Dear Stephenville ISD voters,
I am running for School Board and a little disappointed that the Empire-Tribune did not run all of their Q and A in its entirety. The questions are important as they address three major issues I am passionate about – Term limits, fiscal responsibility and transparency. I made the extra effort to answer so here are the Q and As the ET elected not to print…
I would like to ask all those running for the School Board if they would approve live streaming of the School Board meetings like the City Council does? Yes, any manner to provide accurate information to the public is a positive step. I would also ask the public enact on that information, to become more involved, participate in school board meetings, voice their opinions and even run for school board.
Would they approve a vote for term limits to allow fewer terms on the board? This topic is very significant to the race between my opponent and I. My opponent, if re-elected, will be serving for twenty-one consecutive years. I fully respect anyone willing to serve; however, I do believe I offer a new set of fresh ideas and more independent thought. If I am elected, I will dedicate strong efforts to implement term limits on school board members. This would include myself. Yes, I believe term limits are healthy at all levels. If President Trump is limited to two terms (8 years), why should someone be on the school board for twenty-one years? Is there a plan for keeping the bond issues on budget (rumored that the softball field is $70k ish over budget?) The amount is not seventy thousand dollars as stated in the question. The overrun is approximately SEVEN HUNDRED THOUSAND dollars. Unfortunately, this degree of incompetence is obscene and feel it is only the beginning of similar issues. If elected, I would make certain overruns were limited by implementing strict financial discipline and investigate where we could recoup cost savings to stay in alignment with budgetary allowances.
Last, would they consider a FB page allowing for citizens to keep up with SB info, meeting dates, etc.? Again, keeping the public informed is paramount. Facebook is an excellent and convenient means to provide information to the public. I believe a Facebook alternative would stimulate more public interest due to its popularity.
Thank you for reading,
Phyllis Stewart
Stephenville resident, candidate for Stephenville ISD board of trustees
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