence (ACE). The presentations below provided a counter-narrative to reforms slated to be scaled across Texas by Governor Greg Abbott and TEA Commissioner Mike Morath:
“Teacher Compensation in Texas” by Louis Malfaro, President of TexasAFT
https://vimeo.com/308103302
“Examining the Teacher Excellence Initiative (TEI)” by Lori Kirkpatrick, DISD parent and former school board candidate
https://vimeo.com/308336757
“The Truth About School Failure” by Dr. Pat Huff, Adjunct Professor, author and retired MS/HS principal
https://vimeo.com/308004525
“Better Assessment Now” by Dr. Walter Stroup, Associate Professor, UMass
https://vimeo.com/308587361
Q & A with teachers
https://vimeo.com/308843342