CANDIDATE Q&A
Get to know the candidates running in the election
2023 LOCAL VOTER GUIDE
Candidates were asked to keep responses under 75 words, answer the questions provided and avoid attacking opponents. Answers may have been edited or cut to adhere to those guidelines, or for style and clarity.
Dripping Springs ISD board of trustees (the two candidates with the most votes will be elected)
Incumbent
RON JONES
Occupation: director of operations Relevant experience: 20 years of leadership experience in the U.S. military, business and nonpro t (church); ROB MCCLELLAND
Occupation: global solutions consultant, Pure Storage Inc. Relevant experience: extensive leadership training; deep project management skill set; JEFFREY AYLSTOCK
KIM COUSINS
Occupation: education technology executive Relevant experience: served three terms on
Occupation: educator Relevant experience: classroom teacher and coach; district athletic director; high school assistant principal; middle school principal;
the DSISD board of trustees and served on the board of the Dripping Springs Education Foundation, Friends of Texas Public Schools and former board member of the Dripping Springs Water Supply Corp. 512-507-9106
extensive experience in governmental budgets, construction management, land acquisition, operations and logistics www.robfortrustee.com
experience with nancial analysis; solu- tions consultant; team and committee management training; Cub Scout pack and Boy Scout leader and committee chair; former soccer, baseball and bas- ketball coach www.aylstockfordsisd.com
high school principal; director of school, Austin School for the Performing and Visual Arts 512-915-1826 www.kimfordsisd.com
How has your experience prepared you to be a Dripping Springs ISD trustee?
Serving nine years on the board, I have the experience and training to advocate for all of our students, sta and community. The board has a duciary responsibility for oversight, manage superintendent with strategic plan and board goals and apply governance in accordance with our state and federal laws while providing local oversight and direction as dictated by our community and the board.
I have had the privilege to lead organizations in the U.S. military, business and nonpro t sectors. From leading a company of soldiers in Iraq to the logistics o cer for the president of the United States in the White House Military O ce, I have established myself as a hardworking guy who gets challenging things done! I welcome the opportunity to bring my skills and experience to the DSISD board of trustees, serving our community.
I have been a leader in the tech industry for over 25 years. I have built strong technical, project and leadership skills and am excited to implement these skill sets within our great school district. I know that my experiences throughout my career can be applied to our decisions made here at the school board. I am ready to focus on the details of an issue and ask the hard questions that are needed. We as a community are growing exponen- tially and soon will be in a situation where overcrowding could be the new normal. We need to start thinking creatively and ensure we are thinking many years out with every decision. I know the board needs a person like myself that can dive into the analytical components of a problem and be able to present the results back to the board and to the public in an easy-to-read manner.
With a career in education spanning 40 years, I have direct experience with the issues that students and sta face on a daily basis. I have worked in school districts of all sizes and in school districts with multiple high schools, as well as one high school. If elected to the board, I will strive to bring that experience to the forefront as we support the superinten- dent in addressing the needs of DSISD. I am a lifelong educator because I love kids. I believe my background and experience have prepared me for this and will help me under- stand and work successfully with the unique needs of our community. My experience as an educator—working with the outstanding stu- dents, parents, teachers and administrators of this community—fuels my desire to ensure all DSISD schools maintain their high standards and continue their positive impacts in the Dripping Springs ISD community. Growth is the biggest issue facing the school district, in my opinion. DSISD is the fast- est-growing school district in Hays County. In the past ve years, DSISD has grown by more than 2,000 students. As a board member, I would encourage the continuation of the Long Range Facilities Planning process and work on ways to increase community knowledge and support of the work of this important group. Building positive relationships throughout the district; maintaining scal responsibility and protecting taxpayer dollars; focus on increasing student achievement and closing achievement gaps; providing a safe and secure environment for students and sta ; recruiting and retaining high quality district and campus leaders; and recruiting and retaining high quality teachers and sta .
Why are you running for the Dripping Springs ISD school board?
Because we are a fast-growth district and strong leadership is required for managing growth while expanding opportunities for our students for long term success.
Our Dripping Springs community is in an exciting, yet di cult time. We face the chal- lenge of meeting the demands of a continuing population growth without compromising our friendly and familial sense of community that we have. Our public schools are on the forefront of this reality facing our community. It will take strong leadership to navigate both meeting the demands of new schools without losing sight of the current challenges that we are facing today.
What is the biggest issue facing Dripping Springs ISD, and how do you plan to address it, if elected?
Growth, taxes, budget and legislative advo- cacy for every student in our district.
Simply put: growth. We need to meet the de- mands of a fast-growth district with a respon- sible and e ective construction management plan. I plan to work to balance the need for new schools serving our growing population while concurrently addressing the challenge of higher tax bills for our residents (myself included) every year due to rising property values. I am committed to working with our state legislators and other elected leaders to accomplish both.
I want to prioritize how we address the in- formation that we present and the way we en- gage with the public. Information that should be easily consumed is most often buried three to four layers deep in the website or not even published for public understanding. Better information gives you better results when focusing on the larger topics such as high growth and teacher retention. The job satis- faction of our teachers is of great importance to reduce attrition. I want to work with the administration to streamline our documentation structure throughout the district. Processes and proce- dures are key to better organization and they help promote what information is important and better de nes the goals and outcomes. To build trust within the community and within the district we need to ensure that our board and administration is focused on the visionary and strategic goals for our district.
If elected, what goals would you aim to achieve as trustee?
Ultimately it is about maintaining the primary reason most people are attracted to Dripping Springs in the rst place—a superior public school system, while pro- viding a positive and motivating learning environment for all our students.
I will work hard to establish a strong sense of trust with the community. A recent survey detailed that folks in Drip love our district but only moderately trust the board. I will work very hard to bridge that gap with e ective communication, engagements with parents and teachers, and a promise to ensure our kids have the best teachers, the best adminis- trators, and a governing body that empowers the very best of Texas public education.
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SOUTHWEST AUSTIN DRIPPING SPRINGS EDITION • MARCH 2023
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