BY SAMANTHA DOUTY & HANNAH JOHNSON
Frisco ISD board of trustees, Place 2
Melanie Barrios-Jones Occupation: I’m self-employed and a former financial adviser. Served on multiple ISD committees. Actively involved in the community www.jones4fisd.com
Renee Sample Occupation: Information technology
Ange Yao Occupation: Was not provided by the candidate
quality assurance analyst www.sample4fisd.com
Why are you running for school board?
I’m running for school board to address key issues of fiscal responsibility, school safety and district transparency. With the recent bond proposal failing, it’s clear we need more efficient resource allocation. Bullying continues to be a problem, diverting focus from education and district communication with the community needs improvement.
I’m running to improve the Frisco school district as follows: Be the voice of our school children. Bring my ideas to implement a much robust curriculum. Give a better chance to our students to be able to compete with confidence.
I’m running for the school board to ensure every student receives a quality education, promote innovative teaching methods and foster a supportive environment for both students and teachers. I believe in transparency, community involvement and prioritizing resources effectively to enhance educational outcomes for all.
What are the biggest challenges facing the district?
Some of the biggest challenges the district is facing are declining enrollment, our current debt service payment is 1/3 of the annual budget and less students means less money. Additionally the one population that continues to grow is the special needs kids and there is a funding gap there.
Frisco is a great school district with some areas of opportunities to elevate the school district to a higher level. These areas include: multiple complaints about inappropriate books in schools libraries; multiple complaints about inappropriate books in schools curriculums; Insufficient extra-curricular student training resources; insufficient student exchange programs to elevate student cross-cultural knowledge.
Frisco ISD faces several significant challenges, including rapid population growth, straining resources, maintaining high educational standards amid increasing diversity and addressing mental health needs among students. Additionally, funding disparities and the impact of technology on learning necessitate innovative solutions to ensure all students receive equitable opportunities for success. We must review and revise the budget to make tough decisions to ensure fiscal transparency, develop strategic partnerships to support and provide our student experiences. Additionally, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) should be seamlessly integrated into curriculum planning and invest in professional development for educators.
How do you plan to address these issues?
By collaborating with the superintendent and setting board priorities that directly impact these issues, we can create a strong plan for overall district improvement in spending, program retention for the students and teacher retention.
Innovative approach to ideation; strategic communicative approach; enforcing transparency across the board; including parents in the decision making process; and open dialogue to resolve any issues.
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Celebrating 40 years of student success!
18146-25PB
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FRISCO EDITION
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