2 0 2 2 L O C A L V O T E R G U I D E
COMPILED BY MATT PAYNE
Place 3 for Frisco ISD
MARVIN LOWE
Occupation: Senior hu- man resources director Relevant experience: Eight-plus years as a Frisco ISD family; mom; 20-plus years in HR www.stephanie4 sd.com info@stephanie4 sd.com STEPHANIE ELAD
Occupation: Attorney at Simon | Paschal PLLC Relevant experience: Three FISD citizen com- mittees, Frisco parks and recreation board www.dustin sd.com dustin@dustin sd.com DUSTIN PASCHAL
Occupation: Sales, accounting Relevant experience: 10 years in sales and accounting tasprota@gmail.com TIMOTHY SOTO
Occupation: Real estate broker Relevant experience: I’m in my third decade of practicing real estate www.marvinlowe4 sd.com info@marvinlowe4 sd.com
We live in Frisco, which boasts a highly rated school district. Given the media attention regarding [critical race theory] in uence in education, I contacted our board to inquire. Those who responded made statements like, “It’s illegal to teach CRT,” and would not share their views. Upon looking further into it, I found that CRT was in uencing the way the district educates its students. Why are you running for o ce?
Frisco ISD is sought out by families across North Texas because of the longstanding tradition of excellence. All students should have access to opportunities for success that encourage and facilitate their needs. The changes currently being implemented include waterfall grading, retesting without penalty and homework elimination to name a few. It’s time to get back to the basics.
Frisco ISD is a superior school district by any measure and the No. 1 reason most people move to the community. Yet, it is under attack from a small but vocal group of disrup- tors who are part of a national movement to take down public education. As a proud product of Texas public schools, I want to contribute my talents to help protect the dis- trict that will educate my son and thousands.
[I am running] to secure a strong education for our future leaders.
What are the biggest challenges facing Frisco ISD? How do you plan to address these issues?
Retaining our excellent teachers through increased compensation and a reduction in administrative paperwork is paramount. Fur- ther, FISD must promote academic policies that prepare all students for success in life. The district needs to teach all of our students that they will be competing with people from all over the world in this global economy.
Over the past ve years, teacher losses have averaged over 550 a year. This number was over 600 this past year. We need to dig deeper into understanding why there are so many teachers leaving to teach in a neighboring district. And we also need to understand what must be done to encourage teacher retention.
An urgent issue FISD faces is being part of a larger national trend of declining mental health among young people exacerbated by the pandemic. I believe the next biggest challenge is politically driven distortion by some about what operational decisions should be subject to national hysteria and news trends, versus those best driven by trained K 12 educators. First, I want to support FISD administration in navigating a nationwide labor and hiring crisis; we must continue to stay competitive and attractive as an employment destina- tion. Next, I want to understand what FISD is working on to increase school-based mental health support and improved outcomes for special education students.
Lack of direction by the district [is] resulting in teacher retention issues … [We need to] bring district leaders to a com- mon, agreeable direction that will be the standard for other districts to look up to by making the direction tangible to the district leaders, parents, community organizations, businesses, teachers, and most important- ly, our students.
If elected, what would be your top priorities?
My top priority would be to bring back excel- lence in the district and make FISD the standard by which other districts are measured. We would do this by establishing clear and high standards for our students, attracting the best education professionals in the country and ensuring open communica- tion with parents.
1. Teacher retention. 2. Eliminate “One Level Integrated Language Arts,” which is a current pilot program in eight middle schools combining advanced and on-level students in the same classroom, essentially eliminating di erentiated learning. I want to expand advanced learning opportunities for any student.
[My priorities include] recruiting teachers and administrative sta [who] will help the district move forward on its vision and mission. Revisit the budget to potentially expand teachers’ and administrative sta salaries without hindering the success of the district programs.
Answers may have been edited for length, style and clarity. Read full Q&As at communityimpact.com .
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FRISCO EDITION • APRIL 2022
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