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Katy Citizen Watchdog$ |
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We’re Taxpayers. It’s Our Money. |
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Formal Announcement Katy Citizen Watchdog$ |
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ANNOUNCEMENT KISD SCHOOL BOARD MEETING/AUGUST 29, 2005
Dear Fellow Watchdog$, Taxpayers, KISD Teachers/Faculty and concerned parents of KISD: My name is Chris Cottrell and I am a long time resident of the Katy area. I am one of the founding members of the Katy Citizen Watchdog$. Below is a statement that I read to the Board and the Public at the August 29, 2005 KISD School Board Meeting.
RE: Formal Notice of the formation of the Katy Citizen Watchdogs.
My name is Chris Cottrell and I am a resident and taxpayer of KISD. I am here tonight to advise this Board and the Public of the formation of a new group called the “Katy Citizen Watchdog$”. Who are the Katy Citizen Watchdog$? We are some of the taxpayers of the Katy School District. We are ordinary, hardworking Americans from various backgrounds and professions (including the education profession) that believe that school districts should be accountable to the people that “pay the bills”. We are a group that wants the very best education for our children. We believe that more of our tax dollars should be spent in the classroom and less on administration and extravagant construction. In other words, we believe that teachers should come first, not administrators, building contractors or architects. After all it won’t be the administrators or the lavish school properties that will secure our children’s college admissions. It will be the teachers that accomplish that task. I’ve told my girls over and over again that an education will be the only thing that I will ever be able to give them that will ever be worth anything.
We also want to mention that our group has joined forces with the Austin based group “Americans For Prosperity”. A group focused on education reform in our public schools. AFP is also the “home of the watchdogs”. AFP brings us a wealth of information, advice, counseling and legal assistance when necessary. What we have formed is not a new concept. There are numerous other watchdog groups across this state and in our area. There is, however, a common thread that binds all these groups together and that is a desire for more accountability in our local school districts. I want to thank both Peggy Venable of AFP, who is in attendance tonight, and Carol Jones, who unfortunately had a previous engagement this evening, for their continued support and mentoring. Peggy will be giving a short statement on behalf of AFP at tonight’s meeting.
As a follow up to my comments of last Thursday evening, let me say, first, that as a taxpayer of this community, I was very disappointed that three (3) of our school board members were absent from the Work/Study session. In my opinion this budget meeting was probably the most important meeting of the year. Don’t get me wrong, I understand about having other commitments but as an elected “steward” of my tax dollars I would have preferred seeing all of my elected officials at a budget meeting.
In addition, I would like to say that I was very disappointed that the Board did not answer any of the questions, comments or statements that were expressed at last week’s budget hearing. The democratic process should include healthy debate between opposing viewpoints; not stoic silence on the opposing side. There were some very valid points of concern and questions that were voiced at last week’s meeting that simply should not be ignored. A “sound bite” the following morning by a KISD spokesperson is not really what I had in mind.
I know that this Board probably doesn’t believe it, but the Watchdog$ are not trying to be confrontational. The Watchdog$ really want to work with this Board in trying to effect real change. I don’t think that what we are asking for is unreasonable. We simply want fiscal responsibility coupled with accountability. I hate to sound like a broken record but lets remember that the Taxpayer, not the Board or the Superintendent, is the real “boss” in any school district.
Thank you.
© 2005 by Chris Cottrell. All rights reserved. |
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Chris Cottrell, Katy Citizen Watchdog$ |
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Date: 08/29/2005 |
