My warmest thanks to all the supporters who wore T-shirts and rode the bus with us to Austin or met up with us in Austin. The consensus on the bus was that BASIS and Great Hearts handled the tough interview questions really well. Here is a link to a video of the interviews (BASIS is first; Great Hearts is third). Now we are waiting for the next round of State Board of Education meetings on November 14-16, when they will vote on who gets charters this year.
For everyone who has sent letters to the State Board of Education: Thank you! If you have not sent your letters yet, it’s not too late. Here’s what you can do:
- Write a letter explaining why you want Great Hearts and/or BASIS to come to San Antonio; make it unique and personal
- Cut-and-paste the body of the letter into five emails
- Address each email to a different member of the State Board of Education Committee on School Initiatives: e.g., “Dear Dr. Soto” (committee members include Ken Mercer (chair), Charlie Garza (vice chair), Mavis B. Knight, Gail Lowe, and Dr. Michael Soto)
- Send each email to sboesupport@tea.state.tx.us; a staff member will promptly forward the email to each board member.
- Forward this link to family and friends so they can write letters, too. Or download and share our flyer.
One of the board members, Mavis Knight, pointedly questioned BASIS and Great Hearts about whether they were really “of the community.” A flood of letters from parents, grandparents, and supporters is one way to demonstrate that BASIS and Great Hearts are really wanted and needed in San Antonio.
