Background
What would you like people to know about you?
*20-year SBEC-Certified Professional Educator *U.S. Army Veteran *40-year Tomball Resident *Tomball High School Class of 1995 *Dad of child and two exchange students who attended Tomball ISD *Master’s Degree in Education from SHSU
Qualifications
What training, experience and characteristics qualify you for this position?
I have served as a substitute teacher in Tomball ISD and Spring ISD, a classroom teacher in Spring ISD, an assistant principal in Tomball ISD, and a professor of education at Lone Star College. If elected, I will be the only TISD Trustee on the current Board who has worked as a Texas classroom teacher or campus administrator. I am also the only candidate with a master’s degree in education.
Opportunities
Based on the District’s latest improvement plan, what do you see as the greatest opportunities for improvement and how do you see the Board supporting the improvement plan?
First, increased transparency with the public.I would advocate for the return of the online searchable check register, limiting restrictions on public comments, and reducing pushback on public information requests.Second, increased fiscal responsibility and accountability, such as having safeguards in place to guard against theft of taxpayer funds and fraud, waste, and abuse of district resources.
Supporting Teachers
What do you see as the most pressing issues facing the District’s teachers? What actions can the Board take to better support teachers?
Safety in classrooms, administrative support when students become disruptive, and campus administration should be fierce protectors of teachers’ instructional time. The Board can make it clear that this is something that will be included in the superintendent’s evaluation.
Challenges
What do you view as the biggest challenge facing the District in the next several years and what actions will you support to meet that challenge?
Rapid growth can lead to issues related to boundary realignments, capacity crunches, constant facility expansion, and operational bottlenecks. Proactive planning and open communication with the community and district employees are some ways to support everyone working together to meet these challenges.
Future Voters
Assess how the District prepares students to participate in their country’s democracy and describe what the Board can do to support these efforts.
The Board can make it clear to the superintendent that it is an expectation that social studies instruction should not be sacrificed in favor of preparing for state-mandated testing in other subjects. Also, when hiring social studies teachers, their content knowledge should take priority over secondary skills such as their abilities to support extracurricular activities.
