DISD

To all members:

We need you to come to the DISD Board Meeting this Thursday by 5:00PM. The meeting starts at 5:30 but we need to be there early!

Pass the word.

The Lowe Down on the Ethics Policy at DISD

As many of you aware, the Dallas Morning News ran a scathing story on DISD and how those who serve have received compensation through contracts, namely recently re-elected Board President Jack Lowe. This sent off a firestorm of discussion, especially since this was right before the school bond election.
Since that time, School Board Member Carla Ranger has asked that the district implement an ethics policy for board members and close relatives of board members. Makes sense to me. For some reason, this issue is yet to get a second so it can be discussed at the board level. I was told an ethics committee has been established to look into this. Well we know how these committees operate.

This is why the Dallas NAACP has voted to support a tough ethics policy to ensure that this issue never comes up again. It should be understood that if you serve on the school board or city council, you should not be allowed to get any contacts from the entity that you serve on.
Tell us what you think about this issue, and stay tuned for our plan of action.

Have We Become Comfortable On the Bottom?

When we look at every category from graduation rates to home ownership, African Americans come in dead last. Why is this? Is it because we are divinely ordained to be on the bottom of the rung of society or is it because we choose to blame others for what we are not willing to do ourselves? It is an important question to answer. Isn't it interesting that we live in a time when we have more rights as a people than we have ever had, but we have less will to do for ourselves than we ever have? What can we do about this?
There are a number of things we can do about this. First of all, we can look in the mirror and see what we can do personally to improve this situation. Secondly, we can join an organization that is organized and progressive about addressing these issues. One that immediately comes to mind is the Dallas branch of the NAACP where "we make things happen." The time has come for us to stop sitting on the sidelines and waiting for someone else to do something about our problem. I challenge you to join me and the other members of the NAACP as we fight to make things better for us.