Juan Rangel: Our Children Are Being Thrown To The Dogs

By Franco

November 21, 2014

If you want to know the current state and the possible future of public education in Fort Worth, Texas, the best man to ask is Mr. Juan Rangel. The first Mexican-American to have held the office of president of the Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD) Board. He served in the FWISD Board from 2000 till 2013. Mr. Rangel has deep Tejano roots which go back to Corpus Christi, where he graduated from Roy Miller high school, then attended Delmar junior college. Mr. Rangel then moved to north Texas where he earned his Master's degree in public administration from the University of North Texas (UNT).

Mr. Rangel recalls his exposure to civic duties as a child, "in Corpus Christi, all high school students were encouraged to participate in civic activities. We learned that along with our rights we had duties to fulfill as citizens. Membership in Junior LULAC also prepared me to participate in public service." Another influence in Mr. Rangel's early life was scouting: "scouting exposed me to the harsh realities of life. The troop I belonged to was made up of Mexican-American kids, we had very little. Scouting events revealed not only the racial hatred of the white scouts but also their affluence. They had equipment; we had empty hands. We didn't stand a chance in scouting competitions. I realized at a tender age that life is not fair. Scouting also taught me the valuable lesson that the best way to win against unfair odds is through creativity. This creative instinct has served me well throughout my whole life."

Pointing out an insight that changed his life, Mr. Rangel said, "A huge insight during my formative years was that many of the problems and obstacles I was grappling with were not part of my nature or a curse from God, but rather the effects of being stereotyped. Individuals and groups of people spend most of their life trying to resolve problem after problem, obstacle after obstacle, and never realizing that the essential cause of many of these headaches are simply the result of being stereotyped. I was fortunate to understand this truth at a young age and learned how to effectively overcome the challenges of being stereotyped. This is important to know because if you don't understand that being stereotyped is a serious challenge, then you will waste a lot of your life not getting anywhere."

"When I was first elected to the FWISD Board in the year 2000, I was stereotyped by the board members, they called me a dumb, loud mouthed Mexican, activist, who was coming into their organization. The Star-Telegram newspaper which in my opinion is one of the most racist anti-Mexican-American newspapers in the nation, stereotyped me mercilessly. I didn't react, instead I responded with a creative strategy to neutralize their racist, small minded bigotry. Rather than focusing on their delusional stereotyping, my focus was the reality of merits. Was the FWISD an outstanding district, no it wasn't. The school board members couldn't claim the merit of an outstanding school district. The school board members encourage divisiveness among local cultures and classes of people in the district. My goal: to create an excellent district. The dictatorial board members, have not made an iota of difference in improving the quality of the school district. Some like T.A. Sims have served on the school board for decades without any merit to show for it."

Mr. Rangel continued, "The board members because they are mostly puppets following the dictums of their puppeteers, can never comprehend the meaning of the concept, -Outstanding. To have an outstanding school district you need an outstanding school board. Right now we have some individuals, both students and teachers who are outstanding, but the district as a whole is falling apart. The board isn't promoting a culture that values excellence, they are turning back the clock, segregating students and bullying teachers with confusing directives. It is only by the grace of good families and great kids that this district hasn't become a savage jungle."

An important concern for Mr. Rangel is, "high school students will not be able to graduate if they fail the STAR test, they only get one chance to retest, there will probably be about 5000 senior retesters.  The board is not moving a finger to support them and prepare them for this challenge. These kids are going to fail big time. Who is responsible? Obviously the school board is responsible, but they are going to do everything to shirk their responsibility, they will find someone else to blame for this fiasco. The school board has also failed to do the course alignment for the Programs of Choice, and students will not receive the occupational certifications for completing these programs. They are throwing our kids to the dogs."

The only answer to this crisis in the school district, according to Mr. Rangel is for, "parents and students to take back the district from the nincompoops who are on the board right now. Before leaving the board, I showed them how they could transform the district into an outstanding one. The prime example is Trimble Tech which achieved exemplary status, this was no accident, I worked hard with others to achieve this. Public education is life and death for our children and community, this is where solutions to social problems happen. If public education fails, our children don't receive the tools needed to overcome the effects of social injustice."

Mr. Rangel speaks about the high price he paid for his service to the community, "my years on the school board were intense, it was a constant battle against the hatred of fossilized board members, they gave no quarter and I asked for none. Their hatred is intense, seven of the current board members were present at my opponent's victory party. A decade of constant battles, long work hours with no compensation, finally took a toll on my health, I had a stroke in 2003. I recovered, my motivation to improve the school district became stronger. I was determined to live and continue the good fight for our children and community."

What moved Mr. Rangel to risk health and wellbeing? He answered, "the children, and parents of my community. Parents who pleaded for my help in saving their children from gangbangers, bullies, and dead-end schools. This kept me going."

Has Mr. Rangel been rewarded for his public service? "Parents and students recognize and approach me frequently in public, they make sure I know the difference I made in their lives. Parents approach me and update me on their children who are now attending Universities. Tears begin flowing when they remember the hardships they endured to save their kids from bleak futures. I was with them during those difficult times. This is my greatest reward," said Mr. Rangel.