Cristal testified on HB 1498

Today, public school parent Cristal Salgado testified on House Bill 1498 because she supports our schools being more accountable.

Watch her testimony:

Read Cristal’s testimony:

Hello Mr. Chairman and members of the committee.    

My name is Cristal Salgado and I am here today to support our schools being more accountable.  

I have two kids. When my oldest son was in the third grade, he started struggling academically. I was told that the only and last resort for him was medication. At the time, the extra help he was getting at school was taken away. As you can imagine, he started falling further behind.  

As a mom, I want my son to have the best education, and I want that education to prepare him for the future. Since I didn’t think he was getting what he needed at his school, I decided to change his school, and we have continued to seek the right fit for him ever since.  

In the past three years, I have switched his school three times looking for a school that would work for him, but it has been VERY hard to get information on our schools and understand how the schools are doing. I would love our schools A-F grades to be accurate and current.  

I would like our A-F grades to consider if the school is reaching kids like my son, and for a part of a school’s grade to be based on if that school is helping the lowest performing students catch up.  I would like to make sure that schools can’t fail for several years and that schools that do fail have steps to take to improve student outcomes. Our kids’ education is too important not to have consequences for failing schools. 

I’m doing all I know to do as a mom –not only helping him with his homework and talking to his teachers and looking to find him the right school —but I am also here and asking all of you to please hold our schools to account. There’s no reason we should have public schools that fail year after year.  There’s no reason parents like me should have to work this hard to find a good school for their kids. I am glad to see a bill like this one and I hope you’ll all work to make sure every parent has a good public school nearby where their kids can learn and grow.  

Thank you.