Local education analyst George Scott says the recordings he received from Katy ISD of Superintendent Alton Frailey’s controversial speech during last week’s staff orientation is of a much poorer quality than the version posted on the school district’s website.
Scott, publisher of George Scott Reports, said the quality of the recording he received is so poor that Frailey’s remarks cannot be clearly understood.
The recording was provided to Scott by the school district after he filed an open records request.
Recordings of Frailey’s remarks have also been posted on the school district’s website; however, Scott said the version on the website is of significantly better quality than the one he received.
Earlier today, Scott filed a second request with the district asking for a better quality recording or “access to the original recording.”
“It is my sincere hope that the district can provide me a tape of Superintendent Frailey’s remarks that has much better audio quality. If it cannot, pursuant to the public information act of the State of Texas, I request access to the original recording of the convocation. That recording is a government document in my assessment and I have a right, I believe, to have access to it,” Scott said in his latest request. “That would involve the ability (to) hear the document played on the district’s professional equipment. It should also be noted that original recording and broadcast was made in public. There can be no reasonable claim of privacy.”
In an interview with InstantNewsKaty, as well as in his most recent commentary on www.GeorgeScottReports.com, Scott added he plans on using the services of a professional sound engineer to examine the original recording. Scott said the public has a right to hear what the school superintendent said in its full context.
“The public has and will continue to have access to Frailey’s full remarks in total context. In my opinion, it is important that his comments also be easily isolated and evaluated individually,” Scott noted. “Beyond his comments on voter registration and castigation of those he called shameless and hypocritical, Frailey made numerous interesting comments on education itself.”
Frailey sparked the controversy a week ago during the district’s annual “convocation” sessions that precede the opening of school. As part of a morning speech to district staffers, Frailey noted more than 8,173 district employees lived within the district boundaries and were eligible to vote.
He also noted 4,421 of those employees were currently registered to vote, while 3,752 were not.
Frailey also compared district employees’ voting power with the number of people who typically voted in previous bond elections, along with the pass-fail margin of those votes. Those remarks were widely interpreted as suggesting district employees could control the outcome of the upcoming school bond election if they voted as a bloc.
While never overtly telling employees to support the bond issue, the superintendent did say the district was expecting strong opposition. According to notes taken by one teacher, Frailey used such phrases as “they are coming” and “they have no shame” to refer to bond opponents.
“The hypocrisy and disinformation will be amazing,” he reportedly said at one point.
Frailey was also quoted as saying the district “must be recognized as the foremost advocate and expert on all matters in which we participate. We must not only raise the young, but also raise the village.”
The superintendent reportedly “toned down” his remarks for the afternoon session of the orientation.
Yesterday, local resident and retired educator Bill Proctor issued a statement calling Frailey’s remarks “unethical,” and called on the superintendent to apologize.
Frailey has not responded to a request for comment on Proctor’s statement.
