Bill Hammond, Graduation Rates and Vouchers

To all involved with the publication of my commentary of Texas Graduation Rates and Vouchers;
In the article published in the Longview News Journal in Saturday’s Forum Section, I wrote:
“As a lobbyist for the business interests in our state, Mr. Hammond does not spend any sleepless nights concerned about the education of all students. He does dedicate a great deal of time promoting the failure of public schools while continuing to support outdated methods of student assessment.”
After speaking with Mr. Hammond by phone, I would like to state that I do not know Mr. Hammond and should not have made any assumptions about his personal level of concern for Texas Public School Children. The “sleepless nights” comment was unnecessary. For that comment, I genuinely apologize. The comment was, in fact, disrespectful. We most certainly disagree on the issues of assessment and best practices in education to create successful 21st century graduates. I should have, and will in the future, make those issues the point of the statewide conversation.

Thank you