Why are you running to be a trustee for the HCISD School Board?
Our district is facing important decisions around growth, funding, safety, and academic success, and I believe our students and families deserve leadership that is thoughtful, transparent, experienced, and focused on kids. I’m running because I’m rooted in this community, I have the experience, I care about our kids, and I believe Hays CISD needs steady, student-focused leadership. This is about service, trust, and helping our district make strong decisions for the future.
What is your experience volunteering with or supporting the school district?
I have served on a PTA Board position for over 8 years. I served on the Hays SHAC (School Health Advisory Council) for over 4 years. I have served on the Hays FBOC (Facilities & Bond Oversight Committee) for over 5 years. But I have supported the district my whole life. I was born and raised here. For generations, my family has attended Hays CISD. This is part of the foundation of my passion for serving this district.
With the state not providing adequate funding for public schools and the Tax Rate Election in November 2025 failing, Hays CISD may face cuts to programs and staff. How would you work to ensure the district continues delivering high-quality education while maintaining a strong accountability rating?
With major financial pressure after the failed tax rate election and the district’s adopted budget reductions, we still have a responsibility to maintain strong academic outcomes and accountability. That means protecting teachers, student support, safety, and core instruction, using data to guide decisions instead of making across-the-board cuts, and being transparent with the community every step of the way. My goal would be simple, keep Hays CISD academically strong, financially responsible, and fully focused on students.
Hays CISD currently partners with the Hays County Sheriff’s Office to provide School Resource Officers (SROs), but state law now requires armed security at every campus. With officer shortages making this challenging, how would you work to ensure compliance, and would you support the district creating its own police department?
Yes, we must comply with the law, and we also must be realistic about staffing shortages. My priority would be making sure every Hays CISD campus has a clear safety plan, strengthening our partnership with the Hays County Sheriff’s Office, and using every lawful option available to close coverage gaps. I will also support a transparent review of a district police department if that proves to be the most reliable long-term solution for keeping every campus safe.
In 2025, the Texas Legislature passed SB13, giving parents more oversight of school library materials. Since then, groups like Moms for Liberty have shown up to meetings, raising concerns about certain books and labeling some content as inappropriate. How would you ensure that this review process is used responsibly and does not lead to the removal of books that present diverse perspectives or differing viewpoints?
SB 13 gives parents more oversight, and I support that. Parents should be able to see what is in the library, raise concerns, and decide what is appropriate for their own child. But I do not believe the process should be used to remove books simply because a group disagrees with a perspective or topic. TEA’s guidance makes clear that districts must use a formal review process, and I believe that process should be transparent, consistent, and grounded in professional standards, not politics. Hays CISD already posts challenged resources and review statuses publicly, and I would support that kind of openness.
In early 2026, Hays CISD students protested perceived injustices affecting immigrants and citizens by walking off campus during school hours. The district initially allowed protests but later restricted them after threats from the TEA, the Attorney General, and the Governor. As a trustee, how would you ensure future protests are handled responsibly, balancing student safety with the right to express themselves?
Students absolutely have a voice, but as a trustee my first responsibility is safety and learning. My answer is not to silence students. My answer is to create safe, lawful ways for them to be heard. Before or after school, on campus during non-instructional time, and through structured student forums and civic engagement opportunities. Students should be heard, but they should not have to put themselves in danger to do it.
With Comprehensive High School No. 4 opening in Fall 2029, Hays CISD is planning a major rezoning in 2028; how will you ensure the process is fair, equitable, and considers the district’s diverse population, especially now that the zoning committee process has been discontinued and staff will create proposals for board approval?
Rezoning must be transparent, data-driven, and fair to families across the district. Hays CISD already says attendance zones should protect the neighborhood school concept, reduce overcrowding, allow for growth, shorten travel distances, and minimize transportation burdens. Those are exactly the standards I would expect the board to apply publicly to every proposal. I would push for a strong public process with multiple draft maps, public meetings, online tools, and clear explanations for every proposed change. And I would make sure the board looks not just at enrollment numbers, but also at feeder patterns, travel time, student stability, and the impact on working families. That is how you make rezoning fair, equitable, and worthy of public trust.
Anyone living in the Hays CISD assignment area can vote for At-Large candidates.
Hays County uses vote centers, meaning Hays County voters may cast ballots at any vote center in the county during the times the vote centers are operating.
