help_outline Skip to main content
HomeEmailingsNewsletters
Date: 3/2/2023
Subject: March 2023 VOTER Newsletter
From: League of Women Voters of Dallas



March  2023

VOTERlogo

Table of Contents

  • Presidents Message
  • Candidate Forums
  • Education
  • New Members
  • Opportunities for Member Engagement
  • Susan B. Anthony Luncheon
  • LWVD General Information
  • Calendar
  • Board of Directors

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

From the Desk of Diane Tasian

 

Our annual Susan B. Anthony Luncheon was a huge success.

The Susan B. Anthony Award was bestowed on Carol Crabtree Donovan for her work supporting women’s issues including Title IX, the Dallas Women’s Coalition, and the creation with her mother of this very Susan B. Anthony Luncheon.   Mark and Lauren Melton received the Eleanor Sutherland Volunteer Award for their vision to found the Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center and how well it serves so many in Dallas for this critical need. Lauren wasn’t able to attend, and we look forward to meeting her in the future. The Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center is getting good results for 96% of those they help, and they are expanding their efforts to reach more people: https://www.dallaseac.org/.  

Our featured speaker. Dr. Michael Sorrell, was incredibly inspirational.  Use this website to learn more about Paul Quinn College: https://pqc-edu.squarespace.com/.

The energy in the room was wonderful.  Thank you to everyone who supported this event!

 

Important dates coming up! 

  • Early Voting for the May 6 election begins on April 24.
  •  The Annual Meeting for LWV Dallas will be held on May 20.

Are you a volunteer deputy registrar? 

If you haven’t yet renewed your Certificate of Appointment rest assured that the process is ongoing.  All VDR certifications end on December 31 of even numbered years.   There are 3 ways to renew your certificate:

  1. Visit the Dallas County Elections Department website at www.dallascountyvotes.org.Go to Getting Involved and scroll down to Volunteer Deputy Registrar Material to find your study guides. Visit Dallas County Elections Department in person between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.; pass the test; and you will be given a new certificate.
  2. Sign up for a virtual or in-person class at www.dallascountyvotes.org.Or, March to the Polls (MTTP) is offering a training on Thursday January 19 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The training at MTTP includes certification in four north Texas counties.https://www.marchtothepolls.org/act/vdr/training
  3. If you are already a VDR in another county, visit Dallas County Elections Department; show them your current certificate; and they will give you the Dallas County information and certificate.

Advocacy

Local: On the Observer Corps front, our thanks to Ashley Washington for organizing the Know Your Government: Public Meetings in Texas that was held on December 6.  The Texas Open Meetings Act information is fundamental for our Observer Corps volunteers.   If you would like to learn more about this or accompany Diane Tasian please let us know.  Here’s the link to our webpage: lwvdallas.org/observer.  If you see a date to sign up that is full, please let us know that too and we will fit you in.

 We are watching Dallas City Council briefings and Dallas County Commissioners Court.  Pay attention to the Friday Update for volunteer opportunities and reach out to Ashley Washington, VP of Advocacy for training information.

State: Watch for emails about LWVTX Take Action alerts.  You can also go to their webpage and create your own.  An easy way to reach out to your legislators is via  lwvtexas.org/take-action.  It is convenient and incredibly easy.

 State: On the Redistricting front,  as alerted by Stephanie Swanson, LWVTX, the legislature will revisit the maps during this session.  If you provided any testimony in the last two years, please dust off your documents because we are being called to speak again.  Communities of interest that were defined in the last round will still be relevant.   For a refresher, or if you are new to this, there is great information on the LWVTX advocacy pages.   Click here   lwvtexas.org/voting-rights-election-laws-texas and scroll down to Redistricting.
 Local: DEI:  The Diversity Equity and Inclusion interest group will be activated this month.  The Board will receive training this month and a Task Force is being formed.  Please see the LWVUS DEI Lens and Checklist which are included in this VOTER.   Thank you to Denita Jones, our Director of DEI for pulling this together.
 

Volunteers: 

You are the action that makes our mission real!   Shannon FitzGerald has done a masterful job of getting the VDR and Get Out the Vote opportunities on to the Volunteer page.   We are working to add opportunities for other aspects of the League.  Please watch the Friday Updates for new opportunities.

 

Recent coalition projects:

If you missed the LWV Tarrant County program, Impact of Charter Schools and Vouchers on Texas’ Independent School Districts, on December 1, featuring Patti Everett, the recording will be available soon. Please watch for mention in the Friday Update.
 

About the VOTER being mailed and the Friday Update:

Most LWVD members receive the VOTER via email.  If you are on the list to receive the VOTER via the U.S. mail, then you probably don’t have access to the internet or have chosen not to share your email with us.  But, that means you are not receiving the Friday Update which arrives via email.    It consists of a summary of the events coming up in the next week.   If you would like this member service, please email the office with the email address you wish us to use.

 

In League,

Diane Tasian

 

Candidate Forums

 

There will be a full slate of municipal races across Dallas County for the May elections, and LWV-Dallas plans to hold a number of candidate forums across the metroplex.

We will need multiple volunteers to attend the forums to keep time and ensure a league presence.  We will need volunteers to do prep work that includes securing locations, finding non-partisan forum partners, wrangling candidate for participation. The groundwork is in place for several forums with multiple organizations, but we are always looking for additional community partners.

Please contact Chelsea Keller should you have any questions as well as any specific responsibilities for which you would like to volunteer and or assist. 

Check the Event Calendar for upcoming scheduled Candidate Forums.
 

Submitted by: Chelsea Keller


Education

 

School Considerations in the Texas Legislature, February 14, 2023

 

LWVTX Public School Position: The League of Women Voters of Texas supports adequate state funding for public schools to ensure that all Texas school children receive a high-quality education.

 

Bills filed that increase funding for education. Currently, the state funds only 41% of the K-12 educational cost. It funds school districts based on average daily attendance. One bill submitted this session provides for counting a school district’s yearly enrollment rather than the current system of counting average daily attendance. This bill addresses the fact that since COVID, parents are more likely to keep sick children home from school resulting in a decrease in the average daily attendance.  This has caused a significant decrease in state funding for many school districts. Counting school enrollment could increase school funding by approximately six billion dollars.  Another bill recently filed increases the daily average attendance allotment from $6,610 yearly per student to $7,095.

Some bills filed address critical problems in education such as teacher shortages and school safety. These bills would also directly or indirectly increase support for education.

  • Yearly scholarships for students entering teacher training programs,
  • Raises for teachers,
  • Support for school safety measures
  • Funds for mental health professionals on school campuses.

School Vouchers: The League of Women Voters of Texas does not support the Texas Taxpayer Parent Spending Account Proposal.. School choice is a priority for the 2023 Texas Legislature according to Governor Abbott.  Many news outlets have reported that the governor is planning to support legislation that will provide Texas parents with a tax payer spending account to supplement their ability to choose nonpublic education.  School officials and rural lawmakers have historically opposed schemes devised by lawmakers to financially support the ability of parents to choose private schools because these schemes can divert funds from public schools. Texas currently practices school choice by allowing parents to enroll their children in free charter schools and by allowing transfers to schools within a school district or to another school district.

LWV Texas published an action paper written by the LWV Texas Education Issues Chair, Diane Andy. It discussed the reasons why the League thinks a taxpayer parent spending account system is a bad idea. She stated that research showed students in nonpublic settings on average do not achieve better academic gains than public school students. In addition, the financial support provided by the state is insufficient to help low-income students enroll in private schools and find a way out of poverty.

Other potential legislation the League of Women Voters of Texas does not support:

  • Limits to the ability of students or teachers to talk freely about topics such as LGBTQ
  • Limits to the opportunity to participate in civic life.

We encourage you to follow the development of these Texas state education issues as they continue to move through the Texas legislature.

Eileen Rosenblum PhD.

LWV Dallas Education Action Chair for State Level Education Issues. 2/14/2023


WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS!


Carolyn King Arnold
Beverly Barry
Mary Dominguez-Santini
Teresa Edwards
Lory Engel
Jennifer Farmer
Laura Hawkins
Jane Hunley
Carol Ireland
Erin McKool
Wendi Mueller
Patricia Murphy
Kellye Pritchard
Stephanie Reddick
Valley Reed
Joanna Ridgway
Dorothy Stefan
Michele Valentino
Marie Warwick


 
********************************************************************
 
 

Opportunities for Member Engagement! 


SUSAN B. ANTHONY LUNCHEON

 

What Does it Take for a Silent Auction to be a Success?


It takes a DEDICATED GROUP:

            Willing to donate items and ask for Gift Cards

            Willing to store, categorize, clean and polish donations

            Willing to select plants and create Garden Baskets.

            Willing to create bid sheets with suggested item values.

            Willing to take time to pack up and deliver items to the event location.

            Willing to set up and monitor the Silent Auction Room.

            Willing to work five check out lines after the event.

            Willing to help members pack up their treasures.

            Willing to work with left over items.

            Willing to create and send Thank you letters.


The Silent Auction Committee is very grateful for the wonderful response to

this year’s SBA Luncheon Silent Auction.   Almost every item in the Auction had

generous bids. 

Thank you.

Becky Brakke

Silent Auction chair

 


      Delightful Silent Auction Items                                                             A very busy Silent Auction room    

Kenda North and Cynthia Rutherford                                                            Becky Brakke and Ann Ross
       Silent Auction Volunteers                                                               Wonderful designers of flower baskets
Cecilia McKay, SBA Luncheon Committee Chair                                Carol Donovan,  Awardee of the S. B. Anthony Award                                   
Diane Tasian,  President League of Women Voters of Dallas              Annette Anderson and Cathy Estrada
                                                                                                             Co-Chairs of the Susan B Anthony Luncheon         
Diane Tasian and Mark Melton                                                     Carol Donovan, Senator Kay Baily Hutchinson
Honoree of the Eleanor Sutherland Award                                    Dr. Berge and Diane Tasian
along with his wife,  Lauren Melton

Dr Michael Sorrell                                                                                               Gloria Campos Brown 
President Paul Quinn College                                                                             MC  SB Anthony Luncheon
Keynote Speaker

LWVD General Information

LWVD Office Hours

Monday – Friday 10 am to 2 pm

Please call Sandy Thornton at 214-827-1988 or text to 214-415-1801 for

office access

 

 LWVD Office

  6060 N. Central Expwy, Ste 500

Dallas, TX  75206

214-688-4125      email:  info@lwvdallas.org

 

Office Physical Location

If you don’t know the location of our office on the second floor, see the Receptionist on the 5th floor.  They will direct you to our office.

 

                                                                    

 
 
 

 


Calendar

 

Go to www.lwvdallas.org/Events/Events Calendar for the latest information

 

 

Regularly Scheduled Meetings

 

Advocacy Interest groups:
   Dallas ISD Education - First, Third, Fourth Tuesday at 5:00 p.m.
   Diversity, Equity and Inclusion - Third Monday, at 6:00 p.m.
   Housing -  Fourth Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.
   Charter Review - Second Wednesday, 6:00 p.m. 
   Voter Service and Voter Rights - Fourth Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.
Membership Connections
- members meeting new members
   every other month, third Saturday at 10 am.
Neighborhood Unit meetings
- members discuss issues
   on Tuesday and Thursday of the third week of the month, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and on Wednesday of the third week, 5:30 to 7 p.m.
   The above meetings occur from September through May.

 

To calculate which week of the month - if the month starts with a day in the week that is the first week.  Example: March 1 is on a Wednesday so that is Week 1.

 

 

OBSERVER CORPS

 

                 DISD Board of Trustees meet once a month on the fourth Thursday.

                 Dallas City Council briefings are on the first and third Wednesday                               Dallas City Council meets on the second and fourth Wednesday.

                 Dallas County Commissioners Court meets on the first and third Tuesday.


 


                                        THE BOARD 

 

 

President

Diane Tasian

 

President-Elect

Robin Lederer

Advocacy VP

Ashley Washington

Membership VP

Paige Elphingstone

Organization VP

Sandy Thornton

Voter Services VP

Barbara Larkin

Programs VP

Patricia Muñoz

Secretary

Norma Arratia

Treasurer

Madge Cruse

SBAL Co-chair Appointed 2022-2023

Annette Anderson

SBAL Co-chair Appointed 2022-2023

Cathy Estrada

 

 

 

 

Directors

 

Silent Auction, SBA Luncheon

Becky Brakke

At Large

Sally Branch

VOTER Editor

 Open Posiiton

Voter Registration

Shannon FitzGerald

At Large

Zena Jackson

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Denita Jones

Candidate Forums

Chelsea Keller

Communications

Jessica Rivera-Lucas

Unit Coordinator

Eileen Rosenblum

Communications Specialist

Samantha Lucas

Special Projects Consultant

Jennifer Farmer 

 

 



LWVD Office

6060 N Central Expwy, Suite 500

Dallas, TX  75206

Phone: (214) 688-4125

Email: info@lwvdallas.org

www.lwvdallas.org