David Thompson (Texas)

David Thompson

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David “D” Thompson was a candidate for the District 1 seat on the Austin School Board in Texas. He faced P. Kevin Bryant, Edmund T. Gordon and Stanton Strickland in the general election on November 4, 2014. Since neither he nor Gordon got 50 percent "plus one" of the vote, he faced him in a runoff election on December 16, 2014. He was defeated by Gordon in that race.

Biography

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Thompson is the minister at Austin Stone Community Church.

Elections

2014

See also: Austin Independent School District elections (2014)

The November 4, 2014, general election in Austin Independent School District featured five seats up for election. The District 1 race featured four candidates; P. Kevin Bryant, Edmund T. Gordon, Stanton Strickland, and David “D” Thompson competed for the seat held by Cheryl Bradley. Since neither Gordon nor Thompson garnered 50 percent "plus one" or more of the vote, they faced each other in a runoff election on December 16, 2014. Gordon triumphed over Thompson in that race.

The District 4 race featured newcomers Julie Cowan and Karen Zern Flanagan, as incumbent Vincent Torres did not file for-election. Cowan triumphed over Flanagan in that race. The District 6 race featured three candidates; Kate Mason-Murphy, Monica Sanchez, and Paul Saldaña vied for the seat held by Lori Moya. Mason-Murphy and Saldaña headed to the runoff election, where Saldaña was victorious.

The lone incumbent to file for re-election was Robert Schneider in District 7. He defeated challenger Yasmin Wagner. Meanwhile, the at-large position held by Tamala Barksdale drew five challengers; Nael Chavez, Kendall Pace, Kazique J. Prince, Hillary Procknow, and Andy M. Trimino competed for that seat. Neither Pace nor Procknow received a majority of the vote, so they competed in the runoff election. Pace defeated Procknow in that election.

Results

Runoff election

Austin Independent School District, District 1 Runoff Election, 4-year term, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Edmund T. Gordon	55.9%	3,168
	Nonpartisan	David “D” Thompson	44.1%	2,499
Total Votes				5,667
Source: Travis County Clerk, "Austin Independent School District Cumulative Results," accessed December 30, 2014

General election

Austin Independent School District, District 1 General Election, 4-year term, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Edmund T. Gordon	34.5%	3,624
	Nonpartisan	David “D” Thompson	28.4%	2,984
	Nonpartisan	P. Kevin Bryant	18.7%	1,967
	Nonpartisan	Stanton Strickland	18.3%	1,917
Total Votes				10,492
Source: Travis County Clerk, "Austin Independent School District Cumulative Results," accessed December 30, 2014

Funding

Candidates must file reports with the Texas Ethics Commission or the appropriate county clerk. They must disclose the amount of each contribution (or the value and nature of any in-kind contribution), the name and address of the individual or political committee making the contribution and the date of the contribution. Filers must also report all expenditures, including the date of an expenditure, the name and address of the person to whom the expenditure is made and the purpose of the expenditure.

As of September 30, 2014, Thompson had not filed a campaign finance report with the Travis County Clerk.

Endorsements

Thompson did not receive any endorsements during the election.

What was at stake?

Issues in the election

Superintendent search

In March 2014, Austin ISD Superintendent Meria Carstarphen was chosen to lead Atlanta Public Schools. Dr. Paul Cruz was chosen as interim superintendent while the district board of trustees began a search for Carstarphen's replacement. She served the district since 2009; she was the district's first African American leader, in addition to being the first woman. Her style was described as hands-on, and the district praised her ability to build relationships with students, community members, and parents. She was also applauded for weathering state budget cuts and helping to improve the graduation rate in the district. Conversely, in 2011, Carstarphen came under criticism when budget restraints forced discussions on closing schools to save $11.3 million. Hundreds of parents protested the proposal.

Carstarphen's contract would have expired in June 2015. The board of trustees reviewed Carstarphen in December 2013, and that evaluation was generally very positive. However, it didn't call for an extension to her contract, unlike her previous two reviews. According to Drew Scheberle, senior vice president for the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, finding a replacement for Carstarphen was “going to test a board that doesn’t like to make decisions."

In December 2014, Cruz was chosen to fill the position permanently. His contract was finalized during a board of trustees meeting held on January 26, 2015. Initially he was ineligible for candidacy because of his interim superintendent status. The board cited Cruz's leadership and compassion as the reason for making an exception and considering him for the appointment. Once he was named a finalist for the position, the two other finalists withdrew.

Cruz's career in education began in 1987. He served as a teacher, campus administrator, and as superintendent in several school districts across Texas. He earned a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Texas and a master's degree in educational administration from Corpus Christi State University. He went on to receive his Ph.D. in educational leadership from the University of Texas where he served as a fellow in the Cooperative Superintendency Program, which focused on the administration of schools in urban areas. He also served as the deputy commissioner for dropout prevention with the Texas Education Agency.

Issues in the district

2013 bond proposal worth $892 million

In May 2013, Austin ISD put the largest bond proposal ever attempted in Central Texas to the vote, a package worth $892 million. Half of the package succeeded and half was turned down by voters. The package was split into four different propositions: Propositions 1, 2, 3 and 4. Proposition 1, totaling $140.6 million, passed by just a few hundred votes and is planned for technology upgrades, energy conservation initiatives and new equipment. Proposition 2, worth $234 million, which did not pass, would have relieved overcrowding in district schools through the construction of three new schools. Proposition 3 passed as well, the most substantial at $349 million, and is planned to go toward various renovations in the district. Proposition 4 was turned down, which would have pumped $168.6 million into the district for academic programs, fine arts and athletics. This proposition also had some controversy surrounding it, due in large part to plans to create an all-boys school. The election was significant in that it had record turnout for a stand-alone proposal on a May ballot. Early voting in and of itself nearly doubled the turnout for the May 2010 trustee election. It was the first district bond proposal since 1989 to be rejected, or partially rejected, by voters.

84th legislative session

The 84th legislative session convened on January 13, 2015, and addressed many topics across the district, including school funding, vouchers, accountability and assessment. During the 82nd legislative session in 2011, cuts made to the Texas school finance formulas compelled Austin ISD to absorb nearly $96 million in revenue, which would have gone towards maintenance and operations across the district. The cuts significantly affected the 2012 and 2013 school years. The 83rd legislative session restored some of the cuts made in 2011, however the total restored was less than 20 percent. In June 2014, the district released a document entitled "Legislative Priorities for the 84th Legislative Session", which was approved by the board and addresses the following stance:

“	AUSTIN ISD SUPPORTS Public School Finance A state system of public school finance that provides an adequate and equitable public school finance system. A state system of public school finance that is based on multiple sustainable state revenue sources. A state system of public school finance that reduces the current over-reliance on local property taxes as a revenue source. A state system of public school finance that reflects increases in the cost of education and the cost of living indexes since the last time these indexes were updated. A simpler more transparent system of public school finance. Adequate funding for the Instructional Materials Allotment to ensure that local school districts are able to meet increasing costs and adequately fund required materials adoptions. Accountability A state accountability system that ensures that all students are prepared for college or the work force upon graduation. A state accountability system that focuses on student academic growth and graduation rates rather than on punitive actions towards schools, school districts, teachers, and students. A state accountability system that allows local school districts to determine which courses and graduation requirements best meet the needs of their local community. Local Control & Flexibility Public schools governed by locally elected school board members. Flexibility to allow local school districts to prioritize spending. Pre-K State funding of full day Pre-Kindergarten for all children regardless of income level. AUSTIN ISD OPPOSES Vouchers Vouchers, tax credits, tuition reimbursements or any other program that diverts public tax dollars to either privately run schools or charter school districts that are exempt from state and federal accountability requirements. Unfunded Mandates Any new unfunded mandates and infringements upon local control.	”
—"Legislative Priorities for the 84th Legislative Session" Austin Independent School District website (2014)

Recent news

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David Thompson News Feed

See also

• Austin Independent School District, Texas
• Austin Independent School District elections (2014)

External links

Suggest a link

• Austin Independent School District