Place 5 would not typically be up for election this year. However, the race will appear on the November ballot because Fashokun was appointed to Place 5 in October 2021 following the resignation of former Trustee Jim MacKay.
All seats on the LISD board of trustees are at large, meaning each trustee represents the entire school district, and voters in the school 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&A's with the three Place 5 candidates 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
**Candidate did not adhere to word limit. Responses over 75 words were cut off.
Kevin Leverenz
Experience:
Army veteran, retired police lieutenant, served as an interim police chief in small municipality and a college educator with a Ph.D in criminal justice
Occupation:
college educator
Candidate Website:
https://www.kevinleverenz.com
Contact Information:
737-444-3195
Why are you running for the Leander ISD board of trustees?
I found, as a parent, that I was without a voice. The more I learned, the more I found that there are things that need improvement. The current board has provided little as a check and balance on district activities and not done enough to be transparent or responsive to the community it serves. Briefly, change is needed and the current board cannot get it done.
If elected, what are your goals for Leander ISD?
I am running on a platform [that] insists on the school district honing their focus on academic excellence (delivering a quality education) in bias-free, safe schools where parents' rights are respected and attaining this condition in a fiscally-responsible way.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve noticed within Leander ISD, and how would you work to address them?
The board has three tools at its disposal: policy changes, budget management to fund programs, and the ability to hold the superintendent accountable for his competence and willingness to lead the district through change. School safety, academic excellence, bias-free classrooms (without radical ideologies), accountability and transparency to the community, and remaining fiscally responsible are my five priorities.
Do you support the upcoming voter-approval tax rate election ballot item (Proposition B)? Why or why not?
If I was on the board, I would not have placed the community in a position to have to deal with this. I would have agreed to the budget cuts offered by the administration along with the smaller raises for the teachers, and then worked to identify further savings to get them the raises they certainly deserve while not further burdening taxpayers. This was irresponsible of the board to only offer the decrease in the ...**
How should the district plan for future growth?
Carefully, with fiscal responsibility in mind. This is a complicated issue and all constituencies need to be involved and be heard.
Shawn Leege
Experience:
LISD father, attends several LISD board meetings, daughter attends local LISD high school
Occupation:
business owner of medical corporation
Candidate Website:
https://shawnforlisd.com
Why are you running for the Leander ISD board of trustees?
I'm running for LISD school board to return our school board to a state of financial responsibility and provide property tax relief to our taxpayers.
If elected, what are your goals for Leander ISD?
My goals for LISD are the following: a. Audit the financials. b. Remove sexually explicit materials. c. Protect against critical race theory (CRT) being taught in any form or fashion. d. End social-emotional learning (SEL). f. Offer more trade classes.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve noticed within Leander ISD, and how would you work to address them?
Some of the biggest challenges are: a. The [out] of control administration expense within the budget. Solution = third-party audit of financials. b. The sexually explicit books and materials within our schools. Solution = remove them completely. c. The social-emotional learning (SEL) materials and surveys given to our children. Solution = end SEL. d. The need for more trade classes i.e. shop classes, welding, HVAC, etc. Solution = enhance the trade classes to also be ...**
Do you support the upcoming voter-approval tax rate election ballot item (Proposition B)? Why or why not?
Do I support the VATRE ballot? No, the current school board has shown they are not willing to live within our means, currently. They should not be given more taxpayer money to waste.
How should the district plan for future growth?
We should plan conservatively and live within our means financially.
Sade Fashokun*
Experience:
longtime LISD volunteer in classrooms and on district committees; PTA treasurer and president; current trustee since 2021; BS, MBA, JD degrees; corporate experience; business owner
Occupation:
insurance agency owner
Candidate Website:
https://sadeforlisd.com
Contact Information:
512-920-2570
Why are you running for the Leander ISD board of trustees?
I am running so that I can continue my passion of contributing to the success of every student. I want to support a fiscally responsible budget while providing needed resources and competitive wages to our educators without adding a tax burden to taxpayers. I am also running because my understanding of the intricacies of school finance, my educational and professional backgrounds, and my analytical and critical thinking skills will be beneficial to continued board work.
If elected, what are your goals for Leander ISD?
My goals are for students to excel in a safe environment and for the district to attract and retain the best educators, while being fiscally efficient. Students need to recover from gaps due to the pandemic, increase participation in innovative programs and continue to grow if already performing at or above grade level. Implementation of the strategic plan, continued focus on addressing student behavior with social emotional learning tools and increased community involvement are necessary.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve noticed within Leander ISD, and how would you work to address them?
LISD faces similar challenges of many districts around the state. These challenges are students’ academic gaps due to the pandemic, resignation of teachers attributed to low wages as the cost of living increases and they feel undervalued, community members eager to engage in schools as protocols restricted full engagement and school safety concerns. To address these challenges, I support Proposition B (VATRE), impactful social and emotional programming, legislative advocacy and opportunities for community engagement.
Do you support the upcoming voter-approval tax rate election ballot item (Proposition B)? Why or why not?
I support the VATRE because it is fiscally responsible for the operational budget of the district and for taxpayers. It raises more funds to retain our educators while lowering the tax rate. As our community experiences high property appraisals, the state has significantly reduced its contribution, thereby placing a burden on districts and impacting taxpayers. Passage of the VATRE will alleviate the burden to taxpayers and provide needed funds for LISD.
How should the district plan for future growth?
The demographic report projects changes to enrollment by area, showing anywhere from large gains to eventual declines in enrollment. LISD should engage community committees to develop five-to-10-year plans using low-to-medium growth estimates due to current trends. The plans should include sensible zoning without impacting the neighborhood school concept, innovative programs in underutilized schools, transportation plans to provide access to programs and smaller bond packages to support construction of schools.
