Curtis Rippee Curtis Rippee[/caption] Curtis Rippee holds the at-large seat for the McKinney ISD board of trustees and is running for re-election. Rippee is running against local McKinney resident Curtis Rath. Early voting for the board election runs April 24-May 2. Election day is May 6.

Occupation:

I am a partner and CFO of Air Conditioning Innovative Solutions Inc. (“ACIS”), a commercial HVAC contractor, based here in McKinney.

Why are you running for the school board?

I firmly believe that a viable public school system is foundational to our community and our future.  I have had the privilege of serving on the MISD board of trustees over the past seven years, and I believe my continued service is important as the board and district continue to strive for excellence for our students.  My father was a teacher so I have a passion for teachers and the students they serve.

What issues do you think the district will face in the near future?

  • Possibility of school vouchers/education savings accounts
  • Changes to the funding of Texas public schools
  • Rapid advancement of technology and its impact on the education of our students

If re-elected, how would you help address those issues?

School vouchers or education savings accounts and funding of Texas public schools are separate but related issues.  It is vitally important that we communicate our concerns with our elected officials in the state Legislature. The unintended consequences of vouchers or education savings accounts could be significant. These programs could result in a disproportionate and detrimental amount of funds being diverted from our district to other educational entities, which are not held to the same accountability standards as MISD. Technology is advancing rapidly. Our students are more technologically savvy than ever and the information many of us had to learn and search for in books is now available to the current student in less than 3 seconds via an internet search engine. Going forward, memorization of content will become less critical while teaching students how to problem-solve, think critically and creatively while working collaboratively will become even more important. Students will need to know how to decipher good information from bad. A premium will be put on creativity rather than logical processing, which will be largely automated in the future. School districts are going to have to modify what and how they teach due to this shift in culture and that will require bold leadership.

What qualifications do you feel you have that make you a prime candidate?

I think it is critical for candidates for the board of trustees to have the students’ best interests in mind as they serve. As a local business owner, a son of a teacher, and a parent of three girls who attend McKinney ISD, I have an excellent perspective on and vested interest in the success of the district and its students. My experience over the last seven years of working with the administration to have our schools achieve academic excellence while maintaining fiscal responsibility is evident. Our schools are outperforming the region and the state in all subject areas. Fiscally, MISD spends 10 percent more of its budget on instruction than the state average and spends 1.8 percent of its budget on administration compared to the state average of 3.1 percent. MISD also recently lowered the I&S tax rate by 5 cents and reduced the term of bonds to 20 years, saving the district millions of dollars in interest while maintaining a fiscally prudent reserve in the fund balance.