Candidate responses may have been edited for length, style and clarity.
Sheila Taylor
Occupation: certified public accountant
Residence: lives in Lewisville and has lived within the district for 19 years
Contact: [email protected]
Pam Johnson
Occupation: paralegal
Residence: lives in Plano and has lived within the district for 18 years
Contact: [email protected]
Samuel Griffith
Occupation: IT consultant
Residence: lives in Lewisville and has lived within the district for five years
Contact: [email protected]
Why are you running for office?
Taylor: As a parent of a sixth grader in LISD, the well-being and education of our children is of utmost importance to me. I will ensure they have the necessary tools and resources to receive the best education this district has to offer. With my financial background as a CPA, I would ensure our investment in our students is allocated wisely, with fiscal stewardship and transparency as my focus. Strong governance requires a financial expert on the LISD board of trustees, because understanding, analyzing and approving a more than multimillion-dollar budget is one of its main functions. Also, since I actively participate in the district as a PTA officer and involved parent, I am close enough to the day-to-day to help innovate our offerings, so we can compete against private schools and reclaim students to LISD. Additionally, I will continue to support our educators while being an active listener.
Johnson: I am running for [the] LISD board of trustees in Place 3 because I believe in our district and want to work to maintain our academic excellence to become a coveted district in the state. I will bring a strong understanding of policy and procedure; as a paralegal, I know the importance of the rule of law. I have a passion for academic and vocational programs. My daughter excelled in LISD’s law enforcement career center program. I personally built my career on vocational training, initially in cosmetology after high school and then later in my career for paralegal training. I will bring proper perspective and focus on patriotism, respect for the law and traditional education for all students.
Griffith: I’ve lived in ... LISD ... my entire life, and I have tremendous gratitude for the education I received. Since public education has a direct correlation to the future success of both students and the surrounding community, I want to provide the absolute pinnacle of education and opportunities for our students, alumni and administration. This requires vision and passion, and the ability to listen to and advocate with parents, students and administration. I am bringing decades of unique experience and insight to engage our district in a platform of continuing excellence while embracing the future.
What are the biggest challenges facing the district?
Taylor: One of the biggest challenges is how to do more with less. We are sending $50 million to Austin instead of having those funds to invest in LISD. We need to come up with innovative ways to provide competitive programs (STEM, trade school programs, magnet programs, college readiness programs) to our students with reduced funding. Poverty is also a challenge facing this district, and we will need to ensure that every child has access to a sound education and work on the issues that keep that from happening, including programs focused on parents and families (ESL classes, job readiness, nutrition support). My child attends a Title 1 LISD school ,where 60% of the population is below the poverty level; we have to address this as students cannot learn if they are hungry, worried about homelessness, stressed about home life, etc.
Johnson: The biggest challenge in our district today is recruitment and retaining excellent teachers. We are in a teacher shortage currently, and we need to work together to find innovative ways to fill our vacancies.
Griffith: Technology, classroom size and budget constraints are always on our minds while the community faces several problems beyond the scope of the educational system. Our districts will continue to survive and thrive against all challenges only with the critical thinking skills necessary in the technological age. Digital literacy; media literacy; [and] civil, social, emotional and technical literacy are no longer luxuries, but necessities. I believe our students, parents and administration deserve the best support to work hand-in-hand with each other in the community.
If elected, what would be your top priorities?
Taylor: My top priorities would be the following: addressing the learning gap caused by COVID[-19]—tutoring programs that utilize volunteers could be helpful in this area along with providing additional learning programs on district-issued tablets; board transparency and accountability as it relates to LISD finance and decisions affecting the district—establishing board-level advisory boards made up of stakeholders (students, parents and educators) would go a long way in ensuring we are considering all groups in board votes and decisions; and poverty in the LISD—I would like to see the board work with community and professional leaders in our community to establish job training and educational programs for parents at the poverty level in this district. Addressing this issue will provide a better learning environment for all of our students. [I will also prioritize] more soundly addressing issues that parents have addressed with me around safety, special education and better programming while also addressing staff shortages.
Johnson: The board of trustees is a team of eight. I will hit the ground running to work alongside this team so that together we move out of the COVID[-19] environment back to normalcy. It’s important to strengthen all students’ preparedness to enter the working world and not lose time in getting back to business.
Griffith: The educational opportunities and well-being of students are always my main priorities. Fostering a responsive and healthy environment with parents and administration sits right at the top as well. Engaging students with technical proficiency in the digital age is an invaluable skill set and should continue to be a priority for our community. I envision a ‘Coding for Kids’ initiative that encompasses an extensive list of technology topics from hardware and software skills to integration and digital literacy. I believe we can work in tandem with existing programs and structures to help guide our students into an exciting future.
What are some new ideas or programs you would like the district to explore?
Taylor: I like the idea of having essay, art, math and science contests on a larger scale. I think we are getting away from the basics of education. Focusing on incentive programs would get the students to participate and help with the learning gap caused by COVID[-19]. I would also like to see us expand our trade school and college readiness programs so that every student has access to these programs. Not every child will go to college, so we should continue to provide alternative training and education. I know we do a good job with this currently, but I would like to see us do better. I also think we can continue to improve upon STEM and include additional offerings around art, music, theater, magnet, etc. Additionally, I think having a board-level advisory board would hold the board accountable for decisions that affect the district.
Johnson: As a mother of Lewisville Independent School District graduates, I will urge heightened focus on strong academic programs, strong vocational programs and active participation in student learning. Whether a student is college bound or would thrive in a vocational career, our school district must strive to create the foundations of success in every child we educate.
Griffith: I think we can continue to engage our students, parents, faculty and community leaders in our learning institutions while being aware and engaging with the larger community. I will push for changes that will take time to implement and grow, to move us toward proven successful results for the district. Programs for continued excellence in STEM fields, with a renewed focus on high-salary and high-demand job skills of the future, such as in robotics, artificial intelligence, and tech literacy [are important].
