To inform readers about the candidates seeking their votes on the November ballot, the San Antonio Report asked all candidates to answer the following questions. We edited answers for clarity, not substance or grammar, and we did not fact-check responses. We restricted responses to 200 words for each question.
Read other candidates’ answers here.
Position sought:
Edgewood ISD, Place 7
Incumbent?
No.
Link to campaign website:
N/A
Age:
66
What is your educational background? Where did you go to school growing up and what is the highest level of education you completed?
EISD product. JFK High School 1973. Stanford University 1979 BA.
If you have completed higher education, what degrees or certifications have you earned and from where? In what years did you complete these degrees or certifications?
Stanford University 1979 BA.
What is your current occupation, employer, and job title?
Retired San Antonio Fire Department
List any previous elected offices that you held and the term you held that office. List any elected offices you sought and the years you sought those offices.
No elected position. TEA appointment to EISD Board of Managers 2016-2019. Bid for board trustee 2018 (unsuccessful).
Why do you feel you are the best candidate for the office you are seeking?
As a member of an appointed school board, my greatest contribution was the selection of a superintendent that has been embraced by students, community, and staff.
District budgets have been well maintained.
TEA deemed the progress of the board of managers to be leading in the proper direction and allowed elected trustee replacement.
What three issues do you feel are most important to your constituents?
Minimize student “slide” during this pandemic. That no matter what form of instruction selected by parents, students must remain engaged and instructed to the best of the ability of their educators.
Support teachers as well as students and make every effort to ensure that both have the necessary tools to achieve success and happiness.
It is important to monitor the safety and health of our students and teachers while in class and at home.
If you are elected, what will be your top priorities once you take office?
My top priorities will be to continue to support the superintendent in the programs he has envisioned for the students and the community of EISD.
That improvement does not come by doing the same things over and over again. Students have been given choices in the direction of their education.
The superintendent’s job is to surround himself with staff that share his vision and provide him support in attaining that goal. My job as a board member is to support him also as he guides our students to a new day in time.
For incumbents: What accomplishments are you most proud of during your time in office? Is there any vote or decision you would change now looking back?
N/A
For non-incumbents: Would you do anything differently from the current representative holding the office you’re seeking?
I am applying for a vacant position. My prior tenure as an appointed member of the board of managers has afforded me valuable experience that I can utilize immediately and not on a learning curve.
How do you assess your community college district or school district’s performance during the pandemic and the way it served students?
To say our kids were on par with most districts in the county would be wishful thinking. In districts with similar student population and resources I do believe EISD is much more comparable both in successfully engaging students and supplying the tools necessary for virtual learning. But with fewer homes with devices and Wi-Fi pre-pandemic, the quick turnaround to virtual was not so quickly/smoothly achieved. Enabled with unfamiliarity at home and the “slide” was inevitable.
How will you approach budgeting for your district given the economic uncertainties? What are your budget priorities you would want to keep intact?
I believe the handling of the district budget has been exemplary considering the uncertainties of not only the pandemic but of the state legislation. In essence we have had a lot of practice. Teacher salaries are important and need careful guarding so as to maintain and continue improvement in student gains.
How do you plan to work to overcome academic gaps that may have developed or widened during the pandemic?
Get the students back in class as soon as safety possible!! I firmly believe students squeeze every bit of their learning potential when they are face to face. I also believe that there are students that will succeed no matter what comes or goes. However, we cannot forgive ourselves by failing those others that need teaching. Until then, tweak the virtual learning as needed to engage students and lessen the “slide.”
