What are three reasons why you think you are the best candidate running for this Board position?
I believe we need more forward-thinking people on the board. Growth in our community is inevitable, it is happening, so we need to be proactive instead of reactive. I whole heartedly believe in our CTE Program. I believe that we need to grow it as fast as we possibly can. Not all of our kids are geared for college, and they should be learning these trades. We should be teaching them different trades, or avenues that they can pursue, so that they are career ready after high school.
It is important as a district that we see this bond through and ensure that it passes, I believe that is will do amazing things for our district. There will be multiple obstacles that the board will face throughout this process. I feel that I am best suited to ensure that we are good stewards of taxpayer’s dollars.
What is your position about parental choice and charter schools?
This is not a topic in which I know much about. I do believe that parents should always have the choice to enroll their child anywhere that they see fit, however I am not in favor of defunding our public schools.
In your opinion, what are the three most important roles of the school board and if elected, how would you contribute to those important roles??
I believe they are to hire and evaluate the superintendent, supervise the responsible creation and administration of a MISD financial strategic plan that meets student’s and educators’ needs, and to ensure that the communities values and needs are reflected in the curriculum and programs.
What is the State of Texas school system ranked in literacy and what would your plan be to make it No. 1 in the country?
Texas is ranked 34. I believe that this goes back to finding, hiring, and retaining the best educators and involving the community in our curriculum.
Briefly explain how American history should be taught to our students.
History should be taught accurately and exactly how it happened. This should include the good, the bad, and the ugly. By doing this, we are less likely to have history repeat itself.
Should the MISD Board have total & final authority on what teaching materials are used in the classromm? Please explain fully.
No, not final authority. The school board should have an open dialogue with the parents in our community and gather input to form a well rounded curriculum. The school board is an elected group of individuals chosen to represent the parents, students, and educators in our district so I believe all of these individuals should have a voice. The SBOE is to create a baseline and we should expand from there.
How much access do you believe parents should have to their children's curriculum? classroom? teacher? online?
Parents should have full access to all the above while following protocols put in place to prevent disruption in the classroom.
What's your opinion of programs such as Common Core curriculum? Critical Race Theory? Social Emotional Learning? International Bacculaureate?
It is all malarkey and should not be anywhere near an MISD classroom. If elected, I will do everything in my power to make sure these things don’t infiltrate our district.
Do you support allowing all students to use bathrooms, showers and locker rooms, as well as participate in sports, based on the gender with which they identify, not the sex they are assigned to at birth?
Absolutely not.
The SBOE has been charged by Governor Abbott with developing standards for books found in school libraries to prevent pornography from getting into the hands of our schoolchildren. What is your position on the development of these important standards?
I agree with these standards. Our children should not have readily available access to pornography.
Do you support the use of the 1619 Project, or similar curriculum, as the most accurate portrayal of the founding of America?
The 1619 Project portrays Americas founding in a biased way. It portrays our country as being founded on slavery and exploration of Native Americans. While our history is complicated, many of today's politicians and professors twist this narrative to push the agenda that capitalist and citizens ought to feel a since of guilt for things that happened centuries ago. That’s not an accurate telling of our story and it does not honor the Judaeo- Christian values and liberties our country was founded on. I prefer a curriculum that honors our country with all its complexities. I support pro-American, pro-constitution educational efforts at all grades. And at the state level I would support the 1836 project so that our students continue to learn about Texas and our local history we should be celebrating. MISD is already doing a great job in this area, and we will continue to under my leadership.
Would you be in favor of returning prayer to every classroom in the state?
Yes, I believe it should have never left the classroom. I support a moment of silence to give people the opportunity to pray or meditate to their religion or views of choice.
Would you agree that our public school systems are not education systems; they are built on the Dewey and Mann systems of humanism?
The shift from Horace Mann's view to Dewey's gave progressiveism a home in education. I stand firmly against the progressive ideals that have come to be associated with Dewey's work. While I have heard of Horace Mann and John Dewey's work, I admit I need to learn more about their central concepts and ideas.
How much influence does the board have on the actual classroom curriculum used? What is your plan to achieve that?
I believe that our parents and educators need to be more involved with the board on developing the curriculum as stated previously. The board should directly reflect the communities needs.
