2 EL UVALDE TIMES MAY 11, 1991 I This I have to say I By Olga Munoz Rodriguez Congratulations Graduates! Best wishes to all the graduates in Uvalde and in all those communities where this newspaper is being read. Now you begin your young adult life. Its time to really begin accepting more responsibility for your decisions. How will you guide the rest of your life? Will you accept the challenges of a college education? I hope you will. Don t limit your opportunities by cutting your education at the high school level. Set some goals and work hard at reaching them. Remember that your education is something no one can take away and that it is something you do for yourself and no one else. Later you will share the fruits of your education with the family you will probably form. The Governor Agrees with Me Not long after my first issue was published I read in one of the San Antonio newspapers where Governor Richards states that she felt the taxpayers and the children of Texas were, in many school districts that are not producing a quality education accountable for their failures. If Uvalde doesn’t make a real effort to reduce the fifty percent of school drop outs and improve the test scores of its students from its deplorable level, its going to have the Texas Education Agency “on their back” even more aggressively than before. Uvalde has one new board member and a new president. Now it needs either some new administrative personnel, or a closer watch on our current ones to make sure that the best teachers possible are hired, that the current teachers and principals and program directors do their job effectively. Parents Beware.... I urge parents to become really involved with their teachers, the principals and the parent-teacher organizations. In Uvalde I found that the parent-teacher organizations have nothing to do with the education of their children. Seems to me that all the PTO’s do is raise money for school equipment and supplies. When were test scores, reading levels and curriculum discussed at P.T.O. meetings? What parents specifically have been involved in the textbook committees, in developing long range plans for improving their children’s education? Just because a principal says these things cannot be discussed at P.T.O. meetings, as I have been told, don’t accept that as the final word. Equipment and supplies are the responsibility of the administrators. P.T.O.’s can help provide these things but that should not be their sole purpose. Inequality still a serious problem.... There is still too much inequality in Uvalde. With a student population of 70% Mexican-American students, how come we only have the exact opposite in Mexican-American educators—this is, only 25-30% are Mexican-American. The Texas Education Agency, in its accreditation report of 1989 clearly points out that Civil Action 5281 and other civil rights legislation require that the State of Texas ensure the equity among the percentage of minority students and minoritiy professional staff members within the school district. If the inequality were in reverse, that is, that the student population were 70% anglo and the anglo teachers were only 30%, we can be sure that reverse descrimination would be shouted. I say be fair at last, why must we fight these battles in court and waste tax payers money once again? Get on with the program. Do what is right. Mexican-American students need to know that if they go on to college they will be hired here in their own home town. The latest excuse I received from the school superintendent Paul Curtis was that just being Mexican-American is not the only requirement for being hired, that its the individual’s qualifications. If that’s the case, why are our children’s test scores so low in Uvalde? If only the best teachers are hired how come other school districts produce higher test scores? He also explained that they have tried very hard to recruit more Mexican-American teachers but they don’t want to come and teach in a small town like Uvalde where salaries are much lower than in larger cities. I am sure that with more aggresive efforts more teachers would apply. Besides salaries, teachers look at other benefits of teaching in smaller school district. Uvalde is a beautiful city with peaceful environment and many friendly people. Many teachers are ready to leave the fierce competition of the larger school district, the traffic, the dangers of the larger cities. Inequality of the genders as well.... The Texas Education Agency in the same 1989 accreditation report also points out that “State Board of Education policies, civil rights legislation and the use of Title IV grants for public education by the State of Texas require compliance with Title IX. This federal stature requires that a district’s personnel practices be nondiscriminatory regarding the gender of individuals.” The report states then that in 1987-88 there were 264 female staff (Continued on Page 12) Graduation Friendship hugs, joy for a life time. Robbie Samarripa—a grand smile. Twins Solomon and Michael Moreno look over the graduation program. Friendships are ribbons of sturdy fiber, but with the softness of silk, of pastel colors for the quiet moments and also of bright shining colors for the joyous times with laughter.... Memories are the links that hold our past to the present, that renew old friendships, that bring back the emotions of our youth, sometimes happy, sometimes sad.-OlgaRodriguez I became a part of the memories made at graduation night in Uvalde last Friday. Richard Masiel and I were there especially for Solomon and Michael Moreno, whose mother is Richard’s first cousin and for my goddaughter Christina Gonzales, Vicente and Lupe Gonzales’ daughter. But of course we were also there for all the other graduates for this, indeed, was a happy occassion. We felt the pride of all other parents, grandaprents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends in the stands. We felt the anxiety and happiness of the graduates and laughed at their attempt to Sherry Steele, Jamie Vaden, Pam O’Neal, Beth Weishuhn await beginning of ceremony. - XSil t v f : Principal Oscar Cruz and Assistant Principal Bowie Ybarra. i Letter to the Editor Dear Editor, I am writing about the problem of school drop outs in Uvalde. In my opinion it would be better to start the job training for all drop outs since they have decided to quit school. We may not always know the real reason these students drop out of school but it could very well be for economical reasons. If that is so, I don’t blame them a bit because I went through that myself. I think it would help them and their families more instead of wasting anymore time in school for the only purpose of getting a high school diploma. Tell me how far can one get nowadays, trying to get a half decent job with a high school diploma? I think you’ll be lucky to get a grocery store checker job or a department store job at the most. It used to be thirty of forty years ago a high school diploma would help you get a good start in life. Times have changed and nowadays it so happens that if you don’t have a college education behind you, you are more likely to stay behind. To the student reading this, don’t let me discourage you, cause much depends on your ambition, your personality, ability and your desire to get ahead in life and be somebody. So get on with it. You are only one of the many millions in this good old U.S.A, struggling for a better tomorrow. Best wishes and may the Lord lead your way and don’t forget to stay away from drugs, liquor, cigarettes if you don’t want to ruin your life. Juan Sanchez 253 North Grove Uvalde, TX.