As a Trustee, I intend to allow parents to make decisions that are best for their children. I will do everything in my power to support the school district in providing the best teachers, curriculum and facilities needed to prepare our students for what lies ahead. More students came back to in person learning when they saw how effective the precautions were. Comal Independent School District Clark joins Megan Louise Willis, who will appear as Megan Stratemann-Willis on the ballot, and James Randall Lenard, who will appear on the ballot as Randy Lenard for one of two seats. I feel a very personal and serious responsibility for all children in our growing district and the quality education they receive. Current New Braunfels ISD District 1 trustee Keith D. Smith will face off against Morgan Lindsey Armitage, who will appear as Morgan Renaud on the ballot, for the seat. This is especially true in how we spend our monies. We've already got a shortfall of budget around special education. 44 candidates vying for 22 school board seats in May election Comal ISD is a very large land mass. I know for a fact we are overspending in certain areas of our budget via open record requests. Incumbent Laurie Schley lost to former board member Jason York in the race for District 3. Garden Ridge Elementary - Comal ISD The pandemic created significant gaps, and they need to be addressed in meaningful ways, so our students go into the next phases of their education prepared. Parents are concerned about what is taught in our classrooms that Texas is not immune to the rampant progressive ideology that is being taught in other states and there is no mechanism in place for our district to give them any kind of assurance. It is no secret that Comal ISD is growing at an unprecedented rate, and how well we handle additional student enrollment is crucial. The Boards primary functions are goal setting, approving the budget and policymaking. The San Antonio Independent School District board elections are among the most hotly contested, with the district's largest teachers union backing a slate of candidates to unseat three incumbents and replace a departing trustee on the seven-member board. Career Training is an important by product of our educational system. Comal Independent School District elections (2017) - Ballotpedia You have permission to edit this article. The Comal ISD Board of Trustees approved a bond package that will accommodate continued enrollment growth as well as address items such as campus safety and security, student technology, and expansions and improvements at existing campuses during a meeting on Feb. 15. Those board member positions are occupied by Marty Bartlett and Cody Mueller, respectively.. Andres Campos-Delgado, an area manager, Jimmy Vallejo Delgado, a business consultant, and Suzanne Kasey Lynn, a COBRA specialist, have filed for the District 1 seat. That matters when we think about community involvement and equity. All are for three-year terms. Don't Threaten. It is imperative the Board of Trustees be comprised of people who are ready to set aside personal political ideologies and collaborate in a way that, together, advocates for what is in the best interest of our students. It is not the role of the Board of Trustees to dictate what parents choose for their children regarding masks or COVID vaccines. View the 2022 School Board Candidates. With a very dynamic growth rate, Comal ISD is poised to continue growing at a rapid pace. Voters in Bexar and Guadalupe Counties re-elected Place 4 trustee Edward Finley and chose retired teacher Belinda Evans to represent Place 7. Ensure our budgets do not contain wasteful spending and insure we are meeting the needs for the education of our children as best we can. I will also expand teacher inputs into district decision-making and create a teacher task force for addressing student discipline, social media and teacher pay. Six candidates are vying for Comal ISD single-member districts 6 and 7 in this May's election. Jason Isbell 5. Get the latest breaking news from The Herald-Zeitung. Elections will be held for Comal ISD District 1, 2, and 5. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Also, Im a Latina this is important because the makeup of our board is not representative of our community. please consider making your gift of support today. Each Educ. Masks are a simple and effective way to help provide that safety. Elec. At CI, Lauren covers education, local government, transportation, business, real estate development and nonprofits in New Braunfels. KTPD 89.3 FM in Del Rio's broadcast signal is currently down. Comal ISD is divided into single-member districts and has a seven-member Board of Trustees. We will continue to lose teachers, and we will start to see students leave this district. School board candidates must be registered voters, reside in the district they are filing for and must have resided within the school district for at least six months. They will be joined by Daniel Carrillo. Sign up today! While the district must manage the predicted exponential growth occurring in our area, the community should be aware of, and participate in, the efforts to maintain high-quality educational opportunities for our growing student population. Internet stream is unaffected. Voting and Election Information | Comal County, Texas Comal ISD, District 1 Tim Hennessee, Incumbent Brittany Soto Comal ISD, District 2 David Drastata, Incumbent * denotes candidates who did not respond to survey requests sent via email and/or phone calls by time of publication. Trustee meetings drew packed board rooms this year following a series of controversial actions, motivating those who opposed their decisions to launch a get-out-the-vote campaign. By Lauren Canterberry TPR was founded by and is supported by our community. Neither filed for re-election. Comal ISD trustees to discuss election guidelines for bond, new tax TPR was founded by and is supported by our community. School Board Elections - Republican Party - Comal County GOP What could it be doing better? Texas A&M University System bans diversity statements from job applications, Movies romanticized the Alamo. Get the latest breaking news from The Herald-Zeitung. Questions regarding elections can be directed to Melanie Allen at (763)689-6202 or mallen@c-ischools.org. at 5:30 p.m., a drawing will take place in the Board Room at the Comal ISD Support Services Building, located at 1404 IH 35 North, New Braunfels, TX 78130, for the purpose of determining the order in which the names of candidates for the Board of Trustees shall appear on the official ballot for the May 6, 2023, trustee election. As a retired educator, I have a keen understanding of what goes on in the classroom and the issues facing our teachers and administrators. Teachers must know their school board has their back. Why? We need to reach out to local or even corporate businesses to see if we could get any donations from them. As one of the board members correctly pointed out, there's no way that Comal ISD will ever close the gap between what we can offer and the private sector, but we're paying the higher price regardless, which is taking us over budget. I want to use my skills to help our districts children thrive in an educational environment. 5. These will be held outside of our regular board meetings. Would you like to receive our daily news. 9:53 AM Apr 21, 2021 CDT Click here to find out what district you are in. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. Be Proactive. Northside board policy is to declare whoever wins the most votes the winner, so there wont be a runoff. 1 of 2. Businesses and taxpayers are the end customers for our educational product we put out into the marketplace once students graduate. Sitting in a quiet room for 4 hours straight with only a lunch break is not an efficient way to ensure our students are retaining information. Those values, instilled in me from birth, will continue guiding my decision-making if I am elected to serve on the Board of Trustees. Would you like to receive our daily news. Ive always visualized Comal County as the place where I would raise a family. D. At first I believe Comal ISD did a good job of providing options to students and parents to see if theyd like to attend in person or remote learning. I would have polled the constituents in my district- all staff, parents and student input would be considered before casting my vote. Comal ISD board of trustees District 1 - impact Ballotpedia provides in-depth coverage of school board elections in America's largest school districts by enrollment. Sorensen said she wants parents and students to have more of a say in their schools, and to bring more transparency to the budgeting process. Delivering entertainment and live music news straight to your inbox every Thursday morning. I taught for 5 years in Northside ISD as an engineering instructor at one of their magnet schools Construction Careers Academy located next to Earl Warren High School. One of the first things we need to do is have conversations and work closely with city leaders to learn about new developments being approved so we can make growth projections and plan accordingly. One side consists of parents and students, another side consists of teachers and administrators and support staff. Updated We also need to make sure that before we continue to let people outside of the district register students here, we have sufficient staffing, especially for our students who are [in special education], [English language learners] and on 504 plans. Drastata and four other board candidates voted to remove the districts mask mandate in March without surveying parents or giving them time to make alternative plans. Be Nice. Every child is different and learns differently so grouping them under 1 umbrella doesn't really give a clear picture of academic success and failure. Please download the PDF file. PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) The celebration surrounding Damian Lillard's record-breaking performance was short-lived. Of adjoining school districts bordering Comal ISD, our teachers are number six in terms of compensation. There was an error processing your request. I think it shows our message has resonated with the community, and people are ready for change, Sorensen said. person will not be tolerated. One of the school boards primary responsibilities is to approve a budget. 9 Out Of 10 Bexar County School Board Incumbents Retain Seats; Comal How would you / do you decide whether or not to approve the budget recommended to you by district administration? each comment to let us know of abusive posts. 5:22 PM Apr 7, 2022 CDT Enrollment (14-15) 20,327 students. In June, this Board approved a resolution that would ensure that revenue generated by the VATRE, both this year and in future years,isdedicated solely to fund teacher and staff compensation, as well as new teacher positions, says Comal ISD Board President Jason York. We have a daughter Carolyn who is a Pharmacist in Austin. Why or why not? That is the equivalent of adding an entire high school to our district every year. An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. The Comal Board of Trustees approved a bond package worth $147.4 million at its February 2015 meeting, that was put to voters on the May 9, 2015, ballot. Preliminary election results for three open seats on the Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD school board show voters chose experience with one exception. If Harlandales board policy required candidates to win a majority of the vote, trustees would have had to either call a special election or appoint someone to represent District 3. Q&A: Get to know who is running for the Comal ISD board of trustees Neither filed for re-election. We do not need to do deficit budgeting. Trustee meetings drew packed board rooms this year following a series of controversial actions, motivating those who opposed their decisions to launch a get-out-the-vote campaign. My top priorities include: Looking at our budget and finding where we are overspending so that we can find a way to pay teachers and support staff more; making sure we are being more transparent and accessible to parents, Comal ISD staff and all community members; offering support by listening to Comal ISD staff to find out what things need to change in our schools to ensure student success; and communicating with constituents. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Mostly clear. Every Monday evening you'll get caught up with the top stories from the last week. File Photo | Camille Phillips | Texas Public Radio. Texas school board elections, 2015 - Ballotpedia Comal ISD Board of Trustees meetings are conducted in the Board Room of the Support Services Building, 1404 IH 35 North, New Braunfels, TX 78130. Full results: Texas House District 118 and more Bexar County elections I would decide on whether or not to approve a budget by seeing and listening to my districts needs. Every Monday evening you'll get caught up with the top stories from the last week. In addition, taxpayers continue to receive the benefit of the 20 percent local homestead exemption, which equates to $65 per month, or $780 per year, in savings. Courtney Beach Biasatti, Drastatas opponent, said she would have polled her constituents before making a decision about masks. I have used my skill sets of Cost Accounting, Capacity Planning and Engineering in multi-million dollar capacity manufacturing facility expansions. This concept of approaching means your student is likely to succeed in the next grade level. How likely is not at all stated for you! A top priority would be implementation of programs,. Teaching skills sought by local businesses would be key to providing our taxpayer base with the students they will need in the future. (Courtesy Adobe Stock). This allows me to literally Think Outside the Box when looking at solutions to problems facing the community and its educational requirements. Standardized tests should not exist. Most charter schools follow strict guidelines to for their test scores and are very selective of their students. Lillard set franchise and career marks with 71 points tied for the most in the NBA this season and 13 3-pointers in the Portland Trail Blazers' 131 -114 victory over the Houston Apartment Therapy flipped into Apartment Therapy Currently, COMAL ISD comprises over 40% minorities in our student body; yet, representation on the school board does not reflect this. Single-Member District 1 incumbent Steve Lechelop, an attorney who has represented the district since 2013, was narrowly defeated by Sarah Sorensen, a former legislative analyst in the New York State Assembly. What is your current or most recent occupation? Threats of harming another How should Comal ISD handle its ongoing growth? . Comal ISD, located primarily in Comal County, also had an election to watch. Amanda Jones and Amber Bracegirdle are vying for the District 6 position, and David Krawczynski, Kaila Stovall,. Click here to find out what district you are in. By Lauren Canterberry Rule ISD. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, 7. Be Truthful. 2005-2022 Community Impact Newspaper Co. All rights reserved. Four seats on the Comal Independent School District Board of Trustees were up for general election on May 9, 2015. This will have a domino effect on our community if we do not address this before the coming school year. Do you think your district treats its teachers, principals and support personnel well?