Trustee Nancy Bingham "mainly criticized trustee Carla Ranger"

On yesterday Dallas Morning News reporter Tawnell Hobbs reported that Trustee Nancy Bingham "mainly criticized trustee Carla Ranger."

More Here - Education Blog - DMN

"Note, Nutall didn’t mention Bingham in the quote above. I called Bingham and she wasn’t too happy upon hearing why I was calling. She mainly criticized trustee Carla Ranger, who she said had disclosed information about the issue that was said during a closed session of the board.

“I think the bigger issue is that Ms. Ranger violated a closed-door session,” Bingham said."

Trustee Bingham's accusation is no surprise to me. It is to be expected.  

Trustee Bingham expressed no responsibility  or remorse for the allegations made by Trustee Bernadette Nutall on last Saturday. 

There has been no denial that Trustee Nutall described the recorded conversation between Trustees Nancy Bingham and Mike Morath as racial. This is a serious allegation.

For some strange reason there was no Board attorney present during any of the closed meeting - just Trustees and the Superintendent.

Regarding Trustee Bingham's accusation that I violated the closed session, former Texas Attorney General Jim Mattox issued an opinion (July 11, 1989 - Opinion No. JM-1071) that established the right of a public official to comment on the subject matter of a so-called closed session. 

I posted the entire Attorney General opinion on this blog on April 3, 2012. The link is below:

Attorney General Jim Mattox upheld right to talk about closed session in 1989

A San Antonio Investigative reporter John Tedesco (San Antonio Express-News) reported on a similar closed session issue on Tuesday, February 17, 2009.

Here is the link:

La Villita for sale: Can officials talk about closed-door meetings?

The 2009 San Antonio Express-News article concluded:

" Actually, Cisneros and other officials are perfectly free to talk about what happens in executive session. That’s according to a 1989 opinion from then-Attorney General Jim Mattox."

"So if you want answers about a topic that interests you, wave a copy of this AG opinion anytime a public official tries to tell you she can’t talk about closed-door meetings."

There was no violation of the closed session.

 Editorial: Why the Texas Open Meetings Act matters - DMN-Published: 03 August 2012 05:21 PM

Texas Association of School Boards - Board of Directors Meeting - San Antonio

I will be attending the annual summer meeting of the Board of Directors - Texas Association of School Boards in San Antonio, Texas - Thursday, July 26 to Saturday evening, July 28, 2012.

Alleged racial conversation between Trustees Bingham and Morath

A few months after I joined the Dallas ISD Board in 2006, a Trustee cursed while sitting at the horseshoe during a board meeting. I was told the remark was directed at me. The Trustee said: "F.. K You."

Many years ago (1997) racist remarks were made by former Dallas ISD Board member Dan Peavy in  telephone conversations with then Board President Sandy Kress that revealed racist attitudes toward African American Board members.

The comments between Trustees Dan Peavy and Sandy Kress during a recorded telephone conversation were condemned by the community when revealed at a Board meeting.

The Board and the public were informed of Trustee Peavy's racial statements.  Sandy Kress went to federal court to block the release of his taped remarks.  The damage was done.

Trustee Dan Peavy resigned from the Board.  

Trustee Sandy Kress went on to Austin and later to Washington, D.C. to help initiate the so-called education  reform agenda that became the destructive No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act.
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On Saturday I heard information about an alleged conversation between Dallas ISD Trustees Nancy Bingham and Mike Morath.

It was alleged by Trustee Bernadette Nutall that certain racially based remarks were made in the conversation. 

Upon hearing the allegations, I decided to ask Trustee Bingham if the allegations were true, "Did you recently make  racist remarks about a Board member or participate in a conversation in which such remarks were made?"

Trustee Nancy Bingham would not answer. She would not confirm.  She did not deny.

Nancy Bingham's only response, repeatedly stated: "That was a private conversation."

I posed the same question to Trustee Mike Morath. "Did you recently make  racist remarks about a Board member or participate in a conversation in which such remarks were made?"

Mike Morath's response:  "I wouldn't know if the remarks were racist."

It is reported there is a recording of the conversation.

If the allegations are true, the Dallas ISD Board should take whatever official action is appropriate.  

I would like to hear the tape recording of the conversation. If the allegations are not true, the tape will reveal that.

A special meeting should be called to determine if inappropriate Trustee racial comments were made.

I do not know the truth of the matter.  

I do know that when I asked on Saturday, the allegations were not denied by either of the Trustees involved.

Will the Dallas ISD Board address the issue?

Probably not.  Efforts are already underway to cover it up.

Let all the Trustees hear the tape together. The allegations are either true or they are not.


Dallas Observer - Thursday, January 23, 1997
It's All A Matter of Power by Miriam Rosen

Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy wins Grand Prize K-12 architectural design award

Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy is featured on the June 2012 cover of School Planning and Management.  Dallas ISD has been notified that the facility is the winner of the K-12 Grand Prize - Outstanding Design - Architecture in Education.

"Best in Class. Best in Show. Best anyway you cut it." Paul Abramson


Congratulations to SHW Group LLP, Principal Gayle Ferguson Smith, faculty, staff, students and parents of Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy.

SEE MORE HERE:  http://schoolplanning.epubxpress.com

 



Thursday, April 12, 2012

SHW group architects of Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy nominated for coveted James D. MacConnell Award in educational facility design.

http://carlaranger.blogspot.com/2012/04/shw-group-architects-of-kathlyn-joy.html