What is your motivation to become a school board member?
For a large part of my life, I kind of spun in circles, never knowing where I fit, how I fit, and where my skills fit into the world. The only thing I knew for sure through all of it is that I want to be in Public Service.
Only one teacher throughout all of my public education (I only ever attended public schools, FYI) took an interest in recognizing my strengths and trying to foster them - he was/is a government teacher. It made me want to (basically) force my mom to register to vote for the first time, and then I took her to the polls to vote. And from there, understanding how our government functioned, understanding how various people interacted with our government, drove a curiosity that, to this day, still exists.
If I am elected to be a School Board Trustee, I truly, truly, truly want to collaborate on ways to take what works from our current educational model and work to improve it using data, common sense, logic, and kindness. Nothing in life is perfect, which means we always should be looking inward to better understand how we can improve ourselves and the outcomes of our decisions.
When something grows too quickly, which is what's happening in Hays County, it's easy to lose sight of priorities - because new priorities get in the way and it can become distracting.
The ideal approach to growth is to fix what needs fixing before you add on top of a system that already has significant flaws. My kids will be in Hays CISD for the next 13-15 years, and I want to collaborate with those in my district to make Hays CISD the best place for ALL of our kids and teachers.
If there's one thing to know about me, and it took me a while to realize, it's that I am my best self when I'm at the service of others.
What qualities will enable you to be an effective school board member?
For the last five years of my life, I’ve worked as a consultant - being hired by companies who see a need for change but don’t actually know how to change. A consultant is seen as a fresh set of eyes who comes in with no affiliations, no ties to the politics of business, and no baggage. I’m merely an objective observer whose responsibility is to learn as much as possible about the subject to then collaborate with the team to create a solution that works for everyone.
I absolutely love the challenges that come with doing what I do. No two problems are the same. No two people are the same.
The dynamics of the School Board, to me, are nearly the same as the dynamics of my line of work. Every single person has the ability to see differently, hear differently, think differently, feel differently - and I have to piece together this puzzle in order to be successful. The skills that allow me to be good at what I do are the same skills that would allow me to be a great addition to the School Board. My job requires me to not hold back from saying the unpopular thing. That is what our School Board needs.
What are currently the greatest challenges facing Hays CISD?
- A lack of listening
- A lack of balance
- A lack of concern for the lack of listening
- A lack of concern for the lack of balance
- A lack of concern about the perception of the board
- A lack of accountability
- A lack of mental health support - for students and teachers (both as a teacher and for themselves, personally).
- Bullying and how it affects the development of our kids at a stage of their lives when the majority of their development takes place - which negatively affects one's own perception of themselves.
- Teaching a curriculum that is similar to what I was taught nearly 30 years ago.
Charter Schools - They mostly are paid for by taxpayers, which takes away money from our public school systems. These schools handpick the students they want and often leave out kids who don't have the means or the background of the culture that has formed within these charter schools. Charter schools can be expensive and political in nature, as to whether or not you get in. They are not held accountable as they function as businesses - CEOs flying around in private jets. These schools take in so much money on a yearly basis and rarely put any of it back into the community in which it exists.
Teacher shortages. Teachers who don't want to come work for Hays CISD due to middling compensation packages. Teachers who are overwhelmed and feel like they aren't getting the required support they need to be successful. Health Insurance for teachers is less expensive, so teacher paychecks (which are state average, but not great) aren't ransacked by the high cost of insurance.
An unwillingness to rock the boat and to push back against institutionalized/antiquated behaviors and government overreach. The racism and bigotry that already exists in our culture are being fueled locally by discriminatory practices by the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General.
There is more I can say, so please reach out if you have any questions or would like to know where I stand on certain issues.
What are the greatest challenges facing public education in Texas?
Too many of our local districts are a reflection of statewide practices. So, I hate to be repetitive, but I am going to repeat myself.
- A lack of listening
- A lack of balance
- A lack of concern for the lack of listening
- A lack of concern for the lack of balance
- A lack of concern about the perception of the board
- A lack of accountability
- A lack of mental health support - for students and teachers (both as a teacher and for themselves, personally).
- Bullying and how it affects the development of our kids at a stage of their lives when the majority of their development takes place - which negatively affects one's own perception of themselves.
- Teaching a curriculum that is similar to what I was taught nearly 30 years ago.
CTE programs that don't go far enough to help our kids establish higher levels of confidence in their abilities to do what interests them the most. Think of how our kids engage with sports. As parents, when our kids develop a higher level of interest in one thing over another, we often ditch the thing that doesn't stimulate their minds; and more often than not, our abilities dictate our levels of interest.
Teacher shortages across the state. Teachers who are overwhelmed and feel like they aren't getting the required support they need to be successful. Health Insurance for teachers that is less expensive, so teacher paychecks (which are state average, but not great) aren't ransacked by the high cost of insurance.
An unwillingness to rock the boat and to push back against institutionalized/antiquated behaviors and government overreach. The racism and bigotry that already exists in our culture is being fueled by discriminatory practices by the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General.
There is more I can say, so please reach out if you have any questions or would like to know where I stand on certain issues.
What are your ideas to improve the future of Hays CISD? How would they help our students?
If I am graced with the opportunity to represent District 5 as a School Board Trustee, the improvement of our district, for someone in my role, is to set up pathways of communication between myself and those in my district. Trustees need to be actively listening to the community in order to represent all voices + perspectives.
I can tell you until I'm blue in the face about my perspective or ideas for what Hays CISD needs. But if it turns out in specific cases that my perspectives and ideas aren't shared by members of my district, it will be my responsibility to hear them.
I'm not running for the school board to represent my own interests. I'm there to represent the interests of those who feel like they don't have a voice - those who are underserved, underrepresented, or "marginalized."
I will work relentlessly to represent the people of District 5 - fighting to ensure that all ideas, needs or concerns from our students, parents, and teachers have a platform to be heard.
I will conduct a full audit of the district's Mental Health practices so we can take what works and shed what doesn't to ultimately come up with policies and procedures that work for those who need it most. I will advocate for bringing in more Mental Health experts to provide consultation as we work to develop a more comprehensive approach to Mental Health.
I will look for ways to compensate Hays CISD teachers who are forced to complete the 60-hour Reading Academies that are state-mandated. Personal time for our teachers should remain personal. And if we, as a state or a district, are asking our teachers to commit their personal time, they should be rewarded for their commitment to our students.
I will work to create better compensation packages for our teachers, looking at districts that have the least amount of teacher turnover so we can better understand how Hays CISD can create a model that has proven to be successful.
I will work to get our teachers better Health Insurance packages that cost less and cover more. The personal cost of insurance should not be eating into such large percentages of teacher paychecks. In the end, if our teachers aren't able to teach for health-related reasons because our offerings are subpar or too expensive, then we need to do more to support our teachers and their families. This includes mental health resources to support the people who are the teachers.
I will work to make sure that district growth will not continue to leave kids behind. We should not have different standards of achievement for schools in Hays CISD. Whether the schools are East or West, near or far, all Hays CISD should have the same educational opportunities no matter where they live.
How much do you think vaccines, masks and other health and safety measures have contributed to the decline of COVID-19 in our community? What is your position on maintaining these measures and vigilance about COVID going forward?
Despite the politicization of COVID, vaccines, masks, kindness for others who don't agree with me, you, or the next person, we would not be where we are today with COVID if not for masks, vaccines, and education around the importance of masks and vaccines.
Please explain your stance on book bans happening in public schools across Texas.
I think the people who want to ban books want to pretend like certain parts of humanity and culture did not or do not exist. I think banning books is just another attempt at firing up the base in an effort to do god knows what anymore. Book bans are ridiculous but unfortunately, it's going to be an issue that will require a fight.
Look, even if we were to erase parts of our history by banning books in our schools, it's not like those books will disappear from the internet or libraries in other parts of the world. Kids will find the information, whether or not you like it. It is important for our kids to learn all sides of history - so they can ask questions, so they can have discourse around it.
Kids today are so much smarter and emotionally advanced than I was forever ago (I'm almost 40), and we need to embrace the curiosity that drives them.
If our state government can decide to remove from the record certain books or inconvenient parts of history and we comply, what's next? Where does it stop?
Describe how you will make sure diverse voices from the LGBTQIA+, economically disadvantaged, and culturally diverse communities will be heard and supported in the district?
Our Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General already have shown their cards when it comes to supporting of kids who are economically disadvantaged, have special needs, the LGBTQIA+ community, and the parents that support those kids (think gender-affirming care).
What's happening at the capital needs to stay out of Hays CISD and we should have a School Board that is willing to fight against those discriminatory practices. The powers that be in our state government have gone out of their way to politicize these issues, which has created an echo chamber of hate that is deafening on a local level.
The Hays CISD School Board should be protecting those who need the most protection - protection from the discriminatory practices that have been/are being formulated in the Capital. Our School Board took a back seat when it came to even having a vote on a mask mandate due to legal pressure from the Capital, which is why I have concerns moving forward.
No single ideology represents all people, and the future is about to bring us some very complex topics that cannot be represented by a School Board that all believes the same thing. School Board decisions should not be political, and politics should not be negatively affecting our kids.
Our kids deserve better, which is why I vow to you that every child in Hays CISD is supported in whichever ways they need support. It doesn't matter who you are, what you look like, who you love, where you live, how much money you make - I will fight for you.
As a school board member, how will you counteract the rhetoric of the far-right to sow fear and division surrounding the teaching of history in our schools?
I think the people who want to ban books want to pretend like certain parts of humanity and culture did not or do not exist. Our state government is an abomination and I think banning books is just another attempt at firing up the base in an effort to do God knows what anymore. Book bans are ridiculous but unfortunately, it's going to be an issue that will require a fight.
We can't pick and choose in life. What happens ... happens. Better yet, what happened ... happened. At some point and time, our kids are going to figure out that we left out a HUGE part of the story.
OK, let's try this ... when my kids were really young and I was tired, sometimes I'd skip a page or two of the book. But there came a day when they realized that part of the story was missing, and it happened because my wife bought a second copy. More information was available to them. My kids needed to know that Santa did indeed land on the roof, that he didn't just appear next to the milk & cookies.
Look, even if we were to erase parts of our history in our schools, it's not like those same parts of history are going to disappear from the internet or books around the world. Kids will find the information, whether or not you like it. It is important for our kids to learn all sides of history - so they can ask questions, so they can have discourse around it.
Kids today are so much smarter and emotionally advanced than I was forever ago), and we need to embrace the curiosity that drives them.
If our state government can decide to remove from the record certain books or inconvenient parts of history and we comply, what's next? Where does it stop?
Additionally, as a board member, I will not tolerate this kind of behavior and/or rhetoric to take over school board meetings. The loudest voice will not win if I am a School Board Trustee, I can make you that promise.
If elected, how will you work to address disparities in our communities and areas that the district serves?
If I am graced with the opportunity to represent District 5 as a School Board Trustee, the improvement of our district, for someone in my role, is to set up pathways of communication between myself and those in my district. Trustees need to be actively listening to the community in order to represent all voices + perspectives.
I'm not running for school board to represent my own interests. I'm there to represent the interests of those who feel like they don't have a voice - those who are underserved, underrepresented or "marginalized."
If I am voted to the board, I will advocate for proper redistricting. Our district should not be split down the middle - as in East of 35/West of 35. On the surface, it looks like the "marginalized" students all are in the same place ... and this problem is something we should look to fix before Hays CISD explodes with more and more new students moving into the district.
That is one example.
I will advocate for making a bigger commitment to CTE programs so our teachers can have the time needed with each kid to identify their strengths and play into those strengths so our kids can develop higher levels of confidence in their own abilities. Self confidence plays such a huge role in the development of our kids - making them more effective students. Every student in our district should have access to the same opportunities, and I think the expansion of these programs will get us on the right track to creating a level playing field for all.
Any other comments:
I am running to represent every child, parent, and teacher in the district — their voices, their perspectives, and their needs. Your voice will not need to be the loudest in the room for me to hear you. I will be there, and I will listen.
One of the greatest abilities you can have is availability, and that is what I'll give you.
