SC: Conroe ISD is operating in unprecedented times right now. The impact the coronavirus has created is the main challenge for the district. Beyond the obvious health and safety risk to our staff and students, the district and school board will also need to contend with the academic risk and budget risk. It's vital we make the right decisions now and [in the] short term to limit the consequences [in the] longer term. I plan to make decisions considering these risk areas and would like to implement a scorecard to transparently communicate to the community how the district is performing in these three risk pillars: health and safety, academic, and budget.

SC: My professional career as a senior manager of internal audit for a large global company has honed my skills in financial stewardship and oversight, leadership and mentoring, integrity and discretion, building consensus to drive change and excelling in difficult situations. I will bring these skills to the school board as it carries out its responsibilities setting visions and priorities, adopting policies and budgets, and performing oversight. I'm passionate about student achievement, staff development and preparing our children for the future. I'm also mindful of doing this in a fiscally responsible way.

SC: Conroe ISD has a lot of good programs and initiatives and some of the best teachers and staff around. I would like to see a structured approach to collecting best practices and lessons learned in order to share that knowledge across the district so our entire student body and staff can benefit. I would also like to see more community and alumni engagement, leveraging the incredible resources we have in our community to the benefit for our students. We have to remain an employer of choice, and we have to be the district teachers want to be at, so I would like to see more emphasis on providing our teachers professional development support, like mentoring, coaching, sponsorship and more.

SC: The 2019 bond package that passed in November was based on reasonable forecasts and analysis, and I believe without the impacts from coronavirus, it would've been sufficient to cover the needs, mainly new schools, of the district. However, the scenarios the bond was calculated on just do not exist anymore and may not come back. It will take some strong financial oversight to make sure we are mindful in our use of debt and funds and that it is in line with the reality of now and not based on an outdated strategic plan.

AF: The main challenges currently facing our district are COVID-19 and the hybrid learning environment. The learning deficit due to a prolonged summer is exacerbated by hybrid teaching, which makes leveling the playing field even more challenging for students with learning differences. There are still many challenges with that, and we must adopt a position of continuous learning and improvements as we refine remote teaching techniques and methods while keeping the safety and health of everyone a priority.

AF: First, I am a product of CISD and a long-term resident of Montgomery County. My education in social work and experience as an advocate for the children of Montgomery County have prepared me for this role. I served as PTO president for multiple terms and achieved success in leading parents and teachers in collaborative development projects that became a model for schools in CISD and other Texas districts.

AF: Reading is the foundation of learning, but it is more challenging for dyslexic children. CISD has improved its efforts to serve this group, but more needs to be done, especially in the area of diagnostic testing. Serving all students means regardless of individual circumstances, whether in special education or [gifted] and talented.

AF: Yes, the bond that was passed in 2019 was sufficient to fund the district's needs for the foreseeable future.