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Galena Park ISD board member recalls first bilingual class, decades of local service
Summary
A Galena Park ISD board member described being in the district's first bilingual class in 1973'74, outlined a lifelong connection to the district and community, and recounted reasons for running for the school board in 2010.
A Galena Park ISD board member recalled being part of the district's first bilingual class in 1973'74 and said that early experience shaped a lifetime of service in the community.
"And by Christmas, I was singing jingle bells in English," the board member said, describing how quickly they learned English after starting first grade in the district and later served as a family translator. The speaker said that the first bilingual class included about 22 students drawn from Galena Park Elementary, Jacinto City Elementary and MacArthur.
The board member said they attended Galena Park Elementary for sixth grade and later graduated from Galena Park High School in 1986. They said they attended San Jacinto College for two years, began working, opened a business in the area, and lived inside the Galena Park ISD boundaries from about 1974 until moving to the North Shore area around 1995'96.
The speaker described community involvement before seeking elected office, saying they served on a Hispanic forum convened by Dr. Neely and that a local leader, Mr. Rountree, encouraged them to run. "I ran and I got elected in 2010. So I've been on the board ever since 2010," the board member said.
The speaker tied personal history to a defense of public education, praising local teachers and district programs. "She was so wanting to help us, wanting for us to learn a second language," they said of their first-grade teacher, Rose Moreno. The board member said Galena Park ISD's facilities and programs'including choir, band, athletics and academics'offer students wide opportunities and expressed a desire to give "everybody the best chance" to succeed.
The speaker cited family milestones connected to their board service: receiving diplomas for children and relatives, and the hope of one day giving a diploma to a grandson now in eighth grade. They also noted that public education is facing external criticism but emphasized the district's work for all students. "I want what's best for all our kids in this community," the board member said.
The remarks in the transcript are personal testimony about the speaker's background, bilingual education in the district and continued community ties; no formal motions or votes were recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.
