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Three candidates, including incumbent Trish Bode, are running for Place 1 on the Leander ISD board of trustees.
Bode will face challengers David Doman and Mike Sanders.
Place 1 is one of five seats on the Leander ISD board of trustees up for election in November. All positions are at large, meaning each trustee represents the entire school district, and voters in the district can cast a ballot in each race.
Early voting will run from Oct. 24-Nov. 4, and Election Day is Nov. 8.
Read Q&As with each candidate in the race below. Candidates were asked to keep responses under 75 words, answer the questions provided and avoid attacking opponents. Answers may have been edited or cut to adhere to those guidelines, or for style and clarity.
*Incumbent
Why are you running for the Leander ISD board of trustees?
I am running for all of our children (and they are our children first, the school’s students second). I want to make LISD schools, for all of our children, as good now as they were 10 or more years ago, which they currently are not. I am running for our real bosses, the parents of the LISD children. Our parents should have a say in how the board runs LISD.
If elected, what are your goals for Leander ISD?
We need to remove [critical race theory] from our schools. We need to incentivize our teachers to stay. We need to build a common-sense and Texas-values curriculum.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve noticed within Leander ISD, and how would you work to address them?
[Diversity, equity and inclusion] does not belong in our classrooms. Graphic content books are not literature. Fentanyl is a huge threat to our children. All of the above needs to be systematically addressed and cannot be in 75 words or less. Come listen to me, and I will expand on my proposed actions.
Do you support the upcoming voter-approval tax rate election ballot item (Proposition B)? Why or why not?
VATRE is a shell game that is being foisted on our LISD parents in the guise of “do this or the teachers don’t get paid.” There are better ways of assuring decent funding of our teachers.
How should the district plan for future growth?
We have a $400 million budget. We must become more efficient in spending that before we go back and ask for more bonds to fund additional schools (and I do believe more schools are needed, I just believe that we can more efficiently fund them). Again, 75 words is not enough space to expand on this. Come listen to my plans.
Why are you running for the Leander ISD board of trustees?
Both my oldest (graduated 2020) and my youngest (freshman) have benefitted from their LISD education. These life events have strengthened my resolve on the importance of public education. I connected to my passion—my love of policy and public service in college, but fortunately our students in Leander ISD don’t have to wait until college to connect with their passion and love of learning. I want to continue this work.
If elected, what are your goals for Leander ISD?
A bright future for all our students requires intentional focus, a knowledge of the environment and a focus on the big rocks that need to be moved to clear a path for students. I want to continue focusing on student learning, maximizing teacher and staff support, focusing on school finance, and engaging with our community.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve noticed within Leander ISD, and how would you work to address them?
State funding. The funding system isn’t configured to adequately support public education in Leander ISD, and our property taxpayers end up shouldering the burden. We will go through recapture—over $30 million of tax revenue must be sent back to the state. I am working aggressively along with the board to address legislative solutions such as raising the basic allotment, which would provide raises to teachers and reduce the amount of recapture.
Do you support the upcoming voter-approval tax rate election ballot item (Proposition B)? Why or why not?
As a taxpayer, a mother, and supporter of public education I will be voting for both Prop A and Prop B (the upcoming VATRE item). I am a yes because it allows the district to continue programs and impact class-size ratios for our students. It also helps us fund teacher and staff raises and saves an equivalent of 450 teaching positions while also decreasing the overall tax rate to property taxpayers by $0.06.
How should the district plan for future growth?
Planning for future growth includes asking the community what they will support while providing for the needs for students. The board has established a long term planning committee to discuss utilizing current space in the district. The board has also approved a CFAC committee, made up of community members, who will advise on the building and program needs for our community in light of the demographers report and long range plan.
Why are you running for the Leander ISD board of trustees?
“Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain.” (Psalm 127:1) I am running for LISD Board of Trustees to help provide a safe place for 40,000 children. I am a born-again Christian and a conservative Republican. Those things guide my decision making. I am stepping up to help restore quality education to our children.
If elected, what are your goals for Leander ISD?
Return to a focus on academics and cease indoctrinating students into Marxism. We need to stop sexualizing children in our schools and stop teaching children to judge each other based on the color of their skin. Pay down our debt while providing appropriate pay for hard-working teachers. Provide safe schools with an armed police officer at every school and encourage students to feel comfortable reporting danger. Address the problem of deadly Fentanyl.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve noticed within Leander ISD, and how would you work to address them?
Our biggest challenge is paying down the $2.4 billion debt currently owed by LISD, including long-term liabilities over $1.6 billion. In August of 2022, the TEA gave Leander ISD a Financial Integrity rating of 2 out of 10 under Category 11 titled “Was the ratio of long-term liabilities to total assets for the school district sufficient to support long-term solvency?”
Do you support the upcoming voter-approval tax rate election ballot item (Proposition B)? Why or why not?
I will vote no on LISD Prop A and Prop B, also known as a voter-approval tax rate election, in which voters will choose whether or not to approve a tax increase of 35% (M&O). If passed, these propositions will impose a permanent tax increase on property owners, severely hurting those who live on limited incomes and forcing us to begin paying property taxes to the state of Texas for the first time.
How should the district plan for future growth?
Two important projects that need to start without further delay include building a school on land owned by LISD in the Travisso area and widening Raider Way to include two lanes in each direction. These are two areas where rapid building development has created a need for immediate relief. LISD currently is paying over $70 million each year in interest on our debt. That is enough money to build a new elementary school every year.
