2023 LOCAL VOTER GUIDE
COMPILED BY ZARA FLORES
Hays CISD, Single Member District 1
Hays CISD, Single Member District 2
RAUL VELA JR.
BILL WARD
JOHNNY FLORES
Occupation: retired bilingual educator Relevant experience: current trustee for District 2; educator for 38 years 512-262-7643 • https://bit.ly/41ySpfd DR. ESMERALDA PÉREZ GONZÁLEZ
Occupation: general manager of a public transportation company providing service to those with disabilities Relevant experience: current board trustee,
Occupation: senior software engineer Relevant experience: single father of 5 who attend Hays CISD schools, Travis County Head Start Parent Policy Council www.bwardcampaign.com
Occupation: teacher Relevant experience: I have been an edu- cator who has taught at the university, high school and middle school level. www.johnnyforschoolboard.com
20-year resident serving the community https://raul-for-school-board.square.site
What are your top three priorities if elected?
What are your top three priorities if elected?
Safety is paramount, including mental health awareness and resources. I will continue investing in the rock-star sta that we have through compensation plans and local policies. Our students will be prepared for college the workforce including military service. My voting record as a trustee is consistent in these areas.
1. Student safety—I will work with law enforcement to increase patrols in school zones, so all our students arrive to school and home safely. 2. Equal opportunities—All students should have access to ne arts and STEM education. 3. Less reliance on online learning.
My top three priorities if I were elected are the safety of our school children, increasing mental health and academic support for our kids, and sustaining our valuable educators.
As a retired educator, I have contributed to the great strides Hays CISD has recently made. My top three priorities are academ- ics, competitive salaries, and safety and security to include addressing mental health needs. We cannot a ord to lose momentum given the challenges we are facing from lawmakers.
How should Hays CISD handle continued growth in the district?
How should Hays CISD handle continued growth in the district?
As one of the fastest-growing districts in Texas, we must continuously balance enrollments at each campus and feeder patterns while proactively planning for fu- ture growth in enrollment and in programs. Educating the community as to how future bonds can address overcrowded facilities.
This district is growing at a rapid rate. In ad- dition to building new facilities for students, we must have the ability to deliver quality education to each and every student. This will require us to maintain enough sta and faculty to deal with an in ux of students in the future.
By continuing to attract top-tier educators that put students’ needs rst to our district. We do this by o ering highly competitive compensation for the best educators. In addition, this will help retain our already outstanding teachers and administrators.
This year, our district grew by nearly 600 students, and our demographer predicts that students will keep coming. We have a bond package during this election cycle that contains critical infrastructure projects to address growth. Rezoning will also need to be considered to mitigate growth.
What would you do speci cally as a trustee to involve residents and business owners in decision-making processes?
What would you do speci cally as a trustee to involve residents and business owners in decision-making processes?
I will partner with our community to ensure voices are heard. I will also invite commu- nity members to serve on various district committees. As a parent, I attend district events, ( ne arts, athletics, campus show- cases, etc.) where I listen to needs shared and seek solutions.
I will personally talk with our residents, business owners, and government represen- tatives to create an open dialogue that will foster trust.
An elected representative should always maintain communication with their constit- uents beyond a campaign. As a trustee, I will encourage more public town hall events with community members, hold informal monthly meetings with constituents, and work to strengthen the bonds between our schools and local businesses.
As a trustee, I will invite community members to serve on various district com- mittees. Our district is unique in that we encourage people from our community to weigh in on important decisions to increase transparency. We welcome public input at our board meetings and Taxpayer Tuesday events.
POLLING LOCATIONS
Polling locations vary between early voting and election day. Early-voting times may vary, but election day voting hours are from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. statewide.
*EARLY VOTING LOCATION ONLY
**BOTH AN EARLY VOTING AND ELECTION DAY VOTING LOCATION
5 Texas State University LBJ Student Center** 601 University Drive, San Marcos KYLE 9 Hays CISD Central Administration O ce** 21003 I-35, Kyle 10 HCISD Transportation Main O ce 2385 High Road, Uhland, Kyle 11 Wallace Middle School 1500 W. Center St., Kyle
SAN MARCOS 1 Broadway (Christus Trinity Clinic)** 401 Broadway Street, Ste. A, San Marcos 2 Dunbar Center 801 MLK Drive, San Marcos 3 Hays County Government Center** 712 S. Stagecoach Trail, San Marcos 4 San Marcos Housing Authority/C.M. Allen Homes 820 Sturgeon Drive, San Marcos
BUDA 6 Hays Hills Baptist Church 1401 N. FM 1626, Buda 7 McCormick Middle School 5700 Dacy Lane, Buda 8 Upper Campus, Buda Elementary School* (Kunkel Room, historic school site)* 300 N. San Marcos St., Buda
Only candidates in contested elections are included. Go to county election websites for information on uncontested races.
For more election coverage, go to www.communityimpact.com/voter-guide.
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SAN MARCOS BUDA KYLE EDITION • APRIL 2023
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