DSISD Board of Trustees Candidate Q&A
Four candidates are running for two positions on the Dripping Springs ISD Board of Trustees. They are (in ballot order): Ron Jones, Barbara Stroud, Lori Broughton and Stephanie Holtzendorf. Dripping Springs trustees do not represent “places.” The top two vote-getters on Nov. 3, 2020, will be elected.
The DSCN invited all candidates to participate in a Q & A to help inform voters. Their responses are published in this issue.
Barbara Stroud
DSISD School Board Candidate
Why are you running for a position on the DSISD Board of Trustees and what qualifications do you bring?
The district is in a time of transition after hiring a new superintendent in late 2019 and having significant turnover among other administrators. I am running to help provide consistency of leadership during this time of transition. I am a 16 year resident of Dripping Springs and the proud parent of two Dripping Springs High School graduates. I have served on the Dripping Springs ISD school board since 2008. I served as board president for 3 years and as board vice president for 3 years. I have over 400 hours of school board trustee training and school law training. I was selected to participate in the Leadership TASB 2016 class, a statewide yearlong leadership training program for school board trustees. I am a professional mediator and a family law attorney. In addition to my private mediation and family law practice, I also serve as a contract Special Education mediator for the Texas Education Association, mediating special education disputes between families and school districts throughout Texas. I have over 150 hours of training in conflict resolution, including training through the Center for Public Policy Dispute Resolution at the University of Texas School of Law. I believe these qualifications are valuable to our board and I would be honored if I am elected to serve for another term.
What are your thoughts on how DSISD is responding to COVID-19? Do you agree with the decisions that have been made in our district as it relates to virtual and in-person learning? Why or why not?
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented school districts with unprecedented challenges. Our teachers, staff and administrators have worked tirelessly to meet those challenges. They are truly dedicated to serving the needs of students learning both virtually and in-person. Our campuses reopened for in-person learning on September 14 with approximately twothirds of students returning to in-person learning and one-third remaining remote. During the next grading period we anticipate approximately 75% of students will return to campuses for in-person learning. I agree with the decision to allow families to choose between in-person or remote learning. However, I would not have selected the hybrid model in which teachers are assigned both in-person and remote learners. I am concerned that this model is difficult to implement effectively and puts too much of a strain on our teachers.
What do you think the biggest challenge is for DSISD when it comes to our community’s rapid growth? How should the district respond?
The biggest challenges for our rapid growth are accurately predicting the District’s future student population, locating and purchasing land for future facility needs and planning for and passing bonds in order to build the facilities needed to meet capacity needs. We must continue to work closely with our demographers who help us predict future student population and our financial advisors who help us manage and predict our future debt capacity. We must communicate effectively and transparently with our community so that they understand the District’s needs and plans. The establishment of a Bond Advisory Council in the past year to oversee the implementation of the 2018 bond program was an important step. We should also consider bond audits to help ensure that bond funds are spent appropriately.
What is one issue or topic you are passionate about that you will try to bring to light as a trustee?
I am passionate about the commitment that meeting the needs of “all” students truly means “all”. The Board must set this expectation and hold everyone accountable to the expectation. I am proud to be part of a board that fosters a student-centered culture in the District, embraces diversity and inclusion and continues to move the district forward on both fronts. Our Board recently adopted non-discrimination policies that reflect these values. The Board has also recently requested an audit of our Special Education Department to help identify areas for improvement in ensuring inclusivity for our Special Education students. The Board is also focused on working to close the achievement gaps that we see in our at-risk and other student populations.
Dr. Lori Broughton
DSISD School Board Candidate
Why are you running for a position on the DSISD Board of Trustees and what qualifications do you bring?
I have always had a passion to teach and lead all ages of learners. I feel the future of our community is determined by the quality of the educational system. With experience as a teacher, principal, and college adjunct professor, I have the ability to communicate and facilitate groups. The board is a team that works together to benefit the learning of our children, support the teachers and staff. I have the time and desire to help our community build excellence within our schools. I want to help decide what student learning may look like in fifty years.
What are your thoughts on how DSISD is responding to COVID-19? Do you agree with the decisions that have been made in our district as it relates to virtual and in-person learning? Why or why not?
I commend the district personnel in their work to serve our students in these unprecedented times. In retrospect, with 20-20 vision, consistency and transparency would have reassured parents and the community that decisions about this school year were well thought out and not last-minute snap judgments. I hope this school year will produce procedures that help the district take on future challenges. The need to facilitate remote and in person learning while maintaining a safe environment is paramount. This requires data and listening to experts that provide factual information. I feel the District should follow CDC requirements for mask requirements. I worry about the littles trying to learn that wear glasses and cannot see due to fogging of the lens. I also feel the model of having a teacher have remote and in person learning makes it difficult for teachers. Training opportunities need to be provided for teachers to help accommodate remote learning. Lack of families having strong WIFI in areas in the District is also of concern.
What do you think the biggest challenge is for DSISD when it comes to our community’s rapid growth? How should the district respond?
I feel communication is key when addressing the needs of our schools. Communicating so that all stakeholders feel they have a voice in decisions made with taxpayer funds. Moving forward, DSISD will be challenged by high growth and how to manage buildings to house the children of DSISD. I have worked in two high growth school districts as a campus principal and understand the demands. As a member of the Long Range Facilities Planning Committee the function for a second high school is not clear. Also since the Pandemic the need to look at how many students will return to in person in the future and if building design should be altered.
What is one issue or topic you are passionate about that you will try to bring to light as a trustee?
Transparency is important to me. I have attended meetings for the past three years and feel that community members need to have a voice and to also be heard. There are resources within the community that can provide sound and experienced solutions that will benefit student learning. All students should have the opportunity to seek a variety of options after graduating from high school. Trade school, military, and higher education. I will help facilitate these options for the students in Dripping Springs ISD.
Ron Jones
DSISD School Board Candidate
Why are you running for a position on the DSISD Board of Trustees and what qualifications do you bring?
I have been a 20 year resident of Dripping Springs. Since sons Hamilton (class of 2010) and Matthew (class of 2014), I felt compelled to expand on my volunteer efforts as a school district volunteer and board member of the Dripping Springs Education Foundation. School board trustees and administrators made difficult decisions years ago for current students to be successful. I've served on the Dripping Springs Water Supply Corp board, volunteered for the Burke Foundation and past chairman of the Methodist Men Wild Game Dinner. I graduated from Otterbein University with a degree in Business Administration and have worked for 20 years in the education technology industry working with K-12 and higher education institutions.
What are your thoughts on how DSISD is responding to COVID-19? Do you agree with the decisions that have been made in our district as it relates to virtual and in-person learning? Why or why not?
I believe that public schools will arrive in two categories: Schools which have implemented innovative solutions to safely and effectively propel their students in a variety of delivery methods and schools which either cannot or will not make that progression. It is not reasonable to redress every situation, but I believe DSISD has done an extraordinary effort to do the absolute best we can. They have developed technology and innovation in conjunction with more traditional delivery systems (including phone calls, personal visits). I will be looking for options which redress safety for all students, staff and constituents. I believe the face mask issue should be redressed to accommodate safety, common sense and academic progress. I am proud of the hard work of our teachers, staff and administrators.It is clearly a difficult time, and we will always be looking for options to do things better.
What do you think the biggest challenge is for DSISD when it comes to our community’s rapid growth? How should the district respond?
Since Dripping Springs is considered a fast growth district, the Covid 19 pandemic will clearly have some impact on the status of our demographics shifting in or out of our district. Managing this variable will be a challenge, because we also must consider these changes as it relates to infrastructure, personnel, and redressing the guaranteed viable curriculum to help implement components of our strategic plan.
What is one issue or topic you are passionate about that you will try to bring to light as a trustee?
Student success has been a core belief of our board. At all levels. We are looking at various accountability measures to ensure academic and social and emotional learning so our students continue to enjoy postsecondary achievement - not only in our institutions of higher learning, but also the military and workforce readiness. Additionally, I will be advocating for additional transparency, not only with our bond projects but other important initiatives, particularly as it relates to the challenges that the pandemic has impacted how we serve every single student, teacher, parent and taxpayer in our district.
Stephanie Holtzendorf
DSISD School Board Candidate
Why are you running for a position on the DSISD Board of Trustees and what qualifications do you bring?
I am seeking this position as an act of service to my community. I am committed to representing my community's beliefs and values, standing up for their needs and fighting to protect their best interests. My goals as DSISD Board Trustee are:
* To ensure board decisions reflect the beliefs, values, and priorities of our community.
• To ensure property tax dollars are used efficiently and effectively in order to reduce the tax burden on property owners.
• To ensure that students and teachers have the resources necessary to provide every child with an excellent education.
• To create alternative programs and educational opportunities -- with adequate resources -- for students of every interest and all capabilities beyond the current focus on college readiness.
• To get students and teachers back into the classroom where teachers can actually teach and students can actually learn, while doing so safely My qualifications include:
I am a parent of recent K-12 DSISD graduate, community member for 23 years, served on several board and community organizations and a Founders Day Commissioner for over 10 years. I am a CPA and recently retired from the State of Texas.
What are your thoughts on how DSISD is responding to COVID-19? Do you agree with the decisions that have been made in our district as it relates to virtual and in-person learning? Why or why not?
The Board and Administration were indecisive and created unnecessary delay, rather than leading proactively and boldly.
The plans to reopen were not put into place soon enough. There was complete breakdown in timely communication of those plans to parents, staff, and stakeholders. The PPE and safety equipment necessary for protecting against the virus were not available for the scheduled start of school. There was even apparent indecision and reluctance among current Board Members and Administrators in returning to in-person school after 60% of students enrolled for in-person learning this fall.
The plans and ACTION necessary to reopen schools this fall should have begun in earnest as soon as school adjourned last year, as it was evident that the pandemic was going to continue into the new school year. DSISD should have been prepared to have students attending school in classrooms on the first day of school.
60% of parents wanted students enrolled for in-person learning and I believe the schools should be available for those students who want and need in person learning. Students all learn differently and some need the opportunity to have the teachers in class for questions and direction on material being presented.
What do you think the biggest challenge is for DSISD when it comes to our community’s rapid growth? How should the district respond?
While the community is rapidly growing, not all moving into the district have school age children and many of our current residents are retired and do not have children in the school system. The Coronavirus pandemic has created opportunities for many students to be home-schooled and to be part of virtual learning. It is time for us to stop and re-assess the current needs of the district. There is an abundance of buildings that are no longer at capacity and there is no guarantee that all students will come back to the classrooms; therefore building and expansion should be re-evaluated. Construction and plans for any new schools and administration buildings should be put on hold until further assessment of the current situation can be done.
What is one issue or topic you are passionate about that you will try to bring to light as a trustee?
I am very passionate about having career paths for students as they begin to make their decisions regarding college or vocational/trade schools. I hope to see more of the vocational trade careers highlighted and the internship program embrace the opportunities the students can benefit from working with our local businesses to help these students with career choices.