What is Kids Voting USA – Brownsville?

What is Kids Voting USA – Brownsville?
Kids Voting USA-Brownsville (KVUSA-B) is an officially
recognized partnership between the University of Texas at
Brownsville’s (UTB) Center for Civic Engagement (CCE)
and all of the schools of Brownsville: public, private and
home schools. The collaboration is the only one of its kind in
the United States. KVUSA-B engages students and families
in voting and other civic activities.
Our Purpose
Brownsville is experiencing the diminution of civic engagement, which in turn has a negative
impact on the community and solidarity. Kids Voting USA-Brownsville intends to turn this
around by teaching youngsters, beginning at kindergarten and continuing on through High
School, the basics of responsible citizenship in a free society: know the issues: know the
candidates, vote, and hold the elected accountable. Kids Voting USA-Brownsville is unique
because it combines classroom learning with an authentic voting experience in all elections,
local, state and national.
Our Mission
Kids Voting USA-Brownsville fosters an informed, participating electorate by educating and
actively engaging students and their families in voting and other elements of effective civic
engagement. Kids Voting USA is working to secure the future of democracy by preparing young
people to be educated, engaged voters. Our participants will know the issues, know the
candidates, vote, and hold the elected accountable.
Kids Voting USA-Brownsville History
In the year 2000 national election cycle, Dr, Sandy McGehee, Education Editor at the
Brownsville Herald, brought the national program, Kids Voting USA (KVUSA) to a number of
BISD schools. The great success of Dr. McGehee enterprise prompted Armand Mathew, OMI,
then director of the UTB TSC Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) to begin the effort to bring
KVUSA to all the schools of Brownsville on a permanent basis.
In 2003, he submitted CCE’s application to become an official affiliate of KVUSA. The
application carried twelve letters of support that included UTB President Dr. Juliet Garcia, BISD
Superintendent, city leaders and many community leaders. The national office acknowledged
that it had never before received an application with such widespread and substantial community
support. The application was accepted and CCE thus became an official affiliate of KVUSA.
The CCE moved immediately to form a partnership with the Brownsville Independent School
District (BISD). Principally through the wise counsel and generous assistance of Ms. Mary Jo
Monfils, at that time the BISD Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, the
necessary intermediate steps were quickly completed, including getting the KVUSA academic
program aligned with the TEKS and TAKS objectives. Ms. Monfils then crafted a Memorandum
of Understanding between CCE and BISD. The memorandum was approved unanimously by the
BISD Board of Trustees and signed by officials of UTB, BISD, and CCE.
The private schools, including home schooling, soon joined the partnership. Thus, KVUSA-B
was born. CCE is the only affiliate of KVUSA that has a formal and official operating
agreement with all the schools of its community.
Letters of Support
In 2003, various community members representative of many organizations
endorsed the UTB and TSC Center for Civic Engagement’s efforts to bring Kids
Voting USA to Brownsville on a permanent basis, in partnership with BISD,
BANSA, and HOPE.
Dr. Juliet V. Garcia, President, UTB/TSC
Mayor Eddie Trevino, Jr., City of Brownsville, Texas
Cameron County Judge Gilberto Hinojosa
Rogelio Ortiz, Administrator, Cameron County Department of Elections and
Voter Registration
Daniel Cavazos, Publisher, The Brownsville Herald
Frank Field, President & CEO, Brownsville Chamber of Commerce
Raul A. Besteiro, Jr., Director and CEO, Port of Brownsville
Jason Hilts, President and CEO, Brownsville Economic Development Council
Sr. Marcella Ewers, DC, Superintendent of Schools, Catholic Diocese of
Brownsville
Dr. Michal E. Zolkoski, Superintendent of Schools, Brownsville Independent
School District
Dr. Roberto Robles, Medical Director, Heart Institute of Brownsville
Ms. Mary Rose Cardenas, Cardenas Development Company, Inc.
Kids Voting USA-Brownsville officially became an affiliate of the National
Kids Voting USA network in October 2003.
In November 2005, the Brownsville City Commission proclaimed the Thursday
before the first Monday in November Kids Voting USA/Brownsville Day.