People, Places & Events

Morales meets with Kiwanis members
Monitor Staff Reports
SEVEN POINTS–Veteran campaigner Victor Morales outlined his reasons for seeking office during a humor-filled appearance before the Cedar Creek Kiwanis club Wednesday.
Back in 1996, Morales made history when he won the Democratic party primary to face long-time Republican incumbent Sen. Phil Gramm.
He still drives the same old battered white Nissan pickup, but hasn’t left his day job to seek the District 4 state representative seat, held by Republican incumbent Betty Brown, in the Nov. 4 general election.
A teacher for 26 years, Morales has been the social studies teacher at the Kaufman ISD’s alternative education campus for six years, and was named the district’s “Teacher of the Year” for 2007-08
Morales said he first sought office “because, like so many Americans, I just got tired of the baloney” handed out by politicians.
“I jumped in my truck, and literally drove all across the state of Texas,” he told Kiwanis members at their weekly luncheon, held at Whatz Up Family Fun Park in Seven Points.
“I showed my students that an ordinary Joe, straight out of the classroom, could compete,” Morales said. “That shows you the type of person I am, and the type of person I would be in Austin.”
Morales doesn’t take time off from teaching to campaign, which he does on nights and weekends (Tuesday and Wednesday were exceptions for appearances at Trinity Valley Community College and meeting with Kiwanis members), and he doesn’t spend much money on advertising.
“Even if I don’t beat Betty, I can still help,” he said.
He pointed to several expenditures approved by Republican Gov. Rick Perry, including $1 million for a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. and a private jet.
“People ask, ‘you mean all of the 20-cent gas tax we pay doesn’t go to roads?’” he said. “These things are wrong.”
Morales recalled his humble beginnings, picking cotton and vegetables, and working 12-hour days for $3 a day, because that was the only job available.
“I can identify with people who have been put in that situation,” he said.
As a U.S. Navy Vietnam veteran, he went to school on the G.I. Bill, and said he continued to give back to the community.
Morales said the Texas Legislature’s deregulation of college tuition was wrong, noting the cost of a year’s tuition to the University of Texas at Austin for his daughter increased $5,000 before she graduated.
“Think of what that (increase) does to the middle class,” he said.
“Business people only have to fear me if you’re polluting big-time, or exploiting your workers,” he said. “You don’t have to preach to me about over-regulation – I’m a teacher.”
Morales said he strongly advocates more vocational training in high school.
“A lot of kids don’t want to go to college,” he said. “Why not help those kids make money – good money – as a plumber or carpenter, or in nursing? You look in any newspaper, and there’s a whole list of nursing jobs.”
Prison reforms are high on Morales’ list, but the sky-high costs are due to the “get tough on crime” attitude.
“Prisoners will come back out, because you, Mr. Tough Guy, won’t build enough prisons to keep them there forever,” he said.
Prisons don’t have enough drug treatment programs, and don’t have enough job training programs, so convicts released without marketable job skills and/or drug habits routinely return to prison, Morales said.
“You’re paying $28,000, $29,000 a year to hold them. You could be sending them to Stanford (University),” he said.
Morales said he spent $61,000 to send his daughter to college. “I wouldn’t mind spending money for a good college education for convicts, so I won’t continue to have to pay for them ad infinitum,” he said.
Juvenile offenders could really be helped by establishing a program where top-notch teachers could work with very small groups and get them ready for society, but the mind-set needed to establish such a program just isn’t out there, Morales said.
“Politics is all about who gets what, where, when and how,” he said. “Maybe I’ll lose – again – but I’m trying to provide something that Ms. Brown, good woman that she may be, cannot.”

Leadership class commences
Special to The Monitor
CEDAR CREEK LAKE–The Leadership Cedar Creek Lake Class of 2008-’09 met for orientation on Sept. 20, at Heavenly Acres Christian Guest Ranch, with E. H. “Bud” Henry as the facilitator.
In its fourth year, LCCLC is sponsored by the Cedar Creek Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and has a full class of 12 participants in the nine- month long diverse training program.
The Mission Statement of LCCLC “is to teach, develop and enhance leadership skills and community knowledge to prepare individuals for elected and appointed positions in the community.”
In keeping with its mission, the classes include a behind-the-scenes look and basic training in city and county government, health care, education, fire/police, economic development, and the legislative process.
Class members will travel to Austin with other chamber members and citizens for Cedar Creek Lake Day in February.
They will participate in a field trip to tour Bio Tech Manufacturing Center of Texas in Athens, plus participate in a bonus board service “how to” class.

Kemp ISD gets ‘superior rating’
Special to The Monitor
KEMP–Kemp Independent School District officials announced the district received a rating of “Superior Achievement” under Texas’ Schools First financial accountability rating system.
The rating is the state’s highest, demonstrating the quality of Kemp ISD’s financial management and reporting system.
This is the sixth year of Schools First (Financial Accountability Rating System of texas), a financial accountability system for Texas school districts developed by the Texas Education Agency in response to Senate Bill 875 of the 76th Texas Legislature in 1999.
The primary goal of Schools First is to achieve quality performance in the management of school districts’ financial resources, a goal made more significant due to the complexity of accounting associated with Texas’ school finance system.
“We are very pleased with Kemp ISD’s Schools First rating,” Kemp ISD superintendent Dr. Peter Running said.
“As it shows our district is making the most of our taxpayer’s dollars.
“This rating shows Kemp’s schools are accountable not only for student learning, but also for achieving these results cost-effectively and efficiently,” he added.