The four candidates running for the three positions up for election this November on the Cy-Fair ISD school board participated in a candidate forum at the Berry Center Oct. 15. The candidates introduced themselves before answering a series of questions submitted by audience members.

Two incumbents—John Ogletree and Bob Covey—are running unopposed for positions 5 and 7, respectively. Incumbent Don Ryan is competing against challenger Shaik Ahmed for Position 6.

Questions for the candidates covered a variety of topics, such as school security, funding and teacher salaries. Candidates also spoke about their experience in education and what they believe the biggest challenges will be moving forward.

Each candidate attributed the district's future challenges to its growing student population, which is expected to become more diverse and to see its portion of economically disadvantaged students increase over time.

"We are still the fastest growing district in Texas," Ryan said. "It's not just about building more buildings. We have to increase our technology. As I visit campuses, the number one thing I hear is that we're light years behind in technology."

Ryan pointed out that the fastest growing population in the district is Hispanic students. He praised the district's New Arrival Center for catering to immigrant students and cited it as an example of something that makes CFISD exceptional.

Ahmed said as the district continues to grow, it will become more important to reach out to economically disadvantaged students.

"Children of poverty are growing in this district," he said. "It's not just teaching the book. We have students who need extra love and care. Classroom sizes are larger. The challenge for us is to make sure those children of poverty are still getting as much one-on-one time as possible."

Covey emphasized the importance of remaining competitive with teacher salaries through the growth, as well as reaching out to attract more volunteers.

"We have to work with a balanced budget so we don't fall behind others in attracting teachers and keeping the good ones with us," he said. "There's a definite need for more volunteers. Even though we have so many volunteers that work so many hours, we're going to need more because we're seeing kids with more and more challenges coming into our district."

Ogletree said he has voted for teacher raises in the past, sometimes in the face of opposition from other board members. Moving forward, he said he would favor raising teacher salaries whenever feasible.

"This district has a proud history of educational excellence and we would've never achieved that without the teachers," he said. "I do not think it goes against conservative values to pay those who are doing an excellent job at what they do."

Ahmed went further, saying CFISD teachers should be receiving the highest salaries in District 4.

"If we expect the best, we must also give the best," he said.

Ryan agreed that teachers need to be compensated for their good work, but pointed out funds are limited.

"It is not economically possible to say we're going to pay our teachers the highest in the state and then add 350 new positions in the classrooms," he said. "We have two key players in our district: students and taxpayers. What I think [the board has] done, and what I have done, is be a good steward in making decisions with the money that has been entrusted to us."

Ogletree, Covey and Ryan—who have served as board members for nine, five and 13 years, respectively—reflected on their achievements on the school board, including hiring Superintendent Mark Henry and taking on "Find a Way" as a theme for handling district challenges. Ahmed acknowledged that CFISD is one of the top districts in the state, but said there is always room for improvement and he would provide a missing piece to the school board.

"[The board] needs the viewpoint of a certified educational administrator who has been in education in every step of the process from teacher to administrator, " he said. " Every child deserves the best. Our goal is to make sure that every child receives the best, and we do all it takes to provide the best. "

Early voting runs from Oct. 21–Nov. 1. Polls will be open from 7 a.m.–7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5. For a list of early voting and Election Day voting locations and hours in Harris County, go to www.harrisvotes.org.