GISD has one other position up for election in May. Anthony Blankenship is running uncontested for Place 5.
Early voting runs from April 24-May 2, with polls in Williamson County closed April 30. Registered voters in Williamson County can cast their ballot at any open polling location during early voting and on election day.
Below are Gonzalez and Blanck's responses to Community Impact's candidate Q&A.
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.
* indicates incumbent
Marcos Gonzalez
Experience:
19 years financial industry, husband to current East View teacher, father to two GISD students
Occupation:
VP, business relationship manager
Candidate Website:
https://gonzalez4gisd.com
Why are you the best candidate for this position?
I currently have two kids at GISD, and my wife is a teacher. I am also a multigenerational graduate of GISD. I have firsthand knowledge of what kids, teachers, and families in GISD experience and want for their futures. Combined with my previous experience on the board, I can best guide the district forward to meet the needs of both students and staff.
If elected, what are your goals for Georgetown ISD?
If elected, I want to continue helping our district provide the best education opportunities for all our students at GISD. Every student is unique, and having the guidance, resources, facilities and staff that will meet students where they are and inspire them to be the best versions of themselves is what I would like to pursue.
What are some of the biggest challenges facing Georgetown ISD, and how would you work to address them?
I believe attracting the best qualified teacher candidates along with retaining our best teachers are two of the biggest challenges facing Georgetown ISD. I will continue advocating for our teachers to receive competitive compensations along with providing additional support for our existing teachers. Staying ahead of our rapid growth is another major challenge facing GISD. I will help guide our district to ensure sound decisions are made when considering both immediate and future growth impacts.
How should the district plan for future growth and decide when to call another bond election?
I would look to staff for assessments on facilities, demographers to assess growth needs, and then ask the community to identify priority projects and tolerance for new tax burdens. Asking the community for their perspective and preference is key when calling for another bond election.
How should Georgetown ISD work to mitigate staffing and teacher shortages that are affecting districts across the state?
As stated previously, providing competitive compensation will help both attract and retain staff and teachers. Additionally, providing an environment in which teachers give continuous feedback on how the district can best support them, then acting on that feedback, will help teacher retention.
Stephanie A. Blanck*
Experience:
30 years in public education as a licensed specialist of school psychology, assistant principal and director of special education
Occupation:
Retired licensed specialist of school psychology/director of special education at GISD
Candidate Website:
https://www.facebook.com/Blanck4GISD
Why are you the best candidate for this position?
I gave 30 years to public education with 23 of them in GISD, and I’m still giving my time. I know how to make a good school district great for we were once that district. I’ve dedicated my life to working with parents, children and serving the community to make this the best place to raise your family. To be effective, you must do the work. I have served 2.5 years and I’m not done.
If elected, what are your goals for Georgetown ISD?
My No. 1 priority is to improve the literacy and numeracy of all the children of GISD by supporting all staff at all schools. We need to advocate for increased wages for our staff so we may retain them here. Staff members, students and the broader community need a stronger voice in decision making that impacts them and their students directly.
What are some of the biggest challenges facing Georgetown ISD, and how would you work to address them?
Students across the board are struggling to learn the state-expected curriculum. This issue preceded the pandemic, but we are now facing increased deficit gaps. The board is responsible for setting the expectation and direction while the district determines how that is to be accomplished. We must be transparent on a quarterly basis with our data, whether it is STAAR, attendance, MAPS, MClass, discipline, etc. if we want to improve.
How should the district plan for future growth and decide when to call another bond election?
We all see the many rooftops going up across the district. Not every home will have children who will be attending the public schools, but we need to work with the Realtors, developers, and demographers to stay ahead of the growth. In my tenure, demographers were often wrong when it came to how many children would be in each building, thereby causing overcrowding in some schools. Constant communication and evaluation of the data is needed ...
How should Georgetown ISD work to mitigate staffing and teacher shortages that are affecting districts across the state?
Teachers have an important voice and they themselves are life-long learners. We must give them a seat when making decisions, so they have ownership and feel they have provided feedback. We must give them plenty of opportunities to learn from one another and attend quality local, state and national workshops. They need to honestly feel valued and appreciated from the building level to the top of administration. They need to be appropriately compensated for the ...
