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Why are you running for this office?
"As a nineteen year resident of Frisco, I’ve experienced and seen tremendous growth in our city and our Frisco Independent School District. As a very proud husband and father of three amazing daughters that attend FISD schools (Frisco High School and Sparks Elementary), I am devoted and dedicated to ensuring that their educational endeavors are met and that our FISD schools continue to exude excellence.
As a Professional Human Resources and Talent Acquisition/University Relations Executive, I’ve gained a keen insight and educational awareness of the issues that involve our community. My career reflects extensive experience in human resources, talent acquisition/staffing management, university relations/talent acquisition management, diversity/veteran programs, marketing, budgetary and financial management, and material resources administration. Utilizing my professional, educational and volunteer experiences, I will be a solid addition and positive asset to our School Board and District. As a result we will continue to promote excellence to our students, parents, teachers, and citizens of our city. I have always felt that it was my duty as an American to serve my country and my Community. My family and I love Frisco, and I feel called to serve once again on the FISD Board of Trustees to help promote excellence in schools and protect taxpayers.”
Why should voters choose you over your opponent?
"Frisco continues to have excellent and well known educational programs that are recognized for the quality of its schools, educators and staff. But as Citizens of Frisco and Tax Payers we should be aware of and have a thorough understanding of all fiscal expenditures associated with FISD. In order to ensure accountability, we need to have full transparency in all FISD educational and business dealings. We must also have accessibility to our elected public servants to address our concerns, issues and to simply answer our questions. We should require that our Board of Trustees maintain effective fiscal management, fiscal responsibility, and conviction in an honest and straight-forward informative manner. It is essential for the Board of Trustees to be dynamic, dedicated professional public servants that will represent FISD, our schools and our citizens to the best of their abilities. We should expect nothing less and demand much more."
If elected, what two issues should be given the most attention and resources during your term in office?
"In actuality there are several issues that should be given attention. They are; Fiscal Responsibility, Board Transparency, Trustee Accessibility, District Accountability and teh [sic] empowerment of teachers and students.
My top priorities are to ensure fiscal responsibility, board transparency, trustee accessibility, district accountability and to empower our teachers and students. As Public Servants it is our duty to inform every taxpayer of all expenditures in a transparent fashion. We are accountable to every Frisco citizen, parent, student and faculty member to make wise decisions based on sound principles, focusing not only on excellence today but with the strategic vision to properly plan for tomorrow."
If you are not an incumbent trustee, have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from them about how a board member can be effective?
"To be effective, a member of the trustees needs to responsive and attentive to the needs of Frisco constituents and in turn convey those concerns to the entire Board. We should require that our Board of Trustees maintain conviction in an honest and straight-forward informative manner and it is essential for the school board members to be dynamic, dedicated professional public servants that will represent FISD, our schools and our citizens to the best of their abilities. As a FISD Board of Trustees member, I will utilize my years of executive military leadership, federal government service, corporate skills, and extensive volunteer experiences to serve all FISD constituents with unequalled dedication, conviction and integrity. I will aspire to listen to the concerns and needs of all citizens, families, school educators and staff to make FISD and our community a better place. I will work hard for our kids and will make a positive difference. I will work tirelessly to develop positive and open relationships with all citizens and school officials to ensure that our community is well informed on all issues. As a Member of the FISD Board of Trustees, I will actively listen to the concerns and needs of all citizens."
As you look around the country, what innovative ideas would you recommend for improving classroom performance?
"I believe including parent participation in the classroom is a very important concept in developing better teacher–parent relationships. It would provide parents clearer insight into today’s education process and create a better understanding for them as they work with their children at home. Giving parents an opportunity to volunteer to serve as a teaching assist or observer results in a more informed involved parent in the education of their children. The District and schools should consider a "Take your Parent to School" program, where parents attend their child's school and shadow their teacher or class during the normal day. Parents would also provide a presentation about their personal and professional life experiences by sharing first hand information about their careers and profession. And finally, the district should provide continuing education programs/classes for all teachers, so they can improve and hone their teaching skills and respective subject expertise and knowledge."
Should teacher and principal pay be linked to school performance?
"Yes, since the overall school performance is directly attributed to the performance of teachers and principals. In order to do that we need to reevaluate current salaries, merit raises, benefits, and performance based bonuses. FISD should develop merit raises based on teaching and student performance. To accomplish this, FISD should first provide the best classroom resources, tools and facilities in order to provide our teachers the best classroom environment in which to be successful and give our children the best education for their future. Principals must also be afforded administrative support and analytical tools to assess student and teacher performance to obtain a clear picture of current and future progress utilizing performance metrics. The bottom line is that school performance at all levels is directly attributed to the teachers and principals ability to provide a quality education and as such, teachers and principals should be evaluated based on overall performance. Developing a positive performance based evaluation incentive program; student performance during testing, teacher classroom evaluations, reviewing teacher/principal relationships and parent feedback for both teachers and principals as well as teacher feedback for principals should be considered. By providing this incentive, I believe that teachers and principals will be energized and empowered to produce improved schools and quality educational opportunities for all students."
Do you support or oppose charter schools in your school district?
"I support the charter school concept but don’t believe that Frisco needs to move in that direction at this time. I believe that the curriculum choices available for Frisco students, which include the programs offered at the Frisco ISD Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center, provide several options for all students."
What resources are lacking in schools in your trustee district?
"I believe that the District needs to be more proactive in providing up-to-date resources, technology and learning tools to our teachers and educators. FISD needs to implement positive and realistic continuing education training for all teachers on a regular basis as well as providing teachers informational updates of the state of FISD. We need to empower teachers to be informed and be aware of all issues that the District faces to encourage their buy-in and ownership in FISD. We need to empower teachers to "teach' children and not teach towards the standardized test. Also, the District should proactively give teachers a feedback voice and ownership of the District's strategic plan. And finally, FISD should have clear, positive two-way communication between faculty, staff and administrators that will add to the success to the District."
What is the most crucial issue facing this district that the school board and superintendent aren’t addressing, and how would you recommend this issue be addressed?
"I believe that there are several issues that need to be addressed. That is, to ensure fiscal responsibility, board transparency, trustee accessibility, district accountability and to empower our teachers and students. It the duty of FISD to inform every taxpayer of all expenditures in a transparent fashion. Board members should be accountable to every Frisco citizen, parent, student and faculty member to make wise decisions based on sound principles, focusing not only on excellence today but with the strategic vision to properly plan for tomorrow.
We continue to have excellent schools and well known educational programs that are recognized throughout our state. As Frisco Citizens and Tax Payers, it is incumbent we be aware of and have a thorough understanding of all FISD fiscal expenditures to ensure accountability. FISD must have transparency in all educational and business dealings. The Frisco Citizens and Taxpayers must have accessibility to our elected public servants to address our concerns, issues and to simply answer our questions. Board of Trustees members must maintain effective fiscal management, fiscal responsibility, and conviction in an honest and straight-forward informative manner. It is essential for the Board of Trustees to be dynamic, dedicated professional public servants that will represent FISD, our schools and our citizens to the best of their abilities."[5]
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John Hoxie Incumbent
