A reader named Hometown Boy posted the link in the comment section of Bossman's story yesterday examining Tuesday's DISD board meeting, and the unwavering recalcitrance of DISD Trustee Carla Ranger. In it, board candidate Damarcus Offord appears to kind of perhaps threaten trustees.
Hometown Boy clearly does not want Offord to supplant Bernadette Nutall as District 9's next school board trustee. Stopping him might be easier said than done, though. The guy already has the teachers union's endorsement.
The footage is actually from the January 26 DISD board meeting. I remember the date because Robert Wilonsky, God rest his soul, sent me to cover it. You might remember it because that's the day the board voted 6-2 to close 11 city schools. (If you for some reason thought DISD had nine board members, you're right. Carla Ranger sat the vote out.)
Last night, we emailed Offord. Here's his official response, just as he wrote it:
Since the AFT (Teacher's Union) decided to endorse my campaign, Mark Melton and Educate Dallas have been stirred up like a bunch of red ants. These people will do anything to hold on to power. They want the Trustee in District 9 to stay the same:•Despite the fact that Educate Dallas gave Trustee Nutall $10,000, 2 weeks before the controversial vote to close down 5 schools in her District. (Who votes to close down 5 schools in their own district?)
•Despite the fact that since she was elected, Trustee Nutall voted against the teachers 10 out of 12 times.
•Despite the fact that Dallas ISD leads the state with 43 unacceptable schools.
•Despite the fact that Dallas ISD only graduates 1/3 of its students.
•Despite the fact that only 10% of its seniors are college ready.
•Despite the fact that Lincoln high school, the school I graduated from, has been Academically Unacceptable (AYP) for four years. TEA demanded they restructure the curriculum, yet Trustee Nutall didn't feel it was important enough to even attend the Restructuring meeting.
I've seen the most powerful man in the county, Commissioner John Wiley Price come out against me. I've seen the most powerful man in the City of Dallas, Mayor Mike Rawlings, try to attack me. But my bible tells me, "That No Weapon Formed Against me Shall Prosper." My bible also tells me that if I "have the faith the size of a mustard seed, I can move mountains." On May 12, the voters in District 9 are going to show everyone how dissatisfied they are with the current leadership in Dallas ISD. The PAC, Educate Dallas that Mayor Rawlings called "our" PAC endorsed Trustee Nutall before they have even interviewed me and ahead of the submission deadline for all candidates. My question to Mayor Rawlings is, don't I deserve the opportunity to be interviewed as well? I met with Commissioner Price and he told me that he wasn't going to support either candidate. The very next day, he called and said he had to endorse Trustee Nutall because HE is the one who encouraged her to run. So it appears that he is speaking with a forked tongue. The ALTERED and EDITED video that Educate Dallas and Mark Melton put out there, shows they're level of desperation to maintain the power and control while looting the tax payers of $1.4B, leaving the teachers and students out in the cold. So don't believe anything they say and whoever they endorse, RUN THE OTHER WAY. For the unedited version, here is a link to the actual video pulled from DISD's website. http://sire.dallasisd.org/sirepub/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=461&doctype=AGENDA
My goal is to stay focused on the teachers, students and the community of DISD and this only reaffirms my decision to run. If you would like to reach me to discuss my views, you can contact me at [email protected].
