Thanks to everyone who attended, supported, and made the forum possible. Your love and guidance were crucial, especially for those who attended despite being without power at home. 

We will continue to work alongside each other for ALL HISD schools. We are especially grateful to everyone who dedicated countless hours this past week to assisting fellow Houstonians with tree cutting and distributing food and ice. If your power remains out, please contact us—we're here to help however we can.

‘If you missed the forum, here are video links to some of the sessions:

• Keynote Speaker Julian Vasquez Heilig
• How to Archive a Takeover and How to Archive a Takeover powerpoint by Margaret Lawson 
• The Politics of School Takeovers by Julian Vasquez 

Here is where you can find other resources from the forum:

• Setting the Record on Charter Schools in Texas by Patti Everitt
• No Trust No Bond by Jessi Heiner
• Taking Back our Schools: Fighting the Takeover by Rebekkah Skelton
• Grassroots Research to Fight the Takeover by Dan Dawer & Jasmin Lee

These are some of our favorite moments from Saturday’s forum.

• Powerful youth voices led the restorative justice circle session and students from all over Houston connected with each other.
• Slam poetry was on fire! Although we didn't capture the lunchtime poetry at the forum on video, here's Jeremy Eugene's poem at WanPoetry. It is unconscionable that Miles is cutting the arts out of our schools! 
• The forum brought people together from all over Houston to roll up their sleeves and get to work for Houston schoolchildren and the powerful democratic force that is public education!
  

CVPE is a learning organization, and we welcome your feedback. Will you fill out this short evaluation? 

We make every effort to hold this forum every two years.  We highly appreciate every speaker, staff member, volunteer, and contribution to this year’s forum. It has been recharging to spend time with you last Saturday. CVPE will continue to talk with neighbors, show up at our schools, talk to the unelected board of managers, and advocate for a return to an elected board.  

Can you do one, two or three things before we go back to school?

1. HOST a house meeting. Invite 5-20 of your neighbors and friends and provide snacks. We'll lead the discussion. Email [email protected] for more info.
2. SPEAK to the media and/or at board meetings. The appointed HISD board of managers will vote to put the bond on the November ballot on Aug 8th. Save the date!
3. ATTEND an upcoming CVPE meeting, blockwalk or the AFT rally for public ed on Wed (7/24) at 12:30 pm.
   
4. NO TRUST. NO BOND. We support fully funding our schools, but it s a fool’s errand to give $4.4 Billion to a thief. Tell your friends. Buy a yard sign.

We are so glad we are on this journey together!

Sincerely,

Maria and CVPE Forum organizers