Questionnaires were sent to all Place 4 and Place 6 Garland ISD Board of Trustees candidates. The questions, along with the Place 4 candidates’ responses, are below:
Bob Duckworth – Place 6 GISD board of trustees candidate
Why do you want to serve on the Garland ISD board of trustees?
I will strive to bring an added sense of openness and transparency to the district while providing leadership and direction to the superintendent. I will strive to make information and actions by Board representatives as meaningful and understandable to the public as possible. I have filed numerous Public Information Requests to obtain information that should be freely available in a “transparent,” public organization.
I want to lead the district to keep ALL members of the communities informed and provide information openly. If one has an interest in what is going on in the district they should be able to easily access information. If your tax dollars are used, you have every right to know the details.
I recently found that when you are looking at information on the district website, there is a possibility you may not be looking at the most current information and you should REFRESH before taking for granted the document you are viewing is the most current version. Hopefully they are working on that and will make an announcement in the future.
Summarize past experience that qualifies you for this position.
I have an extensive background/experience in dealing with financial matters from my 47 years in the financial industry.
My career included operational management, lending, documentation, understanding and following banking laws and regulations, policies, procedures, and most of all providing good customer service.
I am a father and grandfather who knows the challenges of raising and education children, and we cannot depend on the education systems to replace the values and personal skills that should be taught at home. Schools are for education, not child rearing. When most children begin public school, they have already learned many values and principals from parents and families, and the education system must deal with the values and principles that do not align with the public educational process.
Trustees and employees of the district must remember they work for every member of the three Garland ISD communities and provide the funding that pays the salaries of district employees.
What improvements do you most believe need to be made in GISD? How would you begin to make those improvements?
I believe we are in one of the toughest places in recent history as to the process of the education of the next generation. Between the local, state, and national leaders, the CDC and TEA, things are very confusing for the district and public. Which Order do we go by? In a recent board meeting, there was discussion on the confusion on wearing face mask and the difference in school criteria and Board Room criteria.
With COVID-19 and the virtual vs in-school learning, public education has become a new and different challenge that has placed both students and teachers in a stressful situation.
I believe the district should establish test classrooms for virtual learning only, classroom teaching only and a mixed virtual and in-class only and determine which is the best method and establish procedures that is best for all students. It should take no longer than a week to arrive at a conclusion.
The staff and trustees have discussed the fact that many students and families may opt to do virtual learning only in the current period and into the future. There are lots of unknowns and potential challenges.
Do you feel that GISD offers enough programs for special needs children? If not, how would you begin changing that?
The district is in the process of studying Special Education, having just brought in a new Special Education Leader and has hired, Public Consulting Group, to lead in a Special Education study for the district. This study should assist the district in moving in the right direction and as your trustee I will pledge to strive to make the right choices for our students and not just what some bureaucrat may suggest.
A change that will be a part of that study will most likely be the closing of the Pathfinder (PAC). Several district folks have already made comments publicly and in the news to that effect; however, it has to my knowledge not been brought to the board of trustees for a final decision.
Perhaps the pandemic has created another special needs category of students? Only time will tell, and then based on the Superintendent and staff recommendations.
Do you feel that more needs to be done to combat bullying? What would you do to help with this problem?
Bullying is no doubt a challenge in Garland ISD, having had the pleasure of being bullied by a principal in high school I am very familiar of the traits. Garland ISD has about 15 Policies that have the subject of bullying in them, but policies do not change people/students, it takes a change of the heart of a bully to change the way they treat others. Speed Limits and Stop Signs do not stop people from breaking the rules.
Stopping Bullying must be a top-down strategy if it is going to succeed. As I indicated, policies do not stop bullying, and setting stringent enforcement and consequences are the best deterrents. John Scolinos, a renowned coach had a rule he taught in Leadership Principals to others called “The seventeen-inch rule“. You can google “seventeen inches by John Scolinos” and read his ideas.
Perhaps a good phrase to remember related to bullying, is the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” Matthew 7:12 paraphrased.
Robert Selders, Jr. – Place 6 GISD board of trustees candidate
Why do you want to serve on the Garland ISD board of trustees?
I feel that Every Student Deserves an Exceptional Education, and that education is a critical gateway to improved personal quality of life, community enrichment, and economic vitality. I am running for reelection to my 3rd term as Garland ISD Board of Trustees – Place 6 because as a parent, the quality of education has always been important for me and my family. As a taxpayer, as a parent, all of my daughters are students of Garland ISD schools, and a Garland business owner, I know that being in this role allows me to serve our
community at a higher level and help ensure every Garland ISD student has access to an exceptional education.
Summarize past experience that qualifies you for this position.
My life’s experiences qualify me for this role. I’m the proud son of an Air Force and Vietnam veteran who saw leadership on display every day. And repeated relocations to various military bases around the country with my family has taught me that strong relationships are invaluable, diversity enriches life, there’s no substitute for hard work and discipline, and there’s no job that is beneath me. Prior to becoming a School Board Trustee, I served as parent co-chair of Garland ISD’s Student Health Advisory Council (SHAC) and completed Leadership Garland (Class 31 – The Best Class For Real) to learn more about the governance infrastructure as well as leadership growth opportunities in Garland. And I have five years of experience as a Trustee, including leadership positions as secretary, vice-president and currently as board president. Since becoming a Trustee, I have become a Center for Reform of School Systems Fellow, done strategic work in the Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE), become one of the state’s Master Trustees through the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Leadership Program, attended numerous local, regional, and national conferences on Governance and Student Advocacy, and I am currently the Treasurer of the North Texas Area Association of School Boards (NTAASB).
What improvements do you most believe need to be made in GISD?
How would you begin to make those improvements? While Garland ISD has made significant progress over the past few years and is becoming one of the nation’s model school districts, our most critical and urgent need is addressing COVID-19 learning loss recovery. School district across the country have experienced severe student learning loss. Research studies reveal students of color and students in poverty have suffered the most. As a Trustee, I am collaborating with district leadership and cross-functional teams to develop a comprehensive learning recovery plan that includes a foundational academic focus on literacy and numeracy, emphasizing building teacher capacity to deliver high quality instruction, as well as developing and implementing consistent processes and structures, with a focus on district action and support at multiple levels.
Do you feel that GISD offers enough programs for special needs children?
If not, how would you begin changing that? I feel that Garland ISD provides access to robust course offerings for every student. Each special needs student is first a general education student, so the general education curriculum is initially offered when their education and orientation to the district begins. From there, Garland ISD provides educational opportunities consistent with each student’s ability to learn. Whether a student has academic or behavioral challenges, campus staff and parents form an Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) Committee to develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP) to meet the needs of each student. However, there is always room for improvement because we want to ensure our special education programs facilitate improved outcomes for our students and their next phase of life. So, we’ve partnered with Public Consulting Group (PCG) to review special education programs and collaborate with our district to create an intentional and more optimal path forward to improve outcomes of our special needs students.
Do you feel that more needs to be done to combat bullying? What would you do to help with this problem?
Every student should feel secure and safe from any harassment in their learning environment and I feel we should always do everything we can to combat bullying. During Texas’ 85th Legislative Session, Senate Bill 179 (formally known as David’s Law) was passed and signed into Texas State law; and this was a huge step in the right direction. Prior to David’s Law, bullying had been largely under-reported. This law was instrumental in helping districts to provide more structures, resources, and processes for administrators, teachers, staff, parents, and students to report bullying in a more timely manner. As a Trustee, it is important to ensure we have the appropriate policies that include the investigative process, reporting procedures, and that district action is required in the event an incident occurs. Additionally, we should monitor the reporting and make sure district employees are trained to mitigate bullying regardless of where it takes place.