UPDATE: Partial success with the Kinders, who really need to do more, while HSPVA Friends should step aside.
Maybe we should change our name from Kindergiveitback, to KinderMakeItReal!
If you are just arriving at our website and would like to know more about the change of HSPVA’s name to Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, please read the Welcome page first.
As our supporters know by now, our appeal to the Kinders met with partial success. On April 18, 2017, we delivered the appeal to the Kinders, along with seven pages of thoughtful and respectful comments made by signers of the appeal on Change.org. At that time there were over 650 signatures and 35 pages of commentary from these engaged alumni and other school community members. The appeal and its signers sincerely thank the Kinders for supporting HSPVA and for the substantial contribution they are making to the new school building, upgrading the theaters with state of the art equipment and other improvements.
On April 21, 2017, without referencing our appeal, Richard Kinder wrote to the superintendent of HISD to tell him that the Kinder Foundation would release HISD from the naming provisions of the contract’s Article 7, but promising the Foundation would still pay the $7.5 million. He said the name was not their primary reason for giving the money.
Maybe we should change our name from Kindergiveitback, to KinderMakeItReal!
If you are just arriving at our website and would like to know more about the change of HSPVA’s name to Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, please read the Welcome page first.
As our supporters know by now, our appeal to the Kinders met with partial success. On April 18, 2017, we delivered the appeal to the Kinders, along with seven pages of thoughtful and respectful comments made by signers of the appeal on Change.org. At that time there were over 650 signatures and 35 pages of commentary from these engaged alumni and other school community members. The appeal and its signers sincerely thank the Kinders for supporting HSPVA and for the substantial contribution they are making to the new school building, upgrading the theaters with state of the art equipment and other improvements.
On April 21, 2017, without referencing our appeal, Richard Kinder wrote to the superintendent of HISD to tell him that the Kinder Foundation would release HISD from the naming provisions of the contract’s Article 7, but promising the Foundation would still pay the $7.5 million. He said the name was not their primary reason for giving the money.
| kinder_letter_with_carranza_cover_letter.pdf |
At the same time, HSPVA Friends delivered a letter to Kindergiveitback.org, calling us uninformed and not reflective of HSPVA’s values. They concluded by promising to work at HISD to make sure the name Kinder is attached to the school. Speaking as though they represent every person in the school community they said, “HSPVA is honored to be associated with the Kinder name.” There are now over 1,100 signatures on the appeal, attesting that HSPVA Friends does not speak for the entire community.
| kinderhspva_petitionresponse_042317-2_friends_letter.pdf |
We were initially very encouraged by Richard Kinder's letter. It showed a promising willingness to part with the prize, the school's name. However, it deliberately creates yet another unpalatable, all-or-nothing choice for the HISD trustees. Either accept the release and give us no recognition at all, or leave the deal as is, in which case we get our name on the school. You’ve heard of an offer you can’t refuse? This seems to be an offer meant to be refused.
HSPVA Friends’ simultaneous letter saying they will fight to keep the Kinder name on the school is Exhibit A in the evidence that the Kinders appear to be insincere. With the naming rights money, Kinder becomes their largest donor by a factor of 150. We believe there is just no way Friends is opposing the release of the name without the permission and perhaps encouragement of the Kinders.
The Kinder Foundation's webpage about the school calls it Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. They do seem confident of their claim on the name.
Nancy and Richard Kinder could have followed that letter up with a real, constructive solution, such as offering the trustees a signed contract amendment, substituting the school name for a more proportional recognition for their 5% contribution to the construction cost, such as a theater name. To our knowledge, they have not.
It is difficult for us not to be seriously disappointed in Nancy and Richard Kinder now. It was not enough for them to claim for themselves this valuable and much loved school’s name, and use it to promote their brand, including their pipeline company, Kinder Morgan. Not enough that they told our school board, take it or leave it, and you have six days to decide, six days for the public to respond. Not enough that they demanded the full school name, permanently, for a contribution that adds only 5% to the construction cost of the new building.
It was not enough that future students will be burdened by the pipeline company’s name on their diploma as they audition at top schools in the northeast, where Kinder Morgan is cutting down old growth forest for its pipelines. The HSPVA diploma has always meant so much, and been so valuable to the alumni, decades after they graduate. New diplomas will say "Kinder," with a subtext of “SOLD OUT.”
It’s only pretend-helpful for Nancy and Richard Kinder to write their letter professing to give the name back, without any actionable follow-up. The HISD board cannot gracefully accept the offer. They would have to diss the Kinders and reverse themselves. That will only discourage any others from considering buying naming rights from the district (hopefully, after this, NOT for whole school names) and the trustees want to encourage these sales and private donations. As we said, it appears to be an offer that was meant to be refused. In our opinion, the letter may have been originally written from a better place, but after several months with no follow up, it now stands as a monument to just how cynical and disingenuous is the Kinder public relations machine.
The Kinders still have so much the power in this situation. If they sincerely offered a compromise solution, such as an alternate recognition, the school board would likely be happy to follow their lead, as would HSPVA Friends. As community leaders, we expect better from Nancy and Richard Kinder. We expect them to set a better precedent, and we expect true generosity from one of the largest philanthropic organizations in our city.
We do sincerely thank the Kinders for their support of HSPVA and for the substantial contribution to enhance the opening of the new school. But we challenge them: if as Richard Kinder says, "the name was not the primary reason for our gift," then give the name back to the community. Like, really, for real give it back, Richard.
As we've said before, just because you can do something, doesn't mean it's right to do it.
We'll keep going on radio and TV to tell what happened with the HSPVA name as often as we can. We'll keep gathering signatures on the appeal. Please sign it and share it if you have not already, and leave a polite comment for the Kinders. Also let us know your relationship to the school, the district, Houston, etc.
But for now, the whole thing, the takeover of the name with the high pressure take-it-or-leave-it tactics, the over-the-top contract granting the Kinders permanent naming rights to the identity of the school, and now the less than sincere release letter— it's all so distasteful.
Really, just plain tacky.
Kindergiveitback on KUHF News
HSPVA Friends’ simultaneous letter saying they will fight to keep the Kinder name on the school is Exhibit A in the evidence that the Kinders appear to be insincere. With the naming rights money, Kinder becomes their largest donor by a factor of 150. We believe there is just no way Friends is opposing the release of the name without the permission and perhaps encouragement of the Kinders.
The Kinder Foundation's webpage about the school calls it Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. They do seem confident of their claim on the name.
Nancy and Richard Kinder could have followed that letter up with a real, constructive solution, such as offering the trustees a signed contract amendment, substituting the school name for a more proportional recognition for their 5% contribution to the construction cost, such as a theater name. To our knowledge, they have not.
It is difficult for us not to be seriously disappointed in Nancy and Richard Kinder now. It was not enough for them to claim for themselves this valuable and much loved school’s name, and use it to promote their brand, including their pipeline company, Kinder Morgan. Not enough that they told our school board, take it or leave it, and you have six days to decide, six days for the public to respond. Not enough that they demanded the full school name, permanently, for a contribution that adds only 5% to the construction cost of the new building.
It was not enough that future students will be burdened by the pipeline company’s name on their diploma as they audition at top schools in the northeast, where Kinder Morgan is cutting down old growth forest for its pipelines. The HSPVA diploma has always meant so much, and been so valuable to the alumni, decades after they graduate. New diplomas will say "Kinder," with a subtext of “SOLD OUT.”
It’s only pretend-helpful for Nancy and Richard Kinder to write their letter professing to give the name back, without any actionable follow-up. The HISD board cannot gracefully accept the offer. They would have to diss the Kinders and reverse themselves. That will only discourage any others from considering buying naming rights from the district (hopefully, after this, NOT for whole school names) and the trustees want to encourage these sales and private donations. As we said, it appears to be an offer that was meant to be refused. In our opinion, the letter may have been originally written from a better place, but after several months with no follow up, it now stands as a monument to just how cynical and disingenuous is the Kinder public relations machine.
The Kinders still have so much the power in this situation. If they sincerely offered a compromise solution, such as an alternate recognition, the school board would likely be happy to follow their lead, as would HSPVA Friends. As community leaders, we expect better from Nancy and Richard Kinder. We expect them to set a better precedent, and we expect true generosity from one of the largest philanthropic organizations in our city.
We do sincerely thank the Kinders for their support of HSPVA and for the substantial contribution to enhance the opening of the new school. But we challenge them: if as Richard Kinder says, "the name was not the primary reason for our gift," then give the name back to the community. Like, really, for real give it back, Richard.
As we've said before, just because you can do something, doesn't mean it's right to do it.
We'll keep going on radio and TV to tell what happened with the HSPVA name as often as we can. We'll keep gathering signatures on the appeal. Please sign it and share it if you have not already, and leave a polite comment for the Kinders. Also let us know your relationship to the school, the district, Houston, etc.
But for now, the whole thing, the takeover of the name with the high pressure take-it-or-leave-it tactics, the over-the-top contract granting the Kinders permanent naming rights to the identity of the school, and now the less than sincere release letter— it's all so distasteful.
Really, just plain tacky.
Kindergiveitback on KUHF News
Kindergiveitback on KHOU News
Speak up! Video
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Whose Idea Was It? Video
It's Our School Student video
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| _hspva_friends_tax_return_ye_7-31-2016.pdf |
