Eanes ISD superintendent Nola Wellman touts Eanes ISD as a "model for educational excellence." 

Apparently, this "model" includes private tutoring paid by parents, children shoved out who don't fit the mold, attempts to remove teacher certification, and substandard facilities for at-risk students. 

 

Published October 18, 2007 - Letter to the Editor - Westlake Picayune newspaper

Dear Editor,
 
The E3 Alliance's admirable goal is to address the plight of children who are left behind by our public education system … who fall into (or sometimes are pushed into) the proverbial crack.  There are many children in Eanes ISD who are, in fact, a casualty of this district’s failure to value and address the needs of all children.  I recommend that Eanes ISD leadership solicit the input of parents whose children are not welcome and/or served in our district. Otherwise, the forum results will inevitably omit essential information.
 
The superintendent's message to the community that we ought to participate in the E3 Community Forums as a means to share tips on how other school districts can be as wonderful as Eanes reflects her failure to acknowledge the many children and families who have been disenfranchised by this public school district.  Eanes ISD is a model for “educational excellence” only for some.  It's easy to hide this unpleasant picture, because when children struggle in our schools, Eanes parents have the financial means to provide private tutoring.  When children’s needs are not met in Eanes ISD, parents resort to private school because they are financially able to do so.  Children who are different (for a variety of reasons) and as a result, don’t readily fit in are not part of the Eanes picture.  And when these students must leave, out-of-district replacements are carefully screened and chosen by virtue of whether they fit the Eanes “mold.” 
  
The E3 Alliance Forum is a good opportunity to look within and address the “educational gaps” that exist right here in our own district.  When the district leadership is willing and able to acknowledge the children it has left behind and take real steps towards inclusion of all children, perhaps then Eanes ISD can serve as a model for other districts.  
 
Dianna Pharr – Austin, Texas

 

Click here to read the Eanes ISD superintendent's ... perspective ... on the forum. 

Click here to learn what happens when Eanes ISD must serve a subgroup of economically-disadvantaged students ...