By Caleb Alexander

Merry Graduation! Happy Matriculation! I never know what to call it, but it is my absolute favorite time of the year. I love seeing all the graduation pictures, from high school to college, to grad school. I love seeing the college acceptance letters, the robes, the degrees, the ceremonies, I love all of it. To me, this is Christmas, Thanksgiving and Halloween rolled into one. To me, this is Black Excellence.

While I love this time of year, when my people get to shine and show off their years of hard work, dedication, and academic achievement, to others, this is a time of anger, weeping, frustration, and anger.  It is a time for pulling of hair and gnashing of teeth, they hate these displays of Black excellence as much as I love them. 

By now, I’m sure you’re familiar with Florida and Texas trying to outdo each other with the assault on all things Black. Don’t be surprised if either legislature puts through a bill banning nighttime; yes, they’ve become just that obsessively retarded. The Texas Senate has just introduced Senate Bill 518, which mandates that Texas universities consider standardized test scores such as the SAT and ACT for college admissions. This comes after the Texas House passed legislation to ban DEI initiatives on Texas university and college campuses.

The reason that this is important is because it is well documented that there is an inherent bias in standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT, and that minority students underperform on these tests. According to a recent study by Fordham University, the average ACT composite score is 20. Asian students on average, scored 24.9, while Black students averaged 16.3.  In addition to the inherent racial bias in the test, there are other disparities that cause achievement gaps as well. Access to good health care, access to good schools, access to good teachers; all these things play a part in the divergence of test scores. We live in an age where Black children are three times more likely to grow up in low-income communities and in school systems where they have been the victim of interest convergence. Interest convergence is when the dominant party, who most likely controls the school boards and therefore controls the allocation of resources, steers the best equipment, best teachers, newest equipment, and most of the resources to kids of their community. 

Additionally, Texas has surpassed California as having the most R1 top-tier research universities in the country. In other words, Texas’ higher education is now the cream of the crop. As of 2022, The University of Texas had an endowment of over $43 billion, second only to Harvard. And if oil prices surge, that endowment could surpass Harvard’s, once again making the UT school system the wealthiest on the planet. The Texas A&M system had an endowment of over $18 billion. Texas is where you want to get your higher education, but those attacking DEI, and mandating that universities consider test scores from racially biased exams, are hell-bent on not letting our children get into these schools. 

So, as the season of Black excellence in education descends upon us, let’s celebrate our achievements while keeping a wary eye on the folks who are trying to deny our kids the opportunity to continue to get their shine on. Merry Matriculation! Feliz Graduation! I’ll figure it out one day…

On April 20, the Judson ISD Board of Trustees named Dr. Milton “Rob” Fields III as the lone finalist for the Judson ISD superintendent of schools.   

An alumnus of Judson High School, Dr. Fields has been in education for over 21 years, dedicating the last 16 years to the students and community of Judson ISD. Before being appointed as Interim Superintendent in November 2022, Fields held the position of Deputy Superintendent of Student Services and Administration. 

During his tenure with Judson ISD, he has also served as the Assistant Superintendent of Operations and Principal of Karen Wagner High School, where he was recognized as the Region 20 Principal of the Year in 2013. Fields is a veteran of the United States Air Force of over 20 years. He has a doctorate of educational leadership from Texas A&M University- Kingsville, a master’s in human resources and management from Webster University, and a bachelor’s in business administration from Wayland Baptist University.  

“It is an honor and a blessing to be given the opportunity to continue my educational journey working with the incredible students, staff and community of Judson ISD,” Fields said. “I first learned about the deep-rooted tradition of excellence in our district as a student here and I am so proud, as an educator, to have been a part of how it has evolved. I am so grateful and excited to continue giving back to the community that has helped shape me as a leader.”  

The superintendent search firm Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates assisted the Board of Trustees with the superintendent search process. Because stakeholder feedback was a priority of the trustees, focus group meetings with staff, community, parents, and students were held to determine a leadership profile that was used as the north star while examining potential candidates. An extensive screening and interview process was crucial to narrow the field of more than 40 nationwide applicants down to the lone finalist.   

“The board interviewed very talented and exceptional public school leaders,” said Jennifer Rodriguez, JISD Board of Trustees President. “We were so pleased to see that Dr. Fields, both a product of the district and a current leader in the district, rose to the top. He possessed all the qualities identified on the leadership profile that was made by our community. He has consistently demonstrated tremendous dedication to our students and staff. We are confident in his ability to continue to lead with passion, integrity, and knowledge as he has shown during his time as the interim.”    

Judson independent school district  Following a state-mandated 21-day waiting period, the Board will vote on final approval of Field’s contract on May 11, 2023. 

Judson ISD Names Former Student as Superintendent of Schools 

On April 20, the Judson ISD Board of Trustees named Dr. Milton “Rob” Fields III as the lone finalist for the Judson ISD superintendent of schools.   

An alumnus of Judson High School, Dr. Fields has been in education for over 21 years, dedicating the last 16 years to the students and community of Judson ISD. Before being appointed as Interim Superintendent in November 2022, Fields held the position of Deputy Superintendent of Student Services and Administration. 

During his tenure with Judson ISD, he has also served as the Assistant Superintendent of Operations and Principal of Karen Wagner High School, where he was recognized as the Region 20 Principal of the Year in 2013. Fields is a veteran of the United States Air Force of over 20 years. He has a doctorate of educational leadership from Texas A&M University- Kingsville, a master’s in human resources and management from Webster University, and a bachelor’s in business administration from Wayland Baptist University.  

“It is an honor and a blessing to be given the opportunity to continue my educational journey working with the incredible students, staff and community of Judson ISD,” Fields said. “I first learned about the deep-rooted tradition of excellence in our district as a student here and I am so proud, as an educator, to have been a part of how it has evolved. I am so grateful and excited to continue giving back to the community that has helped shape me as a leader.”  

The superintendent search firm Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates assisted the Board of Trustees with the superintendent search process. Because stakeholder feedback was a priority of the trustees, focus group meetings with staff, community, parents, and students were held to determine a leadership profile that was used as the north star while examining potential candidates. An extensive screening and interview process was crucial to narrow the field of more than 40 nationwide applicants down to the lone finalist.   

“The board interviewed very talented and exceptional public school leaders,” said Jennifer Rodriguez, JISD Board of Trustees President. “We were so pleased to see that Dr. Fields, both a product of the district and a current leader in the district, rose to the top. He possessed all the qualities identified on the leadership profile that was made by our community. He has consistently demonstrated tremendous dedication to our students and staff. We are confident in his ability to continue to lead with passion, integrity, and knowledge as he has shown during his time as the interim.”    

Judson independent school district  Following a state-mandated 21-day waiting period, the Board will vote on final approval of Field’s contract on May 11, 2023. 

Earlier this month, San Antonio welcomed and hosted the largest national Net Inclusion conference in the organization’s history. Eight hundred plus digital inclusion practitioners, policymakers, advocates, researchers, and other digital inclusion leaders came together for digital equity. A day before the conference, those who work on ending the digital divide in Texas launched the Texas Digital Equity Network (Texas DEN). As these were momentous occasions marking a pivotal moment in our collective efforts to achieve digital inclusion and equity.
 
Access to affordable high speed Internet access is a necessary utility, but not all San Antonians have equal access to connectivity, devices, and digital skills. Additionally, many households and small businesses are struggling to keep up with the pace of technology; the high costs of learning new digital skills; and paying for tablets and laptops.
 
On Jan. 1, 2022, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) to help households pay for their monthly Internet subscription. Eligible households get $30 a month to help defray the cost of their bill, and up to $100 for an Internet-capable device. This federal subsidy will run out if we don’t work together as city and state to urge Congress to prioritize funding for the ACP program and allow all residents of federally assisted housing to be automatically eligible for the program.
 
The VIDA San Antonio community project is building four thousand homes equipped with 10-gigabyte capacity fiber. This Southside neighborhood will have Internet fast enough to keep their households connected for generations. As the seventh largest city in the U.S., we should dream big about solutions to meet the needs of a city of our size. To do so we must prioritize the sustainability of our digital inclusion work by building out our local ecosystem. The National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) defines a digital inclusion ecosystem as “a combination of programs and policies that meet a geographic community’s unique and diverse needs. Coordinating entities work together in an ecosystem to address all aspects of the digital divide, including affordable broadband, devices and skills.”
 
“Community members and policymakers should engage with the District 3 office on these policy and funding priorities and be part of this critical movement,” said Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran. “Together, we can make a real difference by ensuring that everyone has access to the digital resources and infrastructure they need to thrive. This can be accomplished if practitioners of this work can reach larger groups of constituencies, with greater people power, and if we build upon our community-based actions and reach the people most impacted by the digital divide.”
 
In partnership with UTSA, Bexar County, and SA Digital Connects, the City of San Antonio Office of Innovation launched a survey to identify how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the digital divide in San Antonio and Bexar County.
 
The data collected from this survey will have broad impacts for digital inclusion work across the City and County. Deadline to complete the survey is April 30, 2023.
 
Take the survey today to share how you access the internet and how the internet improves your life.

News from the City of San Antonio