Cynthia Valadez-Mata Jr. cvaladezmata@aol.

com Re: HB 5's final outcome

To ALL friends of PUBLIC education and to those that provide us the expertise upon which we base our comments/positions/speeches...MALDEF, IDRA, Dr. Patricia Lopez & company, Luis Figueroa, and others: your service to our Latino/a community and students is INVALUABLE, without question. What you all DESERVE is a big, fat, paycheck and financial contribution! You also need a huge building, located next door to the Capitol and state offices, so that you can better educate the policy makers on what exactly a "BEST PRACTICE" in education is. It is unfortunate that we were not better able to protect our Latino/a students from the possibility of being "tracked" into those old, revamped vocational programs of yesteryear! However, it is now incumbent upon us to EDUCATE the families, parents, and communities about the need to focus on high quality preliteracy programming, early education, and a strong elementary education. We must alert our parents of school age children that without the 4x4x4x4, their students will NOT have the academic foundation to succeed in life, school, and careers necessary to end the cycles of poverty and ignorance. Our students MUST be academically prepared for those advanced science, math, language arts, and social studies classes. They must be told that we need school district administrators, teachers, and staff to reflect the demographics of the student population. Latino/a School Board members must be elected that reflect this changing demographic, but more importantly, MUST adhere to a PUBLIC EDUCATION philosophy. It is no longer enough to just be "brown", but rather to be "RIGHT" in advocating for language policies, full compliance to our Bilingual and Special education laws, and to making sure that school administrations LOOK like their community. We cannot settle for the dismantling of Bilingual Education so that it becomes a "language enhancement" program for the wealthy and politically empowered. It is not enough to "serve" in high positions while sending their OWN children to private and charter schools! We want our students to be successful at all levels and to graduate from COLLEGE! And YES, even if there are detractors in our community that have "bought" into the racist and classist stereotype that not ALL students can succeed, we must prove them wrong! I DO have a sister that will NOT go to college because she has a brain-demyelinating disease that is progressive and incurable, so I know a little bit about what it takes to graduate from high school...much less survive! Next week I will be there with her as she is wheeled across the stage to receive (and throw) her graduation diploma before leaving the public school system forever. However, what I have witnessed this past year and this legislative session is the tragedy of our OWN community members and "alleged" leaders being co-opted into accepting LOWER academic expectations of our students and BUYING into the myth that a PRIVATIZED system is BETTER than a PUBLIC education system! This bad idea of "choice" is exactly what elitists want us to accept so that THEIR children will graduate in the Top 10%, Texas Grant Program eligible, and college bound. Meanwhile, charter schools do NOT have to comply with the Bilingual Education or Special Education laws and our English Language Learners do NOT get the necessary educational supports to level that "academic playing field". Culturally competent, high quality teachers will be in the private schools or teaching in campuses located in wealthy neighborhoods... and our public school students will struggle with decreased public resources to support implementation of BEST PRACTICES so that THEY can overcome those life obstacles impeding their learning experience. Decreased budgets also means less professional development for our teachers that have committed their lives to "modeling" for their students. Non-Latinos/as will continue to be recognized as the "educational saviors" known as Texas Education

Reformers, even though they know NOTHING of our proud heritage and have NO "shared history" with the population that they are to serve. I can hardly wait until 2020 or 2030...this legislative session has served as a WAKE UP call for those that are definitely "asleep at the podium". A "brown wave" is coming and it is time for us all to STAND together FOR OUR COMMUNITY, FOR OUR EDUCATION EXPERTS, AND FOR OUR FUTURES! Thank you ALL for your energy, your time, and your vision for a better tomorrow and a better TODAY! Si Se Puede! Cynthia Valadez-Mata Jr. -----Original Message----From: jyb57879@aol.com <jyb5789@aol.com> To: joey_cardenas <joey_cardenas@hotmail.com>; bernardo <bernardo@eureste.com>; roman.pena73 <roman.pena73@yahoo.com>; psalazar9 <psalazar9@satx.rr.com>; gleallaw <gleallaw@sbcglobal.net>; aurelio.montemayor <aurelio.montemayor@idra.org>; fl1023 <fl1023@txstate.edu>; doscentavos <doscentavos@gmail.com>; robledo.montecel <robledo.montecel@idra.org>; tc03 <tc03@txstate.edu>; nperales <nperales@maldef.org>; lcamarillo <lcamarillo@svrep.org>; pgonzales <pgonzales@wcvi.org>; cmoreno <cmoreno@maldef.org>; jmartt7777 <jmartt7777@att.net>; cvaladezsr <cvaladezsr@gmail.com>; gmbaustin <gmbaustin@yahoo.com>; alonzopc2003 <alonzopc2003@yahoo.com>; vbtena <vbtena@yahoo.com>; rmvillasana <rmvillasana@yahoo.com>; gloriassasser <gloriassasser@gmail.com>; casconst81 <casconst81@yahoo.com>; rdovalina <rdovalina@comcast.net>; cvaladezmata <cvaladezmata@aol.com>; kaiwi1955 <kaiwi1955@yahoo.com>; hsgarcia77022 <hsgarcia77022@yahoo.com>; carolsambulance <carolsambulance@yahoo.com>; hflores <hflores@lulac.org>; hcarrillo29 <hcarrillo29@hotmail.com>; marylramos <marylramos@hotmail.com>; garciadtx <garciadtx@aol.com>; maryalmendarez <maryalmendarez@aol.com>; maldonadofonz <maldonadofonz@aol.com>; ray <ray@manceragroup.com>; bamrealtor <bamrealtor@aol.com>; jejaques1 <jejaques1@yahoo.com>; florindachavez <florindachavez@sbcglobal.net>; marycanales50 <marycanales50@suddenlink.net> Cc: xicanasoul <xicanasoul@gmail.com> Sent: Tue, May 28, 2013 10:00 am Subject: Re: HB 5's final outcome Yes, thanks to all for being great friends of education. Also............Dr. Patricia Lopez: what an inspiration, and grand leader she has been. I know Patricia would never want accolades and praise, but she has been absolutely outstanding in her leadership, presentations, and advocacy. Una gran persona y luchista. Joey and everyone, whatever we can do to help Patricia stay in Texas; there is HOPE, and by putting our minds and energy together, we can find a way to fund her efforts...............let me know what I can do to help.

-----Original Message----From: Joey Cardenas <joey_cardenas@hotmail.com> To: bernardo <bernardo@eureste.com>; nick pena <roman.pena73@yahoo.com>; Placido Salazar <psalazar9@satx.rr.com>; Gloria Leal MABA <gleallaw@sbcglobal.net>; aurelio.montemayor <aurelio.montemayor@idra.org>; fidencio leija <fl1023@txstate.edu>; stace medal <doscentavos@gmail.com>; Dr. Robledo <robledo.montecel@idra.org>; Dr. Jaime Chahin <tc03@txstate.edu>; nina perales <nperales@maldef.org>; lydia camarillo <lcamarillo@svrep.org>; Patricia Gonzales <pgonzales@wcvi.org>; cmoreno <cmoreno@maldef.org>; John Martinez <jmartt7777@att.net>; cynthia valadez sr. <cvaladezsr@gmail.com>; senator barrientos <gmbaustin@yahoo.com>; roberto alonzo <alonzopc2003@yahoo.com>; vbtena <vbtena@yahoo.com>; rmvillasana <rmvillasana@yahoo.com>; gloriassasser <gloriassasser@gmail.com>; casconst81 <casconst81@yahoo.com>; rdovalina <rdovalina@comcast.net>; cvaladezmata <cvaladezmata@aol.com>; kaiwi1955 <kaiwi1955@yahoo.com>; hsgarcia77022 <hsgarcia77022@yahoo.com>; carolsambulance <carolsambulance@yahoo.com>; hflores

<hflores@lulac.org>; jyb5789 <jyb5789@aol.com>; hcarrillo29 <hcarrillo29@hotmail.com>; marylramos <marylramos@hotmail.com>; garciadtx <garciadtx@aol.com>; maryalmendarez <maryalmendarez@aol.com>; maldonadofonz <maldonadofonz@aol.com>; ray <ray@manceragroup.com>; bamrealtor <bamrealtor@aol.com>; jejaques1 <jejaques1@yahoo.com>; florindachavez <florindachavez@sbcglobal.net>; marycanales50 <marycanales50@suddenlink.net> Cc: Dr. Patricia Lopez <xicanasoul@gmail.com> Sent: Sun, May 26, 2013 11:31 pm Subject: HB 5's final outcome Brothers and Sisters, Earlier tonight, the House and Senate finished their work with HB5 as reported out of the conference committee; while there is still room for improvement, we acknowledge that it is a step forward in the right direction; certainly, no one can argue with the reduction in tests from 15 to 5, but we continue to fight against high-stakes testing. It is our hope that the governor will sign the bill without any adverse changes or need for a special session. I would also like to recognize the input and help that we received from our sister organizations who gave us much needed support and encouragement in our efforts. A big thank you to the American G.I. Forum, the Hector P. Garcia American G.I. Forum, LEFT (LULAC Education Foundation of Texas), MABA (Mexican American Bar Association), IDRA (Intercultural Development and Research Association), MASBA (Mexican American School Board Association, TCEP (Texas Center for Education Policy), SVREP (Southwest Voter and Registration Education Project), WCVI (William C. Velasquez Institute, MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund), Texas LULACers, La Fey institute, LUVE (Lead Unite Vote and Educate), and the board of Texas HOPE (Hispanics Organized for Political Education). I would also like to acknowledge the continued advisement from Senator Gonzalo Barrientos and Representative Roberto Alonzo during the session, and to the generosity of Mr. Jose Urrigas and partners of the Pink Lady Bingo Hall. I encourage you all to please share the attached statement on HB 5, and to develop a similar statement to share with your members and boards of directors. It is important that we begin to define the impact of the session on our community before others with less than honorable intentions try to define it for us. Please continue your hard work with the knowledge that what you do matters not just to our community, but to Texas! Let us pray for a quick end to this long and arduous session. -joey cardenas