I love our district, as does my wife, an FISD teacher, and my daughters, FISD students. My love of education, a lifetime of service to nation and community, and desire to improve working conditions and educational standards led me to seek the position of Frisco ISD trustee. My unique background as a Frisco ISD educator, administrator, parent and veteran make me uniquely qualified to serve my community in this capacity.

FISD graduates deserve to be lauded by university admissions offices and workforce hiring professionals. We must improve our academic rigor. I will respect teachers as professionals by providing for them the best tools and resources possible. I will forge a productive partnership with parents and the community for the benefit of all FISD students. I will re-establish a safe teaching and learning environment where students and teachers feel safe, comfortable, and can creatively innovate.

Frisco ISD lost over 1,100 education professionals, including 860 teachers, in the 2021-2022 school year, and we continue to lose teachers this year. We must commit to attracting and supporting great teachers so that our kids have a first-class staff of educators. As more large employers and economic interests come to Frisco, we must focus solely on the needs of our teachers, students and community when making policy and expenditure decisions.

We have an amazing Career and Technical Education Center with fabulous career-related programs for our students. However, we lack a diversity of vocational and licensing programs, like auto mechanics, electrician apprenticeships, cosmetology, and other noncollege-related career preparation tracks for many of our graduates. I will commit to meeting all of our students’ postsecondary needs.

I am seeking re-election because I believe I am the best person to continue to do the work on behalf of the teachers and students of our great district. I am running to ensure that we keep our students and teachers at the forefront of our decision making. As the Place 4 incumbent, board secretary and current board communications chair, I believe I have proven my dedication to resolving vital issues currently affecting our district.<br>

I hope to continue using my voice to impact meaningful changes in the district. I understand that college, military and trades are not the only options that our students have after high school graduation. I initiated a partnership between FISD, [the] Frisco [Police Department] and Frisco Fire to create a pathway for our students into law enforcement and other social services after high school graduation. My goal is to get this initiative rolled out during the 2023-24 school year.<br>

One of our top challenges is currently teacher recruitment and retention. We are also working to fund the positions that were created with [Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief] funding allotment. <br>

I would like to initiate a focus group composed of administrators, teachers, parents and students that will identify areas of opportunity and create strategies that are in compliance with all state and federal laws that we can use districtwide to address the disproportionate disciplinary methods currently in place within our special education department.