Monday's Internet Edition, October 13, 2008.
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News editor - Place 1 of the Copperas Cove Independent School District has had two candidates file for the May 3 election. The Leader-Press will help its readers learn more about the candidates by publishing the candidates’ answers to questions supplied by The Leader-Press .
The first question given to candidates was “What qualifies you to be a school board trustee?”
Candidates’ answers appear alphabetically.
Mary Ann Glass:
I have served as a CCISD school board trustee for the last six years. I have accumulated over 120 hours of school board training during the last six years. CCISD has been a recognized District the last 4 years and we missed becoming an exemplary District last year by just a few points. I have had the opportunity to go through a superintendent search and help hire a new superintendent for the district.
The CCISD school board is the first in the state of Texas to Sunset all programs. We picked six programs last year to evaluate and chose to keep all six programs. We will be picking six more programs in the next few months to evaluate next year.
In the past six years all employees of the district have received a pay increase every year. The district has expanded the stadium, added restrooms and concession stands, redone the track and expanded parking. We have also expanded the bus pen and maintenance department with most of the work being done in house, which resulted in a very large saving to the district.
CCISD school board was chosen Region XII school board for 2001-2002 school year and competed for Texas school board of the year and reached the Final 10 to become a 2001-2002 Honorary Board.
I have been elected by my peers as board secretary in 1999, 2000 and 2002 and Vice President in 2001
William “Bill” Waltz:
All elected officials had to start somewhere, but who can say that anyone is “qualified” for anything. It is up the individual voter to decide who they feel is the best person. Before they cast their vote, they may want to talk to other citizens or to the candidate themselves.
Sometimes an individual can have a great number of years of education and experience in the position they are running for, but are they in touch with the voters? Are they willing to sit down with them and discuss the issues at hand one to one? Do some of our elected officials lack common sense and out of time with reality?
I am not going to make changes over night or please all citizens of Copperas Cove. There are policies, procedures, rules and laws at all levels that must be a heard too. Also I am not saying that our present board or any individual falls into any previous areas that I have viewed.
Whoever the voters in Copperas Cove decide to elect is the one they feel were the best “qualified”
Place 2 of the Copperas Cove Independent School District has had five candidates file for the May 3 election. The Leader-Press will help its readers learn more about the candidates by publishing the candidates’ answers to questions supplied by the Leader-Press .
The first question given to candidates was “What qualifies you to be a school board trustee?” Candidates’ answers appear alphabetically.
Cathy Camp:
The question asked is: What qualifies me to be a school board trustee?
I am over the age of 18. I am registered to vote and I live in the school district. That is what actually anybody needs to qualify to be a candidate for school board trustee.
Now what I think I can contribute to our school district as a trustee is: I have lived in Copperas Cove my entire life and I love this town. I was part of this school district as a student. I now have a child and two more that will be here in this school district. I want my children and the children of Copperas Cove to have every opportunity possible to succeed in life. That opportunity starts while they are in school.
I want my opinion and the opinion of all Copperas Cove parents who have kids in the CCISD, also the ones who may not have kids but do pay their taxes to matter. I think that every taxpayer should have a say so in how their money is being spent and the taxpayers of Copperas Cove have a lot of concerns. I know this because I have heard them voiced throughout my life in this district. I feel like I can be a voice for their concerns.
Our children deserve to have only the best when it comes to their education and the CCISD does provide that. But there are going to be changes. I hope that, given the opportunity, I can help make these changes a positive outcome for our school district.
Debra Hardison:
My first and most important qualification is being the mother of two current CCISD students. While I believe that the CCISD Board should be a cross section of the community, it is extremely important that parents of students currently attending CCISD schools be well represented on the board. I have worked in many different capacities within the CCISD since our arrival in Copperas Cove almost six years ago. I began by volunteering in my son’s third grade classroom in 1997 while being involved in the PTA. I worked as a kindergarten aide for a little over one year due to an unexpected personnel vacancy. Since then, I have been a substitute teacher for the CCISD. I have taught at many schools within the CCISD and I was a long-term sub in a classroom for a teacher on maternity leave. These experiences equip me with a good understanding of the many challenges that face our teachers. I am a member of the Quarterback Club and have been a member of the Copperas Cove Band and Guard Booster Club for the past six years and held an officer position for the past three. During this time, I have chaperoned numerous band events involving high school, junior high and middle school bands. This provides me with a great understanding of the support our volunteer organizations offer to our students and the CCISD. I have also been a Sunday School Teacher, a Children’s Ministry Director, a nursery volunteer and a Sunday School record keeper with my church. Further, I was a past PTA president. These volunteer opportunities furnish me with an appreciation of community service and how important it is to be involved. I believe these experiences give me a parental, volunteer, teacher, and citizen perspective that uniquely qualify me for this position.
Jerry Keys:
I believe that my education and life experiences qualify me to serve as a CCISD trustee. I have been involved in education most of my adult life. I served as an instructor pilot in the army, taught Algebra at Copperas Cove High School and now I am a senior training developer for digital systems at Ft. Hood.
I am a good listener. I like to gather information before making a decision. I am a taxpayer having been a homeowner in Copperas Cove for over 20 years. I believe we have a right to expect both a superior education for our children and fiscal responsibility in budgeting. Both of my daughters are products of our school system. I am very proud of our teachers and administrators for their hard work with our children and am glad to live in a community that supports quality education.
D. Lloyd Thomas:
The qualifications for school board trustee are: be a US citizen, at least 18 years old, not mentally incompetent, no felony convictions, live in the state for 12 months, and live in the school district for 6 months.
What qualifies me for the position is I am a US citizen, am over 18 years old, am mentally competent, have no felony convictions, have lived in Texas over 12 months, and have lived in the school district for over 6 months.
However, there are several areas of experience and attributes that will enhance my abilities on the Board. I have served over 20 years as a college regent of a 4 year college, making many and major decisions for the college as a member of its governing board.
I have served on executive committees of sports organizations with relationships to CCISD and dealt on a weekly basis with officials from CCISD on a business level. I operated my own company for 5 years am have had experience with decisions on finances and employee relations.
I have five children who graduated from CCISD and am familiar with many of its programs and philosophies. I have taught students on the college level and am familiar with what a student needs to know to function in the higher educational arena.
I have an extensive list of college credits which acquaints me with the classroom needs of students when they leave high school.
I have lived my life with dignity, honor, and integrity. I also have perseverance to complete tasks and responsibilities and to see circumstances through to the end when ethical concerns are at stake. I am a concerned citizen who wants the students of CCISD to have a better example from the school board than has been evident in recent newspaper articles.
I believe students should be taught how to communicate specifically and clearly in order to express themselves succinctly so when their questions are answered it will be the information they are seeking.
Bob Weiss :
Being a school board trustee is a position of responsibility which requires the trust and confidence of the students, parents, school personnel, and the community that he/she serves. Therefore, a trustee has the obligation to insure that the students of the school district are provided with the best education possible with the money allocated.
Since all of my adult work experience has been dedicated to public school education in Copperas Cove, I have an understanding of the decision-making process necessary for managing a school district effectively. Having been a principal, I planned budgets and made decisions regarding the expenditure of money allotted to my campus. I was responsible for hiring, supervising, and evaluating personnel on my campus and for planning, implementing, and evaluating curriculum.
Parents are an important part of a successful school. Since I have been a parent of children attending schools in Copperas Cove and an employee of CCISD, I can view issues from both perspectives.
I participated in planning, designing, and overseeing construction of Lovett Ledger Intermediate School as well as purchasing equipment. I was responsible for the maintenance of the campus facilities and grounds once the school opened.
A school board trustee needs to understand federal and state guidelines and how the guidelines affect every aspect of the school system. Some programs are the result of directives from these levels. The school district may qualify for certain funds if it meets specific guidelines. My responsibilities as a principal included working effectively within the framework of these established guidelines.
School personnel have a difficult job. Educators are highly skilled and motivated individuals who take their jobs seriously and want the best for their students. There is pressure for schools to accomplish more with less funding each year. My work experience as a teacher and a principal and being married to an educator have given me first-hand experience with the frustration that results from this kind of pressure. I understand the implications of this continued demand. CCISD employees have met this challenge with great success and pride.
I have no hidden agenda, and I am not an advocate for any particular program. I am a retired educator with 36 years experience in CCISD who understands that difficult decisions must be made in order to manage a school district effectively and efficiently. I acknowledge that a school board trustee has no legitimate power as an individual. It is only within a legal board meeting that a board trustee can exercise his/her responsibility. As a trustee, I will ask questions and research information in order to make informed decisions.
I have pride in the Copperas Cove Independent School District. It continues to make immense strides even though finding the funds for this progress is a constant challenge. I am prepared and willing to work to continue this progress.