let's have a great -- [applause] >> michael hinojosa is a hard act to follow. hand. [applause] >> entertaining, but he speaks the truth. what he's telling you is the truth. i hope you all wrote that down, because it is the truth. and it's really appropriate that this next session on critical issues facing urban superintendents comes right after michael's discussion about equity, which is one of those issues. so as you, you know, get -- i see some people getting a drink or something, i'm going to ask our panelists for this last panel to come up and join me at the podium. so that's alton. where are you, alton? he stepped out, okay. donna harris akins. donna? the panel not here? no? thomas parker? [applause] >> thomas parker! thomas parker is superintendent in allentown school district in pennsylvania since 2017. right before that, he was superintendent in michigan. and before that -- no, actually during that, he was a member of the urban superintendents cohort. so he was superintendent in michigan, left there and went to allentown. let's give him a hand. [applaus

. >> next, remarks by michael hiddnojos hinojosa. he gave a speech for the superintendents. superintendents. [applaus [applause] >> thank you, dwight. and you're not going to get off the hook. i'll be back to you in a minute. first of all, congratulations for being selected to be part of this premier organization and this activity that you're going to go through. i've been a member of aasa since 19-- . [laughter] >> '94, and proud of it. aasa is a great organization and it's done a great job for public education and they are our champions. first of all, thank you aasa for your work. howard university, thanks stepping up because being-- stepping up and stepping into these tough shoes as an urban superintendent is a different paradigm than any other job there is so there needs to be specialized training that occurs there. for the urban superintendents academy, you're going to be in the urban superintendent academy, that's yeoman's work. you're doing the lord's work. it's very difficult, but it's very rewarding, but, let me remind you this, some people want to be superintendent