“Allen Vaught unquestionably supports public education and is proactive in finding solutions that improve and strengthen our neighborhood public schools.”
- Pam Meyercord, Texas Parent PAC
“To most of us nothing is so invisible as an unpleasant truth. Though it is held before our eyes, pushed under our noses, rammed down our throats — we know it not.”
- Eric Hoffer
George W. Truett Elementary School was built at the intersection of Peavy and Gross over 50 years ago to educate 500 children in Casa Linda Park and other nearby east Dallas neighborhoods. Today Truett enjoys an enrollment of 1240 students, and that is after moving the entire 6th grade to the middle school – beyond capacity by 740 students.
DISD bond elections help Truett Elementary. After one bond election we got this:
In May we had the opportunity to support another bond election. It passed, and we watched another magical transformation occur, this time on the other side of Truett Elementary that runs along Gross Road:
Can you read the sign? It says “Gym 2″.
Somewhere in there 84 million dollars disappeared from DISD.
There are now 35 trailers on the Truett campus, and they are approximately 6 feet from the edge of Ferguson Park, which is owned by the city of Dallas.
Wouldn’t George Truett be proud to see the money being poured into this school today and the extreme makeover all that money has produced? In my family, his name has become an unfortunate metaphor for waste, decay and broken campaign promises, and that’s a damned shame.
Wow. Truett Trailer Park.
So sad.
The “developer” is busy in other districts as well.
Let me introduce you to “Eanes Trailer Park” just across the street from the “other” high school … Westlake High School … with THREE athletic fields of brand new artificial turf.
Link here: http://www.keepeanesinformed.com/this_is_westlake_high.htm
By: Austin native on October 25, 2008
at 11:06 pm
Maybe you should be in a negative mailer about Hinojosa.
By: samone on October 26, 2008
at 1:02 am
I think the Texas Parent PAC’s quote illustrates the real weakness of any politician that “unquestioningly” supports anything funded by their constituents’ money. Are they serving their public to NOT question?
I unquestioningly support my family and those closest to me. I can’t say that about much, if anything, else. To unquestioningly support an arm of government, as public schools are, is reckless and irresponsible. To continue to pledge blind support to a district that has proven to be either completely corrupt or incompetent, or both, with our money, trust and all that power, defies reason.
A big thank you to the Texas Parent PAC, for telling it like it is. District 107 and the rest of Texas would be far better served by representatives who are astute and thoughtfully question everything that impacts the residents of this state. It’s a fundamental and oft-forgotten concept (particularly when it comes to public education) called checks and balances, and good government relies upon it.
By: To question, or not to question? on October 26, 2008
at 1:04 am
District 107 was served from 2002-2006 by someone who “unquestionably” bows to big money oil & gas companies. Doesn’t even mention education as a platform as he runs again this year.
Votesmart
“My top priorities are: 1) promote greater fiscal discipline by eliminating the new gross-margins tax, requiring zero-based budgeting every session, and focusing effort on the spending, rather than the revenue, side of the budget equation; 2) addressing the adverse ramifications from unchecked illegal immigration; and 3) protecting the impressive benefits derived from historic tort reform passed in 2003.”
The DISD bond issue is a local issue. Call out the city council or superintendent, not pursue a personal agenda to a state representative who genuinely cares about the district.
Bill Keffer will only cause more “chaos” like you post here about Truett Elementary.
By: carey on October 26, 2008
at 2:36 am
Sam, I am not sure where you’re going with that, but I blocked your buddy’s IP address for attempting to post my name, address and property tax information. I was kind enough to not respond by showing his name, where he lives and who lives across the street from him – I think his neighbor has enough damage control on his plate for now. Are you sure you want to cross the same lines?
This whole blog seems to strike a nerve with you. Are you satisfied with the condition of this district 107 neighborhood school?
By: Unworthy Bum on October 26, 2008
at 2:44 am
Hi, Carey – You and Sam have the same IP address. Isn’t that weird?
By: Unworthy Bum on October 26, 2008
at 3:04 am
UB
Who you really are is of no interest to me. As I have stated before, I have only posted here to try to show some balance regarding a political race in which you seem to be so entrenched. The DISD bond issue should be addressed with Hinojosa, but you seem intent on blaming your state representative for everything that is wrong with the school district and forget that the guy you tout as pro- public education held the office for 4 years. What difference did you see from 2002 to 2006? Do you have those before and after pics? And his party was the majoirty. They should have been able to pave the school driveways in gold during that time.
BTW, I didn’t realize you could censor your own blog. I should go to my own blog and delete/block everyone who said things I don’t agree with.
By: Samone on October 26, 2008
at 4:21 am
I imagine you, too, would block someone from posting on your blog if they had begun crossing over into creepy lunacy and posting personal information like your home address, property tax information, etc. It’s not political talk, it’s not getting anyone anywhere, it’s someone trying to scare me – over a blog. Who on earth would be so invested in this?
By the way, I wanted to know more about you since you have so many names under the same IP address. When I Googled your email address, I saw that you posted on a message board for people who have a June 2008 baby. Congratulations on the little one. Allen Vaught had a baby in June 2008, too!
By: Unworthy Bum on October 26, 2008
at 4:38 am
I enjoyed these pictures and it says a lot. It shows that something is wrong and that it has been consistent.
Change must occur and it is RIGHT to share the truth. Those who want to suppress the truth are wrong. Glad you have this blog. I enjoy reading it.
By: Braveheart/Freedom!! on October 26, 2008
at 5:15 am
First, you’re right. I would probably block someone who shares that kind of personal information. It’s just not relevant.
I am just as concerned about the DISD schools as you, would like to see great improvement. It is a big concern for me.
I think you would like to believe I am someone I am not. Since you have my email address, feel free to email me and I will direct you to my personal blog. But it’s not a baby blog as you refer.
Now back to the real discussion….
By: Samone on October 26, 2008
at 5:31 am
Yes, back to the proactive solutions that improve and strengthen our neighborhood public schools. Throwing loads of money at a district that regularly loses/mismanages/steals millions before it makes it to the many east Dallas trailer parks – Truett is only one example – is not a proactive solution, and it is ultimately contributing to the problem. It’s certainly not getting kids back into school when the solution does nothing but dump more rotting trailers on the campus. What it does is force people with no options to drop their children off at an overcrowded shithole and hope for the best. What it does is force people with the means to use private schools. What it does is chase loads of people out of Dallas to the suburbs – including many teachers unwilling to work in terrible conditions for a district they do not trust.
How many teachers were laid off from overcrowded Truett Elementary because of the latest budget fiasco? How many special ed teachers were laid off in this mess? I saw the list the other bloggers got hold of the day before the lay offs – special ed was wiped out in a lot of schools. There are autistic children who are at a place on the spectrum that should not be mainstreamed without assistance who find themselves mainstreamed without assistance. This even happened at DISD’s darling, Stonewall Jackson Elementary School.
I keep going back to “Allen Vaught unquestionably supports public education”. An unquestioning representative is great for special interest groups with lots of money. But when it comes down to representing the families in his district – and that is his charge – Allen Vaught is going to have to start asking a lot of questions, whether the PAC pulling the strings wants him to or not.
By: Unworthy Bum on October 26, 2008
at 12:54 pm
This blog is a fantastic community service and should act as a gadfly to Rep. Allen Vaught as well as the rest of the fat cats in DISD. This is a failure of epic proportions. Someone in the comments said that Bill Keffer doesn’t even have education as a top priority, which to me is a remarkable thing since he helped to bring an innovative solution for parents with kids of special needs who were being cleansed out of the publice school system by DISD. He helped bring some hope to these tireless parents who want their children to grow up and experience the american dream by bringing the Texas Virtual Academy here. Allen Vaught, whose top priority is education, has done nothing. The photos speak volumes. The quote at the top speaks volumes. This blog, these words speak volumes.
By: District 107 Citizen on October 27, 2008
at 4:40 pm
The Parent PAC is a group for the “best friend of the principal” type … you know the ones. They are always “selected” by the public school administration to share the TASB message that “Great things happen every day in public school.”
For those children who must suffer when “horrible things happen every day in public school” that message is simply insult to injury. That’s why we need school choice. The only ones who will suffer are the adults (educrats, vendors, private attorneys to name a few) who will thrown from the gravy train when the brakes are thrown.
Time to acknowledge that the public school system is harming children and enriching adults. It’s time for choice.
By: Horrible things happen every day in public school. on October 27, 2008
at 4:40 pm
i am voting for allen because he said he would help make schools better
and help autistic children.
By: gibby on October 27, 2008
at 10:10 pm
To Gibby-
How exactly did Vaught propose to “help makes schools better and help autistic children?” Please do share his detailed plan. Because that’s what helping these kids requires – lots of very specific details and services implemented by our public schools, or child-centered and parent-directed options when the public schools can’t make it happen.
Do you have a child with autism? Since he won your vote with this promise, I certainly hope you hold him to it and it doesn’t amount to some under the table deal to get your kid into any public program of your choosing in District 107. He’s been known to work that way, but that doesn’t get the job done for the rest. I am on pins and needles to hear his specifics on how he plans to help these children by keeping them tethered to the District 107 public schools.
By: Roots on October 29, 2008
at 12:21 am
[...] Tiffany Nemec, Principal of Truett Elementary School, was present and told us that Truett has been able to qualify for two grants that will help the [...]
By: 6-22-2009 Meeting Minutes « Truett Area Crime Watch on July 2, 2009
at 6:40 pm
[...] there are some things I’d like you to notice aside from the obvious which I profiled in Welcome to Truett Trailer Park last [...]
By: Allen Vaught and the Crappiest School in America « Unworthy Bum on July 9, 2009
at 6:20 pm