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District strengths, enrollment, fiscal responsibility and technology were some of the topics discussed at a candidate forum for Pearland ISD’s board Positions 1 and 2 candidates.
The forum was hosted by the Pearland Chamber of Commerce on April 15.
Position 1
Incumbent Toni Carter will face Chris Counts and Rich Bradley for Position 1 on Pearland ISD’s board of trustees.
Carter said her passion lies with public education and student success.
Bradley said he wants to focus on protecting PISD’s strong academic foundation, using resources wisely and preparing students for college, careers or the military so they are “ready on Day 1.”
Counts said she is passionate about supporting educators and ensuring they have the tools, training and resources needed to guide and inspire students.
Regarding fiscal responsibility, Carter said that through her experience on the board, she has observed the district prioritizing students.
“We do have declining enrollment [and] we have the state not keeping up with the costs, so besides continuing to advocate at that state level and wait for someone else to bail us out, we are continuously focused on making sure that the students' experience is not lost in any capacity,” Carter said.
Bradley said the board has to be intentional with a priority for the classroom.
“We want to make sure that each dollar that we spend is focused on the right outcomes, ensuring the highest qualities of academic and teacher quality, ensuring that we have safe campuses, and making sure that we have strong academic programs,” Bradley said.
Counts also said she would prioritize classroom instruction and pushed PISD to continue to provide competitive pay for teachers.
“This means continue to invest in high-quality teachers and structural materials and programs that directly impact student learning,” Counts said. “The classroom should always come first. I believe in supporting and retaining our educators. Great teachers are one of the most important investments we can make.”
To read Community Impact's Q&A for this race, click here.
Position 2
Incumbent Kris Schoeffler will face Azania Salazar for Position 2 on Pearland ISD’s board of trustees.
Schoeffler said he is honored to serve as a board member as a native Pearland resident and former PISD student.
Salazar said she is running for her children, co-workers and students.
In regard to advocacy, Schoeffler said it’s important to be visible to the community.
“Because politics affects our schools, whether we want it to or not, I know it's a nonpartisan local race, but every partisan race above us has some kind of say over what happens in the school district,” Schoeffler said. “You have to be able to reach out and talk to people. You have to be visible in the community.”
Salazar said advocacy is deeply personal to her as she has had to advocate for her son.
“I consistently, even after the vote on vouchers, I'm reaching out,” Salazar said. “I reach out consistently on day to day, things of what I feel like, ‘Hey, can we change this?’ or ... ‘I see that you guys are pipelining a certain policy. I'm against it, and let me tell you why.’ I will always stand up for what's right.”
To read Community Impact's Q&A for this race, click here.
One last thing
To view the full stream of the candidate forum, visit the Pearland Chamber of Commerce’s Facebook page.
Early voting for the May 2 election will run from April 20-28. To learn more about other local elections, visit communityimpact.com/elections.
