Michael Moses

Commissioner of Education

Texas Education Agency

1701 North Congress Avenue

Austin, TX 78701-1494

Dear Commissioner Moses:

A short blurb in the “Legislative Report” from the Texas Association of School Boards dated April 20, 1995, has caught my eye.  In it a report states that you have placed the rewriting of the essential elements on hold for approximately 60 days.  The reason that is given for the hold is to “allow [you] to become familiar with the project and the findings of the Real World Forums held in late 1993 and 1994.”

My concern and reason for writing stems from the fact that everyone in education in this state for the past four years is or should be well aware that the “Real World Forums” that were conducted by Skip Meno were pure fabrication and were designed to dupe the public into thinking that they and not Commissioner Meno were coming up with what “children really need”  ie., restructured education ala Mr. Meno’s liberal agenda.   Mr. Meno had already been responsible for undermining the education of New York children using this same tactic (even the same phraseology) and was on a fast track to get out of the state. For you to act as though you think there is any validity to this sheer fabrication on the part of Mr. Meno causes me great concern.  The fact that you appear to have been duped into believing that the work of this man has credibility causes me to doubt yours.

I am attaching a report that I wrote in January 1994 and circulated among my school board friends state-wide as well as a letter that I wrote to the Houston Chronicle.  I was extremely insulted that Commissioner Meno thought he could fool all of us in this manner.  For you to imply that the essential elements are just now being written, when I have seen re-written essential elements dating back to before the “Real World Needs” were even tabulated, makes me think that you too are getting ready to fool the public.  The already re-done essential elements have been eviscerated of any word that would bring accountability to teachers and students.  They are meaningless; the public will know that when they are released; and this kind of subterfuge is the very thing that got Ann Richards tossed out of office.

I attended one of the “training sessions” at the Region IV office in the summer of 1993 which was designed to provide leaders with hands on training in directing the forums in such a way that the objectives of Mr. Meno were arrived at by participants without their ever realizing that they need not have even been present for the same result to have occurred.  It was manipulation in its purest form.  The session was led that day by Meno’s New York accomplice, Bill Daggett, who is as slick as they come.  In my group session, when we were going through the silliness of writing down what we “expected high school seniors to know and be able to do,” I stated that “Seniors should be able to pass a Physics II Honors course.”  My group looked a bit taken aback until I pointed out that as a parent this was the expectation for my own two children, and as a school board member I certainly would not wish to expect any less of everyone else’s children.  You would have enjoyed the look on Region IV staffer Muffet Livaudais’ face as much as I did when the other members of my group, (mostly school administrators) agreed with me!  Of course I doubt that my “real world” expectation for scholarship among high school seniors made the Commissioner’s list, but I am certain my name did appear in the “Dissidents” column.

Your reputation caused me to have high expectations for you.  Please do not disappoint those of us who want a leader who can return a sound, traditional, basic education to the children of Texas.

Consider this letter a tongue lashing that is apt to continue if you do not play straight with the public.

Yours truly,

Mary McGarr