PEYTON WOLCOTT - COMMENTARY - U.S. PUBLIC EDUCATION

P E Y T O N W O L C O T T

How we take back our children's education:
one person, one question, one school at a time.

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Conservative Commentary - Ask Questions!

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Friends, one of the single most effective things you can do is ask questions. Provided that you are nice about it -- or at least
polite -- and have done your research, a good question can start a meaningful dialogue within your community. Here are some I've asked to give
you some starters. Be aware that sometimes when you contact a school district's PR guy or gal with a question they don't like or their boss
takes exception to your question you may not receive a response. Nevertheless, ask your question anyway then resend it a few days or weeks
later. This way you are on the record as having asked plus you've given them an opportunity to refute -- how fair is that?.

Dave Lieber says
to "Ask a bunch of
questions"

The first person who
suggested to me that I
or anyone else should
"ask a bunch of
questions" was Fort
Worth Star-Telegram
Watchdog columnist
Dave Lieber who
coincidentally has a
campaign to promote
asking questions on
his personal website
Yankee Cowboy. Thank
you Dave.

Steve, I have some questions for you
which I am hoping you will respond to in
email format rather than treat this as a
public records request; my
superintendent friends tell me that they
consider FOIA-type requests antagonistic
and that they find a letter/question
approach such as this much friendlier,
and that they also prefer the email format
as it gives them an opportunity to control
their responses 100%.

To plan and execute a provocative
exercise such as your cable stunt at
Friday's Birdville ISD convocation followed
by your band's onstage rock performance
-- in the capacity of a public school
superintendent -- presumably meant
preparation including that you anticipated
questions being asked in the aftermath.
(The video of your unusual convocation at
Birdville has been forwarded to me by
readers including residents of your
district.)

Would you please be so kind as to
respond to their comments which fall
generally into the following three
categories:

1. How much did this convocation cost,
total, including the cable and the
coliseum? As you were reported in the
Fort Worth Star-Telegram as having
mentioned that your first priority is more
money, did it ever occur to you at any time
in the course of preparing for Friday's
convocation to simply not have one as
one means of reducing expenses so you
would not need more money?

2. Why would you mention to the Fort
Worth Star-Telegram that your students
consider you or what you did at the
convocation (cable/band) "cool"? Does
this matter to you? How would it matter to
their education? Do you have any
quantifiable data to back up your beliefs
and/or assertions? I note that your
doctoral dissertation focused on
elementary school, not high school. How
could you be expected to be taken
seriously as the district's educational and
financial leader after such a stunt? Why
would you feel -- if I understood your
remarks correctly -- that your being
considered "cool" by your students after
such a stunt made it "all worthwhile."

3. What were you like in high school?
Would you say you were you considered
"cool"? Were you a student leader in any
capacity, and if so, what? What has been
your professional musical experience?
Who are the members of your band who
played at BISD and their names and
occupations? Where did you graduate
from high school (school name/city/state),
and which year?

The following are my questions:

Although according to a newspaper
account of the convocation you stated that
school funding is your primary issue this
next year, and you have received kudos in
the past for transparency for which you
are to be commended, I searched for but
was unable to locate BISD's check
register anywhere on your district's site;
have you considered posting BISD's
check register online and if so what is
your target date? Along these lines, I note
that your PEIMS code 701-6411 expenses
for 2006-07 totaled $8,922; does this
include all of your travel and meals or did
you perhaps charge some of them to
other PEIMS codes in the 6400 series
and if so, which? Do you have a personal
school district credit card? Does your
district use any sort of procument card
purchasing system? Also, I note that your
"total receipts/all funds" amount for 2006-
07 was $294,222,030, or $13,084 per
student. This seems like a great deal of
money under the BISD bridge to be
asking for more.
         Speaking of travel and meals
expenses, please tell me a little about
your TAS/MUS expenses and your role as
a TAS/MUS director. Did you play golf with
vendors at Boerne on Friday of TAKS
testing week at last year's spring
conference at Tapatio Springs? Did you
play golf with vendors here at Horseshoe
Bay this past April? Did you pay for these
trips and all associated expenses out of
your own pocket without receiving any
kind of reimbursesment from Birdville's
taxpayers? If Birdville's taxpayers paid for
your expenses, did you submit any kind of
report to your community regarding what
you learned and why you had to travel so
far to learn it? With your having been
recognized as “Superintendent of the
Year,” Texas Computer Education
Association, January 2008, you appear to
be an advocate of online learning for kids;
why would your learning be different from
theirs?
         For the record, I formally requested
a press pass for this past spring's
TAS/MUS conference and was turned
down; I would appreciate a statement
from you please regarding your thoughts
on journalists' being denied a press pass
to any TAS/MUS conference. Also, did
Johnny Veselka or Marvin Crawford or any
other person or persons or entity or
entities employed by TASA or TAS/MUS or
acting on their behalf bring this to your
attention, and if so, please describe.

Finally, I'm preparing a transcript of your
comments and was unable to make out
the following: "LAST YEAR SOME BOYS
_______________ [DANCED, IN
ADVANCE, IN DANCE] ASKED ME TO
GIVE THEM HARMONICA LESSONS." It
sounded as though you said, "In Dance,"
as in a dance class, but it's very difficult to
tell accurately. Do you recall what you
said? Presumably you've watched this a
time or two online since it published
Saturday.   www.star-telegram.
com/northeast/story/837184.html

There is no hard deadline on this; I am a
very patient person.

Thank you very much for your assistance,
and wishing you all the best.

TO: Birdville ISD superintendent Steve
Waddell
SITUATION: Steve had himself lowered to
the floor of his school's coliseum at his
district's back-to-school convocation in
August 2008 then followed the stunt with
a performance by his blues band.
SENT: August 20 2008
RESENT: September 22 2008
STATUS: No response.

NOTE: When I resent the query a month
later I copied his school board (Sherry
Dunn, President; Dolores Webb, Vice
President; Joe Tolbert, Secretary; Wanda
Strong; Richard Davis; Ralph Kunkel;
David Pokluda) and BISD PR guy Mark
Thomas with this addendum:

Steve, I'm resending my August 20, 2008
query (below) in the event you did not
receive it or were perhaps too busy to
respond at the beginning of the school
year. Or you were perhaps dizzy following
your stunt at your district's convocation on
August 15, 2008.
By copy to Sherry and the other
elected BISD trustees -- and to BISD
communications officer Mark Thomas -- I
welcome your responses also to this
now-month old query.
As a friendly heads up I have just
posted this query on my website along
with a notation that I have contacted all of
you for your comments; this information
may also be included in future
commentaries published in various
venues including Education News,
interviews and my book.

TO: Houston ISD
principal Robin Lowe
SITUATION: Robin
invited CAIR to her
prior workplace
(Friendswood ISD) so
they could share their
culture with her
students.
SENT: Sep. 21 2008
STATUS: None.

Robin, I'm hoping you
can help clear up a
couple of questions:

(1) When you invited
CAIR to Friendswood,
did you make sure they
talked about Soghra
Najafpour? And the
plight of women and
girls in Islamic
countries? Have you
made sure Pershing
students receive a full
and accurate picture of
what Islamic rule looks
like?

(2) There are at least
two typos on your
principal's message
page. How long has
this been online?

Your comments
regarding the above
are welcome. I've
posted along these
lines on my website.

Looking forward to
hearing from you --

TO: Lake Travis ISD
PR guy Marco
Alvarado
SITUATION: LTISD
ESPN ads 08.21.08
tonight for Rice/UT
football game.

Readers are
complaining about
tax dollars being
used for advertising.
I've already posted
this, suggested that
your education
foundation might
have paid for these.
Please confirm all
particulars at your
earliest.

Thank you for your
assistance.

TO: former KATY ISD volunter/pro-bond
advocate/now-vendor employee Tracy Janda
Sent: September 3 2008
CC: "Alicia Dixon"
<alicia.dixon@centerpointenergy.com>

Tracy, good to hear back from you. So glad for our
Gulf Coast friends that things are well there. What
a blessing that our state leadership, especially
Governors Rick Perry, Bobby Jindal and Haley
Barbour, handled preparations so responsibly.
        As you have been given multiple opportunities
to deny, correct and/or amend anything you
consider to be factually incorrect in my earlier
queries, and have informed me that you will not
respond, I will move forward with publishing my
questions and your responses. Not sure what else
I can do beyond contacting you and waiting as you
asked. These will be published on my website and
in my book, plus other venues such as radio
interviews.
       Your email prompts one more question: Does
this mean that I will not be hearing from
Centerpoint's PR department after all? Regarding
any of my queries? You had earlier given me the
name of someone I could expect to hear from,
"Alicia Dixon."
       As an aside, it's always interesting when
community relations and public relations, etc. folks
decline to talk to journalists; I've just recently
posted a quote regarding former Enron
spokesperson Karen Denne who similarly
declined to respond to journalists' inquiries
especially during the latter part of 2001 when the
401K's were such an unfortunate issue for so
many families; what a sad situation that was.

"Janda, Tracy D" <tracy.janda@centerpointenergy.
com> wrote: Peyton – Thank you for your patience
in waiting for our response to your two media
queries. Now that storm preparation and
monitoring activities have subsided, I have been
able to review the questions that you submitted,
and I will be taking a pass on providing answers
to these inquiries. Thanks again for your
patience, and have a good week! Tracy Janda
Community Relations Program Manager
CenterPoint Energy

TO: Former Enron
spokesperson (now Eli
Broad spokesperson)
Karen Denn
Sent: Mon, 1 Sep 2008
Subject: MEDIA QUERY -
Broad Foundation
registered in India - TIME
SENSITIVE
CC: Kevin Hall and Dan
Katzir at Broad

Karen, I have some
questions I'm hoping you
can help me with.

Here's what I'm
developing in the "School
News Quick Links"
portion of my website:

CA: More questions
raised regarding Eli
Broad's agenda &
allegiances: His
foundation's pension
fund has registered in
India. Questions? Eli's
PR gal, former Enron
spokesperson Karen
Denne, busy pitching
"positive stories," doesn't
(as at Enron*) speak to
press they consider
unfriendly.

* Enron spokeswoman
Karen Denne didn't
return calls or written
requests seeking
comment. (SOURCE--
Bloomberg Oct. 19, 2001)

Karen, and by copy to
Kevin and Dan, if you are
unable and/or unwilling
to answer this query,
please direct it
elsewhere within the
Broad organization
("Broad"). I have yet to
receive substantive
responses from Broad to
my prior queries.

America is still waiting for
a quantitative scorecard
showing exactly how the
$1 mil annual award is
determined. Regarding
Eli Broad's allegiances,
the purpose of your
consultant Terry Abbott's
presence in Oklahoma
City earlier this year was
to support John Q. Porter,
not to support OKC
schools. Also, it appears
that Broad conferences
have proven expensive
for taxpayers who have
been forced by their
Broad-bound
administrators to pick up
the tab for at least a
portion of the costs. As
one of many possible
examples Arlene
Ackerman's expenses
when she was San
Francisco USD
superintendent and now
as Philadelphia CEO,
including the jaunt with
her commissioners' to
Utah this past summer,
come to mind.

Sending this to you on
the record, for the record;
this will publish on my
website and other
venues including my
book. I continue to give
Broad every opportunity
to respond with factual
information.

If you have any
questions, return email
is cheapest, fastest and
best.

Thank you for your
anticipated assistance.

All the best --

Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2008
Subject: MEDIA QUERY - Centerpoint / Katy ISD
To: tracy.janda@centerpointenergy.com

Tracy, thank you for writing.

You are not on my mailing list; a mutual friend
suggested sending yesterday's email to you
regarding Xpediant and Ikon given your position at
Centerpoint plus your frequently referenced -- and
now professionally paid -- interest in our public
schools. Please accept my apology for not
sending my prior communication to your
Centerpoint email.

Regarding the list you compiled of Katy ISD
residents who are employed by Centerpoint (below
in blue) was this an official activity on your part?
Meaning an employer-sanctioned activity? Did
Centerpoint's 200 employees know that you were
gathering their names to distribute in any context?
Did they sign a non-confidentiality contract when
they came to work for Centerpoint allowing
Centerpoint to release their information to
employees of local school districts or parents and
volunteers or other interested parties? What
guidelines do you have for the employee
distribution? I would like to know more about this
at your earliest opportunity; perhaps you'd prefer
that I speak with someone else at Expediant. If so,
please forward their contact information.

Our friend, Katy ISD resident, volunteer, and
all-around great gal, Tracy Janda, is now working
for Centerpoint Energy in their Community
Relations department. She has identified 200
Centerpoint employees who live in the Katy ISD
attendance zone!

Also, I note that Katy ISD taxpayers paid your
employer a great deal of money (see below) last
year. As I am unable to locate any 2008 checks on
Katy ISD's website, could you please send me the
dates and amounts that KISD has sent
Centerpoint money during 2008? And how does
Centerpoint differ from TXU? I was under the
impression TXU offers money-saving tips also.
Any clarification you can offer will be appreciated.

Thank you for caring about our schoolchildren,
teachers, parents and taxpayers.

Wishing you all the best --

Peyton Wolcott

02/16/2007 CENTERPOINT ENERGY 97,188.52
03/23/2007 CENTERPOINT ENERGY 56.28
03/23/2007 CENTERPOINT ENERGY 153,321.79
04/13/2007 CENTERPOINT ENERGY 131,853.54
05/18/2007 CENTERPOINT ENERGY 48,864.84
06/01/2007 CENTERPOINT ENERGY 6,022.00
06/15/2007 CENTERPOINT ENERGY 52,005.09
06/22/2007 CENTERPOINT ENERGY 820.44
06/01/2007 CENTERPOINT ENERGY 6,423.00
07/13/2007 CENTERPOINT ENERGY 28,549.9
08/03/2007 CENTERPOINT ENERGY 12,263.31
08/10/2007 CENTERPOINT ENERGY 27,382.08
08/31/2007 CENTERPOINT ENERGY 9,410.00
09/13/2007 CENTERPOINT ENERGY 25,019.66
09/13/2007 CENTERPOINT ENERGY 362.38
10/12/2007 CENTERPOINT ENERGY 6,286.00
10/19/2007 CENTERPOINT ENERGY 42,383.68
11/16/2007 CENTERPOINT ENERGY 41,316.24
12/07/2007 CENTERPOINT ENERGY 3,875.00
12/14/2007 CENTERPOINT ENERGY 53,938.57
12/14/2007 CENTERPOINT ENERGY 2,288.00
12/21/2007 CENTERPOINT ENERGY 4,850.00