How Readers Graded Our March Cover Story 

The obvious thing missing from the cover of Texas Monthly’s March 2023 issue: a child in the desk. In the article [“Public Schools at a Breaking Point”], we are led through tales of crazed debates, activists making “the public afraid of their public school,” and wealthy donors as “de facto owners of many Republican members of the Texas Legislature.” All this proves the “sabotage” of schools?

Current school-choice proposals may need to be revised and carefully crafted for specific school districts, but all this needs to be measured against one goal: providing the child in the desk with a quality education.
Sandra Boone, Austin

I serve as a trustee for the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, and Mimi Swartz nailed it with “Public Schools at a Breaking Point.” My heart goes out to Joanna Day, the former Dripping Springs school board member. The only difference between us is that I haven’t received death threats. I watched the situation in Dripping Springs unfold at the same time as the destruction of my own district, where I’ve lived and worked for more than thirty years.

The article briefly touched on the rapid rise and deep pockets of Patriot Mobile, the “Christian conservative wireless provider” that also launched a PAC in North Texas, but it bears far more attention. I suppose it was the missing link in the whole scheme to set up a continuous revenue stream to fund school board races—targeted boards, not all boards—to get the results they want. 
Becky St. John, Grapevine

A Story We’ve Yet to Tell

Thank you for telling the story of José Campos Torres [“The Killing of José Campos Torres,” March 2023]. As gut-wrenching as it is to read, this and other stories like it must be told and retold. You might also be interested in the story of Santos Rodriguez, a twelve-year-old boy who was murdered by a Dallas police officer in 1973 as he sat handcuffed in the front seat of a squad car. I was part of a group that obtained an apology, in 2013, from Mayor Mike Rawlings, and last year, the city dedicated a statue to honor Santos at Pike Park, a place he had played as a child.
Hadi Jawad, Dallas

But East Millinocket Sounds Delightful!

Thank you, Texanist, for your column in the March 2023 issue. No way the granite in the Texas Capitol is from Maine. My Lockhart ancestors lived in the Llano area, and I was told that some participated in moving granite from there for the Capitol. My parents built by hand a fireplace in our home, in Alpine, and hauled four slabs of pink granite from Llano for its front. After their deaths, we took one slab and created their headstone with it. The granite didn’t come from Maine! 
Mary Bell Lockhart, Alpine 

Editors’ note: “Where to Eat Now,” in our April 2023 issue, incorrectly stated that Robert Del Grande was involved in the opening of Dallas restaurant the Finch. He is not affiliated with the business.

This article originally appeared in the May 2023 issue of Texas Monthly. Subscribe today.