Rob McAngus, a former Garland ISD employee, is a candidate for Place 2 on the board of trustees. He said that the district has great things to offer, while at the same time, there are areas in which changes are needed.
He has a daughter who attends Garland High School and loves it. McAngus feels that the GHS enrichment activities and parent involvement activities are great. He added that the Achievement Academy at GHS is excellent and should be expanded.
McAngus feels that providing every junior the opportunity to take the SAT is amazing and that the district’s strategic plan has a list of great initiatives. He likes the idea of a back to school transitional day for middle and high school campuses.
Additionally, programs that have been implemented in the last few years such as the career and technical paths for students who do not plan to attend college are valuable assets.
One of the needed improvements is GISD’s transparency level and he would address this problem if elected.
“I have friends that have done open records requests and I know that it has taken too long to get the information. When I worked in the district, I worked in Oracle, the part of it that had to do with finances. I was the one who ran reports to pull that data,” McAngus said. “That was before there was in-house counsel which probably does add a level of review, but that does not give them [GISD] the ability to bypass the requirements for time limits.”
McAngus is also aware of staff unhappiness and said that the problem began when Dr. Bob Morrison became superintendent.
“I know for a fact on a firsthand basis that people are terrified of him [Morrison],” he said. “When I talk to people, I find that nobody knows anybody anymore. When I was there, you had a strong sense of family. That is gone now.”
McAngus feels that it will be difficult to bring back that family atmosphere but that it could be done in time. It will have to be promoted throughout the district.
“Whenever you run anything out of fear, which is how the district is being run, there will be problems,” he said. “When I taught, I had to learn early that fear was not the way to motivate students. A rapport had to be built with them. That’s true in any situation.”
The candidate also blames the decline of the family atmosphere on the high turnover rate, which is unusual for GISD. He said that in the past, it felt impossible to get a job at GISD because everyone wanted to work here.
He pointed out that many of the teachers grew up in Garland, left for college and came back to teach here because they loved the district.
The morale of the staff is a huge issue and if it isn’t addressed, good people will continue to leave. This affects everyone. If teachers are fearful and miserable it can affect their interaction with the students.
McAngus is also concerned about the handling of the district’s finances.
“You hear about salary increases for upper level administration and you see the administration building with a fresh coat of paint, and they’ve redecorated it,” he said. “I don’t mind paying taxes, but I’d like the administration to be fiscally smarter and more transparent.”
The natatorium is a concern to everyone that he visits with.
“When I’m talking to people, the natatorium comes up every time. People are concerned about the cost and that it’s over budget,” McAngus said.
He added that he would carefully watch how money is being spent and ask questions.
“I’m not afraid to speak my mind,” McAngus said. “The public should be informed. If people have questions or concerns, they should be addressed.”
He added that he’s not afraid to vote against the majority.
“I’ve heard you have the board voting the same way to show uniformity, but when there are things you don’t agree with, it’s OK for it to be a six-one vote…I would owe it to people if elected that if I think there is a concern, like the natatorium…to vote in a way that reflects the concerns of my constituents,” McAngus said. “If I believe strongly in something, I’ll speak my mind.”
He understands that there are topics where uniformity is needed, but you have to decide what those issues are and when it’s the right thing.
“I spent over 11 years in GISD and over 14 years in education,” he said. “I love the district and I’m passionate about learning. Being on the board would give me another opportunity to try and help improve opportunities for GISD students.”