Dear Trustees and Dr. Ryan,

This will be brief because I do not have great faith in the prospect of some of you being able to focus your attention for longer than a few paragraphs.

First, to Jorge, Becky, and Coley, I want to say a heartfelt “thank you”. You have fought a long, difficult, and thankless battle against corrupt interests that are bitter, wicked, and stupid. I am certain this is not what you signed up for when you answered the call to public service. You are blameless in this matter and the marginalized students and staff you have so bravely shielded and stood up for will be forever in your debt. No one would think less of you should you decide to throw in the towel for a fight that seems impossible to win. Because you are individuals of compassion and character, I know that you won’t. Jorge, please tell your son I say “Hi” and that I am immensely proud of him. The three of you may stop reading now as I wish you a pleasant day. Godspeed and good luck.

To the rest of the board, I feel an introduction may be in order. My name is Clint Von Gundy nee Bland. I was educated in GCISD from first grade through twelfth. I was identified as G/T in first grade and was eventually named a National Merit Scholar at Colleyville-Heritage. My mother taught in GCISD for the majority of her thirty-eight years in education and still lives and votes in the district. When she retired, she was proud of the time she spent at Bear Creek, Grapevine Elementary, and Colleyville Middle. No more–but we’ll get to that in a moment. My sister and brother-in-law are current residents of and voters in the district. My niece and nephew both attend elementary school in GCISD. When my sister and brother-in-law bought their house, it was primarily because they knew GCISD would provide an excellent education for their kids. No more—but, again, we’ll get to that in a moment.

My own investment in GCISD did not end when I graduated. I returned as a teacher at Heritage Middle, charged with instructing G/T English classes and AVID. I also designed the district’s Creative Writing course. Eventually I was named the first Humanities teacher at ASPIRE Academy’s middle school campus at Cross Timbers. All told, I spent five years in GCISD and still count my time at ASPIRE as my favorite job. (The vanguard class recently graduated and I doubt they will willingly divulge their alma mater ISD given the disrepair it has been forced into by the outside influence of a band of wealthy West Texas goblin people.) I worked for a few years in Richardson at central office coordinating secondary gifted services and then did a stint at Region 11 as their gifted and talented/advanced academics consultant. I now serve as the director of professional learning for a private educational consulting firm that holds equity in advanced academics as its North Star. I know the concept of equity may cause your skin to tingle uncomfortably, but bear with me…

​To put it as succinctly as possible, I know of what I speak. So let me speak clearly. I apologize in advance if I use too many big words or make too many references you don’t understand given your comically dim comprehension of literature and history.

​My mom once asked me if I would ever consider returning to GCISD. I had to laugh at that one. You see, I’m an out and proud Gay man. I would never risk my excellent professional reputation or the wonderful life I have built with my fiance in order to return to a workplace where at any moment I could be accused of being a “groomer” by a member of the board’s new out and proud majority of bigots and buffoons, where I could be put on a secret undesirables list by a dumber version of the Stasi. I would, frankly, rather sit on a knife. I receive messages almost daily from old friends on staff at GCISD looking to get out, to go literally anywhere else. They used to love the district; now they live in constant terror of the whims of a group of four subliterate Philistine know-nothings who debase themselves at the alter of dark money and only read (or had read to them, more likely) the parts of the Bible where God piles up the doom and gore.

Casey, Tammy, Shannon, and Kathy, is the chip on your shoulder heavy? Should I buy you all a big wooden cross for Christmas so you can nail yourselves to it? You have each grasped far above the level of your own competence. To paraphrase the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, of whom the four of you are no doubt fans (even as the complexity of his writing doth passeth your own limited understanding): HIDE YOUR HEAD IN A BAG!

You have brought shame to a once great institution, rendered it a national laughingstock. I would tell you to repent now, but one supposes that will do little good. So I simply ask that you resign. Retire to your McMansions and let the children of GCISD and the adults who actually care about them get on with the good work of building a more peaceful, prosperous, sustainable, just, and humane world. Don’t force what’s at the bottom of your own rotten hearts onto a public that simply wants to live and let live, to see their children and community thrive. Don’t let the individual at last night’s board meeting who made threats of sexual assault against his enemies be your bannerman, your sadistic weirdo mascot. Don’t rut in the slop of your own perfidy, malice, and cowardice so joyfully.

Plato teaches us that all democracies are inherently and inevitably at risk of collapse. Once ignorance and hatred seize the levers of power, it is only a matter of time before societies sign their own death warrants, self-cannibalize, and vote (and botox) themselves into oblivion. Casey, Tammy, Shannon, and Kathy, I fear the four of you have gleefully taken up the mantle of the executioner. You seem all too rabid to be first among equals in the ranks of the gravedancers. You have wrapped tragedy in travesty and brought it down on the heads of your most vulnerable constituents.

There is that old pop psychology saying: hurt people hurt people. I hope whatever invisible and imagined wounds the four of you are nursing at the public’s expense heal soon and that you learn to love quiet contemplation, hermitage, and obscurity.

Casey, Tammy, Shannon, and Kathy, you may stop reading now–if you got this far; I understand you have troubles with email.

Finally, to Dr. Ryan: I met you personally for the first time on what was my very first day of teaching in GCISD. We were introduced by Pete Valamides, possibly the kindest human being on the planet. I am sorry that your twilight years in the profession must be so consumed by such venality and cruelty. You must have seen it coming though, must have known that the “Good Ole Boy” network would never really work to retain or fight for some semblance of the “good” when faced with its own extinction. I looked up to you, sir, and in many ways I still do, but you must work so much harder to confront and expel the poison that has taken hold in GCISD.

Sir, I have asked the board majority to hide their head in a bag. Please don’t hide your head in the sand.

​Have a blessed day.

Below is an extrememly important letter to the school board from a community member. As we sit here on the eve of the school board almost certainly passing policies that are detrimental to students, especially already marginalized ones, we must step up to support students and staff.

Dear Members of the Board:

I have been a part of the GCISD school district since my oldest child began kindergarten in 2003 and will continue to be affected by district policies until my current 7th grader graduates from high school. As I read the upcoming planned changes in the school board policies, I am devastated by the impact it will have not only on my child, but for the many other children in the district who are marginalized. Therefore, as a parent and a licensed social worker, I feel I need to speak out for the children impacted by these decisions.

Our family is a bit unique, as our youngest child is a different race from the rest of our family due to adoption. It is truly devastating to learn of the research outlining how much more difficult it will be for her to achieve success as compared to my older two children. Just to give a few examples, listed below are just a few of the studies outlining the racial disparities.

• When black and white teachers evaluate the same black student, white teachers are 12 percent less likely to predict the student will finish high school, and 30 percent less likely to predict the student will graduate from college ( Economics of Education Review , 2016).
• For many Black youth, racial discrimination exposures at school are not uncommon, including reported experiences of negative treatment from teachers (e.g., stereotype-based treatment, harsher punishment than for other children) and from peers (e.g., social exclusion, verbal or physical harassment) (Fisher et al., 2000).
• Documented race differences in teacher/administrator disciplinary practices indicate Black adolescents’ likelihood of experiencing racial bias and discrimination in school (Sellers et al., 2003).
• Stereotype-based treatment and overt harassment may undermine Black students’ personal sense of value and belonging in the academic context, increasing the likelihood of school disengagement (Dotterer, McHale, & Crouter, 2009; Wong et al., 2003).

I share these examples to emphasize that our schools are not immune from racial bias and inequality. Pretending these issues do not exist and presenting a “whitewashed” version of history while forcing teachers, students, and administrators to avoid these topics not only brings about more stigmatization but also serves to alienate those who are marginalized by its very existence. Furthermore, it produces students who lack the knowledge and crucial critical thinking skills that will be necessary to recognize and eradicate racial and economic disparities that exist throughout our country.

The other issue that I would like to address is the changes regarding the treatment of students who are LGBTQIA+. Again, I am extremely disappointed that the board appears to be targeting yet another marginalized population, especially considering the increased bullying and negative mental health implications resulting from schools that are unable to foster a safe and supportive environment for LGBTQIA+ students. According to the Texas Tribune, LGBTQIA+ students in Texas often feel unsupported and targeted within their schools and identified the following issues:

• 40% report hearing school staff make negative remarks about someone’s gender expression.
• 74% report experiencing verbal harassment due to sexual orientation.
• 59% report experiencing verbal harassment due to gender expression.
• Over a quarter of students experience physical harassment due to gender, gender expression, or sexual orientation.

School Climate for LGBTQ Students in Texas, GLSEN (2019), https://www.glsen.org/sites/de fault/files/2021-01/Texas-Snapshot-2019.pdf

As a social worker, I have witnessed the despair and loss of life associated with marginalized LGBTQIA+ youth and have supported grieving parents and siblings devastated by the loss of their precious children. Statistically, LGBTQIA+ youth are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers (Johns et al., 2019; Johns et al., 2020), and among transgender youth, 56% reported a previous suicide attempt and 86% reported suicidality. (Austin et al., 2020). If schools refuse to acknowledge a transgender student’s gender identity by prohibiting them from updating unofficial school records, such as attendance sheets, student IDs,
yearbooks, etc., with the name and pronouns that reflect the gender they live every day, it can severely impact the student’s ability to learn and thrive at school.

According to Equality Texas CEO Ricardo Martinez, “Politicians meddling in education, banning books, targeting students based on their race or gender or religion really has a direct impact on the bullying, harassment, and violence that we see in our communities every single day,” Martinez said. “Last year … from Jan. 1 to Aug. 31, 2021, there were more than 10,800 [contacts] from Texas students to the Trevor Project, because they were in crisis. And part of the reason why they [were] in crisis was because their humanity was being debated...”. Researchers at The Trevor Project have also found that LGBTQIA+ youths who reported having at least one LGBTQIA+-affirming space, such as a school, home, or workplace, were significantly less likely to attempt suicide. Why would GCISD not want to be a place where ALL students feel accepted and valued?

In addition to the mental health considerations, the new policies, especially the ones targeting students identifying as transgender, are in direct violation of many existing statutes, and subject schools to liability under federal antidiscrimination and privacy laws. Discrimination against transgender students violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”), 20 U.S.C. § 1681(a). 1 Courts have recognized that deliberately refusing to address transgender individuals by the name and pronouns consistent with their gender identity can be a form of sex-based harassment under state and federal anti-discrimination law. 2 In addition to violating federal antidiscrimination law, refusing to change school records can violate federal privacy laws by revealing the student’s transgender status. Students have the right to share or withhold information about their sexual orientation and gender identity under the federal Constitution 3 and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”).4 As NASSP advises, “transgender status, legal name or sex assigned at birth is confidential medical information and considered ‘personally identifiable information’ under the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act (FERPA). Disclosure of that information to other school staff or parents could violate the school's obligations under FERPA or constitutional privacy protections.”5

As the school board trustees move forward with the agenda on Monday evening, I implore each one of you to strongly consider the negative impact of the proposed changes and ask that you put ALL students first rather than political ideology or fear. The physical and emotional health of marginalized students should not be ignored, and GCISD schools should provide a safe and affirming environment so that all students may flourish and succeed.

Sources:
1 See, e.g., Whitaker By Whitaker v. Kenosha Unified Sch. Dist., 858 F.3d 1034 (7th Cir. 2017) (holding transgender student likely to succeed on the merits of his Title IX and Equal Protection claims against his high school’s policy barring him from using the boys’ restroom); Dodds v. U.S. Dep’t. of Educ., 845 F.3d 217 (6th Cir. 2016) (school denying transgender students access to restrooms corresponding with their gender identity not likely to succeed on appeal under Title IX).
2 See, e.g., Doe v. City of New York, 976 N.Y.S.2d 360 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 2013) (holding that a transgender woman had sufficiently alleged discrimination under state sex discrimination law when the state HIV/AIDS Service Administration continued to address her by her former male name and male pronouns); Burns v. Johnson, 829 F.3d 1 (1st Cir. 2016) (plaintiff’s allegations, including employer’s purposeful and condescending use of the pronoun “she” to a male transgender employee, supported a reasonable inference of discrimination on the basis of sex); See also OCR Instructions to the Field re Complaints Involving Transgender Students, Dep’t. of Educ. Office for Civil Rights (June 5, 2017), https://assets.documentcloud.org/.../OCR-Instructions-to... (“refusing to use a transgender student’s preferred name or pronouns when the school uses preferred names for gender-conforming students or when the refusal is motivated by animus” is an example of gender-based harassment).
3 See Love v. Johnson, 146 F. Supp. 3d 848 (E.D. Mich. 2015) (state’s unduly burdensome policy for changing sex on driver’s license or ID violated the Constitution’s Due Process and Equal Protection clauses); Sterling v. Borough of Minersville, 232 F.3d 190 (3d Cir. 2000) (holding officer's threat to disclose arrestee's perceived sexual orientation violated their constitutional right to privacy); Bloch v. Ribar, 156 F.3d 673, 685 (6th Cir. 1998) (“Publicly revealing information [about sexuality] exposes an aspect of our lives that we regard as highly personal and private.”); Powell v. Schriver, 175 F.3d 107, 111 (2d Cir. 1999) (“the Constitution does indeed protect the right to maintain the confidentiality of one’s transsexualism”); Eastwood v. Dep’t of Corr., 846 F.2d 627, 631 (10th Cir. 1988) (right to privacy “is implicated when an individual is forced to disclose information regarding sexual matters.”).
4 See Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 C.F.R. §§ 99.00 et seq. Disclosure of private information related to sex or gender can also violate sex discrimination laws. See Roberts v. Clark Cty. Sch. Dist., 215 F.Supp.3d 1001 (D. Nev. 2016) (disclosure of private information about employee’s transgender status in an email established a prima facie case for harassment/hostile environment under Title VII’s sex discrimination prohibition).
5 NASSP, Position Statement on Transgender Students (2016).

Today we're highlighting and important article by William Joy (WFAA). Below are some excerpts.

Across a dozen North Texas School districts, retirements and resignations from January to July of 2022 were 48% higher than the average of the previous four years, from 2018 to 2021.

​Smaller, suburban districts have seen the fiercest battles over race, library books and curriculums. In Carroll ISD, which is currently facing five federal civil rights investigations regarding discrimination, resignations and retirements in 2022 were up 40% compared to the previous four-year average.

Grapevine-Colleyville ISD made national news when the district’s first Black principal was placed on leave after being accused of teaching critical race theory when he sent a note to families after the death of George Floyd. The district also saw a 40% jump in retirements and resignations this year.

Keller ISD and Granbury ISD also both dealt with repeated book-banning controversies -- and, in turn, saw retirements and resignations rise 59% and 115% higher in 2022, respectively, compared to the previous four-year average.

An AFT survey found 66% of teachers are ready to leave their jobs. Then, this month, the Texas State Teachers Association similarly found that 70% feel on the verge of quitting -- the highest mark reported in the 40 years they’ve done the survey. A full 85% also said they didn’t feel support from state lawmakers.

School board meetings have become filled with vitriol towards teachers and librarians, particularly in suburban districts. And debates started to spring up over how race and sex should be taught, with teachers becoming criticized for reading diverse and long-established literature.

In November of 2021, Abbott asked TEA commissioner Mike Morath to investigate pornography in public schools. Roughly a year after that request, the TEA said it was not aware of a single arrest or closed investigation into the issue.

Steven Poole saw it coming. Poole leads the United Educators Association, which represents teachers in 43 districts across North Texas. "You have politicians who are demonizing [teachers], calling them 'groomers' or [saying] that they're indoctrinating their students," Poole said.

Poole believes the education crisis is partly intentional. State lawmakers have made clear their desires to see more charter schools and vouchers for private schools. Abbott was even in Dallas last week to endorse vouchers -- a system where public school tax dollars are diverted to instead help families send kids to private schools.

​"There are bad actors out there who are cheering that teachers are leaving in droves -- because they want our public schools to fail, and they’re doing it for selfish reasons,” Poole said.

Contributor: John Doughney, longtime former GCISD empoyee

A few years ago, I wrote a blog entitled “What’s in a Grade?”. In it, I described the journey of GCISD from being the largest school district receiving an exemplary rating to the current A-F system of accountability.

The latest ratings have been published, and GCISD earned an A!!! First and foremost, I want to commend the hard work of teachers, administrators, and instructional support personnel. Although the new board will want to take credit for the improvements, they had absolutely nothing to do with this success. It was all due to the dedicated work of those who faced the incredible challenges of public education during a pandemic.
​
But let us not be fooled by the misguided use of standardized test scores and arbitrary averaging of random measures to label districts and campuses with a letter grade. Ask yourself the following questions:
• What does the grade mean? What really does it tell me? What doesn’t it tell me?
• Why do we need a capricious system designed to order kids to tell us how good we are as a district?
• What happens next year when the stakes are higher, GCISD has more students who historically don’t perform well on standardized tests, and teachers’ support networks have been dismantled?
• How will we feel if the grade is B? Does this mean as a district we are doing worse with our kids, or are we just not spending enough time preparing kids to take a test?

My intent is not to rain on anyone’s parade. I have already personally congratulated principals throughout the district. Here’s the double-edged sword. If we celebrate the As and Bs received, we are, in turn, complicit with the state’s accountability system. If we do not celebrate, we appear to disregard the hard work of educators. I believe we should celebrate not the grade, but the incredible work accomplished over the past two years by the people in GCISD.

Let us not be hoodwinked into believing the A-F system is a rational and reliable system of accountability. IT IS NOT! Let us not get too excited about a grade that has little meaning. We already knew this district was great. We don’t need a system developed by people who never set foot in a school to tell us that. And in a year, we do not need these same people telling us we are potentially less good than we currently are! This is not a valid accounting of GCISD. GCISD is so much more than what this measures. Visit classrooms, and you will discover so much more than what this arbitrary grade tells us.

Getting an A gives us bragging rights, but wouldn’t we really rather want to know what we have to brag about – and how we need to improve?
​
Do we want to be accountable to the state for test scores or to the community for student benefit?

Contributor: John Doughney, longtime former GCISD employee

​Two hundred forty-two professional staff members left GCISD between January 1, 2022 and July 14, 2022. More left after that date, and more will continue to leave. Typical? I think not. According to TEA, in 2020, GCISD reported 1914 total staff with 981 of these being teachers and 310 administrators and professional support staff. So, just about 1300 professional staff. According to my calculations, that’s about 19% attrition.

Although this is not significantly higher than the state average of 16.8%, it is still troubling. Of the professionals who separated from the district, 10% moved out of the area, 13% retired, 17% are pursuing another career, 23% are now working in surrounding districts, and 33% left for personal reasons.

The district always loses good people because they move or have opportunities elsewhere. What should concern us is a third leaving for personal reasons, a quarter benefiting neighboring districts, and 17 percent pursuing other careers. Of the 242, only 54 left because they were retiring or moving. All but 17 left between May and July.
You can draw your own conclusions, but 73% leaving the district to work in other districts, to work in the private sector, or for personal reasons should be alarming. Some will contend that this is just the cost of doing business these days. What I’ve learned from those I’ve interviewed tells a different story. A primary factor for their leaving is a culture of fear and distrust. As a GCISD veteran said, “I don’t want people to know I work for Grapevine-Colleyville.”

So, while the new board majority and their sycophants are celebrating a “balanced budget”, discovering millions of unallocated dollars, and eliminating 18,500 vendors, GCISD is hemorrhaging talent that can never be replaced. Amidst all these adult shenanigans, somehow we’ve lost sight of our real purpose - to serve the 14,000 students of GCISD. Losing incredible talent because a board demanded a “balanced budget” did nothing but hurt these kids for years to come. They deserve better!
​
It’s critical to be informed as a voter. Ask questions. If you know someone who left GCISD, ask them why. If you have questions about the budget process, ask someone who develops it. Most importantly, if you truly want to know what goes on in classrooms, ask a teacher. Better yet, go see for yourself. You might be amazed at what you see - don’t just take my word for it.