Questions & Answers

Below are questions and my answers from every survey I received during the campaign - the League of Women Voters of Plano/Collin County, the Plano Star Courier, the Dallas Morning News, PISD Parents for Balanced Enrollments and the Collin County Gay Lesbian Alliance.

League of Women Voters of Plano/Collin County 

Questions for Candidates for ISD Trustee

(100-word responses)

 1.      Please describe the training and experience that qualify you for this office.

I have been a successful real estate professional for almost 40 years in the metroplex and an active volunteer leader in non-profits related to education, children and senior citizens.  I am very experienced in budgeting, cost-cutting and strategic planning.  Currently, I serve on the affiliated boards of two universities.  Additionally, I am the chairman of the board for the Legacy Senior Communities, with a major location in Plano, which gives me a tremendous expertise in board management, understanding the workings of boards, fiscal decisions and the communication required between board members, administration and the community it serves.

2.      How should the school district cope with a budget deficit, especially if it receives reduced funding from the state?

PISD is expected to lose significant tax revenue because of the property tax reduction.  To make up for some of this loss and keep as many programs as possible, we may need to ask families to support programs with added programs, seek out corporate sponsorships and collaborations with universities.  There will be cuts, and each and every department must participate in cuts.  Expenses should be cut in non-instructional areas first and a complete efficiency analysis should be done to point toward streamlining without impacting learning.  We must not sacrifice the education of our children because of state cuts.

 3.      What is the best way to recruit, evaluate and retain good teachers, as well as weed out less satisfactory ones? 

Teachers are our best assets.  We must do everything possible to keep our best and brightest educators.  The best way to recruit is to continue to maintain the very best school system and the most pleasant working conditions.  I think it is very important to make sure our teachers stay in one classroom and not rotate between rooms causing a loss in productivity and find a way to allow them more time to teach and plan as a team.  The weaker and less effective teachers must be weeded out by principal performance evaluations.

 4.      Is this district doing enough to meet the needs of students who are not college bound?  What else needs to be done and how can it be funded?  

PISD has a wonderful record of students progressing to higher education.  However, college is not for everyone.  We have many classes available in career tech education, but we can do more.  We can develop whole programs with specific curriculum and hands-on experience for those who want to learn a trade or earn certifications so they can pursue immediate employment.  Opportunities for all students to excel and preparation for their next step should be the PISD goal, regardless of if that next step is college, trade schools, other post-secondary education, or entering the workforce. 

 5.      What issues does the district have as a result of growth and/or changing demographics?  How would you address them?

Several vacant land tracts now zoned industrial, retail, or master planned will be re-zoned for residential living, thus, resulting with a school-age population growth living in Plano ISD.   The demographer’s report shows an unbalanced enrollment between our senior high schools.  The expected size of Plano West with over 3400 students is too high and the students and teachers will suffer.  It is our duty to be fiscally responsible and address the capacity and usage of all of our facilities across the district and provide all of our students with the excellent education they deserve. 

6. Would you support having live broadcasts of school board meetings and work sessions?  Explain your position.                                                                                                             

I strongly believe in open communications and full transparency at all meetings.  I think all board meetings and work sessions should be broadcasted live and recorded to be viewed on the website so all interested parties can follow the discussions and decisions made at the board meetings.  I welcome parent and community input and involvement.

 7.        Are our schools doing enough to prevent or respond to bullying?  What else is needed?

PISD does a good job in preventing and educating our families about bullying.  However, any school system can always do better and provide more education.  Just one case of bullying at any time or place, is one too many. We must have a zero tolerance and take every complaint seriously.  We need to make bullying a priority and continue to communicate and educate our citizens about the dangers of bullying.  PISD needs to continue educating students, parents and teachers by hosting seminars and classes pertaining to this subject.  Every student deserves our very best effort and protection. 

8.  What are the most important issues you think will come before the school district in the next three years?  What are your views on these issues?

The biggest issues we’ll be facing are how to continue to offer a first-rate education to all students with less money, how to help our growing low-income student population succeed and how to help our students with special needs reach their potential.   We will need to make wise decisions and have input from the staff, parents and community.  I want to see PISD reach out to all of our partners and surrounding non-profits to support the families and build our community so ALL students in PISD have a springboard to a safe, successful and meaningful life.

FROM PLANO STAR COURIER – SPECIAL FOCUS ON THE PISD ACADEMY:

1)      Where do you stand on the PISD having an academy in any form? Is it needed?
I am in favor of further investigating the need for an academy within the PISD system.  However, I strongly believe that we need more information and facts before anyone can make an intelligent decision about opening an academy in Plano.  I support all of PISD’s efforts to help our students succeed academically. 
 
2)      The board did NOT have an unanimous approval of the current version of the academy at the last board meeting. Do you agree with the board on approving the districts recommendation for the academy? Why?
I do not agree with the board passing the approval for the academy, because it lacked all the facts and did not have enough input from the parents and citizens. 

3)      The district is facing severe budget issues heading into the biennium. Is this a prudent time for the board to approve an expansion of education in Plano even after having to make several cuts and lay-offs within the district?
Due to the severe budget cuts that PISD is facing, while firing many of our best assets, our teachers, and eliminating registered nurses in some schools, I believe the expenditure for any new program is not prudent at this time. The board should wait to approve any new program until they have the final funding numbers for PISD from the State of Texas in May.
 
4)      Much of the concern with last week’s decision is in the fact that the district has recommended purchasing an entire new building for the academy. Since the funds for the new building will be approved at the first meeting of the newly elected seats, if elected how do you think you will vote in regards allocating those funds?
I am a forty year real estate professional, with experience in analyzing real estate transactions.  Before I can move forward on any vote for the academy program, I would need to know a lot more information about the real estate to be purchased, review the consultants findings, have a clear understanding on the expenses to operate the academy and have reviewed an analysis of existing district-owned real estate and capacity.

5)      Where would you like to see academies or alternative forms of education in Plano go from here?
I am very proud of the PISD educational system and our success stories.  I believe we need to look at all avenues that could potentially enhance the educational successes of our kids.  Before we move forward on an academy path, I would like to see the rest of the financial impact, a master plan for the academy vision, and get the opinions of our community which includes parents, teachers, staff, partner cities and anyone interested in the success of Plano ISD.

FROM THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS:

Q:Length of residency within the district
A:I am a native Dallasite and have lived in the Plano ISD for 30 years.

Q:Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A:I have two daughters that attended PISD schools from kindergarten to high school graduation. One graduated from Plano Senior High and the other from Plano West. My son is currently a student at Frankford Middle School.

Q:Occupation/main source of income
A:I am a commercial real estate broker.

Q:Current civic involvement/highlights
A:Board of Directors for both Harvard University’s Real Estate Council and University of North Texas Alumni Association, Chairman of the Board for Legacy Senior Communities, Board of Directors for Cancer for Life. Received the Stemmons Service Award from the North Texas Commercial Association of Realtors and was the 2010 National Honoree for the Hebrew Free Loan Association.

Q:Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A:Eagle Scout, President of college fraternity, long-time volunteer clown for terminally ill children, Boards of Juvenile Diabetes of Dallas, Jewish Family Service and Dallas Hebrew Free Loan Association. Past President of Dallas Bicentennial Lions Club. Taught a finance class at Shanghai University. Served as local alumni interviewer for Harvard University admissions.

Q:Education
A:I attended Hillcrest High School, earned my bachelors degree from the University of North Texas and my masters degree from Harvard University.

Q:Previous public offices sought/held:
A:None.

Q:How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A:$320.00

Q:Who are your top three contributors?
A:Cara & Barry Mendelsohn Cheryl & Randy Colen Norma & George Wolfson

Q:Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits? Please explain:
A:No.

Q:Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you to serve in this office?
A:Plano ISD provided a wonderful education to my two daughters and continues to challenge and educate my son at Frankford Middle School. Today, Plano ISD faces huge challenges both financially and with parent communication and seems to be at a crossroads in leadership and direction. I wish to give my time, effort, education and extensive volunteer leadership experience to helping Plano ISD live up to the high standards our students deserve and our community expects. My professional experience with large dollar transactions and extensive volunteer experience serving on boards with multi-million dollar budgets prepares me for the challenge of serving the community in this manner.

Q:What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the best choice?
A:I believe there are two very big differences between me and the other candidates. One is my extensive volunteer and board leadership experience. Working with people who have differing backgrounds, priorities, and communication styles can be a challenge and if it is done successfully, can have big rewards for the organization. I have learned how to listen, navigate, develop goals and priorities, make tough decisions to help move boards to reach goals, and interact positively with the professional staff to accomplish great things. Second, I am a local business man with deep roots in the community who understands budgets and financials, which is the most critical issue facing Plano ISD today and in the future.

Q:Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from them about how a board member can be effective?
A:Yes, I have attended some school board meetings, work sessions and made personal connections with current board members. I have been impressed by the extensive reports the board has received from staff and committees. I would like to see more discussion on big issues amongst the board as well as more input from the community. I suggest before any major board decision, that we give the community face time in front of the board to ask tough questions and make them a part of the process.

Q:What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A:This is a tough question because there are many schools that have made great gains in their testing scores in both reading and math. The measurement of a school’s success should be on the growth of each child, not on passing a test or getting them only to their grade level. If a student already reads above grade level, we need to continue to challenge him or her to continue to grow, just as we do the student who is below grade level. I think the most interesting item to learn from our schools that help students grow the most is that successful strategies at one school may not translate to success at another school. We have very diverse campuses and giving the principals and teachers the freedom and time to meet their students needs and the tools to do it is the key to student success.

Q:Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A:The district based improvement committee (DBIC) is charged with reviewing campus improvement plans written by principals and approved by site based improvement committees (SBIC) each year. In those plans, they outline how they will reach all different populations to help close the achievement gap. Most include items like after school tutoring, Saturday tutoring and make-ups, transportation, etc… which I support. I would like to encourage each school to continue to develop unique and meaningful strategies to reach out to their students. AVID is a wonderful program to engage students and encourage them to strive for successes they never dreamed were possible and I support this program. There are achievement gaps in Plano ISD between Anglo/Asian students and Hispanic/African American students. The PISD staff works hard to make the connections with students and engage them in academics, but more must be done to ensure all students receive the excellent education we promise and they deserve. Additionally, I think we need to ask our Latino and African American students, parents and community how we can better serve their educational needs and help them meet their goals.

Q:If you had to cut three parts of the school district’s spending, where would you cut?
A:Cutting the budget is never easy. The last thing on my list will be classroom teachers, which I view as our most precious resource to help our students succeed.
The first three: 1) Efficiencies in PISD – I will ask for an efficiency audit and seek implementation of recommendations including a review of administration, facilities, transportation and utilities. I will encourage the school staff, parents and public to make suggestions as well. We all have a stake in reducing costs, increasing efficiency and cutting waste. As a parent, I know we can cut some large printing projects and go paperless to save money and make us more efficient.
2) Set a minimum class size for high school electives. It is wonderful that PISD offers as many or more elective courses than many colleges and if students selected all of them for their schedule that would be great. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen and we offer high school classes with less students than an elementary classroom, sometimes with just ten students.
3) Central administration staff development. I would reduce the central administration staff development and allow principals the freedom to bring in topic experts that fit the needs of their staff and challenges of their student populations.

Q:If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend more?
A:If there was excess money to spend in three areas, I would first make sure our students had access to state of the art technology and the depth of instruction to use it effectively. These skills will be critical to the future of all our students from special education to gifted, whether they are repairing cars, performing surgery, leading a company or manufacturing an item. Second, I would enhance the budgets in math and science to make sure we were providing the best curriculum and instruction possible to all of our students. Third, I would expose more students to the life skills that make a person successful like organizational and time management skills, personal financial literacy, business etiquette and career planning.

Q:What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A:Decreasing the dropout rate is necessary to the health of our community and paramount to the student at risk. Thankfully, the drop out rate in Plano is relatively low, although our goal should always be 100% graduation. Our efforts in ending dropouts must start early, from setting expections with the student and parents to making sure resources are in place to help struggling students get back on track. I would add a district initiative to recruit corporate partnerships and faith groups to mentor students in our schools. Mentoring is a proven way to keep students in school and help them see the value of their education. Additionally, I would add certification programs for students who wish to go directly from high school to the workforce so they graduate with a plan and means for an independent and productive life.
Plano has a large number of students who go on college and are scoring way above state averages on SAT and ACT scores. I’m proud to say I have not heard of a need for remedial college entry coursework of students coming from PISD.

Q:What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for example?
A:Communication with parents and the community is an area that is ready for improvement. The basics to reach parents are in place. Websites, Enews, Parent Portal, phone trees and newsletters provide the channel of information from the district to the parent, but not much feedback happens. I believe we need a much more transparent process when big decisions are being made by the board to encourage community participation, input and buy-in. I will respectfully welcome input, suggestions and help from the whole community.
Our community is made up of over 100+ languages spoken in student’s homes. There are many cultural and language issues that can push parents away from participation with the schools. Many of our schools who have a significant bilingual Spanish population already have staff community liasons to help guide parents through school processes, answer questions, encourage their participation and share information about needed social services. The scope of these positions may need to be better defined, but they serve an important role in student attendance, health, safety and educational success. I would like to see small groups of parents be invited to informal input meetings with the board to share what they think is working and any ideas they have for better meeting the educational needs of their children.

Q:What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school? What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A:Small classrooms, excellent teachers, challenging curriculum, high standards, opportunities for all students to participate in extra-curricular programs, campus leadership and involved parents make a successful school.
Middle school can be a tough time for many students socially and the culture of bullying has grown as social media allows for new and more permanent ways to torment kids and instantaneously share immature words and deeds with the world. Programs like Rachel’s Challenge that work to change school culture are important as middle and high schools regularly deal with bullying, threats of guns on campus, fighting, drugs and suicide attempts.

Q:How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A:In middle school, you often hear students say, this is easier than elementary school. We should look at the rigor of the curriculum to make sure we are continuing to challenge our students who are ready to learn more.
Encouraging extra-curricular activities for students helps them discover their life passions, talents and interests they may not know they had, develops their social skills and motivates them to academic success.
Students who fall behind, often in math, or because of weak reading skills need to have the support available to succeed. Our special programs center provides credit recovery programs and support for helping students get back on track to graduate on time, flexible hours and course progression, programs for teen parents, along with traditional summer school credit options. We need to use personalized education plans for students who are at risk of dropping out, so we can help channel their creativity, intelligence and work ethic into academic and extra-curricular achievement that provides them with options for their future instead of dropping out of school.

Q:Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A:PISD is way ahead of many districts in this area. In some classrooms, the technology is available but is underultilzed because the teacher either does not have a comfort with it or has not found a way to integrate it into the lesson. The availability of the Parent Portal and MyPISD is a wonderful tool for sharing grades, assignments and student academic growth charts. I would like to see more teachers and principals fully adopt and integrate this tool into their classroom management. Additionally, PISD has many wonderful master teachers. I would like to see PISD record them teaching lessons and have these master teachers available to the students to go back over a lesson digitally with a master teacher on a content area they may have been confused about with their instructor.
The future is laptops or other personal digital devices over textbooks because the information can be instantly updated. Some textbooks used by our students today are ten years old.

Q:How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A:I would start with an attitude that truly welcomes parent involvement. I would work to find ways for it to be easy to volunteer, encourage staff to ask parents to be involved and promote programs like WatchDogs that bring men into the schools as role models and volunteers. I would encourage local employers to have family-friendly policies that allow parents to take off a day to volunteer in the schools or as chaperones for field trips.

Q:What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and principals?
A:Plano ISD is lucky because teachers come flocking to us. We have more than 15 applicants for every job available, and prinicpals report having lots of great choices on candidates. Plano ISD has been regularly commended for being a “Best Place to Work” and we should continue to tout our successes.
Retaining teachers and principals is a little bit more tricky, since other districts like to recruit our well trained staff and the average turnover of teachers across the nation is high. By providing teachers and principals an environment where they have a dedicated classroom, freedom from as much administrative paperwork as possible, creativity, skills and professionalism to connect with their students and use their talents to teach or lead will provide the job satisfaction that drives people to enter the rewarding education profession.

Q:Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those consequences be?
A:Teacher pay should not be linked with their student testing outcomes, but should be incentivized for the team to succeed together in growing students knowledge and ability.
If a school is failing, there must be consequences that determine why, what resources, programs or training is needed and if leadership or teaching changes need to be made. For the schools who are showing success, we should provide them with positive accolades and make sure we understand how they did it and if it is appropriate to duplicate.
Principals should receive a 360-performance review to gain insight into their strengths and areas they could improve. Assistant superintendents, teachers and parents should participate to help prinicipals constantly improve and provide better accountability.

Q:What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers must confront?
A:The fiscal situation has been a game changer in public education. There is no unlimited checkbook to do all that we may want to do, so we must focus on what we need to do. We need leadership to seek community input and support for our goals and values and then make the tough decisions. There is no way to please everyone and the needs of the students must come first.

FROM THE PISD PARENTS FOR BALANCED ENROLLMENT:

1) What do you see as the most important issue PISD will face in the next 3 years?  What would you do in your capacity as a Trustee to resolve those issues?

The biggest issues I think we’ll be facing are how to continue to offer a first-rate education to all students with less money, how to help our growing low-income student population succeed and how to help our students with special needs reach their potential.   We will need to make wise decisions and have input from the staff, parents and community.  I want to see PISD reach out to all of our partners and surrounding non-profits to support the families and build our community so ALL students in PISD have a springboard to a safe, successful and meaningful life.

2) One critical issue facing the district now is the need to reduce the general budget by approximately $60 million.  Please discuss in what areas you would consider reductions.  Specifically, how many teachers may be RIF’ed over the next year?

PISD, like all school districts, will continue to have budget issues.  There should be no area, department or expense that the board of trustees won’t consider reviewing to look for efficiencies that will not impact student learning.  I would like to see a better use of technology to reduce expenses on things like printing the parent policy guide for all students.  Teachers are our best assets.  We must do everything possible to keep our best and brightest educators.   

3) Many PISD stakeholders were involved in the feeder realignment hearings in the Fall of 2009.  Option 3, presented in November 2009, endured some heated debate, especially from some East-side parents.  When the final decision was handed down, some were relieved and some were upset.  Some who disagreed with the final decision has approached the board to ask for reconsideration on this issue.  If you are approached, would you consider reopening this issue in the near future?

I would listen to any parent’s reasoning for why any issue should be considered.  Is there new data or information that is now available?  Was there something missed previously?  The number one consideration has to be what is best for our students and community and what makes sense fiscally.  From my perspective, the adopted feeder alignment plan did not appropriately address the guiding principles of balanced enrollment and an end to split feeders. I don’t believe it would be necessary to reopen the whole feeder alignment issue to accomplish those goals.

4) PISD is considering an Academy which will be opened in the fall of 2013.  Please discuss your thoughts on the Academy, what form it may take, and whether or not you think PISD has a need for an Academy.  In your mind, is utilizing the available space at Williams HS still a viable option?

 I support the further investigation and study to look into the need for an academy.  Many important details on this project have not been shared publicly.  We should consider all options for utilizing available space at locations throughout the district, including Williams.

5) Many candidates have expressed that we should improve the communication and transparency of the PISD Board of Trustees.  Discuss if you agree, and if so, specifically what you would do in this area.  In your opinion, is it time to rethink the way the board is making its “consensus opinion” decisions?

I have extensive non-profit board leadership experience.  I have learned the only way to best serve the community is to be transparent and open to the public.  I plan to meet many times a year on a regular basis to discuss openly all issues concerning our schools, students, and PISD, to encourage the broadcast and recording of both board meetings and work sessions, to utilize the technology and link PISD already has to parents through the parent portal for input and feedback.  As a trustee, I will gather information and data, ask questions, and vote my own conscience. 

FROM THE COLLIN COUNTY GAY LESBIAN ALLIANCE: