Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Lisa Andrews Alpe, a volunteer for the Chris Earnest campaign.
Today is the last day of early voting, and Spring Branch Independent School District candidate for Board of Trustees, Chris Earnest, has spent the last week dispelling the myth that Texas unions are powerless organizations that merely offer a “source of insurance” for members.
That tall tale has been plastered all over social media by his union-endorsed opponent and her school-board-supported campaign.
What began as a feeble attempt to explain away her union endorsements to those who would normally vote against union involvement in school board elections, has turned into a full-blown attempt to dissuade conservative voters from Chris Earnest.
Her supporters would like to hide the fact that Texas unions have morphed into the political arms of the Democrat Party.
So let’s settle this right now.
If Texas unions truly were the docile, insurance-offering entities they would have you believe, Mayor Sylvester Turner wouldn’t be engaged in a years-long battle with the Houston firefighters.
Texas unions are quite powerful. More powerful than Texas lobbies. And unions want to hand-pick Spring Branch ISD’s school board so that they can begin to strong-arm their way into the schools and curriculum of one of the last conservative holdouts in Harris County.
The Houston and Spring Branch chapters of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) have endorsed Chris Earnest’s opponent, as has the Gulf Coast AFL-CIO.
AFT is a member of the AFL-CIO. The AFL is the American Federation of Labor and the CIO is the Congress of Industrial Organizations. They combined in 1953. The AFL was skilled trades and the CIO was the factory, or unskilled, labor. The AFL-CIO is an organization that allows unions from different trades to come together.
Union backing of Chris Earnest’s opponent is very coordinated and interconnected. They really have their sights set on Spring Branch ISD. They know that the conservative vote is strong in Spring Branch and they want to silence it once and for all.
And they might.
A vote against Chris Earnest is a vote for unions. No vote at all is a vote for unions.
“This is a nonpartisan race. But those who do not want union involvement in our school district need to vote today, this last day of early voting. The school board has been allowed to operate without much dissension in the ranks, but this past year opened my eyes and the eyes of thousands of other parents in the district. Today is crucial because the last several election cycles have shown us that races are won in early voting,” Earnest said in a statement.
Vote Chris Earnest for Spring Branch ISD Board of Trustees.
brad says
The comment that “…unions want to hand-pick Spring Branch ISD’s school board so that they can begin to strong-arm their way into the schools and curriculum of one of the last conservative holdouts in Harris County.” suggests that the SBISD Board of Trustees has control over students’ curriculum.
The curriculum of the students in Texas is determined by the Texas Education Agency and State Board of Education.
Thanks for clarifying to your readers.
Donna Bahorich-former TX-SBOE Chair says
To clarify, TEA does not approve curriculum. The SBOE sets curriculum standards (essential content to be learned). The SBOE then approves instructional materials (textbooks) that cover the curriculum standards. However, the local school board can choose the SBOE-approved textbooks or anything else, as long as it covers 100% of the required curriculum standards.
The local school board has the ultimate authority for determining and approving the curriculum and instructional program of the district.
brad says
Donna Bahorich,
Thank you for confirming that the content of the schools curriculum standards is not set by the SBISD Board of Trustees, but rather by the State Board of Education.
The statement regarding a local school board having “ultimate authority” for approving their district’s curriculum is technically accurate. Yet, the original post gave rise to concerns about nefarious influence on a curriculum by a school board.
The curriculum of SBISD is driven by the professional staff of the district, including the superintendent.
If there are concerns of machinations about the curriculum, best to direct those concerns directly to Superintendent Dr. Blaine.
Evan Perroni says
Precisely. Unfortunately, the truth takes too much explaining so people lose interest. The easier, lazier untrue mantra resonates with people.
Chris sings Dr. Blaine’s praises. And rightfully so…she’s great! Which means he doesn’t have any concerns about her influence on curriculum. Again, rightfully so. So, this is just a big nothing burger as Virginia has been trying to explain the entire time. Moving on.
Vincent says
The problem is – Virginia is NOT SAYING ANYTHING. She is letting her Union representation do all the speaking. She is not a strong enough leader to speak up for or against anything and the AFT will use her to influence and politicize our children.
brad says
Vincent,
Specifically what “…Union representation do all the speaking…” are you referring to?
What is it that Virginia is not saying anything about?
What specific AFT educational proposals are you concerned with Vrigina potentially being a puppet to?
Evan Perroni says
Vincent – Who is her union representative? Surely you don’t mean me. I’m an entrepreneur who lives in SBISD. I have ZERO affiliation with unions, the Democratic party, or any other nonsense you can throw out there.
I just care A LOT about the children of SBISD and I’m cautious of those politicizing them.
Important fact: Virginia has refused endorsements from any political party. That says something to most people.
Evan Perroni says
Missed his post…don’t know him but Brad’s the man!
Reagan says
No correction needed Brad. Read the last sentence.
“The District shall provide a wide range of instructional resources for students and faculty that present varying levels of difficulty, diversity of appeal, and a variety of points of view. Although professional staff members may select instructional resources for their use in accordance with District policy and administrative regulations, the ultimate authority for determining and approving the curriculum and instructional program of the District lies with the Board.”
-Texas Association of School Boards
Source: https://pol.tasb.org/Policy/Download/599?filename=EF(LOCAL).html&title=INSTRUCTIONAL%20RESOURCES&subtitle=
Victoria says
Unfortunately, Brad you are misinformed. Maybe you are not an SBISD stakeholder. You should look at the SBISD website which says that the “District shall provide a wide range of instructional resources for students and faculty that present varying levels of difficulty, diversity of appeal, and a variety of points of view. Although professional staff members may select instructional resources for their use in accordance with District policy and administrative regulations, the ultimate authority for determining and approving the curriculum and instructional program of the District lies with the Board.” So – well, I would call that control.
brad says
Victoria,
Not sure where the stakeholder comment is coming from based on my statement…I am the parent of 2 at a SBISD school and an active advocate for public education.
If it makes any difference, I am a political independent and voted 40% Rep and 60% Dem in the last election, so that we can hopefully take away the Conservative vs Progressive, Republican vs Democratic elephant out of the room.
My interest is genuinely in ensuring accurate debates take place on all elections and on all the candidates, no matter the position, and more importantly personally staying informed and continuing to access a wide variety of viewpoints to ensure best where I invest my important vote. And should I find new information to me that changes my view or challenges my original thinking I take that into consideration.
In my opinion, the word “control” sounds sinister when applied in the context I see above and in the original post.
If there are specific positions that the AFT union is actively pushing that are unacceptable I am interested in hearing what they are so I can walk away with that information when deciding my voting decisions.
Thanks.
Evan Perroni says
Still looking for a solution to a non-existent problem. Based on the exact same response, it looks like there are some “talking points” being circulated.
SBISD’s curriculum follows TEKS (except for AP and dual enrollment that follows the equivalent of TEKS for college). The Superintendent is ultimately responsible for the learning resources to implement TEKS, for example, the selection a textbook from the TEA-approved list. The School Board is responsible for overseeing the Superintendent. So are you afraid Dr. Blaine is going to implement all these scary things?
It’s clear to me that the Texas State Board of Education (not the school board since they don’t control curriculum ) needs to revisit the civics classes being taught in Texas schools. People just don’t have an understanding of the role of school boards.
Carol says
Teachers are prohibited from engaging in collective bargaining. The state allows firefighters and police officers engage in collective bargaining. This is comparing apples and oranges and a board member should understand the difference.
Sheila says
You missed the point entirely “Carol”. The false narrative that the teacher’s union is without teeth is simply not true. Unions, and especially the teacher’s unions are powerful. But if you want to keep pushing that silly nonsense, go right ahead.
Evan Perroni says
Her example was the power of the Houston firefighters union. Now that we know there is a SIGNIFICANT (state law) difference between them and teachers, please provide an example of the power of the teacher’s union.
Virginia loves teachers. A vote for Virginia is a vote for our great teachers!
Evan Perroni says
And the author is his attorney.
Evan Annoying says
Really? When did she represent him? Even if she is his attorney what does that matter? Are people not allowed to write op eds?
Evan Perroni says
Chris wrote a nasty email to the Council PTA President and said he copied his attorney (Lisa Alpe was the only one copied) and scolded the President to “Clean it up.”
Evan Annoying says
And?
Evan Perroni says
The original commenter pointed out that a board candidate should know the difference between how the law works for firefighter unions and teacher associations. I was adding that even his attorney doesn’t understand how this all works. It’s just fear-mongering. And the scare tactics aren’t working anymore.
Evan Perroni says
Ironically, Chris’ conservative base generally supports police unions. So it seems some unions are not inherently awful. Thus, the prevailing logic is police = good, teachers = bad. How did you arrive at that conclusion? That’s a strange take for a school board election. I’ll vote to support our great teachers with a vote for Virginia!
Veronica says
Well Evan P., you sure have been busy, but again misguided and incorrect. Your “prevailing logic” comment makes no sense. It is not the logic nor the conclusion that this blog article suggests. What is strange is that the SBISD Board members continues to say on twitter and elsewhere that Teacher Unions are not real or that they do not have any power. I wish that were the case – they certainly have power and I hope SBISD voters use this election to question if that power should be used in school board elections. Evan – you really should stop posting everywhere and all the time – it is not a good look for you.
Evan Perroni says
After everything I’ve seen, I’ll post all day for the children of SBISD if I think it will help them. Please provide one example of the “power” of a teachers union in Texas. By the way, I ask questions constantly to no avail. And I’ve always answered every question asked of me. So not sure where the “misguided” label is coming from. This is getting ridiculous.
Virginia loves teachers. A vote for Virginia is a vote for our great teachers!
Victoria says
Conservatives support police, not unions. Get it straight.
Evan Perroni says
I’m not here to argue for/against police unions or for/against conservative or liberal. But a simple google search of “conservatives and police unions” reveals a long history of support. Much of the results focus on my question, why just police unions? It’s a strange and sorted history.
Again, Virginia loves teachers. A vote for Virginia is a vote for our great teachers!
Pam T. says
Unfortunately teachers do not feel loved by Virginia’s position or supporters — asking them to teach in two formats and multiple models so that children can stay at home when there is no evidence that schools are spreading environments is NOT LOVE. Supporting Unions does not mean loving teachers. More than a majority of the teachers in SBISD are not in the AFT or any teacher’s union. Voting for Virginia means our good SBISD teachers will look elsewhere for employment and SBISD will fall like the other union pressured districts. You do not have enough time in the day to convince anyone that the unions that are financing Virginia’s campaign are going to help SBISD or even help the teachers in the district. Wrong again Evan.
Evan Perroni says
More misunderstanding. The Superintendent picks the teaching platform. The Board just oversees the Superintendent. Dr Blaine has already formally declared no virtual for elementary next year and a separate “school” for virtual high school (and potentially middle school) students that so choose. There will be ZERO teachers that do both – either they teach in-person at the “regular” schools or they teach online at the virtual “school.”
Oh, and there are ZERO campaign dollars from unions. That’s public record in the campaign finance reports. So enough with the slander. Or is it libel? I don’t know, along with not being a union rep, I’m also not an attorney. LOL
Evan Perroni says
Realizing my comment could lead one to assume the virtual school is a certainty (the split of teachers is though – NONE will teach both) so here is the exact announcement from Dr Blaine:
“SBISD is awaiting guidance from the 87th Legislature and the Texas Education Agency regarding possible virtual learning options for next year. We are exploring the possibility of adding a standalone virtual school of choice option for grades 6-12. There will be no simultaneous instruction for in-person and distance learners. Should we offer a virtual school option, teachers would be hired and dedicated to online instructional delivery.”
Cathy Nebeker says
You make very good points, Pam. Thanks.
John says
Unions are targeting TX ISDs via Board elections and direct appeal to teachers. Unions in TX are not involved salary/bonuses (for now and only as long as TX restricts that). They focus on personnel rules, cause for hiring/termination, employment conditions (ie covid, virtual working) AND changing ISD bylaws to require mandatory consultation with Union consultants by superintendents and/or ISD boards for decisions and monthly dialogue/requests. This is a BIG DEAL.
Evan Perroni says
In which Texas ISDs has that actually occurred? An actual reference would be nice but, if you can’t find anything, I’ll take your word for it. Old CPA habits…”trust but verify”
Chris M says
I love the “don’t worry, the unions are harmless” take.
A vote for Chris Earnest is a vote for the children and students in SBISD schools!
Evan Perroni says
Same question posed to others: What “power” do teachers unions hold in Texas? Why are you afraid of them? Specifics.please.
DanMan says
wow I thought this blog all of a sudden got popular again and then I note 12 of the 22 comments are from a union activist
Evan, those in work environments that face challenging safety issues (cops, coal miners, etc) deserve the benefits of unions to promote their safety. Government workers, including teacher’s unions exist to work against the public that funds their member’s salaries. Even an ideologically liberal FDR recognized that and cautioned against even allowing government workers to unionize.
I have a question for you Evan. Why don’t you know this?
Evan Perroni says
LOL – it’s simple…I’m neither a union expert nor an activist (at least not in the derogatory sense you implied). I’m a upstanding community member and long-time VOLUNTEER in many capacities both within the school district, sports association, and church. There’s a reason they aren’t attacking my integrity. So it’s surprising to hear you do it when you know nothing about me.
I’m a conservative Christian so I’ve also traditionally affiliated with and voted Republican. The ridiculousness of the group supporting Chris is making me question all of that. So from now on, count me as Christian first and “Conservative” a distant second. I don’t want to be associated with this nonsense. What happened to “Love thy neighbors”?
DanMan says
When my neighbor wants me to fund teachers unions to the detriment of my kids education and my pocket book I don’t feel any love. I consider it closer to theft. Do you know theft is a sin?
And yes, we all notice you didn’t answer my question.
btw, what was derogatory about my comment cupcake?
Evan Perroni says
I’m not sure where to begin.
Cupcake? Really, when I’m the only one with my real name out there?
You are calling me out for not answering questions? To be honest, I really thought I had answered. I read the question as “Why don’t you know [insert everything written in your comment]?”. So my answer was simple, I’m not a union expert or activist.
That aside, there’s at least one inconsistency within your comment. Police are government workers. So why them and not teachers? You aren’t going to answer anyway so I’m guessing the answer is they put their life on the line. I’d argue that educating YOUR children is pretty heroic too. But I digress. The teachers are worried about this tact being taken by Chris.
Virginia loves teachers. A vote for Virginia is a vote for our great teachers.
Evan Perroni says
And at the risk of being further accused of not answering (sigh), yes, I do know theft is a sin.
And about the derogatory question…ah, you know what, accuse me of not answering that one. We’ll let other readers sort that one out.
Evan Perroni says
DanMan – What $ are coming out of your pocket book? Teachers unions CANNOT collectively bargain in TX. So the only $ leaving pocket books are the teachers’ $ if they pay dues to the unions. That’s a teacher’s choice. No impact to you. What am I missing?
Cathy Nebeker says
Stopped joining AFT after finding out some of our dues funded exclusively Democratic PACs. Finally read the fine print. No funding for other than Democratic candidates. Why were they funding political campaigns anyway?
Evan Perroni says
DanMan isn’t going to answer my question directly but he already did above where he said, “teacher’s unions exist to work against the public that funds their member’s salaries.” He’s at least willing to say it out loud albeit behind the cloak of anonymity.
Here’s the message the teachers are receiving loud and clear from Chris’ campaign: We don’t want you to have any more money.
Obviously, teacher pay is a complicated issue and collective bargaining certainly isn’t the best answer (it’s not available in TX anyway) but to keep harping on unions is sending a TERRIBLE message to our teachers.
Might be time to lay off the rhetoric for risk of irreparable harm to the Board-teacher relationship in the event Chris wins. Just something to consider.
Mom to the Halloway kids says
Tons of sound bites here. Tons. But admittedly, this isn’t surprising. Mr Earnest was unable to answer current curriculum questions in PTA meetings because he said he didn’t know; he said he was new at this,.
I checked and he’s been “suspended from practicing law in Texas.” Why would anyone trust a person who’s suspended from practicing law in Texas to decide the education of their children? I’m not very smart. Just a SHWM. But while my kids are all for no masks and stuff, I am concerned about voting for someone that admits he doesn’t know a whole lot and who has been suspended from practicing law in Texas but wants to be in the lead, on the BOT of my district…He lives in Piney Point, I think. I don’t. Can’t afford it.
Haven’t voted yet. But my inclination is to say that of a BOT candidate admits he doesn’t know or understand curriculum questions, I have to ask why is he running in the first place?
Chanelle says
Chris changed careers and never looked back. He’s still a member of the ABA. It’s a simple matter of paying to renew his law license. But he’s no longer practicing law. There’s nothing that can be remotely be considered troublesome about his “suspension”.
Greg Degeyter says
I have absolutely no dog in this fight. Someone reached out to see if I would write a piece on the race, and I responded that I didn’t have time with my newborns, but would gladly publish an guest post if campaign affiliation was provided.
Having said that, the law license suspension appears benign. His profile was last updated in 2012 and the suspension is for failure to pay bar dues. It appears he stopped the practice quite some time back. It’s unlikely there’s anything else involved.
DanMan says
Evan Perroni the obsessive/compulsive self described Christian CPA with reading comprehension issues.
“Police are government workers. So why them and not teachers? You aren’t going to answer anyway so I’m guessing the answer is they put their life on the line.”
Yeah, it was in my first comment. Good guess on your part though.
Zeph Capo says
Should I invite you for the next funeral I am required to attend where one of our members have lost their lives during their attempt to save the lives of their students? I’m guessing, based on your comment, that you don’t think their sacrifice meets putting their “life” on the line?
DanMan says
oh boy! a true drama queen jumps in. What is the danger teachers face that causes you to attend so many funerals? Covid? Violent attacks? Waking up? Leaving the house?
You’re guess is correct, if you believe teaching kids in a classroom equals answering calls of unknown crime related danger as a police officer.
David Jennings says
Looks like the unions lost. Good.
DanMan says
So Eastman won? Good news if so. Did you hear about what went down in Southlake? People are noticing.
Zeph Capo says
I am the president of Texas AFT and have the pleasure of representing our members from all political spectrums. We have have local leaders that participate in both the Democratic and Republican parties. We support pro public education Republican legislators and have fought against Democratic elected officials who do not support public education. I’m glad my friend Donna Bahorich responded to clarify the record on curriculum and I do the same to clarify so much misinformation about us. If you search the archives of this very blog you may find reports of when we have presented, upon invitation, to Republican clubs. We try our best to make decisions based on the experiences and abilities of the candidates rather than party ideology either way. Look at the comments on this page. If this was the starting point for every candidate, then is it any wonder why less Republicans get the endorsement? Let’s have real discussions about policy and less bluster questioning character simply because we may disagree.
Doug Elliott says
Hey Evan-
Regarding your argument regarding union involvement: “Oh, and there are ZERO campaign dollars from unions. That’s public record in the campaign finance reports.”
A smart real estate guy like you knows there is “equity”, that shows up in Campaign Finance reports, and “sweat equity”, which doesn’t. Are you saying that there was no union involvement in this election? No volunteering on phone banks and such? I know it doesn’t matter now regarding this election, but certainly is relevant for future elections.
And to Zeph Capo, interesting that when people disagree with your positions and policies it’s bluster questioning character, but when you do the same it’s enlightened discourse. And are you really serious that your and virtually all union’s exclusive support of Democratic candidates is based on “the experiences and abilities of the candidates rather than party ideology”? Surely when you attended public school back in the day they taught you that you can’t hide from or rewrite history, as much as you try. But keep trying. This election wasn’t won as the result of bluster. It was a committed and smart electorate saying “enough”. More results like this election to come.
DanMan says
I DDG’ed ‘Texas AFT’ and it reduces all of Evan’s claims to rubbish and burnishes Zeph’s accomplishments of climbing the social warrior totem pole. They entice membership by offering a FREEE $10k life insurance policy, some kind of lawsuit assistance if a teacher is sued, proclamations of strength in numbers for negotiating insurance insurance, and promotion of every democrat (read communist) initiative related to education and beyond. The celebration of the theft of the election is still front and center.
And they are still seething at not having union dues automatically deducted from their member’s paychecks. They do have their priorities.