CITY & SCHOOLS
Top city & schools stories to watch in 2023
Applications for City Council candidates open as Mayor Paul Voelker decides against re-election bid
OTHER STORIES TO FOLLOW IN 2023
Richardson reports revenue increase City o cials reported revenue increases from all of Richardson’s ve major operating funds in scal year 2021-22 exceeded previous expectations. They cited conservative council budgeting due to the pandemic and most funds having decreased operating expenditures. The city’s general fund nished at over $163 million, compared to a projection of just over $147 million for FY 2021- 22. The general fund provides for a majority of basic services. bond order that would help pay for a potential new City Hall at the Feb. 13 City Council meeting. If approved, residents would vote on a $48 million bond program in the May 6 election. Residents likely will vote on bond for new City Hall Richardson o cials expect to have residents vote on a new City Hall during the upcoming general election, according to discussion at a Jan. 23 City Council meeting. City Manager Don Magner said Richardson plans to present a general obligation
BY JACKSON KING
Council members Bob Dubey and Janet DePuy announced they will run in the mayoral election. Candidate packets can be picked up at the Richardson Innovation Quarter Headquarters at 1302 E. Collins Blvd. No appointment is necessary to obtain a packet, but city o cials said sched- uling a time is recommended for new
RICHARDSON Residents were able to begin ling for a spot on the May 6 general election Jan. 18. The mayoral seat and all six City Council members are on the ballot during the election. The mayor and all council members are elected to two-year terms, with no member allowed to serve more than six consecutive two- year terms in any place, according to city o cials. Paul Voelker, who announced Jan. 12 plans to not seek re-election, has served as mayor since 2015. He said he did not want to head into the next cycle as a “lame duck” mayor. Voelker, who is CEO of TrenData Inc, a software company, has not disclosed any future plans for civic engagement. “This way, I’m making my announcement on my terms, not driven by the charter or anyone else,” Voelker said. “It’s been a total honor to be the mayor. I love doing it, but there’s only so much one can give.” Voelker started his Richardson political career in 2013 and was elected twice to City Council. After being elected by his fellow council members as mayor pro tem in 2015, he was sworn in as mayor after former Mayor-elect Laura Jordan declined to take the oath. Voelker was o cially elected mayor in 2017, later winning re-election in 2019 and 2021.
Paul Voelker
candidates to review the ling information. An electronic packet is available upon request via email. Candidates can le in person, through the U.S. Mail or via email. Quali cations for those wishing to join council include not having been convicted of a felony, being at least 21 years old and having been a resident of Richardson for at least one year. Four council members—places 1-4—must live in their corresponding district, while the mayor and two council seats serve the entire city. However, all seven positions are elected at-large, with all registered Richardson citizens able to vote in any race for council. The deadline to le for the election is Feb. 17. Early voting begins April 24 and continues through May 2 ahead of the general election. A potential runo election would be held June 10.
Richardson ISD candidate applications open
Filing for the upcoming Richardson ISD board of trustees election began Jan. 18. The election, featuring two board seats on the ballot, will be held May 6. The two seats up for election are the at-large Place 6 seat and single- member District 3, which are served by Eric Eager and Debbie Rentería, respectively. Both were initially elected in 2020. Board members in the school district serve three-year staggered terms with no term limits. Five seats are chosen by voters of speci c districts, while the remaining two seats are elected by all voters.
District approves new school year calendars
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CALENDAR BREAKDOWN
Start date: Aug. 15
Winter break: Dec. 22-Jan. 9 Last day of school: May 24
Richardson ISD approved academic calendars for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years. Both calendars include 174 instructional days and are scheduled to end May 24 and May 23, respectively.
Spring break: March 11-15
BY JACKSON KING
RICHARDSON ISD The Richard- son ISD board of trustees approved calendars for both the 2023-24 and the 2024-25 school years during a Jan. 12 meeting. The approved 2023-24 academic calendar includes 174 instructional days and 13 additional days for teacher professional learning. The school year is set to begin Aug. 15, with winter break starting Dec. 22 and students returning Jan. 9. Spring break is set for March 11-15.“I think this calendar is great, and I like the idea of having a conference day for parents and teachers [on Jan. 8],” said Trustee Vanessa Pacheco. Under the approved calendar, the last day of school for the 2023-24 school year is set for May 24. The 2024-25 academic calendar will start Aug. 13, with winter break starting Dec. 23. The second semester will begin Jan. 7, with spring break
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Winter break: Dec. 23-Jan. 7
Start date: Aug. 13
Spring break: March 17-21
Last day of school: May 23
SOURCE: RICHARDSON ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT
Debbie Rentería
Eric Eager
RISD structures its class schedule on a minimum of 440 minutes per day compared to the 420 minutes of instruction required by the state. According to Branum, this extended school day allows the district to “bank” potential days for snow days or cancellations. The 2024-25 calendar may change based on when Dallas College schedules its spring break and deci- sions during Texas’ 88th legislative session, which began Jan. 10 and runs through May 29.
being held March 17-21. The 2024-25 school year would end May 23. “Everyone felt like [this calendar] was as close to a really good calendar as possible,” Branum said. Several factors went into putting together potential school calendars that ll the 75,600 instructional min- utes required by the state, including trying to balance teachers’ prefer- ences, testing calendars, alignment with Dallas College for dual-credit courses and student extracurricu- lars, according to Branum.
Richardson City Council meets Feb. 6, 13, 20 and 27 at 6 p.m. Due to a re at city hall, council meetings have been temporarily relocated to the Richardson Police Department at 200 N. Greenville Ave. www.cor.net Richardson ISD board of trustees meets Feb. 16 at 6 p.m. at the RISD Administrative Building, 400 S. Greenville Ave., Richardson. The meetings are streamed live online. www.risd.org MEETINGS WE COVER
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COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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