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Texans for Educational Opportunity, Social Justice & Islam

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TEO

 

Texans for Educational Opportunity  is a non-profit organization co-founded by former Senator Phil Gramm , Stacy Hock and John Colyandro.. The organization officially filed their non-profit with the Texas Secretary of State, May 16, 2016. Here is a link to those filed papers.  On the surface the organization appears to to be pushing what has been known as a conservative School Choice agenda. Unfortunately when you dig deeper they are pushing for another redistribution of wealth program. The organization’s  stated purpose is shown below.

 

Board members

 

social Welfare

 

Texans for Educational Opportunity has been sending speakers across the state and working with Texas legislators in pushing School Choice  during the Texas 85th Legislative session. Their Chair is philanthropist, Stacy Hock is co-owner of Hock, LLC, a financial services technology consulting firm, and manager of the Joel & Stacy Hock Charitable Fund. Previously, she held senior management positions at IBM in software services, including running the Websphere Software Services business for the Wall Street territory. Prior to that, she worked for Trilogy in enterprise software. Currently, Hock serves as a board member for Aminex Theraputics, Texas Public Policy Foundation and the African Dream Initiative. She has previously served as a board member for City Harvest and The Bowery Mission. Hock received her bachelor’s degree in computer science and electrical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She earned her master’s degree in business administration from the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business.

Technology is BIG BUCKS in education today and many are using our children as guinea pigs in making their fortunes. Technology is instrumental in changing HOW our children are taught and will contribute to the demise of our country. there data is collected and for sale to 3rd parties. Unfortunately our children in public schools are no longer given an education of based on solid academics giving them an equal opportunity to succeed. Progressive teaching pedagogy has been implemented seeking equal outcomes for all.  Our education system is utilizing  Social Emotional Learning in order to change their attitudes, values and beliefs and behaviors. How does the School Choice agenda play into this? It is about accessing all children under the same Federal umbrella of control. We have 2 avenues of government free avenues of education, private and home school. If you can get those avenues taking in govt subsidies the state will gain control of those educational choices leaving parents no government free choice to turn to.

Governor Abbott appointed Stacy Hock to sit on the Texas Commission of Next Generation of Assessments and Accountability. Interesting to note the Author of School Choice SB 3, Senator Larry Taylor sits on the commission as well. The commission just turned over their report to the governor in September asking him to align Texas State Standards with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. Now why would HOCK and TAYLOR who want to align our Texas public schools with the Federal standards all the while claiming our schools are failing and promote school choice? Could it be they want every avenue of education under the same federal umbrella of ESSA? Absolutely. They want access to EVERY student.

PLAIN UMBRELLA

I questioned why our supposedly Texas Conservative Governor Abbott would place a progressive like Stacy Hock on the commission as well as having no educational background. That was until I found that she had contributed to his campaign over $90,000. Here are the Hock’s contributions.

 

stacy hock

Stacy Hock

 

April 6th Texans for Educational Opportunity posted the following article below on their Facebook page, authored by Sharif El-Mekki. Who is Shariff El-Mekki? Mekki is a Muslim Social Justice Warrior promoting Black Liberation Theology and the Black Lives Matter movement. He is affiliated with Radical Nation of Islam Leader, Louis Farrakhan.  Mekki has been highlighted in numerous articles by Louis Farrakhan’s online paper FinalCall. President Obama recognized Mekki for his social justice efforts through education.

 

Why  would Texas Conservative Groups like Empower Texans, the Texas Home School Coalition and Texas Public Policy band together with organizations and agenda’s that are not only no conservative but radical? I find it disturbing that individuals like Peggy Venable, Mayes Middleton,  (Empower Texans board member), Matt MacKowiak, Randan Steinhauser and Michael McCloud have joined Texas for Educational Opportunity speakers bureau in pushing this school choice agenda.

Sharif El-Mekki’s Facebook page.  Twitter page. 

 

 

 

Liberation Theology

 

 

shariff shariff photo

 

Now is relations to Senator Phil Gramm.

How and when Senator Phil Gramm and Stacy Hock tied up in pushing School Choice is to be determined. But Gramm’s shady past is not. He is riddled with financial controversy among others things as spelled out from this article excerpt. Interesting note Gramm’s wife, Dr. Wendy Lee Gramm sits on the Board of Directors of Texas Public Policy Foundation. Stacy Hock was named to the Board of Directors as well in 2015.

 

phil gramm

 

 

WAKE UP TEXAS CONSERVATIVES!!

 

 

 

The Purpose of “School Choice” and Common Core/College and Career Ready National Standards:
1. Shifts Education Philosophy- An education of Opportunity (Equal Opportunity) based on academics; reading, writing, math and history has moved in the United States, to an education of equity (Equal Outcomes) based on attitudes, values, beliefs and behaviors.
2. Broadened Impact – The Common Core/College and Career Ready National Standards expand the target from K-12 (Kindergarten through 12th grade) to a P-20W (Pre-school through College, Trade or Graduate School) into the Workforce system.
3. Testing Based Outcomes- The Common Core National Standards shifts from the “Mental” (Academics and Knowledge Based Tests) to “Behaviors” (Performance Standards and Competency for the workforce) assessments.
4. Adjustments to Ideology- Change American’s worldview from nationalism into globalism and allow a government controlled economy known as ”Dirigisme” or the more common use–a dirigiste economy. It means essentially a state directed economy.
5. Dismantle traditional public schools in favor of charter like structures (public private partnerships) that will be forced to generate student data for corporate profit and state control.

Here is a recorded two hour call with education Activists, Alice Linahan, Lynn Davenport, Meg Bakich and Ginger Russell with Stacy Hock.

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TEXAS: SCHOOL CHOICE…. PAY FOR PLAY

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pay to play

I have NEVER witnessed so much political corruption and pay to play politics as I have with the School Choice agenda in Texas. This past September, I attended a School Choice Policy Summit hosted by the the not so TEXAS CONSERVATIVE COALITION. This meeting was nothing but a rally cry to promote the agenda of School Choice in Texas through the use of government subsidies titled “Education Savings Accounts” (ESA). Both School Choice and Education Savings Accounts are misnomers. We already have school choice in Texas and Education Savings Accounts (ESA) are government subsidies.

Speakers at the Pro School Choice Policy Summit were Lt Gov Dan Patrick, Senator Larry Taylor, Senator Bettencourt, State Representatives Rick Miller, Dennis Paul, Mike Schofield, and Dwayne Bohac.  Stacy Hock with Texas for Educational Opportunity and Empower Texas Board member, Mayes Middleton their “money buddies” joined them. Middleton also sits on the board of Texas Public Policy Foundation. TPPF is also a huge advocate of School Choice. Texas Public Policy Foundation provided a brochure titled “The Archilles Heel of Texas. Improving College Eligibility Rates through K-12 Education Savings Accounts.”

I could not help but notice on the bottom of the brochure was Mr. Common Core (aka) Jeb Bush’s company “ExcelinEd” listed as one of the sponsors.

 

EXCELINED

 

 

Below you can see a few who fund ExcelinEd.  NOTE: BILL & MELINDA GATES

 

EXcelineddonors

 

Stacy Hock

STACY HOCK

 

DAVID MAYES  MIDDLETON

 

 

I listened for almost 2 hours to them pushing for School Choice. As the meeting wrapped up they did not welcome questions from those in the audience. I approached Senator Bettencourt afterwards and mentioned to him “I as a homeschool mother am concerned about this due to Government encroachment.  Also I do not like the government in my business knowing what I am doing and where I am”.  When I said this to him  he walked away waving his mobile phone in the air stating “you need to be more concerned about this, (the mobile phone) which always knows where your are”.  I was shocked at his response and lack of professionalism and disturbed that I had paid his company thousands over the years to protest my property taxes. NEVER AGAIN.

After further research into the money. I was shocked at the thousands of dollars that Stacy Hock and Mayes Middleton combined, have contributed to Texas politicians. I am also well aware today March 16, 2017 that Mayes makes regular visits to those legislators in Austin that he has funded to encourage them to support School Choice.

 

NOTE: The Montgomery County Tea Party held a debate on School Choice on March 6th. Scheduled to sit on the panel in favor of School Choice was Peggy Venable and Mayes Middleton, against school choice was Alice Linahan and myself (Ginger Russell). The tea party was notified one week prior my our modeator Dale Huls that Mayes would not make the debate and Tim Lambert from the Texas Homeschool Coalition would sit in his place.  Here is the video from that debate.

**NOTE** Stacy Hock recently returned from New York, She has no education experience. Her experience in Technology. With that said she has made her way up into the helms of the Texas Education Establishment. Governor Abbott, Mr. Pro School Choice advocate, appointed Stacy Hock to the Texas Commission of Next Generation of Assessments and Accountability. Senator Larry Taylor (author of School Choice SB 3)  also sits on this Commission. The Commission just turned over their final report in September asking Gov Abbott to align our State Standards/Accountability with the Federal Every Student Succeeds Act.

You may wonder how Stacy Hock can arrive out of nowhere and be placed in such a position to make recommendations regarding the education of Thousands of Texas Children. Look no further.

greg abbott stacy

 

 

I will highlight our new Texas Representative Briscoe Cain. Mr. Money man, Mayes Middleton and Briscoe seem to be tied at the hip on the School Choice policy issue. Could it be due to his campaign funding? Mayes Middleton, other Empower Texans board members, and unfortunately school choice advocate Texas Home School Coalition have contributed thousands to Briscoe’s campaign. Despite the fact that this is another government program reigning in Texas Home Schoolers and placing all those under the umbrella of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act,  through campaign donations,  Liberty Caucus member Briscoe Cain is part of School “Choice” elite special interest group.

 

Briscoe money trail

                                          Rep. Briscoe Cain Money Trail

 

Representative Bricoe went on  Twitter calling Texas moms that are busy schooling their children and are genuinely concerned that School Choice legislation will affect their homeschooling freedom Kool-Aid Drinkers. Briscoe Kool=Aid

 

David “Mayes” Middleton funded Konni Burton’s campaign $5000.00.

 

2017-02-17_9-28-07

 

To make matters worse School Choice advocate, Peggy Venable, posts the following photo on her Face Book page cheering their lavish dinner this week hosted by the not so Texas Conservative Coalition.  Are you seeing a pattern here?

Bricoe is holding a sign up titled EDCHOICE. EDCHOICE is a national School Choice policy pusher aligned with none other than Jeb Bush and ExcelinEd funded by Bill Gates.

 

So when our Texas Representatives go to Austin claiming they are conservative. I believe it will be few are far between that truly represent their constituents and adhere to their values. Sad but true.

 

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Oh the tangled web we weave. 

 

Afterwards Peggy posted the following on facebook. Many responded including myself of our concerns and the money ties to this School Choice shenanigan.  Peggy Venable deleted all the post and blocked many of us. Some of the things we posted are below.

PEGGY VENABLE

 

nickii truesdall

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PLAIN UMBRELLA

 

 

It is with much regret that the Texas Home School Coalition is no longer looking out for Texas homeschoolers now or those in the future when it comes to government infringement. We value our liberty and freedom in educating our children as see fit.

 

THSC has lost their way.

 

 

 

 

 

Mayes Middleton/Empower Texans  Money Flow Chart Coming soon.

 

If you are interesting in who is funding your state rep or senator check out the following links.

 

This is an easy one. Type in their name and click funding on the right.

https://votesmart.org/education/campaign-finances#.WKdFMX_cDIY

 

If there funding is not listed you  can go to the Texas Ethics Commission and see all their contribution and expenditures. It is just a more time consuming. If you will go to the link on the left titled Search Campaign Finance and Lobbying Reports. You will click Campaign Finance once again and do the simple form. Enter their last/first name and your good to go. If you have trouble navigating your way through their call their office. They have always been more than willing to help.

https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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