There are five candidates running for the Position 5 seat on Fort Bend ISD's board of trustees in the upcoming May 6 election.

Early voting began April 24 and ends May 2. Visit here to see the early voting locations and schedules for Lamar CISD and FBISD.

Candidates were asked to keep responses under 75 words, answer the questions provided and avoid attacking opponents.

Answers may have been edited or cut to adhere to those guidelines, or for style and clarity.







Rolly U. DeMeza






Candidate did not respond to questionnaire by press time.















Allison Drew



Experience: experienced former trustee; former FBISD Leadership-Texas Association of School Boards; Wall Street Quant well-versed in markets, financial expenditure and recapture; enterprise data architect that provides plans for detection of inefficiencies and growth at the whole system level; 30 years FBISD community: reading buddy/multilingual (five languages), athletics, CTE and fine arts


Occupation: Enterprise data architect, psychiatric nurse


Candidate Website: www.vote5allison.com


Contact Information: 832-376-7768





What can residents expect from you, if elected?



Once elected, I will continue FBISD's efforts to provide exceptional quality educational programs to sustain growth, recapture student enrollment, identify and mitigate gaps in learning—especially at the middle and high school levels—retain staff, and increase engagement with parents. It is important that we partner to implement community vision, strengthen collaboration with staff, foster respectful conversations to gather community input while maintaining transparency, and ultimately grow our students to their fullest potential.



What are your top priorities?



Planning for adequate funding, student growth, staff retention, districtwide program equity, programs for that support the whole student (recruitment/retention in athletics, CTE and fine arts), social emotional support



The school district is currently facing a $24 million budget shortfall. What steps would you take to ensure the district is able to meet the educational needs of its students and offers a competitive salary for its teachers and administrative staff?



Long-term plan to identify and mitigate inefficiencies via the audit process; having representation at the state level to lobby and advocate for school funding formula reform; encourage passage of bills that provide weighted funding for select courses; targeted plan to continue efforts to implement support and longevity incentives based upon career pathways to ensure staff retention












Angel Hicks



Experience: nine years as FBISD educator (four years as a master teacher) with experience in growing students in two low performing schools in the district; parent of three with two children that still attend FBISD schools and one that graduated from high school last year in spring 2022; business background with a BBA in accounting and currently pursuing master's of education in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in learning, technology and design


Occupation: Master teacher


Contact Information: 281-875-9857





What can residents expect from you, if elected?



If elected, residents can expect an experienced empathetic leader who thrives on innovation and change. Growing up in public schools and working in FBISD schools has given me a unique view on things that can be implemented to help us compete statewide as a public school entity. I have a proven work ethic and will continue to work if elected on the board for all children’s education.



What are your top priorities?



My top priority is the children and their education. I plan on broadening the spectrum by providing new innovative ideas to improve the quality of education offered throughout the district. My ideas will primarily come from my background and passion for technology. I also plan to strengthen the quality of education addressing socioeconomic and demographic barriers. Other top priorities include implementing effective district policies that provide teachers, staff and students additional support, and being a transparent community communicator and advocate.



The school district is currently facing a $24 million budget shortfall. What steps would you take to ensure the district is able to meet the educational needs of its students and offers a competitive salary for its teachers and administrative staff?



I would look for ways to cut operational costs by doing the following things: re-evaluating facility management practices, exploring new models for cost sharing and re-evaluating duplicate staffing positions. If the 2023 bond is approved, it will definitely help out with the management of facilities!












Sonya Jones



Experience: For 14 years, I've worked in higher education as an academic advisor and public school teacher. [I've] leveraged the use of multiple teaching/training delivery methods. [I've] facilitated student affairs programs/activities with higher education institutions (colleges/universities). Additionally, as a member of the board of directors for Fort Bend County [Municipal Utility District No. 131], I've collaborated with residents to ensure public health and financial stability of the district.


Occupation: Educator


Candidate Website: www.sonya4kids.com


Contact Information: 281-915-8984





What can residents expect from you, if elected?



When elected, residents can expect integrity, trust and full transparency in decisions made by the board of trustees. I will communicate using openness and honesty with students, teachers, parents and taxpayers. I will also ensure that my decision-making is intentional, and that is in the best interest of students.



What are your top priorities?



Rebuilding trust—unifying the board with parents, community leaders and businesses to promote positive student outcomes. Discipline—addressing disciplinary-related issues via the enforcement of the code of student conduct. This will aid in promoting student learning. Increasing academic achievement—transforming Fort Bend ISD from “B” rated to “A” rated school district. I look forward to working with the superintendent to support student literacy.



The school district is currently facing a $24 million budget shortfall. What steps would you take to ensure the district is able to meet the educational needs of its students and offers a competitive salary for its teachers and administrative staff?



I will prioritize the needs of classroom teachers and administrative staff who work directly with students. Although I only have access to publicly available information, priority will be given to key areas that will make Fort Bend ISD more efficient in its spending. Therefore, meeting this shortfall will require ongoing communication of its progress with the community. When elected, I will ensure that meeting this shortfall will take precedence on the board’s agenda.












Denetta R. Williams*



Occupation: Incumbent





Candidate did not respond to questionnaire by press time.