Elections for places 1, 2 and 3 will also appear on the May 6 ballot.
Before the election, Community Impact Newspaper sent Hinton a series of questions on her candidacy. Her written responses, edited for publication style, are below.
Marilyn Hinton will run for re-election for the Plano ISD board of trustees Place 6 seat.[/caption]Why are you running for re-election?
I have been on the board for eight years. In that time, I have gained the trust of many of my board members both past and present.
These relationships take time. We have a strong and diverse board now representing many of the cultural and economic values that are in our community.
Why are you qualified for this position?
Because I have been on the board for eight years, I feel my greatest qualification is having been a former full-time teacher at Meadows Elementary in the PISD Head Start Program. The other qualification is having a masters in education from Howard University. These two assets have helped me explain some of the complexities in choosing curriculum to my fellow board members.
If re-elected, what will you focus on?
My focus for this upcoming year is, one, to bring more character education to the students; using parents and teachers, they can point out "teachable moments," i.e. when a person is being kind to another or being honest. Two, we need more classes in environmental studies. I think it's important for students to learn to take care of the Earth. Three, to have at least some time for seniors to spend on stress reduction (on a volunteer basis) before testing. Four, to encourage more service projects on every grade level.
There are more projects that I plan on giving some attention to as well.
More information about Hinton's campaign can be found on her website.
Greg Myer and Trish Patterson have also filed for Place 6.
Election day is May 6 from 7 a.m.-7 p.m., and early voting will run April 24-29 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and May 1-2 from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
