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Heads up, Texas taxpayers: we’ve reviewed the upcoming ROCKPORT-FULTON ISD agenda and found 6 items that deserve your attention before the gavel falls.
| ALERT (LEVEL 8) |
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District Funds Texas’s Largest School Lobbying Group
The district’s September check register reveals a $3,675 payment to the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) for services and conference fees. TASB is a powerful lobbying entity in Austin that frequently opposes property tax relief, parental rights, and educational freedom.
Response
During Public Comment (Item 5), ask the board: ‘Why are our local property tax dollars being sent to TASB, an organization that lobbies against taxpayer interests in Austin? Please justify the $3,675 payment found in the September check register.’
💰 Impact: $3,675 to Lobbying Group
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| WARNING (LEVEL 7) |
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Taxpayer-Funded Memberships in Lobbying Groups
The September check register shows the district paid $500 for a membership in the Texas Association of Midsize Schools (TAMS) and $3,400 for a membership in the Texas Association of School Business Officials (TASBO). These payments use local tax dollars to fund organizations that lobby the state legislature.
Response
During Public Comment (Item 5), ask the board: ‘Please explain the value of spending $3,900 on memberships for TAMS and TASBO. How do these lobbying groups serve the interests of Rockport-Fulton taxpayers?’
💰 Impact: $3,900 in Lobbying Dues
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| WARNING (LEVEL 7) |
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Board to Vote on $81,111 Student Bus Tracking System
Item 8.C is a vote to approve an $81,111 contract with Tyler Technologies for a bus tracking system using RFID cards to monitor students. While presented as a safety measure, this creates a new database of student movements and raises significant data privacy concerns.
Response
Contact the Board before the meeting: ‘Regarding Item 8.C, what specific data is collected by the Tyler Tech system, who has access to it, and what are the parental opt-out rights? Please publish the district’s student data privacy policy before voting on this surveillance contract.’
💰 Impact: $81,111 Student Surveillance Contract
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| WARNING (LEVEL 6) |
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District Renews Contract with SEL Vendor ‘Hope Squad’
A $5,100 payment to Hope Squad LLC for ‘Yearly Renewal Fees’ was found in the district’s check register. Hope Squad is a Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) program focused on mental health that can involve student surveys and data collection, often without full parental transparency.
Response
During Public Comment (Item 5), ask the board: ‘What curriculum and survey materials are used by the Hope Squad program, and what is the parental consent and opt-out process for all program activities and data collection?’
💰 Impact: $5,100 for SEL Program
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| WATCH (LEVEL 5) |
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District Pays $11,592 for ‘Wraparound Services’ Vendor
The check register shows an $11,592.66 payment to ‘Communities in Schools’ for at-risk student services. These ‘wraparound’ services are often heavily based on Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) principles and can lead to sensitive student data being shared with outside organizations.
Response
During Public Comment (Item 5), ask: ‘What specific services does Communities in Schools provide, and what student data is shared with them? Can the board confirm that no data is shared without explicit, opt-in parental consent?’
💰 Impact: $11,592 for SEL-aligned services
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| WATCH (LEVEL 5) |
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District Funds K-7 ‘Career Exploration’ Data Platform
The district paid $1,800 for ‘Xello Career Exploration’ software for students as young as kindergarten. These platforms often use surveys and personality assessments to collect a wide range of non-academic data on children, raising significant privacy concerns.
Response
During Public Comment (Item 5), ask: ‘Why is the district using the Xello platform to collect career and personality data on elementary students? What is the educational justification and what are the parental rights to review and delete this data?’
💰 Impact: Student Data Collection
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