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6 Editor’s note: Below are questions we asked of the two candidates for Place 4 on the Eanes Independent School District Board of Trustees in the May 9 election.
Age and occupation:
Sharman Reed: 45, Realtor with Keller Williams.
Paul D. Stone: 48, DMX, president and director, and Clearshot Capital Partners, chairman and CEO.
Family:
Paul D. Stone: Spouse, Dee Dee Stone, mother, Eanes Safe Homes co-chairperson and volunteer Spanish teacher; son, Brandon Stone, a 2008 graduate of Westlake High School who currently attends Texas Christian University; daughter, Jennie Stone, a 2008 graduate of WHS who currently attends Texas A&M University; son, Justin Stone, a junior at WHS; and daughter, Lindsey Stone, a sixth-grader at Hill Country Middle School.
Sharman Reed: Spouse, Britt Reed, commercial real estate broker; children, Graham Reed, 22, graduating from Texas A&M, pre-dental; Blake Reed 20, sophomore at Texas A&M University, business administration; Phillip Reed, 17, junior at WHS.
Years a resident of the Eanes school district:
Sharman Reed: Lived in the EISD for 22 years.
Paul D. Stone: More than 11 years.
Education:
Paul D. Stone: University of North Texas, MSA, certified public accountant.
Sharman Reed: Attended LSU and Concordia University.
What types of new skills and experience will students need in the job markets of the 21st century?
Paul D. Stone: Think about careers today that did not exist 100 years ago, such as TV broadcaster, computer programmer, airline pilot and forensic scientist. To prepare our students to compete in our rapidly changing world, we must teach them how to learn rather than what to learn. In addition to stressing conceptual learning, during my time on the school board EISD has added programs such as robotics, Chinese language, mentorship and others to help students succeed in the real world. We will continue to analyze and develop new programs, such as elementary Spanish to further prepare students for the future.
Sharman Reed: The most important skill our students need to learn for the 21st century is the ability to think critically. Students must gain the ability to problem solve and be critical thinkers. Students need to be able identify a problem and be creative in their ability to uniquely solve the problem. While many science and math classes focus on these areas, the other subject areas must make this one of their focus areas.
Students must learn to be effective in a true collaborative setting in this new world of shared and instantaneous information.
What do you feel are your best qualifications to serve on the school board?
Sharman Reed: I’ve obtained a tremendous amount of experience working with different constituencies as a member of numerous community, school and nonprofits in Central Texas. Among positions I’ve held are: EISD – current Chap Club president; past WHS varsity football team parent 2004/2006; past Eanes Elementary School Booster Club co-chair; Ronald McDonald House – past board member; past member of the Development, Financial and Grant Committee; The Junior League of Austin – past board member, past Christmas Affair chairman, past Provisional chair, past public relations chair, past financial development chair; and Leadership Austin – Class of 2006.
Paul D. Stone: I’ve developed strong financial, organizational, analytical and leadership skills that have resulted in a lengthy resume of successful companies. Those skills work in the business world, and they have helped me to be an effective Eanes school board trustee over the past six years. Taking complex issues, breaking them into understandable parts, then clearly communicating recommendations are skills that I use in business and in my efforts as trustee. In addition, my role as a father of four children, involvement in Eanes Education Foundation, Boy Scouts, St John Neumann Church and other community activities give me insight into the challenges facing our district.
What was the main reason that you decided to run for office at this time?
Paul D. Stone: I have faithfully and honorably served the students, employees and taxpayers of EISD for six years. During that time, I have worked with the administration and the Board to guide the district through difficult financial times. I hope to continue contributing my experience and skills to make EISD the best school district, not only in the state, but in the country.
Sharman Reed: I am running for Position 4 on the EISD Board of Trustees to promote change! Change in how the school district approaches and/or does not approach its persistent problems such as class size, Spanish in grade levels K-5, how the district allocates funds for those that have specific education needs, etc. Change in how the Board of Trustees conducts their meetings and how they communicate to their constituents. And finally, change by having a new face elected to the board that is passionate and naive enough to believe that these and other problems can be solved.
What issues do you feel should be addressed in the next bond election?
Sharman Reed: It appears that EISD is on a spending spree of our hard-earned taxpayer dollars. The 2010 EISD Bond Program Overview dated March 20, 2009, calls for $186,000,000 in new spending. This is nearly three times greater than any previous EISD bond! What’s alarming is that this amount includes $94 million in new construction, the majority of which is for two new schools in a district with a shrinking student population. While I understand that the district’s older facilities need to be updated and made safe and accessible, it concerns me that the board is putting “wants” over “needs.”
Paul D. Stone: EISD has done a commendable job of planning for capital expenditures which are funded by the sale of bonds. I am a proponent of developing a list of needs and wants via input from the EISD community, all school campuses (including parents, teachers and administrators) and central administration. The resulting list should be worked and reworked to develop priorities with direction from the School Board. I expect the next bond election will address, among other items, additional ADA expenditures, evolving technology needs and major improvements to existing facilities.
What would you like to see the school district add as a focus to its master plan for the next 10 years?
Paul D. Stone: As an active trustee, I have been involved in the development of the master plan from its inception; therefore, the plan already includes my ideas for focus. The master plan is an exciting long-term planning process currently under development with input from the community, the administration, the other trustees and me. This plan looks 15-20 years into the future in order to help EISD make decisions about programs, training and facilities today. I encourage people to participate in and follow the development of the master plan via the various study sessions and attend planning meetings.
Sharman Reed: Community input: I don’t think the citizens of our community have any idea of the scope of the strategic/master plan. As a school board member, I would expect the district to seek input from the public before they spend $186,000,000 of our tax dollars. The board has already authorized $400,000 in consulting and architect fees toward this master plan/bond program without any community input. I would like to change that.
What do you feel are key issues facing the school district, and which of these do you feel should be the number-one priority?
Sharman Reed: I feel that the key issues facing our district are the need for long-term school finance reform, smaller class size at all levels, foreign language in the elementary schools, the proposed bond program and the proposed changes to the facilities rental policies.
Paul D. Stone: The number one issue facing EISD and all school districts in Texas is public school finance. It is a flawed system because revenues are capped indefinitely while expenses such as teacher raises, health insurance, etc. naturally increase each year. The second biggest challenge for EISD to is continue hiring, training, compensating and retaining the best teachers because outstanding teachers result in an outstanding education for our students. In addition, EISD will continue to explore reducing class sizes, communicating changes in advanced math programs, ensuring fair charges for the usage of facilities and introducing Spanish into the elementary schools.
The district rating has dropped from Exemplary to Recognized and now to only Academically Acceptable under the “leadership” of the Eanes ISD superintendent hired by the present Eanes ISD board. While many district students must leave when their academic needs are not met by Eanes ISD, a large population of out-of-district transfer students overcrowd our classrooms; individualized education is a thing of the past. Security issues remain unchecked and facilities remain inaccessible to children with mobility issues while the purchase of wishlist items and fields of artificial turf are on the rise. This is possible only because, after the public approves the board package for safety and security, the Eanes ISD board “changes the scope” to include the wishlist. Yes, time for a change.
I have known Paul Stone for 11 years; he is a man of integrity and honesty. He participates in Mobile Loaves and Fishes, the Miracle Foundation, the Boy Scouts, and Safe Homes and Safe Place. His wife has been a volunteer Spanish teacher in the district for seven years. She has co-chaired Safe Homes and participates in many church activities. And anyone who can raise children like theirs definitely gets my vote. Not all change is good change.
All 9 EISD campuses are rated “Exemplary” by the Texas Education Agency’s latest report. Eanes has shown a constant improvement since only 5 schools were rated “Exemplary” in 2004 when Dr Wellman came. Eanes schools have an outstanding reputation and kids want to come here. Recently we have had an influx of kids coming back to Westlake from private schools. Traditionally transfer students have balanced class size and allowed us to keep many of our electives.
You only need to walk into one of the remodeled schools to see that money has been well spent on security. Entrances were modified so everyone HAS to go through the front office to enter the school and driver’s licenses are checked, cameras and fences have been added. As for the bond issue – things change over time. That is why it is very important to elect Trustees with experience, good management skills, and high integrity so they can make the right decisions for us. Paul Stone has those qualities and has my vote.
The current Eanes leadership has slammed the door shut on our community. Democracy has been replaced by a dictatorship. District needs have taken a back seat to what our superintendent ‘wants’. The school board does nothing but rubber stamp every Wellman recommendation with no apparent consideration given to the facts at hand. Let’s take a look at a few of the facts. Contrast the pagodas at school campus entrances asking for parents and visitors to submit to a backround check before entering, to the data indicating students are bringing concealed guns to both the middle and high schools. And then there are the coaches that quietly left amidst claims of sexual misconduct. Contrast the millions of dollars spent on new stadiums and artificial turf to the studies detailing areas of ADA noncompliance and structural barriers preventing children from safely exciting a burning building. Compare structures housing the students in the DAEP, TLC and 19+ program to the multitudes of new and improved athletic facilities. Compare the accuracy of the superintendent’s past property tax appraisals to the accuracy of your own. Class sizes are increasing, while academic programs and services are cut. Award winning teachers are persecuted despite community outrage surrounding the actions of our Trustees and Superintendent. Independent audits of our bond construction expenditures reveal over $600,000 unaccounted for.
This voter has chosen to take off the rose colored glasses and take a cold hard look at the facts. For the sake of our student’s I hope this community does the same. It’s time for a change folks!
Recently a list serve of special needs parents asked candidates Paul Stone and Sharman Reed to respond to approximately ten questions. I appreciate the time Ms. Reed took to respond and I liked her answers. In sharp contrast, Mr. Stone declined to respond to the list serve. That lack of response was not unexpected by this taxpayer and speaks volumes to Mr. Stone’s seeming lack of commitment to recognize and welcome the opportunity to work collaboratively with members of the Eanes community. I’m voting to change that attitude in our district leadership.
Duct Tape Syndrome: This is a term used by the Eanes ISD Facilities Director in June 2008 to describe the state of the district’s facilities. Link here: http://www.keepeanesinformed.com/duct_tape_syndrome.htm
Another Fact: Eanes ISD is a public school, not a private school. Our school district should be exemplary for all students and the board should be representative of all students. Link here:
http://www.keepeanesinformed.com/converted1.htm
About that District Rating: Texas Education Agency rates Eanes ISD as Academically Acceptable, just one level above the lowest possible rating. That’s a fact. And here’s the link: http://www.keepeanesinformed.com/academically_acceptable.htm