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Candace Perkins
Candace Perkins was a candidate for Position 3 representative on the Katy Independent School District school board in Texas. Perkins was defeated in the by-district general election on May 6, 2017.
Perkins participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 school board candidate survey. Click here to read her responses.
Elections
2017
Three of the seven seats on the Katy Independent School District board of trustees in Texas were up for general election on May 6, 2017. In her bid for re-election to Position 3, incumbent Ashley Vann defeated challengers David Velasquez and Candace Perkins. Position 4 incumbent Courtney Doyle defeated challenger Carlos Young. The Position 5 race included incumbent Henry Dibrell and challenger William Lacy. Lacy won election to the seat.[1][2]
Results
| Katy Independent School District, Position 3 General Election, 3-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Ashley Vann Incumbent |
57.37% | 2,280 |
| David Velasquez | 27.20% | 1,081 |
| Candace Perkins | 15.43% | 613 |
| Total Votes | 3,974 | |
| Source: Katy Independent School District, "Katy ISD Board Election Tabulation May 6, 2017 (Official)," accessed June 6, 2017 | ||
Funding
Perkins reported no contributions or expenditures to the Katy Independent School District as of April 28, 2017.[3]
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Candace Perkins participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates.[4] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on April 18, 2017:
| “ | I hope to help develop a stronger support system for our teachers, in a range that helps them financially, technically, and personally. If you really think about it, teachers shape the world and in turn I believe they deserve the world at their fingertips to utilize in their teachings and daily lives.[5][6] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Texas. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | no[6] | ” |
| —Candace Perkins (April 18, 2017) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer eight questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| No. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should defer to school board decisions in most cases. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Offer additional training options. Offer additional training options. Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| No. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. If the state gives money to private schools through any sort of voucher system, that money has to come from somewhere and it is most likely going to be coming from public schools. It is the wide misconception that public schools do not need any money because they are just that...public. As it is now, so many of our public schools rely on their PTA/PTO to raise money throughout the year in order to put on many or the vast majority of their programs, functions, and extracurricular activities. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| As a last resort. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers Teachers are the most important aspect when it comes to success in the classroom. However the teachers cannot and should not have to do it alone. They should be able to rely on a vast support group from their parents, administrators, PTA, and school board. |
Candidate website
Perkins highlighted the following statement on her campaign website:
| “ | It is my strong belief that teachers are the ones who shape us all. It only takes one teacher to impact a life forever. Living in Katy ISD we ALL want the best of the best teaching our children, however we don't always stop to think that while we want them to be the best, we may not be giving them the support they need to be the best whether that be monetary or otherwise. We leave our children in teacher's care for more hours than we care for them ourselves. That being said, why wouldn't we want them to make an honorable salary? Why wouldn't we want them to have all the tools they need to do the best job they can? Why wouldn't we want them to have the strongest support system possible? I have a long future ahead in Katy ISD and I will not give up or back down from my efforts to support our teachers and students, the ones we are supposed to be serving.[6] | ” |
| —Candace Perkins (2017)[7] | ||
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Katy Independent School District, "2017 Katy ISD Board of Trustees Election," accessed February 21, 2017
- ↑ Katy Independent School District, "Katy ISD Board Election Tabulation May 6, 2017," accessed May 6, 2017
- ↑ Katy Independent School District, "2017 Katy ISD Board of Trustees Election," accessed May 1, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Candace Perkins's responses," April 18, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ [https://www.facebook.com/pg/voteforperkins/about/?ref=page_internal Facebook, "Candace Perkins for Katy ISD Board of Trustees Position 3 About page," accessed April 17, 2017]
| Katy Independent School District elections in 2017 | |
| Harris, Fort Bend, and Waller counties, Texas | |
| Election date: | May 6, 2017 |
| Candidates: | Position 3: • Incumbent, Ashley Vann • Candace Perkins • David Velasquez Position 4: • Incumbent, Courtney Doyle • Carlos Young Position 5: • Incumbent, Henry Dibrell • William Lacy |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
