In 2004, I ran to serve on the Board in order to provide leadership on a variety of issues, including focusing the District on college readiness and ensuring that our facilities and student programs meet the needs of all of our students.
As a member of the Board, I have helped move the District significantly toward these goals with the creation and implementation of the Five Year Educational Plan and the passage by the voters of the 2007 Bond while I was the Board's President.
As the Board's Legislative Liaison since 2004, I have also helped craft our Legislative Agenda, and I have worked to move legislation related to school finance, accountability, pre-K, the Top 10% Rule, and many other issues intended to provide protection for our taxpayers, and increased local control and decision making authority. My experience with the issues facing our community, and my knowledge and familiarity with our Legislative delegation and many other members of the Legislature will allow me to continue to work to advance our community's interests. (I regularly post legislative updates on my blog).
When I was elected, my goal was (and remains) that Spring Branch should be the premiere college focused District in the State of Texas. I believed then, as I do now, that this issue forms the linchpin of student success and requires the District, our parents, and our community to provide academic excellence, a strong ethical foundation, and 21st century workplace skills to all of our students. To reach this goal, the Board created our Five Year Education Plan, with substantial input from several hundred community members, District employees, and students. This Plan, which was the first of its kind in memory, was adopted by the Board in 2006.
Ultimately as part of the Five Year Plan, the Board established as the District's overarching goal that every student will graduate on time and then complete a 2 year associate's degree, a 2 year certification program, or a 4 year baccalaureate degree. Evidence of the success of this focus has been manifest in a number of ways including the following: (1) the number of students taking the SAT/ACT test (the gateway test to college) has increased from 70% to 87% while our scores have increased with both participation and scores well above the State averages; (2) our graduation rate has increased and substantially exceeds the rate for the State; (3) the number of students being successful on the AP/IB tests is nearly double that of the State; and (4) the number of our students deemed college ready is substantially higher than the State average.
I am proud that I have provided strong leadership in the area of student success while also insisting on fiscal responsibility. With the help of our Legislators, we have decreased the tax burden on our homeowners from $1.81/$100 when I was elected in 2004 to $1.3945/$100 (i.e., a 41.55¢/$100 decrease) even with the passage of the 2007 Bond. We have also remained competitive by providing salary increases for our hard-working teachers and classroom support staff. And we have decreased the number of administrators in our District while protecting the classroom.
In addition to providing the leadership on the college focus portion of our Five Year Plan and being a voice for fiscal conservatism, I have contributed strong leadership in the extensive use of task forces to provide community input that have become the District's method for decision making.
I am also extremely proud to have been a tireless supporter of our District's Pre-K program which serves 2,100 students today and is recognized as one of the top programs in Texas. I also believe that as a strong voice for our community, my continued service will ensure continuity of leadership and vision on these critical issues.
Finally, I provided strong leadership to the Board as its President in 2007-2008 following the Long Range Task Force's recommendation that the Board seek voter approval of the 2007 Bond that, in addition to replacing 12 elementary schools, provides funding for transformative changes, critical technology and infrastructure and athletic facilities.
My time on the Board has been a time that has brought excitement back to Spring Branch, and I know the near-term future will continue to be a dynamic period as we push the District to be among the best in Texas. Here are a few of the things I want to accomplish in my next term:
- Ensure successful implementation of the Five Year Education Plan and the 2007 Bond to meet the needs of all of our students
- Ensure that Spring Branch reaches the goal of becoming the premiere college focused district in Texas by providing full support to our students to enable each student to be prepared to pursue opportunities beyond high school
- Continue to be a strong advocate for property tax control by applying practical, real world business experience
- Ensure that the District's budget is focused on students in the classroom by continuing to require true student-based budgeting
- Attract and retain the very best teachers by providing competitive compensation, career opportunities, and a positive work environment
- Continue to advocate for a school finance system that is fair to the taxpayers of Spring Branch
- Ensure that our schools provide a safe and secure learning environment
