Stop Book Bans in Katy ISD!

Read about the PACs attempting to buy 3 seats on the Katy ISD school board, and the importance of voters turning out to Keep Katy ISD Moderate.

http://katytimes.com/stories/on-may-6-keep-katy-isd-moderate,36164

See where the candidates running for positions 3, 4 & 5 of the Katy ISD Board of Trustees stand on book bans, and other issues and concerns, in the interviews recently published by the Katy Times. Remember early voting takes place April 24-May 2. Election Day is May 6. All registered voters who live within Katy ISD boundaries are eligible to vote on all 3 at large positions. You do not have to have children enrolled in Katy ISD to vote.

Position 3
https://katytimes.com/stories/meet-the-candidates-position-3-katy-isd-board-of-trustees,34599?

Position 4
https://katytimes.com/stories/meet-the-candidates-position-4-katy-isd-board-of-trustees,34600?

Position 5
https://katytimes.com/stories/meet-the-candidates-position-5-katy-isd-board-of-trustees,34601?

30 day campaign finance reports are in, for the candidates running for Katy ISD school board. The candidates who say they want to “keep politics out of Katy ISD” & are most outspoken about their plans to continue banning books have received endorsements from conservative Republican super PACs. The Republican Party of Texas, the Harris County Republican Party, Moms for America Action, Texas Latino Conservatives, American Principles Project are all backing Mary Ellen Cuzela, Amy Thieme and Morgan Calhoun. These 3 have also hired Chris Zook, Jr., president of Texans for Educational Freedom PAC as a consultant. Remember Morgan & Amy have stated Katy ISD is wrong for their own children- but they want to manage it as trustees, presumably to make it more like a Christian private school and/or charter school since those are the types of schools they opted to send their own kids to. Don’t let book banning extremists take over our district. Fight for Katy ISD at the polls on May 6.

Last spring, Victor Perez spent months advocating for the removal of books he alleged contained "CRT," like Jerry Craft's New Kid and Class Act, prior to being elected to our school board. Now Mary Ellen Cuzela is leading a slate of PAC backed hyper-partisan candidates comprised of herself, Amy Thieme (position 3) and Morgan Calhoun (position 4). The "TCC4KATYISD" trio has been endorsed by board member Victor Perez, the Harris County GOP, Texas Latino Conservatives, Moms for America Action and the Republican Party of Texas.

So what can you do? It's time to identify candidates who are most likely to defend students' right to read, the professional integrity of educators and librarians and will uphold board policy when it comes to demands from vocal parents to impulsively restrict or remove books based on emotionally and politically charged, often untrue, allegations.

Make a plan to vote on or before May 6.

The Board of Trustees election is coming up on May 6. The deadline to register to vote is April 6. There are 3 seats up for election, and no incumbents running. There is a slate of candidates running as a well funded group on a platform they call “parents rights.” This trio is led by one of the parents who has fought the hardest to ban and restrict books in Katy ISD over the past 3 years. They have claimed the moral authority to determine which books are appropriate for all students. They are endorsed by a sitting board member who was also a vocal driver of book bans before he was elected last spring. Board elections are typically decided by less than 10% of registered voters. Make a plan to vote on or before May 6.
Frank Strong’s Book Loving Texans Guide to Voting is a great resource to learn more about the candidates and where they stand on book banning.
Find Frank’s voter guide here: https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1sYWeqdcJEa10JgKPG3KSOjvJzKI-bvD_Ar34n-Iac5k/mobilebasic