Plano ISD Board of Trustees Candidate Questionnaire Place 2: Carrolyn J. Moebius
What are the top three reasons you want to serve as a Plano ISD School Board Trustee? I believe that public education is the foundation of our country and its success is critical to our community’s and nation’s future. First, l want to continue to engage our legislators (not just our area representatives) and fight for our kids to ensure we are adequately funded, are allowed to deliver educational choices that develop and promote those skills necessary to succeed in life. We need to keep our educational system strong to remain a top destination for businesses and families. I am the Candidate who will continue to work hard for our community’s school district, our strongest investment. Second, I want to continue to press for a rating system that reflects a true picture of a campus. Our current system has the lowest “rating” of a subpopulation determine the district’s’ rating. For a whole district of over 55,000 kids to be potentially rated academically unacceptable based upon one campus’s subpopulation’s assessment results is inappropriate. The State should pursue academic growth as essential and revise the ranking and assessments to reflect that progress. My concern lies with devising a system that compares over 1,000 school districts that is fair. One consideration may be comparing like school districts. Student mobility, a factor that many school districts face, should be segregated based upon length of residency producing more meaningful results. For students that are newer to their school district a different analysis should be applied, but stress the pursuit for academic growth. To analyze the strength of an investment, many markers need to be considered. Third, I would want to work to restore various opportunities of engagement with our community starting with town hall meetings. I know there is public input on agenda/non‐agenda items but the drawback is the board may not engage with the speaker. Meaningful interaction requires two way dialogue. What do you feel are the most important responsibilities of a trustee? The school board is “to act as advocates for the PISD family” and “to plan, make policy and communicate.” Trustees should seek common ground in determining the future path of the school district. Specifically, the Board is responsible for providing a relevant and rigorous educational program, offering choices for all students. School trustees make all final decisions regarding school district priorities, policies, personnel, textbooks, expenditures and student growth management. Trustees adopt a budget, levy taxes to support the budget and submit bond issues to the Plano ISD community to finance construction projects. School Board is responsible for hiring its only employee, the Superintendent, who sets the path for our children’s future based upon the Board’s vision. One must realize a school board has a direct influence on a community’s future. Most of the residents in the PISD area moved here because of the schools. By making wise choices and being proactive, a school district, a community, will remain strong and will continue to prepare our kids for the future. What do you see as the top opportunities and challenges in Plano ISD? 300 words can’t justify the opportunities or challenges that exist. OPPORTUNITIES…. Technology…Students need the exposure to technology to be successful in the 21st century and beyond. In many cases, schools provide some students with their only access to computing devices and the Internet. The integration of technology as a tool into instruction has been proven to have a strong positive impact on student achievement over the past 20 years. Engaged Community….These are exciting times! With the ability to engage our whole community we will create more opportunities to strengthen our community. We need to continue to reach out to our chambers and business communities for mentors, job shadowing, and financial contributions for programs such as academies. Holding town hall meetings as well as starting a Leadership PISD program would also build a shared knowledge base that will help generate PISD ambassadors and future leaders. CHALLENGES… FINANCING…As long as the Legislators do not look for additional sources of revenue and do not invest in education, we will have to be more creative in delivering curriculum choices. We may not be able to offer everything we currently do at most campuses, compensate are PISD team appropriately and P a g e | 1 of 2 Plano ISD Board of Trustees Candidate Questionnaire Place 2: Carrolyn J. Moebius
unfortunately, may be restrained from being able to implement some great programs. If Texas wants to remain a welcoming, strong business environment it will need to show that it takes care of their investments well too. UNDERSTANDING CHANGES NEEDED IN PUBLIC EDUCATION…Teaching methods needs to evolve quicker. With opportunities offered by technological advances, our students need curriculum that incorporates its appropriate use as a tool. The jobs created in the next decades will be interrelated to the advances in technology. The pedagogy developed will need to incorporate the advancements to better prepare our children for life. Why are you qualified to hold the position of trustee? During my first term as PISD trustee, I worked to strengthen relationships within our community with parents, PTA council and PTA, city officials and state representatives, and other organizations. I engaged our students at events including the student forum regarding strategic planning, student academy focus group, school board meetings and student recognition events. I have also shown support for programs that offer more educational choices such as The Plano High School Academy, Plano ISD Health Sciences, and IB World School at PESH. I have proven to be fiscally responsible by bringing into question the 4 senior high proposal. This proposal would have cost the district over $38 million. Besides the cost, the redrawing of boundaries would have had to occur throughout the district. I supported the purchase of the Academy Building for $6.2 million; assessed value was $6.4 million, which was less expensive than remodeling a school. After 2 ½ years, the building is now assessed at $19.8 million. During my first term, I’ve had to make hard decisions regarding the budget due to reduction of funds from the state. TASB’s (Texas Association of School Board) selection of me to participate in their current Leadership TASB class reflects my commitment to become more involved and to develop relationships with people who have common interest in advocating for public education. Over the last 2 ½ years, I have acquired over 165 hours of continued education so I may better serve our community in the role of School Board Trustee. Through my success during my first term, as well my experiences as an auditor of school districts and small business owner, I understand the importance of investing and what is needed for the success of our children. I have proven that I am a passionate advocate for Plano ISD and public education. What is the most important thing you want to accomplish if elected? I would want to strengthen the connections between all the community members with the Board. Town hall meetings would serve as the main foundation to offer the opportunities to engage with the community. What I would like to see is the district hosting at least annually one town hall meeting in each cluster, sharing students’ performance, how we compare to surrounding school districts, what challenges/opportunities we are currently facing and will be facing, and other timely topics such as the legislative session. I believe town hall meetings are beneficial in offering more chances for engaging and taking the pulse of the community. Education seminars regarding the state and future of public education would help explain the transformation required to meet the business communities’ demanding requirements of our future workforce. One topic would be Technology. The affects of technology have impacted our lives in ways we could never have imagined 15 years ago. Who knows what new innovation is next that will impact our daily lives? Use of technology as a tool, has been proven to be a positive influence on student achievement and must continue to be incorporated in public education. Lastly, I would like to start a program called Leadership PISD. Past trustees, as well as Missy Bender and David Stolle have expressed a desire to develop this program. I have learned through my participation in Leadership Plano and Leadership TASB how valuable the sessions are as well as the relationships that are developed. Leadership PISD would ensure a smooth transition for future trustees’ leadership by educating, developing, and empowering future leaders. Participants would meet the PISD team members who are responsible for programs and services, and see first‐hand how the district creates a climate of success for all of our students and team. P a g e | 2 of 2