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The 2022 School Board Election

The ballot in a snap...

Dripping Springs ISD:

...has 7 non-salaried Board Members that are elected for 3 year terms.
This election, there are 2 seats up for election.

Wimberley ISD:

...has 7 non-salaried Board Members and there is no seat up for election right now.

HAYS CONSOLIDATED ISD:

...has 7 non-salaried Board Members that are elected for 3 year terms.
This election, there are 2 seats up for election.

San Marcos ISD:

...has 7 non-salaried Board Members and there is one seat up for election now.
What does a school board do?
Help me understand the controversy.
Why is this election SO important?

Dripping Springs ISD
School Board Member Election

For this election, please see
Vote411.org

Vote411_2

HAYS CONSOLIDATED ISD

The Kyle/Buda area school district is called HAYS CONSOLIDATED ISD. It is separated into 5 different areas known as “single member districts”. 

5 of the 7 elected school board members (also called “TRUSTEES”) represent one of these designated districts. 

2 members are elected to represent the entire district. These 2 members are called: “TRUSTEES AT-LARGE”

HAYS CONSOLIDATED ISD
Single Member District 4

Amy2

Amy Grant

  • Excellent voting record; Registered Democrat
  • Child development expert with 17+ years experience as a pediatric speech-language pathologist, Autism & Trauma specialist, and clinic director/ owner
  • Life-long advocate for marginalized and underserved communities
  • Committed to rolling her sleeves up and doing the hard work to make Hays CISD safe, equitable, and inclusive for ALL students. 

HAYS CONSOLIDATED ISD
Single Member District 5

Bear2

Bear Heiser

• Advocate for bringing in more Mental Health experts to provide consultation to develop a more comprehensive approach to Mental Health

• Create a strategy to significantly reduce the unacceptable number of bullying incidents

• Career marketing and tech consulting skills will enhance the board’s efficiency

• Committed to developing teacher compensation packages to prevent turnover and foster staff commitment to the benefit of our students 

Esperanza2

Esperanza Orosco

  • Hays CISD School Board Member since 2016; endorsed by Hays Educators Association/TSTA every time
  • Served as Hays CISD Board President & Vice-President
  • Committed to providing mental health resources through access to therapeutic counseling and social emotional learning programs;
  • Former bilingual certified teacher in Hays CISD for 11 years and dedicated to the recruitment and retention of highly qualified teachers and staff during this challenging time marked by  employee shortages 

SAN MARCOS CONSOLIDATED ISD

The San Marcos area school district is called SAN MARCOS CONSOLIDATED ISD. It is separated into 5 different areas known as “single member districts”. 

5 of the 7 elected school board members represent one of these designated districts. 

2 members are elected to represent the entire district. These 2 members are called:
 “TRUSTEES AT-LARGE”

SAN MARCOS CONSOLIDATED ISD
Single Member District 4

Gaby2

Gabrielle Moore

  • Civically and politically engaged in San Marcos for almost 20 years
  • Supports salary and benefit increases for teachers and staff to retain highly qualified employees
  • Advocate for increased mental health services for San Marcos children and families
  • Supports our public school librarians, professionals, and students’ FREEDOM to read

Where do I Vote?

When do I Vote?

Social Media

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*Use side door to find the office in the Corridor Business Center

© 2022 Hays County Democratic Party – All Rights Reserved.

School Board 101

Texas school board members (also called “trustees”) are elected by the community to make important decisions about the local school system.

NOTE: The School Board does NOT make decisions about a school’s curriculum. This decision is made at the state level by the State Board of Education.

Trustees are not paid, so in an ideal world, school boards would be a diplomatic, diverse group of skilled, passionate education professionals dedicated to providing a quality education.

Making decisions so students receive a quality education has historically been the #1 goal of school boards.

But recently, school board meetings and elections are bringing out divisive parents and candidates. Many of these candidates have little to no experience in education.

Due to low turnout rates in school boards elections, these inexperienced candidates are being elected and school boards meetings and decisions are being dominated by divisive social issues rather than focusing on providing our children with a quality education.

We need to elect school board members who help bring diplomacy and quality back into our education system.

School Board 101

You may have heard about “CRT” (critical race theory) and the book banning related to it. This college level only framework suggests that: 

“U.S. social institutions (e.g., the criminal justice system, education system, labor market, housing market, and healthcare system) are laced with racism embedded in laws, regulations, rules, and procedures that lead to differential outcomes by race.” BROOKINGS, November 2021

But – CRT is not taught in K-12 curriculums. All public school curriculum decisions are made by the State Board of Education, NOT the local School Boards.

However, the School Boards DO decide which books are allowed in their local school libraries.

So, School Board meetings are being dominated by angry parents and individuals who want to eliminate books that depict any topic or subject they don’t agree with.

The goal of the Democratic Party is to increase turnout to help elect candidates who will alleviate the current controversy.

If we vote for skilled candidates that we trust and respect, our school boards can diplomatically make decisions and focus on quality education, not controversial social issues like CRT or Sex Ed.

The Texas Monthly summed up a November 2021 article with this:

 “The threat the loud and the angry pose isn’t necessarily that they win outright but that they tire others out—that they make public service too burdensome, too painful, too tedious. If, then, you think your local elected officials are doing a decent job trying to muddle through a demoralizing and unprecedented period, it might help to let them know, maybe at one of the meetings where they’re getting yelled at. Just get ready to duck.”

The Texas Monthly, November 2021

School Board 101

These are unprecedented times dominated by a lot of angry and extreme personalities.

Tragically, the vitriol is infiltrating our education systems. This is easy to fix with one simple solution. #1, we start paying attention to the people we elect on our local school boards and #2, we start showing up to vote in these historically low-turnout elections.

There are stellar candidates who truly stand for democratic values that bring us together rather than tear us apart and all we need to do is seek them out and then support them with our vote.

We’re not just supporting candidates. We’re supporting a quality education system for our children’s futures.

PLEASE commit to stepping up, doing a little more homework and voting in these important elections.