The Board Must Go, says a Visual Artist

From February 28, 2006

I don't think much of this academic idiot: ''Bret''
Ruiz. I worked there last summer and fall 'till Dec.
and besides the sincere efforts of Carolina and Mary
Jesse, I sometimes
had to wait weeks before getting paid.
At the Dec. 2005 showing of our students artworks
and musical prformances I doubt this Bret [expletive] was
even there. I sure didn't see him and he never
addressed the audience. My student's artworks in the
new building at El Paso and Brazos were supposed to be
hung up and ready for display because the crowd was
going to go there afterwards for food and snacks and
to view what we were offering in those classes. I
decided, knowing better, to go early and check on
that. I was stunned to find that nothing had been done
to exhibit their work. (By this time Mary Jesse was on
medical leave and Carolina had been fired or quit.) I
had to scramble at the last minute to place all the
artwork on easels so my kids wouldn't think that
nobody gave a damn about their accomplishments. That
was the last straw for me. I quit.

In Jan, when the classes were to resume, I
was again struck to find that the tuition had been
raised from 20 to 40 dollars a monthe, to $80! This
forced the majority of the students to quit their
beloved classes. I was enraged. This chavalos in the
varrio have had their art classes already cut in their
schools, and the Guadalupe was the only place they could get classes in
accordian, mariachi, etc. Of the 12 classes the
Guadalupe offered, now there are only 3 that I know
of. The guitar class, which held 12 students dwindled
down to 1.

This is too much. If this board is defending
this idiot to us, then they ALL need to go! Every last
one.   Adan [Hernandez]

p.s. Editor's note:  Adan Hernandez is a nationally known
painter whose work is sought by collectors, and exhibited in
museums around the country.