Tomorrow at 3:00 pm, the Harris County Department of Education Board of Trustees will vote on a proposed tax rate increase. As I noted here, the increase will raise revenues at least 8 percent, with the stated purpose of the increased revenue being to build a new for-profit business involving cloud computing.
One of the things I love about doing this stuff is that it forces ‘public servants’ to think twice before they do something stupid. They know that real journalists read blogs too! Take a look at the official agenda for tomorrow and it is full of fluff designed to “educate” the public about what the Harris County Department of Education does. I’ve reviewed board agendas going back over the past year and none of them include this fluff. Hmm. Well, heck, I might as well help them because I bet it took Supt. John Sawyer a couple of days to type these bullet points:
HCDE will:
Implement research initiatives assessing community educational needs.
Partner with businesses to research career readiness.
Develop effective programs securing/promoting educational success for every learner.
Gather data informing the educational community of proven strategies.
Create innovative delivery systems and models promoting learning.
Inform, educate, and train educators.
Leverage resources for the best outcomes.
Interesting. No bullet point for creating for-profit businesses using taxpayer money as seed capital. Probably just an oversight.
But you, yes YOU, will have the opportunity to speak against (or for) this tax increase. You’ll get to do this right after the Invocation and Pledges to the flags as agenda item 4:
Open Forum – Gov’t Code 551.003 (5) – Public Participation. Pursuant to Policy BED (Local), a citizen who wishes to speak may do so by completing a participation request card available at the Board room at least 10 minutes prior to a regular Board meeting.
See? All you have to do is arrive before 2:50 pm and fill out a request card. Click here for a map to the place – parking is free and the facility is easy to access off of 610 North. And then you can speak your piece. After you speak your piece, the board is going to be treated with Annual Reports on the different functions of the Harris County Department of Education. I’m looking forward to those reports; maybe they will help me to understand more about what they do with all of that money. After that, the board will vote on the tax increase.
Roy Morales is a paid consultant for Phonoscope. He routinely abstains from votes that pertain to Phonoscope. Lee Cook, who founded Phonoscope along with entertainer Bing Crosby, has given tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to both Roy Morales and former HCDE Trustee Raymond T. Garcia.
Phonoscope does almost all of our IT work at HCDE, as far as I know. When Roy Morales is asked if Phonoscope will receive the contract for this Cloud Technology, he would not deny it.
I firmly believe that Phonoscope is the only likely vendor for this project and after Roy Morales leaves HCDE come January, I’m sure he will be back at HCDE meetings on behalf of Phonoscope. It is my view that Roy Morales will directly benefit financially from the proposed 8.9{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} HCDE tax revenue increase of close to $1.5 Million Dollars, of which $1 Million Dollars will be earmarked for the Cloud Technology, most likely going to Phonoscope.
Roy Morales apparently first got to know Phonoscope founder Lee Cook when Roy Morales worked for the City of Houston before being let go by the City right before his first unsuccessfull run for for Houston City Council.
In fact, I’m told that last year Roy Morales was considering resigning from the HCDE Board, but I’m told the Superintendent talked him into staying in order to have more support for tax increases.
The funny thing is in almost every example I can think of, Roy Morales usually changes his mind on tax increases at the last minute when the grassroots and the media get involved and Roy Morales succumbs to conservative pressure.
Well, THAT should be an interesting discussion! Oh, sure, Roy will say it has nothing to do with anything but I’m betting that Mike won’t let it go at that. Because it is a fact that Roy has a conflict of interest with Lee Cook, the owner of Phonoscope, as evidenced by Mr. Cook’s Conflict of Interest Questionnaire. If Roy votes Yes for this tax increase, will he sign an affidavit that he is not going to work for Phonoscope after his term ends this year? Will Board President Angie Chesnut direct the business office NOT to issue the cloud computing contract to Phonoscope? Should be very interesting, particularly since it is rumored that ABC13 Undercover’s Wayne Dolcefino has filed several public information access requests with the Harris County Department of Education. Will Roy, as Mike notes, change his mind about the tax increase or will he give up any hope of becoming elected to anything as a Republican and vote for it?
