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Below are questions for the Branch Herald’s Voters Guide for the May 3 election for three seats on the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District (CFBISD) Board of Trustees.
1. Length of residency in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch (CFB) School District: 7 years
2. Why do you want to be a trustee for the CFBISD? As a parent to a 1st grader and another child starting PreK in the fall, I am deeply invested in the future of our schools. We relocated here in 2018 to start a family and choose Carrollton due to the affordable cost of quality education. Public education is vital to the health and wellbeing of every City. I want to help ensure that all students, regardless of background, have access to opportunities and resources.
3. How many CFBISD meetings have you attended or watched online in the last year? Attended two and watched several including hours of archive for context and information.
4. What other civic responsibilities have you undertaken? We are active members of a local church.
5. How has current CFBISD leadership influenced your decision to run for CFB Board of Trustees? We had a front row seat to the incredible mismanagement of the consolidation proposal. In recent years we’ve also seen CFBISD leadership severely mishandle crisis management resulting in permanent stains on our community. We deserve better. There are some extremely talented and amazing people at CFBISD, and we need to provide an environment where they can thrive.
6. What makes you the most qualified candidate in your race and why? I’m dedicated to the students, teachers, and staff. The state is accelerating an agenda that has serious implications for the future of public education. This is an opportunity for CFB to differentiate from neighboring districts. We need decisive Trustees willing to challenge and follow through.
7. As a school board member, what action, if any, would you take to adequately fund our schools? My commitment is to bring a fresh perspective and fiscal responsibility to the board, ensuring that every dollar spent directly benefits the education and well-being of our students.
8. As a school board trustee, once the school board votes to approve an action or policy, what do you believe is your responsibility to that policy or action? What is your responsibility if you did not support that policy or action? A trustee’s responsibility is before the vote when a policy or proposal is presented. Economic awareness and market knowledge are keys to challenge what requires scrutiny and support what requires guidance. It is a trustee’s responsibility to gather all necessary information before the vote and be able to accurately communicate the policy directive or action after the vote.
9. In the development of a school district budget, what goals and objectives would guide your decision making? How can we best provide a safe clean environment for students to be engaged and set up for future success.
10. Describe how you would provide quality education for a diverse student population: i.e. the gifted and talented, the average students, the special needs students, the physically challenge, English language learners and cultural differences? CFBISD has many incredible departments. We need to cultivate and market those through community engagement.
11. How important are fine arts and extra-curricular activities such as athletics to an overall education? How should they be funded? Extremely important! Competitive stimulation of the brain is essential to social and intellectual development. The reality is we need to find supplemental funding via sponsorship programs and grants.
12. What is your view on charter schools What role should the local school board play in approving charter schools? The current and proposed financial models from the state create a competitive relationship between public and charter schools rather than complimentary. We must be careful as a district to ensure we are promoting education availability to everyone.
13. What is your position on vouchers? Please explain. I am adamantly against vouchers. We have school choice in CFB through open enrollment. We should study the programs that are drawing students to better position our strategic growth.
14. What is the most important role of the superintendent? To provide dynamic leadership that drives academic excellence, operational efficiency and community engagement. Teacher & staff development along with budget & resource management are keys to academic excellence.
15. Are you educating or did you educate your child in public school, private school or homeschool? We have a 1st grader with an uncertain future school. There are many parents, like us, who are discouraged by the mishandling of the District’s Consolidation Plan. The impact on community relations is an all-time low market confidence. We have zero assurances in the schools or programs forced on us and no guarantees at whatever the next school is. In fact, there is a good chance we are in this exact situation again soon. It’s heartbreaking to explain to your kids. Their friends and teachers will all be at different schools.
Our area is an early childcare desert with very limited options compared to neighboring communities. The Board has discussed this numerous times and displayed a shocking lack of market knowledge.
16. What security measures do you support to keep students and teachers safe from attacks by other students?Education is a great deterrent. Educate families on available programs to best accommodate their needs. Educate teachers and staff so they feel safe and confident. That’s an oversimplification, but proper leadership prioritizes talent management and retention by recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers and staff while promoting professional development. Strong leadership yields a strong staff and a safe environment for everyone.
