Q & A with DSISD Board Candidate Lynn Henson

Why did you decide to run for school board?
First and foremost, I want to help restore a trusted connection between the school board, the community/families it serves, and district administration, teachers, and employees through increased
access, acknowledgement, and transparent communication. I am about results and finding the most efficient way to arrive at the end goal.
What qualifiers in your background make you the best candidate?
I am passionate about student development and have significant experience in helping to envision, create, and implement multi-faceted initiatives designed to mitigate potential challenges and cater to a diverse audience. I have spent my almost 17-year career in collegiate student housing, holding various positions all tied directly to establishing a supportive and connected community experience for students. My career has spanned housing operations (staffing, budgeting, capital projects, general facilities), project management large and small, marketing, student development, and professional/leadership coaching and training.
What are your priorities beginning in May if elected?
Addressing and updating COVID policies for the Fall semester while simultaneously looking to the long-range planning that will be needed in short order. To gain contextual perspective, I have spent quite a bit of time researching and reviewing past presentations/information regarding enrollment trends and planning recommendations. The attendance zoning is just the beginning, our district growth is outpacing the plans in-place. The board must immediately engage the community to find fiscally sound long-term solutions that put our students, teachers, and administrators in a position to succeed.
Do you have any students in the district? Please also tell us about your family.
I have two children currently attending Dripping Springs Elementary. Our family moved to Dripping Springs in the summer of 2018 from Lakeway where we had lived for about 8 years. Our children’s multiple sports activities keep us very busy as do our careers, but we are a tight foursome that do pretty much everything together.
How long have you lived in or been a part of the Dripping Springs community?
Since 2018.
What other local organizations are you involved in or volunteer at?
Previous DSYSA Soccer Coach and Girl Scout Cookie Mom.
How do you feel about the way DSISD has handled the pandemic, i.e. protocols, restrictions, closed campuses, virtual meetings?
On the front end, the most important thing was to find a way to get our schools open, so I was glad that my children would be able to go back – my youngest in particular struggled significantly in the virtual setting. However, we now have the benefit of time, updated guidance, district metrics, and available vaccines to allow for us to make changes. At a minimum, I support removing the mask requirement for all students. Specifically, for elementary age students. For all students, at every level, learning to read non-verbal cues through facial expressions is a critical component in establishing human connections and emotional intelligence. The longer we leave our children in masks the harder it will be to recover the time lost in their social and emotional learning. I am glad that the board has chosen to go back to in-person virtual meetings – while I wish they would have done this sooner, I am thankful that parents and the greater community will have the opportunity to engage with the board directly.
What are your thoughts on transparency within school boards and decision-making, and do you believe DSISD has been transparent enough? Why or why not?
This is probably the number one thing I hope will change regardless of who is elected to the school board. It would be incredibly beneficial to have standard processes and consistent follow-up communication in-place when seeking volunteers for the various committees. This process should encourage diverse participation in experience and perspective. As relates to transparency, it’s hard to make definitive statements or ascertain your grasp on a set of circumstances, because you don’t know what you don’t know. As a parent trying to keep up with the moving pieces, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of direct information or communication that can be pointed to as the “why” behind a decision or what specific factors were taken into account in making a given recommendation. 

Is there anything else you'd like to include that you were not asked?
School board is not a job that is going to love you back – the challenges we face as a district are complicated and will require consistent attention. I hope that interested parties, but especially parents will have the ability to connect, be engaged and be included in driving solutions as a way to proactively advocate for our children.