Senator Alvarado Reviews Legislative Priorities With New Coalition

This past Friday the newly formed Southeast Texas Education Coalition (STEC) kicked off their initial organizational meeting with special invited guest Senator Carol Alvarado representing District 6.  The Senator challenged the audience consisting of superintendents, board of trustee members, and central office administrators to coalesce around issues supportive of Texas’ 5.5 million public school children.  She emphasized the importance of districts uniting to have a powerful voice in Austin.  

The meeting held at the East Aldine District building in Houston was an opportunity for STEC Executive Director James Cross and Austin Director Dr. Charles Luke to expand their vision of building a unified voice among southeast Texas ISDs to further significant policy change as well as elevate the voice of all area independent school districts (ISDs). STEC’s mission also includes creating conduits for all the unique needs, challenges, and concerns of each district between the legislature and ISDs.  

Aldine ISD is proud to be a charter member of STEC.  Abel Garza, Deputy Superintendent of Governmental Affairs and Constituent Services for Aldine ISD, co-hosted the meeting and introduced Senator Alvarado as a strong advocate for public education. Senator Alvarado reading from a list of much-needed legislative priorities explained that an aligned group would be much more influential in Austin than any single district by itself.

Cross, a retired educator and award-winning principal from Katy ISD, has been working with Aldine ISD, political strategist Mustafa Tameez, and Austin-based public education advocate Dr. Charles Luke to form the group.  Cross remarked to the group in attendance that the aforementioned people saw the need for a strong regional coalition in the area.  As the Senator pointed out, a powerful group of public school districts can make a tremendous difference in the not only the lives of the children they serve but also to the community itself.  “There were a tremendous group of folks here today, and we expect great things from this coalition,” Cross said.

A special thanks to Harmony/Inspire SEL for sponsoring the meeting and providing a delicious breakfast for all in attendance.   

Districts interested in becoming part of the Southeast Texas Education Coalition should contact James Cross at 281-726-1989 or [email protected] .