LTE: Look beyond the headline
Longview News-Journal
by: Bibi Yasmin Katsev, June 11, 2020
It’s necessary to look beyond the headline and explain a few things because I think it’s important parents get facts and not a shock headline.
Your article (“LISD could receive $52M from charters, $5M would go to student needs, teacher training,” May 26) does not explain that 1882 partnerships allow for more money to be used for students. The Longview ISD partnership with the Texas Council for International Studies provides Longview schools with an additional $7.7 million for students, which they otherwise would not have access to. These 1882 partnerships allow for additional dollars for the new programs to support these high-quality ideas and options for students and parents.
In addition, your article disguises the fact that $24.9 million will go towards educator pay. You refer to this as staff allocation without ever defining the details and certainly without linking these funds to student needs in your headline.
I would argue that teachers, support staff, substitute teachers, and principals are on campus strictly for “student needs.” My question as a parent is: Do you want to shock readers and rile them up? If so, good job. Or do you want to inform parents and help them choose the best fit school for their child? If so, do better next time.
— Bibi Yasmin Katsev, Austin (Katsev is executive director of the Texas District Charter Alliance)
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