(From left) Tom Jackson, Christine Hartley, Natalie Blasingame, Darcy Mingoia, Debbie Blackshear and Pam Redd are the six candidates running for Cy-Fair ISD school board this November.[/caption]

The six candidates competing for the four positions on the Cy-Fair ISD school board up for election this November discussed the challenges and goals for the district at an Oct. 12 public forum.

Candidates responded to a series of questions submitted by voters online and from audience members. Topics included state funding, community outreach, substitute teacher pay, standardized testing and charter schools.

Natalie Blasingame—a Copperfield resident who leads the Houston ISD Interventions Office as an assistant superintendent—is running against incumbent Darcy Mingoia for Position 3, who is seeking her second term on the board.

Two new candidates have filed to run for Position 4, which is being vacated by Kevin Hoffman at the end of his term. Cypress Village resident Debbie Blackshear—who has worked with the Cy-Fair Education Foundation, Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce and Community Leadership Committee—is running against Turtle Lake resident Pam Redd, who has volunteer with the district in a variety of capacities while serving as principal at Meadow Wood Elementary in Spring Branch ISD.

Incumbents Tom Jackson and Christine Hartley participated in the forum despite running unopposed for positions 1 and 2 respectively.

“We still feel very strongly about answering the questions and hearing from the community,” Hartley said.

The board of trustees is responsible for a variety of tasks, including approving budgets, contracts and personnel decisions, establishing and reviewing educational standards and goals, reflecting community standards and making decisions related to student welfare. Trustees serve three year terms.

Candidates often praised the good work being done in the district throughout the forum, particularly when it came to catering to a diverse student population and developing community partnerships with local businesses and nonprofits.

Blasingame and Redd both spoke about the need to personalize instruction in ways that help students with special needs and unique situations. Blasingame said she wants to capitalize on the district’s excellence with efforts to reach out to struggling students and close the achievement gap.

“Most parents are very happy with our schools, but some look for a little more choice and flexibility from our system, and I promise to bring their voices to the community and our board,” she said. “We need to personalize our approach so that each student feels the hope and preparation to take the next steps, whatever they may be.”

Blasingame specifically advocated for a more concerted effort to build character and ethics in students, as well as the development of a dual-language program.

“I would say that’s something I’d definitely ask questions about to make sure we are considering all our options and serving all our students,” she said. “The benefits are not only academic, but we also give them the skills to enter a global economy.”

Other candidates expressed interest in a dual-language program, but emphasized constraints from the lack of funding.

“I’m very proud of what we’ve done with our new arrival centers to make sure students can move very quickly into mainstream programs,” Mingoia said. “If there were funds available, I’d certainly look at any program that improves the skills of our students, but I think we should get a lot of credit for what we have done.”

Lack of funding was a common response to a question about pay raises for substitute teachers and paraprofessionals as well, although candidates said they would be willing to look into it.

“I think it would be easy enough to compare ourselves to other districts surrounding us to make sure we are competitive,” Mingoia said. “It’s something I’m certainly willing to look at.”

Blackshear was one of several candidates who stressed the importance of keeping up the fight for more equitable funding at the state level. Several candidates spoke about the difference in state funding between Cy-Fair ISD and neighboring districts, which can range from $300-$1,200 per student.

“As a member of Community Leadership Committee, I have been talking about this with state legislators for a number of years,” she said. “It is ridiculous that our district should not be given our fair share of funding. I think its imperative that we continue hammering our elected officials until we get this issue resolved.”

Candidates agreed that bringing charter schools to the district was not a priority at the moment.

“I’d hate to see any funding moved away from us when we are already strapped,” Redd said. “Some charters offer some good choices, but we have an excellent public school system and our students are given what they need. At some point if funding increases, we might be able to offer more choice, but I don’t support diverting any funds to charter schools.”

Blasingame said it is important for the district to continue to expand options available to families, but said charter schools are not the answer.

“We don’t need a charter school, but we do need to address the fact that some students do not choose to go to our schools,” she said. “I would love to see us continue to keep the beautiful schools we have, and if someone is looking for something different, provide some more choices.”

Several incumbents, pointing out that approximately 97 percent of students within the district boundaries attend CFISD schools, defended the work that has been done to provide options for students with challenging schedules and commitments.

A question specifically addressed to Blasingame during the forum gave the candidate a chance to elaborate on her views on the separation of church and state.

“It’s a very touchy subject,” she said. “I believe this is an area to be explored for the greatness of all students. I believe it is over-interpreted. I think it basically shuts down educators from being able to be their full selves in school. Children are not able to exercise their values in conversations. I think we should train our staff to know what’s OK and allow for more personalization toward the goal of producing more well-rounded students.”

More information on the candidates can be found in a district voter’s guide available online, along with video footage of the forum.

Election Day is Nov. 3. Early voting begins Oct. 19. A Q&A with the four candidates running for positions 3 and 4, as well as information on polling locations, can be found in the Oct. 15 print edition of Community Impact Newspaper and on our website.