What are your campaign focuses?
I would focus on teacher retention and morale by retaining highly qualified educators. Secondly; I would focus on ensuring equality of all campus facilities district wide to provide a safe, healthy and positive learning environment for all students. Thirdly; I would reestablish the academic rigor necessary that allows all students, including our high achieving students, to perform at the highest level possible.
Do you have children or grandchildren in the FISD system?
I had two daughters complete K-12 at FISD. Currently my niece’s son and daughter attend FISD.
What is your perspective on standards-based learning (SBL)?
Standard Based Learning deviates from FISD historical successful teaching methods. SBL takes away our greatest asset, the teachers. It does not allow teachers the ability to create a balance between clear and rigorous standards while allowing flexibility, personalization and innovative teaching methods that meet the diverse needs of all students. It forces the teacher to teach for the test. It eliminates deeper learning as the student just memorizes facts without true development and understanding. SBL in the worse case scenario, can be used to spread certain ideological views not consistent with Friendswood culture.
What is your perspective on the current learning reassessment policy?
I understand the reassessment policy allows the student to retake tests or exams until a suitable grade is achieved. I feel this allows the student to become complacent knowing they can re-take the test over. This model does not teach accountability, responsibility and consequences. Real life does not follow that model. I feel it is better to teach a child to be prepared for exams, tests or any function they need to perform.
What are your opinions on current teacher workload and pay?
Teachers are the most important link in the educational chain. FISD is not doing a good job of retaining our current teachers and a big reason is the workload placed upon them. FISD is now a district of innovation. This allows them to increase class size and start school earlier than the state of Texas recommends. In the past; teachers waited in line and took a pay cut to teach at FISD. Of course, teachers need to be paid more. They should not have to wait for an election year to receive a raise. A recent FISD administrator received approximately $50,000 raise in the span of a few years while the teachers still had to settle for pay below surrounding ISD’s.
What specific parts of the current FISD system are you hoping to change?
Teacher retention, eliminating standard based learning, reestablishing a rigorous curriculum, and campus equality would be my main focus.
What is your position on current bond initiatives for facility improvements?
Cline is a wonderful campus. Bales, Westwood and Windsong also need to be wonderful campuses with facilities equal to Cline. Over a million dollars that was set aside for facility improvement suddenly was used for something else. FISD currently spends too much money in the wrong areas. FISD needs to be run as a business. You can’t spend money you do not have. This is especially true when the money is coming from the taxpayers of Friendswood. The budget needs to be examined and all the fat needs to be trimmed. With this in mind, a bond should not be needed.
