Dr. Yvonne Gonzalez

DR. YVONNE GONZALEZ is no stranger to controversy. Of course, just about anyone running the Dallas Public Schools and overseeing 155,000 students and 17,439 employees is bound to be a lightening rod for all sorts of complaints, real and imagined. Advocate staff members Rick Wamre and Drew Diener recently sat down with neighborhood resident Gonzalez – fresh from her first year as Dallas Public Schools superintendent – turned on a tape recorder and chatted about her roller-coaster rookie year, discussing topics ranging from the much-publicized school board scuffles to the mission of the public school system. At times during our discussion, Gonzalez appears to be casting herself above the fray, while at other times, she wades into the battle and starts shooting from the hip, denouncing allegations against her administration with a frankness uncharacteristic of someone in the public eye. Overall, she seems content with her place in life despite the barrage of red flags her enemies tirelessly plant around her. So we invite you to kick back, find asylum from the grueling summer heat, and join us in a candid discussion with this City newsmaker.

ADVOCATE: On a 1-to-10 scale, with 10 being the best, tell us how effectively you think the Dallas Public Schools are educating children?

GONZALEZ: I think that what happens many times is any time you attach the word “urban” to a school district that somehow there are some stereotypical notions that come forth about how effective a school system is.

I think the Dallas Public Schools do a very good job with children who come to us; 72 percent are economically deprived. And I think that is a very interesting statistic that most people don’t realize; you have a certain image of what Dallas is, and it’s not about having a school system with that many children who come to us with challenging circumstances.

I think the Dallas school system has some of the best schools you’ll find anywhere in the country, and we probably have a few that we need to work on.

But from my perspective from being an individual who has served many different school districts and taught at two different school districts and taught at two different universities and been in at least four different states, this is by far the best school system I’ve ever been in, and I’m really proud to be able to lead the district. So I think it’s very effective.

The rating scale, I’m a little uncomfortable only because in some instances, it would be a 10, and in some instances, it might be a three or four. But if you were going to give an overall rating, I’d certainly say seven or eight and pushing.

There’s always room for improvement.

ADVOCATE: If there’s a certain thing that would be a 10 and a certain thing that would be a three or four, what do you think they’re doing best and worst?

GONZALEZ: Well, I think if you were to take our blue-ribbon schools – let’s just take Booker T. Washington and some of the fine arts programs that we offer. I think those are a 10. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that.

If you look at, for example, our bilingual program, that’s probably a three or four right now because we have not had the resources that we should in that particular area. If you look at our Odyssey of the Mind competition, we do really well, and I would give them an eight.

But if you looked at the overall science dollars, in terms of labs, we probably would do less. So I think this kind of depends on what area.

Of course, my goal is to make sure they’re all eights and nines, always making sure there’s room for improvement. I would never say 10 across the board in everything.

ADVOCATE: What do you think the Dallas Public Schools’ goal is or should be?

GONZALEZ: Well, in real simple terms – and I know that people sometimes like these very grandiose statements about the mission of the school system, but I think that any school system exists to be able to do just some very basic things, very simple things – one is to teach boys and girls to be able to read, to write, to compute, to think critically and get along with all kinds of people on the planet.

And I think everything else you say basically comes down to that. And to make sure they’re someone who can participate fully in the work force.

That’s pretty simple, but I really do think that’s what it’s about.

ADVOCATE: How much of a balance is there between preparing kids for work or giving them a sort of theoretical knowledge, at least at this level?

GONZALEZ: Well, again, I think that one of our main goals is to make sure that whether the student comes to us from a foreign country or is born here in Dallas, that they have the educational opportunity that any other student could have to be a citizen who reads, writes, computes, is computer literate and is part of the work force.

One of the things I don’t want to see happen is where you have a school system that is not producing work-force-ready students and that our Dallas companies and businesses have to go outside of Dallas to look for their workers.

And that is one of my main issues and goals: to make sure that we have our students ready and available so that in the event they would like to stay in Dallas, they have the opportunity.

ADVOCATE: How committed do you think the business community and the community at-large are in supporting Dallas Public Schools?

GONZALES: Well, as a newcomer – and you know you have to realize that I’ve only been here a little over a year. I always remember the anniversary because my first day of work here was April 1 (1996). Now, I don’t know what the message is there as far as April Fool’s Day (laughing).

Other individuals have given me their perspectives of where the business community has been historically and have said to me that in times past, there was much more support for everything, from making sure there were candidates for the school board, making sure that schools got what they needed, and that that has kind of waxed and waned over several years.

But from my perspective, I have been overwhelmed with the support that business leaders have given me. There has not been one time that I can say that a business leader I asked for help turned and walked away. It just has never happened.

Certainly, that support comes in varying degrees of what they can offer. I mean, your large corporations obviously can offer you more in the way of money and resources and people who can mentor and tutor.

And then, you have the mom and pop stores who might just be able to give you a few samples to give out or T-shirts or something.

The business community has been tremendous. And I do think that in some ways, again from perspective, there’s been a re-emergence and a re-awakening of the necessity of us standing hand-in-hand in this very important endeavor.

I think they realize that our future, whether they want to perhaps think of it this way or not, is that we are linked, we are inextricably linked, in terms of the future of this City.

And so I have felt very gratified and hopeful that the business community will continue to stand with me as we bridge into the 21st century.

SCHOOL GOALS

ADVOCATE: Any specific goals you have for the next two or three years educationally?

GONZALEZ: Well, it’s interesting that you would say “educationally” because I think that one of the things that happens to public schools is we become so many things to so many people that we forget our major mission.

And our major mission is student achievement.

And while all those other things that the schools and school district participate in are necessary, like transporting students and making sure that they are immunized and we provide health services – all of those are very important and central to what’s going on.

But in my book, and I’ve said this over and over again to the teachers, is that everything else is subordinate to what happens in the classroom. That magic needs to happen between a teacher and a child. That’s where it happens, and so everything else that goes on at 3700 Ross and all the other satellite facilities must happen to create a climate where that magic can occur.

Obviously, education – in terms of academic achievement – is our mission, and we must not lose sight of that, although it’s very easy to do so.

Let me see if I missed something on the question. Repeat it to me again.

ADVOCATE: What goals do you have specifically for the next three years?

GONZALEZ: Oh yea, O.K. So obviously, my primary goals are going to be to continue to increase student achievement.

We have to do everything we can to make sure that we continue to push that bar up in terms of where the kids are achieving, that we look at not just TAAS scores, which I think certainly serve their purpose, but that we look at a new emphasis on critical thinking skills and standardized test like the ITBS, which are more complex and that put us in a national norm group rather than just against other students in Texas. And so we’re going to be looking at that.

And the board has adopted, I’m very proud to say, two academic goals for next year. They are supportive of this administration.

One is in reading, and one is in math. And so their focus also will be making sure that student achievement runs high. Peripherally to that student achievement issue are issues that deal with alternative education and gifted and talented.

The other thing that happens is you have students on either end of the spectrum who are sometimes overlooked. And I think we sometimes don’t do enough for our gifted and talented students, either.

So we’re taking a look at their programs and making sure we maximize resources for our gifted kids and at the same time, many of our students who don’t fit into the traditional group and have not experienced success in the traditional school, what are we doing in terms of alternative education programs?

So those are other goals to look at. And then safety/security – safe schools are a big issue to me, and mainly because I don’t think that students can achieve their maximum if they’re not feeling safe, if they’re not in an environment where things can happen.

And so safe schools and everything that implies are important to me, as well. And those are just some goals that come to mind.

ADVOCATE: As far as school safety, it doesn’t seem like as much of an issue as it was a couple of years ago.

GONZALEZ: We’ve done much better. And I will tell you I’ve been very impressed. Obviously, there’s been a reduction in weapons that we’ve had, the reduction of assaults – they have gone down.

Also, I think part of a greater picture in terms of the whole City is that crime statistics have dropped. But we have to be vigilant about that, and make sure that we continue to be aggressive about making sure that we have the resources that we need, that we have the officers that we need, that we be supportive of teachers by making sure that we get rid of disruptive students, which is why the alternative ed piece is important to me, too.

Because if they’re not doing well in a traditional setting and disrupting the rest of our kids, then we need to take them out.

So I think the whole safe schools issue is really important, too.

ADVOCATE: Is that being done to your satisfaction right now? The kid that is a troublemaker one way or another – what’s the process or path for that kind of student right now?

GONZALEZ: For them to be disruptive, you mean, where they’re disruptive? Well, it depends on the infraction, and it depends on the offense.

Some of the students, obviously if it’s a major offense, are either directed to a juvenile justice alternative ed program that we work with the County on if they’re the harder-core offenders.

Or, if not, they just go into one of our own alternative ed programs. We have different facilities all over the district. Then we have short-term suspension, so it basically depends on the infraction.

And no, I think one of the things that would be safe to say is I’m never truly satisfied with where we need to be in terms of the students, and that’s probably healthy.

IS TESTING VALID?

ADVOCATE: You were talking about the TAAS test a little while ago. For better or worse, and you may want to comment on that, the TAAS has sort of become the point of decision as to whether a school is doing well or not. In particular, as an example in our neighborhood, Woodrow is a high school that has a long tradition of excellence in East Dallas and yet is one of the three low-performing schools in the district.

GONZALEZ: Not anymore, and I’m very happy about that. Woodrow has done very well, and I want to say this: I am extremely impressed and extremely gratified with the support Woodrow has garnered this last year.

I mean, it has been incredible. You’ve had parents and community leaders rally around that school and have basically taken it off the low-performing list. It’s extremely impressive in the course of a year with that kind of support to be able to do it.

I do think that here is a tendency for TAAS to be a be-all and end-all. It shouldn’t be that way, because it is kind of the state indicator, too, and the stakes are high, so naturally people are going to look at it that way.

That’s why earlier I mentioned you can’t just be all about TAAS. You know, it needs to be about other critical-thinking skills and kind of expanding that base and not using that as the only indicator of a school being successful or not.

Although again, I think the student achievement issue has to be primary.

ADVOCATE: There was a lot of focus this last year at Woodrow on TAAS and sort of teaching TAAS-related principles. How much of a role should that play in the normal education process?

GONZALEZ: Oh, I don’t know. People have been arguing about teaching to the test for a hundred years, so I suspect we’ll give some of that.

ADVOCATE: So you’re not concerned about some of the schools that do it that way?

GONZALEZ: No, I do think that there needs to be some focus on it, obviously. But again, I don’t think that should kind of just become the overriding factor for a school’s success.

But I do think there needs to be some level of concern if the students are not meeting the minimal skills level. Then we should pay attention to some of that.

ADVOCATE: What does that say to you as the superintendent about a school or a student who fails the TAAS?

GONZALEZ: Well obviously it causes me a great deal of concern, and it can’t just be about me being concerned. It has to be a concern by the parents, and certainly the student, about the future of that particular individual.

I mean, I think many times, the school, and I’ve seen this less and less so again I’m hopeful, but I think the school sometimes is expected to stand alone when students fail, and it’s not just the school that is failing.

I think there are a lot of other factors involved when a student is not being successful. I mean, what’s going on at home, what’s going on in that neighborhood, what’s happening with a friend.

There’s a lot that goes on in a student not being successful. A lot of times they’re just issues at home. It could be alcoholism. It could be a situation of family violence. It could be that particular family just arrived here from a foreign country and is just trying to make ends meet.

It means it’s a lot more than meets the eye sometimes when we say, quote, a student fails.

ADVOCATE: And those are the things that you as the superintendent and the district can’t do much about, right?

GONZALEZ: Well, yes and no. We’re expected to. We certainly are expected to make it well, and we can’t always, but we certainly want to attempt to do what we can.

On the other hand, as I said before, that’s our main mission – to make sure that a student is successful academically, but that also cannot be in isolation.

We need to be standing in with the parents and with other social agencies, if that be the case, to try and help that student along, and we will.

ADVOCATE: If a kid doesn’t have the family support at home for whatever reason, what specifically can the district do about that?

GONZALEZ: Well, that’s a tougher challenge, but I think that’s why we have counselors, and we do actually initiate a lot of social agencies into play.

You know, we have truant officers, and we have a myriad of psychologists and diagnosticians who work with children. There’s a lot of support services that we access for children in crisis, children in need.

But it takes everybody pitching in, and I do think that sometimes the schools are blamed for things that it’s very difficult for us to control.

I think our teachers do a phenomenal job many times with many of our children, despite some very challenging circumstances. And that’s what we’ll continue to do – to continue to try and move them forward.

ADVOCATE: Bilingual education – you mentioned earlier that you weren’t satisfied with how things have gone up to this point. And yet, I think we were looking at some of the statistics you provided us that say 57 different languages are spoken in the district, and 10 to 20 percent of the kids coming in can’t speak English. What plans do you have to address those issues?

GONZALEZ: I’m glad you asked me about bilingual education, because I think when you talk about bilingual education, people somehow, in their minds, see that as just a Hispanic issue, and it’s not really just a Hispanic issue.

Fifteen percent of our student body is now born in a foreign country, which I think is amazing for Dallas. You have over 40,000 children who are limited-English proficient, and we have some programs within the school system that have proven to be very successful, and I would like to be able to duplicate those and replicate those.

We have the Pinkston Language Academy, which has shown tremendous progress in its ability to accelerate language acquisition. You have students who come over from Honduras, for example, and within six months have a substantial vocabulary and are able to converse very well in English.

That is because they have a very low pupil/teacher ratio and a lot of one-to-one with language labs and so forth.

We also have the North Dallas High School Newcomers Magnet, and they’ve done tremendous things with the students there, as well.

So we have some prototypes from some very successful programs. We just have not – beyond those two programs, at least in my book – accelerated enough so more kids have access to that.

One of the criticisms that has come my way from some of my detractors in the African-American community is that I’m focusing too much on bilingual ed or Hispanic students.

My response is that you know you have a population that is now going to be possibly 50 percent Hispanic within the next, I don’t know, 18 months or so. The resources have not been there.

The trend is there for continued expansion of the Hispanic community. So obviously, of course, we’re going to put resources in that program.

Now, I’m also a very strong believer in when you say bilingual education, I think our African-American students, our Anglo students and our Asian students all need to be, probably, trilingual. And so when we talk about bilingual, I think if you’re going to live in Texas, if you’re going to live in the Southwest and be able to work internationally with Mexico close by and the way the planet has certainly transformed itself into an international community, it would be really inappropriate for us not to press students to learn more than one language if they want to compete for jobs.

So I’m a big believer that our elementary students should absolutely learn a second language and, of course, my choice would be Spanish if they’re going go live in Texas. It makes sense.

ADVOCATE: Is there a program in place for that now?

GONZALEZ: Yes, actually, there is a program we started in Mr. Robert Payton’s cluster where we have some dual-language programs where they actually get it via distance learning, where they actually have some classes and the kids learn.

ADVOCATE: These are the classes where there are a lot of Hispanic kids in the class, or a lot of kids that speak Spanish only and then some kids that speak English?

GONZALEZ: No, actually, it’s a different kind of program, and this one is basically whoever happens to be in that classroom is gonna learn Spanish.

It’s kind of an interactive-through-distance learning, so that all of the students, as they move up, will be bilingual. If you look at the research, everybody tells you that’s when you need to teach them – when they’re little, you know, not wait until they’re in high school when they dread going through two years of foreign language and forget it when they graduate, right?

So these programs have been real successful. Again, when I talk about bilingual ed, that’s also another focus – to make sure that we make that happen. The other piece is to make sure that with so many students who come here monolingual, whether that’s Vietnamese or whether that’s Spanish, that we accelerate their learning of English as quickly as possible.

And I’ve been very impatient with that. I think that takes too long.

Some of our programs take as long as six, seven years – that’s ridiculous. Students don’t have to be in a bilingual classroom for six or seven years. I certainly ask staff to take a look at that and see what we can do to accelerate that transition from their native language to English.

ADVOCATE: I suppose there are going to be some people who are going to think a bilingual class could hold back an English-speaking kid when the teaching is done for the Spanish-speaking angle or trying to get a kid who speaks Spanish to also learn English. Some parents may think that their English-speaking kids aren’t learning as quickly as they might in an English-speaking-only class. Does that make any sense?

GONZALEZ: Well, actually, the premise is probably incorrect for placement in a bilingual class. You’re not going to have students that are dominant in English be in a bilingual class in the way you’re thinking.

Now, if you’re thinking about a dual language where they’re just wanting to learn another language, what we do and what our teachers, our wonderful teachers, do is pair them at their level of proficiency because everyone is going to learn at a different level.

You may pick it up a lot faster than I would if we were learning Japanese, for example, and you just do some things in terms of leveling in your classroom in the distance learning and kind of learn that way.

But I am a strong believer in dual language and expanding opportunities for students to speak more than one language.

ADVOCATE: So it’s something that you are expanding or you’re going to be expanding?

GONZALEZ: Oh, absolutely.

ADVOCATE: Anything specific we’ll be seeing this fall that will be different from last year?

GONZALEZ: Right now, I’m working with the multilingual/multicultural department to see if we can expand the programs in place and deliver services to more students in those programs that have been successful, and we’ll continue to do that.

ADVOCATE: What additional challenges are you facing as both a female and a minority who is the superintendent in a large Southern city?

GONZALEZ: I’ve said from the beginning that I thought I had to prove myself 10 times more than any of my male predecessors. I still believe that.

I think my credentials, I actually did put them up against everybody else in the country. I think that people are just sometimes a little bit harder on women in these positions, sometimes.

The gender piece I have found interesting. I think that my whole life, ever since I started as an administrator at 26 at an all-project middle school that nobody else wanted that job.

I just think that those kinds of circumstances just make me stronger and more determined. And to prove that you can do it, I think that the Hispanic piece certainly can be looked upon as a plus or a minus. I very much see it as an opportunity, and I’m very proud of being Hispanic.

Both of my parents are Mexican, and my grandmother, who was monolingual Spanish and had a third-grade education, didn’t speak a word of English except “thank you.” And I do remember her, she knew how to say “thank you.”

It says a lot about what public schools can do to open doors for children of color, and that’s why I’m such a believer in the public school system, because I am a product of the public schools.

And so certainly, it’s been a very challenging experience but one I feel proud of. So it’s been hard, but I always held out the hope and faith that people would recognize that it’s not just about being a really good superintendent who is Hispanic or a woman, but someone who happens to be a really good superintendent.

WHAT ABOUT RACE?

ADVOCATE: How much damage have the ongoing racial problems caused the school district in terms of image and/or performance?

GONZALEZ: I’m angry at them for that, because I think they have damaged our City. I think they have damaged our school district in terms of how other people see us.

It’s difficult for people to make the distinction between what happens at the school board meetings and what happens in the day-to-day operations of a school system this size.

The fact of the matter is that every day 155,000 of our children walk though the schoolhouse doors and get a very good education, and somehow that gets lost with all of what we see on TV.

So I’m irritated that they would do that, as the rest of the City of Dallas should be. And those folks could care less about educational issues. They are interested in the political agendas, and anybody with an ounce of brain knows that’s the case.

ADVOCATE: What kind of affect, if any, do you notice in the classroom – a fallout of what we see on the news?

GONZALEZ: It’s really interesting that you say that because one of my most satisfying days after I was appointed, and I basically talked to the students and talked to the teachers and basically told them they could do anything they want to do but they have to work hard and care about giving back.

And I got letters from kids who said: “You know that, Dr. Gonzalez? We’re proud of you. We don’t care that you’re Hispanic. We don’t care, we’re proud of you.”

They seem to have taken a position that was very adult in terms of the whole race issue, because to them, it wasn’t an issue. And then, of course, you had students standing up at the school board meeting, students standing up telling the board members and other audience members, “ya’ll need to get your act together,” which I thought was absolutely amazing.

So the kids have been great. The kids have done fine.

One of my biggest concerns, I immediately went to the district superintendents when some of this started happening, and asked them: “Is this causing a problem at school?”

Without question, they all came to me and said: “No, the kids are fine. The kids are alright. Don’t be concerned.”

So the kids are doing just great with it.

ADVOCATE: Do you know of any other school districts in the country that are having the type of school board protests over racial issues that we have here in Dallas?

GONZALEZ: I don’t think that there is a school district in this county that doesn’t have issues in terms of board politics. And I think race relations are an issue that is a national issue. So I don’t think they’re specific to Dallas.

Now, some of the tactics that are being used here in Dallas by specific groups I think are outrageous, and I think that’s what’s made the news, and that’s what has put us in a negative light because of some of the tactics.

But every school system, and actually ever entity in this country, is grappling with race relations right now.

ADVOCATE: Given that some of these guys have more of a personal agenda than an educational agenda, what’s it going to take to end that type of behavior?

GONZALEZ: Well, I think that the board coming up with some very specific rules of engagement and protocol at a board meeting was a really good step. And then, I think enforcement obviously needs to take place. And we shall see how that goes.

But I don’t think you can conduct any business if you don’t have protocol and decorum in order. And I think the general public expects that.

They deserve it, and it’s up to us to make sure they get it.

ADVOCATE: How effectively do you think the media is portraying what the school board/schools are doing in terms of education versus what the protesters are saying about it?

GONZALEZ: I think the media understands. I just think that it’s really not about them being able to ascertain or distinguish between agendas, it’s just about selling time and selling newspapers, and so certainly, that’s much more attention-getting.

But you know, I’ve found the media to be very helpful. Occasionally, they overdo some of what goes on by playing it over and over and over, some of the confrontations that have gone on.

I respect what they have to do, but I have also seen the reaction to the mere presence of media, and I think that also has contributed – the fact that both the militants and the protesters and sometimes community members act differently when TV cameras are rolling.

I’ve seen that with my own eyes, so I think there is a climate that sometimes occurs when media is present that, if there weren’t TV cameras, then it might take a different turn.

ADVOCATE: How does it feel to be kind of a personal lightning rod? Ever since you started, you’ve been on TV, in the newspapers. Generally someone seems to be complaining about something you’ve done.

GONZALEZ: Well, I’ll tell you what: I don’t like it, and the fact of the matter is that I have been dealing with this and putting up with this for a year, and I know that others have had to put up with other things for time less than that.

Yes, it’s been a year of nothing but personal attacks. It is unpleasant. I don’t like it, and I do think that at some point, other people other than me need to start being a little more clear about that.

I think that it isn’t really just that it’s a personal attack on Yvonne Gonzalez, although that’s become a lot of it. I think that there is a certain respect that the office of the general superintendent deserves, and I have not gotten it in the same way my predecessors have gotten it. And that really disturbs me, because I have not been disrespectful in return.

One of the things that they have said repeatedly, and they try to make a case out of it is that I have not met with them. Well, that’s not true. Not only have I met with them on several occasions – then they have amnesia within eight hours and forget that we even had a meeting – but I’ve set up meetings that they don’t show.

So I’m through with some of that. There’s going to have to be some respect shown before I will also sit down in that situation, because I think some of their actions have been, to me, deplorable.

ADVOCATE: How gut-wrenching is that? Most of us will never be in your position where we’re the target of that kind of personal attack all the time. It’s hard to know, on a personal level, how that feels. Is it the kind of thing that you can go home and go to sleep and just forget the whole thing?

GONZALEZ: I don’t know. I don’t know how to describe that.

I mean, certainly there are times when I’ve had it, and I can feel it physically. I get angry. But most of the time what I do is work through it intellectually and realize that you’re talking about a handful of people, who from my estimation, do not represent the overwhelming majority of the African-American community, most of whom have been gracious to me, have been supportive of me. And frankly, I think some members of the African-American community are embarrassed by some of the antics.

I know that some of them have come up to me on many occasions and so much have said that. So I try to keep that in perspective. You’re only talking about a handful of vocal malcontents who again are using this school system as a political tool, and they don’t mean anything to me, so I try and look at it in terms of during the time that that is occurring, certainly it’s not comfortable, and my nature is one to stand up anyway.

So basically, when it’s over, no I don’t agonize over it too much.

ADVOCATE: Because of all that’s been going on, it seems like one of the good businesses to be in these days is operating a private school. It seems like across the board, across races, a lot of people are interested in researching private schools who maybe weren’t 10 years ago. What do you think Dallas Public Schools has to offer as compared with a private school when a parent is sitting down trying to make that decision?

GONZALEZ: Well, I think we have a much stronger curriculum, a more varied curriculum, than any private school is going to have, maybe some exceptions in terms of the private school.

I think that we have a myriad of programs, support systems, wonderful teachers. I just think when you look at the whole district, we can offer anything to just about anybody who wants it.

I think the issue that comes close to home for parents probably more than anything else would probably be the discipline, to go back to the safe schools. I think more than anything that probably drives parents away from the public schools.

For the most part, it’s not factual; I mean, in some cases it might be, but I am just a strong believer in the public schools. I think that that is a cross-section of America. Those are the folks you’re going to sit down and work with.

And that is, to me, the strongest institution in this country, and what are we saying when we’ve abandoned everything else, and you’ve got the public school system, you have the religious institutions – our churches – basically holding together the fabric of this country, and everything else to me seem to be falling by the wayside.

I just believe 100 percent in the public school system.

ADVOCATE: I’m sure you’ve heard a lot of talk about the voucher system and some of the charter schools starting up. Both of these sort of pull either money or students away from public schools. Any thoughts on either of those two issues?

GONZALEZ: Well, obviously, I’m not for any kind of voucher system that’s going to take public school children into private schools.

I am supportive of our charter schools, which is our capacity to come up with schools of choice within the school district, and I’m fine with that. If parents want schools that they can craft alongside other folks to make sure that quality educational programs are in place, I’m fine.

I am just not for us basically taking more of our students, of any of our quality students, and sending them across the way to a mom and pop front store private school that we’re basically funding.

ADVOCATE: If you had the opportunity to talk to a parent who is ready to put their child in a public school or a private school, and money wasn’t an object – either they could afford to do it or they were getting a scholarship – what would you say to them to help them make the decision?

GONZALEZ: What I just said.

And I think I would probably invite them to go walk in our elementary schools and really see for themselves.

What happens is parents listen to reports from other people or the media, and they haven’t been in our schools.

We have the most wonderful elementary schools you will find anywhere, so I would really encourage them to do that. And actually, I have this conversation with them periodically.

ADVOCATE: How many hours a week do you usually end up working, and what kind of hours do you usually put in a day?

GONZALEZ: It is ungodly. I will tell you that, in fact, even my own staff members are amazed, and it does take a lot of stamina.

I usually run a 16-hour day Monday through Friday. Saturdays, I sometimes have meetings, and occasionally, Sundays.

I don’t know, I added it up one time. And I think the other thing that surprises people is I’m averaging about 3,000 to 4,000 people I interact with every month in either one-to-one meetings like this or groups or speeches.

ADVOCATE: So I guess I shouldn’t count on you recognizing me at the grocery store.

GONZALEZ: (Laughs) So I think it’s probably – that’s the norm.

ADVOCATE: What was your biggest surprise after taking the job? Something you didn’t expect.

GONZALEZ: Something I didn’t expect? Good question. I guess on the plus side, I didn’t expect the corporate community to be so supportive. I never expected the business community to come and to really embrace this administration and say: “What can we do to help?”

I think, on the down side, I did not expect the intensity of the personal attacks from the militants, but certainly no one can surely expect that.

ADVOCATE: What are some of your hobbies? What do you like to do when you’re not dealing with the Dallas Public Schools, if there is time?

GONZALEZ: For the little time I have, I will tell you – and this is really kind of funny – a few people tease me about this. The things I like to do are kind of daredevil things. In fact, they saw me the other day handling boa constrictors. You know I volunteered for it, I thought it was fine.

I para-sail and whitewater raft, snorkel and read – and I like to get on the serious carnival rides.

And they say all those things prepare you to be superintendent of schools, so maybe so. (Laughs).

ADVOCATE: Just for the record, what part of town do you live in?

GONZALEZ: I live right close to Dan D. Rogers Elementary School (at Abrams and Lovers Lane).

ADVOCATE: And you’re married, right?

GONZALEZ: I am married to a very wonderful, supportive husband who has been, poor dear, under attack for being a white male.

And he has been wonderful. He is a native Virginian, and he has basically been supportive of me and my career and transferred with me, actually for me, to my different job opportunities.

He is a security investigator and is an accountant also, and a psychologist.

ADVOCATE: What does he have to say about the licking you take?

GONZALEZ: It does bother him. It’s very difficult for him. I have to beg him not to attend the board meetings. My worst fear is that he’s going to go up and punch someone in the nose, and I’ll make the headlines.

It’s very difficult for him because he obviously sees me as his wife, and it’s something he’s really had to battle. And so we just have an agreement that there are things I just don’t tell him, I don’t share with him, and the agreement is he doesn’t go to any situations where it could get really confrontational because, you know, the old saying – he would expect to defend my honor – and then it would be all over. (Laughs)

ADVOCATE: Do you guys have any kids?

GONZALEZ: We don’t. People ask me, and I say: NO, just the 155,000 I take care of every day.

ADVOCATE: Anything else you’d like to say, anything you’d like to talk about or mention here that we didn’t ask you about?

GONZALEZ: I am really very grateful to Dallasites for their support of me every day. In fact, I’ve been mortified a couple of times: I went to the grocery store with no makeup and thinking nobody would know me in cut-offs. Or they’ll stop me in a restaurant, or they’ll stop me on the street and say: We’re behind you, we support you, you’re doing a wonderful job. It’s those kind of comments that keep me going.

So I just want to say “thank you.” When it gets really bad, and I want to go punch someone in the nose, I think about those folks that I represent.

They do not realize the impact of their words on me, because it really does give me strength, and I just want to thank them.