Seven North East ISD residents are seeking three school board positions in the May 7 election. Early voting begins April 25. Each seat carries a four-year term.
Community Impact Newspaper reached out to all seven contestants to include their views and backgrounds for this voters guide.
District 2
Incumbent Terri Williams drew opposition from Jacqueline Klein and Rhonda Rowland.
An economic development professional, Williams is associate regional director for the Institute of Economic Development at The University of Texas at San Antonio.
Williams previously worked in economic development for the city of San Antonio, at Brooks and at Port San Antonio. Williams holds a political science degree from UTSA.
Williams said she’s seeking a second term to remain part of continued progress on matters, such as lowering the property tax rate, educating students through adverse conditions such as the pandemic, and giving students a voice and responding to their concerns and issues.
Williams said her priorities include focusing on student education; building relationships with staff, parents and community stakeholder taxpayers; staff development to ensure the retention of quality teachers and administrators; and financial stewardship of funds.
“I feel that my experience from a business perspective is an asset to ensuring that the district operates efficiently through the superintendent,” Williams said.
Klein has two school-age children and is employed with a nonprofit fraternal insurance organization, where her chief functions are community service initiatives and fundraising.
While this is her first campaign for public office, Klein said the district's response to and treatment of parents and students during the COVID-19 pandemic spurred her to seek a school board post.
Klein said her priorities issues are returning accountability and transparency to the board; incorporating parents as partners in the board's decision-making processes; and refocusing emphasis on core subjects, such as reading, writing, math, science and social studies.
“I bring people together and unite them behind common causes, and I will bring that ability to the school board trustee position to meet the diverse and varied needs of all of our constituents,” Klein said. “The success of our children is our common cause, and I want to bridge gaps between faculty/staff, parents, and students to provide the best for all of our children's futures.”
Rowland is a retired educator with 33 years of experience, having been a teacher, assistant principal, principal, at-risk program director and central office fine arts coordinator. She also has written more than 100 education-related articles in newspapers and professional journals.
The Windcrest resident has volunteered with SA Youth Literacy and the Windcrest Women's Club to help give scholarships and grants to NEISD students and teachers. She also partners with her church to support local teachers.
Rowland said her priorities are recruiting and retaining quality teachers, improving communication among stakeholders, and enhancing communication between trustees and the community.
According to Rowland, many teachers, staffers, students and parents are discouraged and angry as the school district attempts to recover from the pandemic’s effects.
She said school district officials should be more transparent and open with employees, students and the public. She also said NEISD should have a more forceful voice at the state level on certain issues, such as curricula, mask mandates and testing.
“I want very much to hear the concerns of all stakeholders of the district. This includes teachers, staff, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, community, taxpayers, parents, students, politicians,” Rowland said. “I think listening brings great knowledge into what is happening. Different groups bring ideas together in a safe way to make possible changes.”
District 3
Incumbent Omar Leos drew a challenge from Diane Sciba Villarreal.
Leos was appointed to the board in 2019 to replace Joseph Trevino. Leos earned degrees from the University of the Incarnate Word.
Leos is the fine arts coordinator for Harlandale ISD and has served with the boards of directors of the Public Theater of San Antonio and Classic Theater of San Antonio. He has 13 years of experience as a teacher.
Leos said he hopes to secure a full term in office and continue serving NEISD students, staff and parents of NEISD.
He said while the pandemic has made things difficult for all NEISD community members, he is committed to listening and working collaboratively with students, staff and parents and making the best decisions for them.
“I am focused on hiring and retaining high quality teachers and staff. I am working to improve the health and well being for students and employees,” Leos said.
Community Impact Newspaper did not receive a response from Villarreal.
According to her campaign website, Villarreal, a Castle Hills resident, said her being a parent and a business owner enables her to be in close touch with families and other residents across NEISD. She also said there are problems in NEISD schools that “call for a fresh approach.”
Villarreal also said on her website that, as a mother, parental involvement in a child’s education is vital and should be further emphasized inside NEISD via tighter collaboration with teachers.
“I want students to feel confident in the education they are receiving and the skills they are gaining so that they can graduate prepared to go out on their own and make something great of their lives,” Villarreal said on her website.
District 7
Incumbent Sandy Winkley drew challenges from Marsha Landry and former trustee Joseph Trevino.
Winkley, an NEISD alumnus, is the board vice president and is seeking a second term as a trustee. She and her husband have volunteered with many groups in and around NEISD, including parental organizations at Thousand Oaks Elementary, Bradley Middle and Churchill High schools.
Winkley works for an accounting firm. She studied business administration and advertising art at Baylor University.
Winkley said she is running again for the school board because serving the NEISD community is her passion. If re-elected, her priorities are continuing to advocate for all students, staff, and parents at the local, state and national levels; ensuring post-pandemic academic recovery; preparing students for life after high school; and supporting fiscal responsibility.
“I believe I have been a great asset to the team. I come to each meeting prepared, I have made decisions with all 60,000 students and all 8,000 employees in mind,” she said. “I am not personally affiliated with any special interest groups; I am just a lifetime community member that would love to continue to serve this community that I love."
Trevino previously was a District 3 trustee for two years and said he has recovered from a medical issue that he attributed to his decision to resign from the board in 2019.
Trevino spent 20-plus years in concert production and volunteered at his daughter’s school. He also served with the NEISD Council of PTAs executive board.
Trevino said the school board has been unresponsive regarding community members’ questions on various issues. He said he is campaigning for parental rights, school board term limits, and increasing parents’ ability to review students’ reading and educational material.
“Parents’ rights have been ignored for far too long, and this to me needs to be addressed,” he said.
Community Impact Newspaper did not receive a response from Landry, but she has a main campaign website and a campaign fundraiser webpage.
A business support analyst with USAA, Landry said she is a working mother with two teenage boys at home.
Landry also calls herself “an advocate for traditional Christian values, transparency in educational curriculums, holding educators accountable and expecting our schools provide solid foundations for success.”
“My mission and purpose is to represent parent's interests and family values. The rights and choices of parents in their children's education must to be preserved,” Landry said on the fundraiser website.
Early voting will be held 8 a.m.-6 p.m. April 25-29, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. April 30 and May 2-3, and noon-6 p.m. May 1 at sites such as Brookhollow Library, 530 Heimer Road; Cody Library, 11441 Vance Jackson Road; Encino Library, 2515 E. Evans Road; Parman Library at Stone Oak, 20735 Wilderness Oak; and Windcrest Takes Park Civic Center, 9310 Jim Seal Drive. Election day polls will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. at individual voting precincts.
