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BLIND LEADING THE BLIND: AOBE MAKES ITS ENDORSEMENTS
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By <b>Juan Montoya</b><br />The Association of Brownsville Educators (AOBE) has announced its endorsements for the Nov. 6 election of the Brownsville Independent School District.<br />True to form, they have announced that they will urge their members to vote for a slate of candidates of the leadership's choosing. These are, after all, the same bunch that have shown their support for advancing education when they endorsed GED holder Ruben Cortez over Celeste Sanchez, an assistant superintendent with the San Benito ISD with more than 45 years in education ranging from classroom teacher to administration.<br />Their endorsement list should come as no surprise.Take a gander at the list below.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg088H4HrakopS4bTd8W3zEgLGnuCJYodcwtdWAabLRTUYIqo-bVo5oLjpFP0FL42QXQrNzB-Mm5yocyYCse7CBH6WojNp3yjG4Idf-eBeafII8wIdsgKTiVPRt_NYpEzm2ohpGoo8Ke4c/s1600/blind_leading_the_blind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg088H4HrakopS4bTd8W3zEgLGnuCJYodcwtdWAabLRTUYIqo-bVo5oLjpFP0FL42QXQrNzB-Mm5yocyYCse7CBH6WojNp3yjG4Idf-eBeafII8wIdsgKTiVPRt_NYpEzm2ohpGoo8Ke4c/s1600/blind_leading_the_blind.jpg" /></a>In place 3, former trustee Herman Otis Powers got the nod from the group. You remember Otis. He's the good ol' boy whose office is a mausoleum for half of the deer population in South Texas. Ask him how many of those trophy heads came as a result of trips to hunting leases paid by vendors with the district. At about $3,500 per stuffed rack, it amounts to a hefty little amount of bennies, and Otis loves his bennies. <br />The AOBE also chose to ignore the fact that Powers was recorded urging the former CFO of the BISD Tony Juarez to file a grievance against the then-superintendent of the district Hector Gonzales so that his buddies on the board (Rick Zayas, Ruben Cortez, Joe Colunga, and Rolando Aguilar) could have a justification for firing him. <br />That bunch was the reason that the BISD and their insurer just shelled out $1.5 million in a settlement when Juarez and Gonzles refused to join the conspiracy and went to the FBI and state law enforcement instead.<br />In the tape recording Juarez took to the FBI, Powers is quoted as saying:<br /><i>"So…you gotta, you gotta, I…I…"I’d file a grievance...Your grievance is against Hector Gonzales and the board is gonna love you for that."</i><br />That's not all.<br /> Otis is a family man. He looks out for hearth and kin. This is from Gonzales' lawsuit against the BISD.<br /><br /><div align="LEFT" dir="LTR"><span lang="EN"><i>â€" April 2007: Gonzales transferred Mary Tolman (who commands a $103,505 salary) from her position as principal of Rivera High School to the Central Office. Trustee Otis Powers was very upset and told Gonzales that this was not right and "this was not going to end there." Powers told Gonzales he shouldn't have transferred her because she was his sister-in-law.</i></span><br /><span lang="EN"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVPYGymz0G2VRcif4ndXMQ3GYvAa3tDfG2_m9qunfSkrJRArYCQjhxH2F3lLfLvvbIig91AAx2bnWQ9e6llC2EGSY237MmVlzRtIIDbSyT1y8yV8kVZzxMkPEq5O-cLDR-8GmPJVQ0abU/s1600/endorsements.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVPYGymz0G2VRcif4ndXMQ3GYvAa3tDfG2_m9qunfSkrJRArYCQjhxH2F3lLfLvvbIig91AAx2bnWQ9e6llC2EGSY237MmVlzRtIIDbSyT1y8yV8kVZzxMkPEq5O-cLDR-8GmPJVQ0abU/s400/endorsements.jpg" width="400" /></a><i></i> </span></div><span lang="EN">But enough about Otis. How about the selection of Juan (or is it Juyan?) Manuel "Butch" Barbosa, whose claim to fame was his appointment to the Bond Oversight Committee that spent $135 million in taxpayers' money to fuel the facilities-construction binge that gutted the district with cost overruns and change orders to the tune of about $100 million?<br />Butch, an ingrate who was basically taken under the wing of the late federal judge Filemon Vela, ended up endorsing Denise Blanchard for congress over Filemon Vela Jr., the judge's son. A notorious low achiever, he lived up to expectations in his role as chairman of the oversight committee.<br />Here's an analysis by Fitch Ratings of Butch's performance overseeing the Big Bucks splurge:<br /><i><b>Declines in operating reserves in fiscal years 2009 - 2011 were largely to fund facility construction but were exacerbated by construction cost overruns, unplanned capital outlays, and over-budgeting of enrollment-driven state revenues. The net effect has been a cumulative 44% decline in general fund balance during this three-year period and a drop in the unrestricted general fund balance (the sum of committed, assigned, and unassigned per GASB 54) to $83.3 million or 19% of expenditures and transfers in fiscal 2011."</b></i><br />Oh, yeah. The AOBE can pick some winners alright.<br />Shall we continue with hapless Minerva Peña?<br />Peña, who still hasn't realized she is no longer a cheerleader at Porter, can't seem to get over the fact that she is no longer competing for Most Popular in her high school class. A brick shy of a full load, she drives most rational human beings batty with her antics. We used to have a healthy regard for DPS personnel, but this girl ain't the sharpest tool in the shed. If this is the level of intelligence that is rewarded with<i> Los Zorrillos</i>, we have to rethink our assessment of the department. Perhaps AOBE thought a bit of chronic comic relief would do the board good. Who knows?<br />Which brings us to Jose Hector Chirinos. Jose is a likable guy as far as that goes. But let's face it, his campaign sign photos make some of us uncomfortable. Doesn't he look like an undertaker sizing you up for a nice fit?<br />Considered somewhat of a <i>galan</i> in his previous appointments with the district, he used to have a bevy of "queens" following him around at Porter and at the BISD Transportation Department which was found to be so ineptly run that now administrators are questioning why he stocked up inventory totaling 100,000s of dollars. The bus drivers' union (Choferes Unidos) are solidly behind Chirinos. He was, after all, the man who would let them pile up millions in "overtime" at the expense of the district. Remember this from the forensic audit report on transportation?<br /><i>In interview, Chirinos stated the overtime abuse was there within the Transportation Department when he took over in 2005. He indicated his efforts to curb the abuse were thwarted by the unions and the board. Chirinos blamed the lack of supervisory assistance yet he himself failed to take a hard line on the issue. Based on the interviews of the drivers and monitors, they took full advantage of the ineffectiveness and complacency displayed by then administrator Chirinos...</i><br /><i>If conservatively only 70 percent were abusing the system by riding the clock one hour per day, the Forensic Audit Staff would put the loss at $420,000 a year, or roughly $2.5 million over the six years in which Chirinos was administrator.</i><br /><i>It is highly recommended that strong administrative action with the possibility of termination be taken against Jose Hector Chirinos (and that BISD) hire professional business people with experience in running a transportation department...Of all the violators and abusers, the average number of years with the district was 17 years seniority</i>.<br />Thanks, but no thanks AOBE. Let's hope our educators have more sense than the leadership.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6016803033174468094-4856282393143333675?l=rrunrrun.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>
LINK: http://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/2012/10/for-what-its-worth-aobe-makes-its.html
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HURRAH! JULIET'S UTB FINALLY GETS NATIONAL RECOGNITION
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By <b>CBS</b> <b>MoneyWatch</b><br />College is expensive, but it costs even more for the students who don't graduate in four years (and the odds of pulling this off aren't good).<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV5AiOMHgngNjdxFryItGyqy4tZIN4odQ9wF2LS8FzO6OQs27mIeV9-Jh7ShHyQVxknXHNPQYHkQ2NWTcdMfJ_M_CdEojqTnXB4ppHgUbRI_k-m8-7Krt5uzNfFHkWQjpUHD1_jRe5X58/s1600/julietnew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV5AiOMHgngNjdxFryItGyqy4tZIN4odQ9wF2LS8FzO6OQs27mIeV9-Jh7ShHyQVxknXHNPQYHkQ2NWTcdMfJ_M_CdEojqTnXB4ppHgUbRI_k-m8-7Krt5uzNfFHkWQjpUHD1_jRe5X58/s320/julietnew.jpg" width="180" /></a>At public universities, 31.3 percent of students graduate in the traditional four years, versus 52.4 percent for those at private, nonprofit institutions. An excellent place to find and compare graduation rates is at the College Completion section on the website of The Chronicle of Higher Education. <br />Not surprisingly, the state schools with the best graduation rates tend to be the wealthier state flagships, while the institutions with the rates are regional universities that could be characterized as drop-out factories. The Following lists state universities with the best and worst six-year graduation rates: <br /><b>Best state university graduation rates </b><br /><ol><li>University of Virginia, 92.7 percent</li><li>University of California, Berkeley, 91.1 percent</li><li>University of California, Los Angeles, 89.8 percent</li><li>University of Michigan. 89.7 percent</li><li>College of William and Mary, 89.7 percent</li><li>United States Naval Academy, 88.6 percent</li><li>University of North Carolina, 88.1 percent</li><li>College of New Jersey, 86.2 percent</li><li>University of California, San Diego, 86.1 percent</li><li>United States Military Academy, 85.7 percent</li><li>Pennsylvania State University, 85.3 percent</li><li>University of Florida, 84.5 percent</li><li>University of Illinois, 84.4 percent</li><li>University of Wisconsin, 83.0 percent</li><li>University of California, Irvine, 82.6 percent</li><li>James Madison University, 82.5 percent</li><li>University of California, Davis, 82.3 percent</li><li>United States Air Force Academy, 81.5 percent</li><li>University of Maryland, 81.5 percent</li><li>University of Connecticut, 80.7 percent</li><li>University of Washington, 80. 4 percent</li><li>University of Texas, 80.3 percent</li><li>Miami University (Ohio), 80.2 percent</li><li>Texas A&M University, 79.9 percent</li><li>Virginia Tech University 79.9 percent</li></ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b>Worst state university graduation rates</b><br /><br /><br /><br /><ol><li>Vincennes University, 0 percent</li><li>University of Houston-Downtown, 12.4 percent</li><li>Texas Southern University, 13.3 percent</li><li>Chicago State University, 13.9 percent</li><li>Cameron University, 14.1 percent</li><li>Utah Valley University, 15 percent</li><li>Coppin State University ,16.3 percent</li><li>Central State University, 19.4 percent</li><li>Indiana University-Northwest, 19.4 percent</li><li>CUNY York College, 19.5 percent</li><li><b><span style="font-size: large;">University of Texas at Brownsville, 19.6 percent</span></b></li><li>University of New Orleans, 20 percent</li><li>Northeastern Illinois University, 20.1 percent</li><li>Metropolitan State College of Denver, 20.5 percent</li><li>Shawnee State University, 20.5 percent</li><li>University of Arkansas Little Rock, 20.8 percent</li><li>Southern University and A&M College, 21.2 percent</li><li>Clayton State University, 21.9 percent</li><li>Kent State University -- Stark, 23.1 percent</li><li>Alabama State University, 24 percent</li><li>Eastern New Mexico University 24.1 percent</li><li>University of Arkansas at Monticello, 24.2 percent</li><li>University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, 24.2 percent</li><li>Augusta State University, 25.5 percent</li><li>Auburn University at Montgomery 24.5 percent</li></ol><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6016803033174468094-2296230092052343858?l=rrunrrun.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>
LINK: http://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/2012/10/hurrah-juliets-utb-finally-gets.html
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ARE RODRIGUEZ SLEUTHS STALKING BISD ADMINS., TRUSTEES? DID MINERVA GET A HEADS UP AND CANCEL AT THE LAST MINUTE?
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By <b>Juan Montoya</b><br />Who were those masked men taking photos of the Brownsville Independent School District contingent traveling to the Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE) Awards and Luncheon in Atlanta, Ga., to be held October 4 - 6?<br />Among the contingent were two board members â€" Dr. Christina Saavedra and Catalina Presas-Garcia â€" as well as BISD Superintendent Carl Montoya and former superintendent (now district consultant) Hector Gonzales.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ReLI0iL-WzSQv8TLW5kDaDh4PyooN1Lw6Od_TmGIaF5QoBqJw0b0fzOKbs6WQdd1Joeb0qbuZjDB4Hg-E9mFn_wSnTKpTXnqkT_PN2JSl8qQDUBXaXEEqvXb1JFBTfP0bRf6ffFfHFI/s1600/SchoolBoard_MinervaPena.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ReLI0iL-WzSQv8TLW5kDaDh4PyooN1Lw6Od_TmGIaF5QoBqJw0b0fzOKbs6WQdd1Joeb0qbuZjDB4Hg-E9mFn_wSnTKpTXnqkT_PN2JSl8qQDUBXaXEEqvXb1JFBTfP0bRf6ffFfHFI/s1600/SchoolBoard_MinervaPena.jpg" /></a>Also listed as a participant and registered to attend was trustee Minerva Peña, who at the last moment said she could not attend citing some personal emergency. Now the woman who is constantly whining about spending "the kids'" money will have to pay a $75 cancellation penalty, courtesy we're sure, of the "poor kids."<br />But was there some other more nefarious reason for her not going on the trip? Was she perhaps tipped that the Rodriguez sleuths would be taking "incriminating" pictures of the group boarding a plane? Did she think that perhaps this was one of those "junkets" that she could ill afford to be identified with as she makes a reelection bid in November?<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQid5Tf1-BpdLyRD8EFzMqZIZbB1BZ0gUWJCYGsm_ZUpcN262m9lGUIMqnSyMVMEXZrKcFoEqhDVF4c10hosQwrlOlgF4PbydEurvNyiuoM4Q-F5xgOeixa0ffE13QBqtweEENLXDKxpM/s1600/eddie+rod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQid5Tf1-BpdLyRD8EFzMqZIZbB1BZ0gUWJCYGsm_ZUpcN262m9lGUIMqnSyMVMEXZrKcFoEqhDVF4c10hosQwrlOlgF4PbydEurvNyiuoM4Q-F5xgOeixa0ffE13QBqtweEENLXDKxpM/s200/eddie+rod.jpg" width="160" /></a>When the BISD won the CUBE award while he was at the helm in 2008, it also won the Broad Award that meant nationwide recognition for the progress the district had achieved in improving the performance of the students. And it meant a hefty $1 million (raised to $2 million) for senior scholarships that year.<br />The presence of Gonzales in the contingent makes sense. He was the BISD superintendent when the CUBE award was given to Brownsville. If anyone knows the ins and outs of that bunch, it's probably him.<br />Was Minerva advised not to go because she would also be a target of some campaign to smear the group?<br />Some are saying that the reason that Brownsville lawyer Eddie Rodriguez and his son Michael were there to take the photos was part of the Rodriguez's continued efforts to squeeze litigation money from the district. Eddie's brother, Joe Rodriguez (aka Coach Joe) and his protege BISD coach Tom Chavez filed a lawsuit against forensic auditors Defenbaugh and Associates for the report they released pointing out all manner of favoritism that landed Big Joe a lucrative commission for football uniforms for Veterans High School and the Manzano Middle School football teams.<br />Apparently, both men were embarrassed that Defenbaugh pointed out that other bidders for the equipment were given short shrift and weren't given a fair shot at providing the equipment, earning Big Joe a hefty commission in the process.<br /><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">In their report the auditors said they discovered evidence that Rodriguez was using undue influence and coercive tactics to pressure BISD coaches, athletic coordinators, and athletic personnel to purchase sports uniforms and equipment from a company, BNS Sports, for which he became a sales representative for after he left BISD in Dec. 31, 2009.</div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1sZ9iwS3FAtIrriApjWSvkFYekFjkR070bk7zyHOQdQ5g585kIqUPwAV37PivQ-DT6XiI2lLcDtJ8igDq8n-b3_kPk0Wih-kIYUt_JXgIGrajNBCROLrf7ghCRTSEGwVGshwBcLzQw7A/s1600/rod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1sZ9iwS3FAtIrriApjWSvkFYekFjkR070bk7zyHOQdQ5g585kIqUPwAV37PivQ-DT6XiI2lLcDtJ8igDq8n-b3_kPk0Wih-kIYUt_JXgIGrajNBCROLrf7ghCRTSEGwVGshwBcLzQw7A/s1600/rod.jpg" /></a>In addition, Rodriguez, in a telephone call made to Lead Auditor Margarita Pizano-Flores in Sept. 2011, threatened to sue BISD because the Purchasing Department had changed and improved the Catalog/Co-op procurement process.</div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">Investigation and analysis subsequently revealed that a substantial amount of payments of uniforms and equipment totaling $497,117 in fiscal year 2010-2011 was completed compared to the previous fiscal years (2009-2010) total of $175,715; an increase of 283 percent.</div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">Interviews identified most of the purchasing was made by the athletic department, in general, and by Chavez, in particular. Chavez, an admitted close friend with Rodriguez for over 30 years, succeeded Rodriguez after he left BISD.</div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">The report went on to say that a review of purchase orders also supported the fact that the athletic department fulfilled most of those purchases, predominantly for Manzano Middle School and Veterans Memorial High School, both newly constructed schools with no prior uniforms or equipment. Although Chavez denied giving preferential treatment to BNS and/or Joe Rodriguez in the purchasing process for both schools, Chavez never gave any due consideration to at least three other approved vendors sports distributors, the report states.</div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">At the beginning of September 2011, BISD's Purchasing Department changed the Catalog/Co-op procurement procedure shifting control of catalog procurement process from the end-user, Athletic Department, to the Purchasing Department. This change provided more internal control and was the apparent reason for Rodriguez's telephone call to Auditor Pizano-Flores after the realization that BNS would have to be more competitive in terms of price.</div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqw8c0meUsaSumqRNlMoU6vTDlliEF6U7orNQg2SSxhCL2BI05vPLtrbZXlsI-Y1Nltei3xD5eURqCj_EGJXgHtATRV2C5h3jDMMwYLdMzHG7CvobbKWCL4yB5DgPzX2LiDabcdSKmnmQ/s1600/chavez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqw8c0meUsaSumqRNlMoU6vTDlliEF6U7orNQg2SSxhCL2BI05vPLtrbZXlsI-Y1Nltei3xD5eURqCj_EGJXgHtATRV2C5h3jDMMwYLdMzHG7CvobbKWCL4yB5DgPzX2LiDabcdSKmnmQ/s200/chavez.jpg" width="195" /></a>Shortly thereafter the other sales representative at BNS informed the Purchasing Department that a 10 percent discount would be rendered on BNS catalog items.</div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">The Forensic Audit Staff stated that there was "no doubt the Athletic Department in general and Tom Chavez in particular exercised undue influence and misuse of authority in choosing BNS Sports, through their sales rep. Joe Rodriguez, particularly in the purchasing of uniforms and other sports supplies for Manzano Middle School and Veterans Memorial High School in school year 2010-2011.</div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">(This) resulted in close to $500,000 of purchases being given to Chavez's close friend and former A.D. (Joe) Rodriguez. Chavez allowed his and Joe Rodriguez's personal relationship to interfere with what should have been a business decision causing a potential loss of revenue to be sustained by the district. The Forensic Audit Staff recommended that a no-solicitation clause be included in future employment contracts and that BISD make a determination with respect to a (vendor such as BNS) whose representative (Joe Rodriguez) issue a threat over the telephone to file a lawsuit against the district.</div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">"It is the opinion of the (auditors) that Chavez and his AD staff afforded BNS preferential treatment to the detriment of the district. Consideration should be given to administrative action disciplining Tom Chavez with termination as a consideration," the report stated. <br />The fact that the forensic auditors focused on the cozy relationship between a BISD employee and a vendor did not sit well with Big Joe and Chavez, who charged in their rambling lawsuit against Defenbaugh that Presas-Garcia had put the auditors up to it to embarrass the duo.<br />So perhaps there was some twisted logic to the photo madness. It probably fits into some larger scheme that we non lawyers are not privy to. We can hardly wait to see where the photos turn up.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6016803033174468094-1556602338430805220?l=rrunrrun.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>
LINK: http://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/2012/10/are-rodriguez-stalking-bisd-admins.html
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