Coppell Chronicle Vol. 2, No. 9
Coppell ISD Voters Facing Critical Decision • What Else Will be on the Ballot? • Commission Provides Cover to Carport Owners • Belt Line Businesses May Get Help
It’s the last Sunday of the month, so this edition went to everybody who has provided me with a email address. If you haven’t heard from me since March, here are a few of the April headlines you missed because they were sent to paid subscribers only:
New Price Locked in for Locker Rooms
Skate Park Drops on Priority List
City Tightens Rules for Short-Term Rentals
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Coppell ISD Voters Facing Critical Decision
Unlike state and federal offices, school board positions are officially nonpartisan. However, plenty of school boards in nearby districts have been dealing with partisan issues lately. For example, Irving ISD declined to renew the contract of a teacher who displayed stickers in support of LGBTQ students. Grapevine-Colleyville ISD ousted a principal who was accused of promoting Critical Race Theory. And diversity has been a hot topic in Southlake’s Carroll ISD since some students were recorded shouting the n-word.
Last month, The Dallas Morning News published an article about conservatives seeking to influence school districts via political action committees. One of the people quoted in that article was our former state representative, Matt Rinaldi, who chairs the Texas Republican Party. He told the Morning News that the state GOP would enter the fray in a few races in May, including one in Coppell ISD.
There is only one contested Coppell ISD race on the May 7 ballot. Carol Lacey McGuire, a Coppell High School graduate who is the mother of a kindergartner and a toddler, is challenging five-term incumbent Anthony Hill, who is the father of a New Tech High grad. I’ve pored over the campaign finance reports those candidates turned in on April 7, and the Texas Republican Party wasn’t mentioned on either one.
Another set of campaign finance reports are due on April 29, so I wondered whether I should expect to see the state GOP mentioned on those. Communications Director James Wesolek told me via email that the Texas Republican Party is not providing monetary support in this race, but McGuire has their support nonetheless. The State Republican Executive Committee passed a resolution supporting her, Wesolek said, “in light of Coppell ISD’s adoption of Critical Race Theory and mandated Critical Race Theory-informed training for employees and teachers.”
For the record, I pay more attention to Coppell ISD board meetings than most people, and I’ve never heard a word from the trustees or administrators about “adoption of Critical Race Theory.” Also for the record, I did not mention CRT when I contacted the GOP.
But it is mentioned on the platform section of McGuire’s website. She defines CRT’s foundation as “the notion that America’s system of government and institutions are fundamentally racist, and that individual racial identity should impact every aspect of one’s life, including education, personal relationships, and career success.” Her platform says she “wholeheartedly” rejects that view.
The Morning News’ Editorial Board asked the candidates to fill out an exhaustive questionnaire that is unfortunately behind a paywall. One of the questions was “What should students learn about race and the history of slavery and racial oppression in America?” Hill — the only Black member of the Coppell ISD Board of Trustees — gave a short answer: “They should learn the facts from reputable sources in a valid context.” McGuire’s response was much more expansive:
“Students should be taught all aspects of American history, including the morally repugnant institution of slavery in America, as well as the systematic oppression of black Americans that occurred after Civil War and continued into the Jim Crow era. These are obviously horrific aspects of U.S. history, but they should be taught in a transparent and forthcoming way.
“However, there appears to be a push by many political actors to emphasize these dark aspects of our history while ignoring several key facts: (1) slavery and racial oppression has been a reality throughout the world for nearly all of human history prior to the 20th century, and America is not unique in that respect; (2) more than 600,000 Americans (mostly white) lost their lives in a civil war to end slavery; (3) legal equality and opportunity for black Americans has increased exponentially since the end of slavery and particularly since the Civil Rights Era. To assert that black Americans today experience similar discrimination or oppression as they did more than 50 years ago is factually incorrect and also undermines the significant progress we have made toward equality in our nation.
“For these reasons, while students should learn about the historical racism that once pervaded American society, it is simply false to suggest that systemic racism — or any level of racism similar to that experienced more than 50 years ago — exists today. Teaching students otherwise diminishes the immense progress we have made as a nation in terms of racial equality.”
On April 7, the Irving League of Women Voters hosted a forum at the Valley Ranch Library, where attendees could submit written questions that were read by a moderator. I posed one that asked how the candidates felt about partisan politics affecting school boards. Hill got to answer first: “When you have partisan politics, obviously it’s going to create division. And division creates hardship for staff. How do you support and teach all people in the district, and support all families, when you’re divided on ideology?”
Hill went on to discuss how several North Texas school districts’ superintendents have resigned in the past several months. One of those former superintendents, Richardson ISD’s Jeanie Stone, recently published an essay called “CRT at the Dinner Table” in which she says she’d never heard of Critical Race Theory until a parent complained about it at a board meeting. Stone believes many people who are concerned about Critical Race Theory conflate it with another CRT: Culturally Relevant Teaching.
McGuire began her response to my question about partisan politics by saying, “The reality is that our society has just become incredibly divided.” She closed with this: “Partisanship has turned into pitting parents against educators, and that’s not helpful. No one wins, right? Especially our kids. And so I think that when we look at what needs to be done, it really needs to be a step back. It needs to be parent led, coming alongside of educators, coming alongside of administrators together, and working toward the very best thing for our children. It can’t be one against the other.”
Early voting begins tomorrow. Click here for more details.
What Else Will be on the Ballot?
Before I answer that question, here’s some information about the finance reports that the Coppell ISD candidates turned in on April 7.
Carol Lacey McGuire reported a total of $5,940 contributed by 19 individuals. Her three largest donations were $2,000 from her father, Stephen Lacey; $1,500 from Brennan Collins; and $500 from Melissa Smith, a former teacher at Coppell High School. She reported spending $4,770, and at least $2,897 of that went to signs.
Anthony Hill reported a total of $755 contributed by 16 people. The largest donations were $100 each from Dylana MacDonald, former Coppell ISD Trustee Susie Kemp, and Tom Thompson. He reported spending $1,713, all of which was spent via credit card.
Meanwhile, voters in Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD, which includes portions of Coppell and Valley Ranch, get to participate in the unique process called cumulative voting. Each voter will get three votes to divide among these five candidates:
James Allen and his wife have two daughters. One is a senior at Ranchview High School, and the other goes to Tom Landry Elementary School.
Kim Brady and her husband have a son who attends Newman Smith High School and a daughter who is a student at Blalack Middle School.
Ileana Garza-Rojas and her wife live in Farmers Branch with their son and daughter, who are both in elementary school.
Tara Hrbacek and her husband, who is a product of CFB schools, have a son who is a senior at Ranchview High School. She won a special election for an open seat on the school board in 2017, and she was one of only three candidates for these three seats in 2019.
Randy Schackmann has two sons who graduated from R.L. Turner High School, and his wife is a teacher in the district. He was one of three winners in a five-candidate field in 2016, and no election was necessary in 2019.
CFBISD voters can give three of those candidates one vote each, or give two votes to one of them and the third vote to another, or vote for the same candidate three times if they really want that person to get elected.
All voters in Coppell and Valley Ranch get to help decide who represents District 2 on the Dallas College Board of Trustees. The teal paint splatter on this map indicates the boundaries of District 2, which stretches all the way to downtown.
Dallas College trustees get six-year terms. Phil Ritter was elected in 2016, when he got 53 percent of the votes despite having three opponents. One of those opponents, Eugene Robinson, is back for another try, but he has apparently not bothered to create a website promoting his campaign.
Finally, every voter in Texas gets to vote for or against these two propositions:
Proposition 1: “The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for the reduction of the amount of a limitation on the total amount of ad valorem taxes that may be imposed for general elementary and secondary public school purposes on the residence homestead of a person who is elderly or disabled to reflect any statutory reduction from the preceding tax year in the maximum compressed rate of the maintenance and operations taxes imposed for those purposes on the homestead.”
Proposition 2: “The constitutional amendment increasing the amount of the residence homestead exemption from ad valorem taxation for public school purposes from $25,000 to $40,000.”
I could try to explain what voting for or against these propositions would mean, but why reinvent the wheel? The Texas Association of Appraisal Districts created a fairly tidy explainer.
Commission Provides Cover to Carport Owners
Back in the Sept. 19 edition, I told you about a Coppell couple who were ordered to dismantle a carport that had stood behind their home for more than 20 years. On Thursday, that couple brought their case to the Coppell Planning and Zoning Commission, and they brought plenty of backup.
Jim and Sarah Goyne live in Sherwood Park, a subdivision of duplexes with one-car garages. More than half of its property owners signed a petition in support of the couple’s request to alter Sherwood Park’s zoning so that the 30 or so carports in the neighborhood could remain standing.
When I first wrote about this kerfuffle, it wasn’t clear how the city staff had recently become aware of Sherwood Park’s long-standing carports. But Senior Planner Mary Paron-Boswell’s report to the commission indicates a tattletale is to blame. Her report says a resident of a nearby subdivision applied for a permit to erect a carport, and that application was denied because the city normally requires at least 20 feet between a carport and a rear property line. This resident then ratted out several Sherwood Park properties with carports in violation of the 20-foot rule.
No one knows exactly when most of the Sherwood Park carports were built, because many of the duplexes have changed hands multiple times. There’s also no explanation for why, according to city staff’s research, only one of the carports has a permit on file. Brian Roscovious told the commission that the double carport behind his duplex was built in 2007, when his father owned the property. While labeling the following anecdote as hearsay, Roscovious said a city staffer told his dad back then, “If you put it in on the weekend, if it’s constructed throughout the weekend, it won’t be a problem.”
Sandra Johnson has owned her Sherwood Park home since 1989, and she told the commission that her carport was built in 1995 or 1996. “It’s still sound. It’s still standing. It’s still pretty,” she said. A few years after her carport went up, a city official arrived at her home to ask some questions. After inspecting the carport, this official “said it was OK and she would grandfather me in,” Johnson said.
Johnson could not provide this person’s name but said, “She was very nice.” Commission Chair Edmund Haas noted the use of the word “she” and looked at Paron-Boswell, who generated a few laughs with this response: “I’m not sure who that was. I was in high school.”
In the end, the commission recommended approval of the zoning change with several conditions, including one that says the carport owners will need to apply for retroactive permits and hire a structural engineer to evaluate how well their carports comply with city code. The City Council will have the final say on May 10.
Belt Line Businesses May Get Help
The construction on Belt Line Road is undoubtedly causing headaches for commuters who don’t find alternate routes. But the commuters who do find alternate routes are causing a much bigger headache for Lee Haskin.
Haskin owns the Martinizing Dry Cleaning on Denton Tap Road; his location is about a mile north of the construction. He recently told the Coppell City Council that his March sales figures were 21 percent lower than his sales in March of 2019. By the time he spoke to the council on April 12, his April sales figures were down 27 percent. He attributed these decreases to the lane closures on Belt Line, which began on Feb. 28.
Haskin spoke during the “Citizens’ Appearance” of that April 12 meeting. Because his topic was not on the agenda for the council’s regular session, they could not address it; doing so would be a violation of the Texas Open Meetings Act.
Coincidentally, the agenda for the council’s April 12 work session included a discussion of American Rescue Plan funds. According to a memo from Director of Community Development Mindi Hurley, the city is proposing to dedicate 100,000 of those federal dollars to aiding businesses negatively affected by the Belt Line construction. Businesses that meet certain criteria would be eligible to receive a one-time grant of $5,000.
Haskin told me that amount of money would help him for a couple of months. Unfortunately, the Belt Line project is supposed to last more than a year.
Haskin is the only business owner I’ve heard complain to the council about the lane closures, so I called a few others to see if they’ve been negatively affected. A manager at Grow It Land Designs said her business has not, but she said that may be due to customers specifically seeking out Grow It, as opposed to pulling into the Martinizing drive-thru out of convenience. A manager at First Watch said the restaurant had been expecting fewer customers, “but it’s been pretty steady for us.” Meanwhile, a manager at Dunkin’ uttered the words no journalist ever wants to hear: “You’ll have to call our corporate office.”
The City Council did not discuss the American Rescue Plan proposal during their April 12 work session because they ran out of time. The same memo is attached to the agenda for this Tuesday’s work session.
Chronicle Crumbs
• Coppell High School’s girls golf team has earned a trip to the Class 6A state tournament, which is scheduled for May 16 and 17 at Legacy Hills Golf Club in Georgetown.
• Coppell High School’s Sky Schuller is headed to the regional track and field meet in five events: high jump, long jump, pole vault, 100 hurdles, and 300 hurdles. She’ll be accompanied by 14 other CHS athletes, two of whom also qualified in multiple events: Megan Juddd (high jump and long jump) and Ryan Sewell (discus and shot put). The regional meet will be held Friday and Saturday at Maverick Stadium in Arlington.
• The agenda for the most recent Coppell City Council meeting included proclamations recognizing “Month of Ramadan” and “Volunteer Week.” The agenda for this week’s meeting includes proclamations celebrating “Asian Pacific American Heritage Month” and “South Asian American Heritage Month.” But the latter agenda also includes a proclamation regarding “Pickleball Month.”
Community Calendar
Coppell Rotary Club: Tomorrow is the deadline to apply for one of the club’s five $1,500 college scholarships. May 1 is the deadline to participate in the club’s “Lease a Flag” program for all five flag holidays this year (Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Veterans Day).
Leadership Coppell: The Coppell Chamber of Commerce’s 10-month program is designed to “inspire, grow, and unite high-quality leadership in our community.” The 2022-2023 edition begins Aug. 19; the application deadline is Friday.
Vivace 2022: Rewind: The Coppell High School choir program will present this show at 7 p.m. on Friday and 2 p.m. on May 1 in the CHS auditorium.
Earthfest: This celebration of Coppell’s commitment to the environment is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday at the Biodiversity Education Center. It will include an “Earth Elves at Work” presentation from Girl Scout Troop 7926 at 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
Crafting in Heritage Park: The Coppell Historical Society is launching a monthly program for children ages 6 to 12. The first class, which is scheduled from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, will be about wet felting and sewing. The cost of admission is $25, which will cover all supplies. Future classes will focus on printmaking, leather crafting, and candle making.
An Evening with Laura Gao: Laura Gao is the author/illustrator of Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American, which explores her adolescence in Coppell, instances of racism and discrimination, and her relationship with her birthplace: Wuhan, China. She will be at the Cozby Library and Community Commons at 5 p.m. on May 1.
Screen-Free Week: The Cozby Library and Community Commons will join thousands of schools, libraries, and community groups nationwide in a coordinated effort designed to help children turn off screens May 2-8 in order to connect with family, friends, nature, and their own creativity. The library will distribute bingo cards full of screen-free activities, and participants will have a chance to win a Barnes & Noble gift card.
Humvee Challenge: If you and up to five friends think you can pull a 7,000-pound Humvee across the First United Methodist Church parking lot, sign up for Claymore Operations’ second annual Humvee Challenge, which is scheduled for May 7.
Run to Fund: This 5K scheduled for May 7 benefits the Coppell ISD Education Foundation, which fulfills teachers’ grant requests with money that can’t be recaptured by the state.
I hope more Coppell citizens subscribe to The Coppell Chronicle because the information helps us make informed decisions about our community. I particularly love the CRUMBS section that reports positive events happening. The Chronicle does a great job filling in for the now defunct Advocate. I do miss the local paper that reported on all the schools, had photos, told of births, deaths, and marriages. I also miss the reports of former students accomplishments in college and universities. I realize that an online chronicle can’t include all these items. I do mourn the loss of local papers in this new evolving society. I guess that’s why I try to support my local news as much as possible, including subscribing to your Chronicle and the Dallas Morning News. Thank you for your reporting!