Early voting for the election that will determine the Place 4 trustee for the Garland ISD begins Oct. 13. The election is Nov. 3. Below are questions sent to the GISD board candidates along with the answers submitted by each.
Incumbent – Jed Reed, Place 4 Garland ISD Board of Trustees
Why do you want to serve on the GISD Board of Trustees?
To continue the District’s focus on improving student performance and maintaining a strong financial operation that is both transparent and efficient with the tax dollars provided by all revenue sources including the property tax paid by the patrons of the GISD. The success of the District, while a member of the Board, is seen by both the continuing improvement in overall student performance along with an ongoing focus on financial soundness. The State’s recent A-F grade ranking saw the GISD go from an 81 in 2018 (first year of application by TEA) to an 88 in 2019. Had the pandemic not prevented the full completion of the accountability date last spring I believe that all indicators showed us on the path to breaking into the “A” bracket.
The district also has vastly increased the programs and services for Dyslexia, Student Literacy, English Language Learners, College and Career programs and improvement in the Graduation rate to 94% (above the State average). In the area of finances, the district has been consistently recognized for financial accountability and has recently been awarded a first-ever Transparency Star by the state. For the 2020 school year we have started a multiyear development of full-day pre-K at 15 campuses and a Half-Day option at 14 other campuses. These instructional and financial efforts have been accomplished while reducing the tax rate from $1.46 per hundred in 2018 to $1.39 in 2019 and to a proposed rate of $1.3463 should the voters approve the Tax Rate Election Nov. 3. This is a 0.12 cent reduction in the school district tax rate in two years.
I am seeking re-election to continue as part of a team of 8 that is successfully leading the district to success in student performance and establishing a strong financial foundation.
What experience do you have that qualifies you for this position?
Experience, leadership and engagement while on the Board since 2016. A 40-year career in Public Education at all levels that provides a base for the understanding of the technical concepts of instruction, student performance, employee relations and school finance that are unique to the state and the Garland ISD.
Please summarize your vision for Garland ISD.
Honor the Past—Challenge the Present—Build the Future!
The GISD has a rich legacy of success that has been established over the last 100 years. By “Honoring the Past,” we can give thanks for the able leadership of past Board Members who have led the district through years of development and change while accomplishing these things from a foundation of conservative financial planning. Today, it is important to “Challenge” those things that are currently taking place to make sure that the decisions that the Board makes have a specific focus on increasing the academic performance of all students. Equality and Equity in providing for the development of our students is a key standard for all decisions that are made by myself and the Board.
A clear mind and resolute heart are required to envision the “Future.” We must carefully set forth goals for not only this year but for years into the future so that the GISD can move forward for another 100 years of success. This “future” must not only be the preparation of our students for college—career—or military service but it also encompasses the development of a master plan for our facilities. Currently, most of our campuses are more than 50 years old with many being 60, 70 or more years old. We must begin to plan for a program of facility development that will carry the district into the next hundred years.
What do you feel are GISD’s biggest assets and how can they be better used?
Our biggest assets are the diversity of our students plus the outstanding teachers, support personnel and administrative leadership that we have in the GISD. From listening to our students, we can grow in the understanding of where they are academically; what they are seeking to understand; and how we can meet their deficiencies. The staff has the skills, knowledge and capabilities to provide to our students the understanding of the skills necessary to complete the Pre-K-12 expectations of the Texas Education Agency. They can guide the students to a greater level of knowledge that will provide them with what is needed to be successful in a career, college or the military. Providing the staff with the necessary tools and support is key to the purpose of the Board. We, the Board, must leverage every asset that is necessary to provide for both our students and our staff in their mission.
What are the district’s biggest liabilities and how would you help solve them?
The answer to this question has changed since March 2020! The academic development of our students has been impacted by the pandemic of 2020. The secondary impact dealing with the costs of operating in the “environment of COVID” is draining both local revenues and the state’s ability to provide equal or increased education funding for the next several years.
The academic development will take, in my opinion, a minimum of three years to overcome for many of our students. This is if we can return to “normal” operations by the 2021-2022 school year. The GISD moved as quickly as we could to provide a baseline continuation of instructions from March to May 2020 that attempted to maintain basic instructional support to the students. The issues of turning into a 00% online instructional delivery system revealed many weaknesses within our community and district.
The key one being conductivity to the internet for many of our students. This is the baseline issue even as the district spent the summer redesigning our curriculum model, purchasing additional Chromebooks and locating 10,000 plus hot spots for those who do not have direct access to the internet. These, plus dozens of other efforts, while extremely impressive in one view it does not create a system of equitable access and success. The district and the state must address the issues of internet access and remediation for the “loss” of student instruction.
As a former classroom teacher of 18 years and 22 years of varying roles in district leadership, I feel that my knowledge and understanding will be a strong contributing factor to the decisions that will need to made to address these issues. While the state must play a role in support the rebuilding of our student’s abilities, which have been impacted, the Board must also see the reality of what may be coming from the Legislature. The predictions as of this moment are for a 6% to 10% reduction in state income. Depending on what is decided in Austin, the district may be faced with a similar reduction in state funding while the accountability expectations of TEA will seemingly continue. The decisions will be tough and will require experienced leadership to weigh the important needs of the students and the staff that support them. The solution is still unknown until the Legislature acts during it upcoming session in January 2021. We, the Board, will have to be prepared to address those facts as they develop. The solution is to have knowledgeable leaders who understand instruction, finance, student needs and staff expectations. It is not time for a leader to learn on the job.
Candidate – Bob Duckworth, Place 4 Garland ISD Board of Trustees
Why do you want to serve on the GISD Board of Trustees?
Having been a part of the GISD communities for most of my life and all of my adult working years I would like to continue serving the students and patrons as a Trustee.
Serving on the GISD Board of Trustees will allow me to become more active in the district and provide representation of the communities.
There were a few educational facilities and programs that did not benefit from the 2014 bond and I would like to be in a position to encourage that they are considered and placed in the next bond.
What experience do you have that qualifies you for this position?
I worked in the banking industry in Garland for about 47 years and feel those years of experience provided me with the business-related skills needed to serve as a trustee.
My many years of experience working with Directors and committees and direct involvement with lending, audit and compliance functions would appear to align with similar functions of trustees.
Please summarize your vision for Garland ISD.
A district with new, updated and modernized facilities that provide administration, students and teachers the ability to excel in all areas of learning.
Provide as many Career and Technology Education (CTE) programs as possible in the district.
An example would be a new Agriculture Training Center and Horticulture Training Center with up to date equipment, teaching and training programs.
What do you feel are GISD’s biggest assets and how can they be better used?
I believe a big asset of Garland ISD is the combined strength of the district and the three cities that make up the district. Without the tax base and infrastructure provided by Garland, Rowlett and Sachse, operating a district the size of Garland ISD would be more challenging.
The School Resource Officer programs, which is a partnership with Garland, Rowlett and Sachse Police Departments are a big part of the safety and strength of the district.
Continue to work with Mayors and City Counsels to further strengthen and expand existing relationships wherever possible.
What are the district’s biggest liabilities and how would you help solve them?
Aging Facilities -The schools and facilities that need to be updated and modernized. The district is on the end of a 2014, $455 million bond and is now looking at what I understood to be current needs somewhere in the $1.5 Billion Dollar range.
As I understand this is not a number that can be done in one bond program but may be approached in a bond program for about half of that amount in the next year or so. I will support a bond program in the next year or so to continue the process of catching the district up on the facility’s needs.
Additional Catching up on facility needs – As a trustee, I would like to explore the district looking at budgeting more funds to work on facilities out of Maintenance and Operations funds on an annual basis.
A few million dollars spent annually could save the taxpayers of the district millions of dollars over the years in interest cost.
Getting students back on the in-school learning path – Getting students back into school and assessing where they are in the education process due to the COVID crisis will be a challenging process for the district. Trustees should pay attention to the Measurement of Academic Progress (MAP) reports.