Excellence Over Extremism

I was shocked but not surprised to see the current board majority’s immediate focus on curriculum, books, and other ideological agendas soon after they took over GCISD. It showed me that the current board majority was not interested in continuing GCISD’s tradition of academic excellence. Their first action was to push through a policy around fear tactics regarding social issues — while most GCISD families are focused on the availability of classes, programs, and materials that will help GCISD be a top-tier district once again.

Partisan politics and the push to privatize education through vouchers and charter schools have no place on the agenda of a public school board trustee sworn to protect the interests of a school district. People have every right to advocate for this model on their own time, but not to destroy excellent public schools to build their case.

Parent Choice and Voice have been key to GCISD’s success. The lack of opportunity for discussion at board meetings and the elimination of stakeholder voice combined with censorship is the opposite of what made GCISD an award winning district.

“Who wants a basic school district? I want an excellent district. We must put the needs of students above politics. A great school trustee unites the community rather than divides it.” — KP

Our Teachers Deserve Better 

I’ve witnessed the hostility and carelessness of our current board majority toward GCISD educators. One trustee bragged about a secret list of teachers to purge from the district. The extreme majority are supported by a political extremist PAC whose leaders call teachers “groomers” and claim GCISD has “failed.” The current school board has given GCISD administrators more tasks, less funding, and fewer staff. 

“Enough is enough. Ninety classroom teachers have resigned since this current school board took over. GCISD is not a Top 100 Workplace for the first time in five years. Excellent teachers are resigning mid-year, risking their teaching certificates, because of the deep disrespect they get from our current school board.” — KP

Teachers show up for our kids daily. Now, we must show up for them at the voting booth and elect trustees who run our district with professionalism and respect. We cannot have an exceptional district without exceptional teachers.

Restore Integrity and Transparency

Our Board of Trustees should prioritize classroom excellence over lucrative contracts for board members’ friends. While the current current board majority declined to give cafeteria workers and bus drivers a 2% raise, they were using thousands of our taxes to pay an extra law firm that was hired in secret, and whose invoices are mostly redacted. Wouldn’t you know it — this lawyer is pals with the current board majority.  

I support a return to asking the community for input. I will insist that we survey families and teachers for input on proposed sweeping changes. I will never approve of our board using a slick parliamentary maneuver to stifle public debate among trustees at their public meetings — it’s the only time that regular citizens can hear trustees’ views about an issue! 

Save Special Programs

I am committed to protecting and preserving the special programs that are desired by GCISD families, such as Arts Integration, ASPIRE Academy, AVID, Collegiate Academy, Dual Language, iUniversity Prep, Leader in Me, No Excuses University, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math), and the Technology Education & Career Center, to name just a few. Two major programs are our gifted & talented program and our special education services.

Rebuild the Advanced Academics Department: The current board’s budget cuts have damaged this department. There is no longer an Advanced Placement Coordinator to guide the dozens of AP teachers across the district. This once-strong department no longer has a high-level director. Due to the current board’s budget cuts, the Director position was reclassified to one with less authority. Did you know that a single staff member was performing four job duties for Advanced Academics last fall? It led to the oversight of the GT classes at CHHS being left to a brand new principal and was not led by the knowledgeable staff in the Advanced Academics Department. We need a top down commitment to restore the GT sections of AP classes at BOTH high schools.

Special Education: Last June, the Executive Director of Special Education told the Board of Trustees [video] that there was a tremendous uptick in special education students enrolling in GCISD. That longtime director is retiring in March. A search of GCISD job postings shows that we are desperate for special education paraprofessionals, yet we are still paying them less than our comparable districts. Another of my concerns for our Special Education students is the very real prospect that our Texas Legislature will approve the use of school vouchers in this legislative session, which will divert funds from public schools. Private schools are not required to comply with federal protections for students with disabilities or learning differences. Even a diagnosis such as Dyslexia can keep a student from being admitted into a private school due to lack of resources. Public schools take all kids regardless of background, income, or learning need. I will fight against vouchers and fight for our Special Education students and teachers. 

More about Vouchers and Public Education

Here’s a simple explanation of school vouchers from Understood, a nonprofit dedicated to people with thinking differences, such as ADHD and dyslexia. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/school-vouchers-what-you-need-to-know

The nonprofit public education advocacy Raise Your Hand Texas gives the facts about Texas public education https://www.raiseyourhandtexas.org/2023-texas-education-by-the-numbers/

I hope you and I have some Values in common. I would be honored if you supported my campaign! It’s easy to sign up for emails and donate. Click the buttons below. Thank you! — KP