Your monthly support provides voters the knowledge they need to make confident decisions at the polls. Donate today.
David Morales (Texas school board member)
David Morales was an at-large member of the Socorro Independent School District school board in Texas. Morales assumed office on May 14, 2019. Morales left office on May 15, 2023.
Morales ran for re-election for an at-large seat of the Socorro Independent School District school board in Texas. Morales lost in the general election on May 6, 2023.
Morales was a candidate for District 4 representative on the Socorro Independent School District school board in Texas. Morales was defeated in the by-district general election on May 6, 2017.
Elections
2023
See also: Socorro Independent School District, Texas, elections (2023)
General election
General election for Socorro Independent School District, At-large (2 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Socorro Independent School District, At-large on May 6, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Marivel Macias (Nonpartisan) | 29.0 | 4,292 | |
| ✔ |  | Michael Najera (Nonpartisan) | 22.9 | 3,383 |
 | David Morales (Nonpartisan) | 18.2 | 2,695 | |
 | Joshua Carter Guerra (Nonpartisan) | 10.4 | 1,539 | |
| David Ayala (Nonpartisan) | 10.4 | 1,539 | ||
| Miguel Rico (Nonpartisan) | 4.6 | 685 | ||
| Jose Alonzo Jr. (Nonpartisan) | 4.5 | 671 | ||
| Total votes: 14,804 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2019
See also: Socorro Independent School District, Texas, elections (2019)
General election
General election for Socorro Independent School District, At-large (2 seats)
David Morales and Paul Garcia defeated incumbent Michael Najera, incumbent Antonio Ayub, and Derek Hernandez in the general election for Socorro Independent School District, At-large on May 4, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | David Morales (Nonpartisan) | 25.7 | 1,211 |
| ✔ | Paul Garcia (Nonpartisan) | 24.6 | 1,158 | |
| Michael Najera (Nonpartisan) | 20.8 | 978 | |
 | Antonio Ayub (Nonpartisan) | 20.7 | 972 | |
| Derek Hernandez (Nonpartisan) | 8.2 | 388 | ||
| Total votes: 4,707 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2017
Four of the seven seats on the Socorro Independent School District board of trustees in Texas were up for general election on May 6, 2017. In their bids for re-election to the board, District 2 incumbent Cynthia Najera, District 3 incumbent Angelica Rodriguez, and District 5 incumbent Gary Gandara were unopposed. Because of this, the races for those seats were canceled, and the three incumbents were re-elected to their seats by default. In the one contested race, District 4 incumbent Paul Guerra defeated challengers David Morales and Dennis Redd.[1][2][3]
Results
| Socorro Independent School District, District 4 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Paul Guerra Incumbent |
50.15% | 330 |
| Dennis Redd | 25.38% | 167 |
| David Morales | 24.47% | 161 |
| Total Votes | 658 | |
| Source: El Paso County Elections, "May 6, 2017 - Official Final Election Results," accessed June 6, 2017 | ||
Funding
Morales reported $1,000.00 in contributions and $3,424.12 in expenditures to the Socorro Independent School District, which left his campaign with a deficit of $2,424.12 as of April 28, 2017.[4]
El Paso Times survey
Morales participated in the following survey conducted by the El Paso Times. The questions provided by the El Paso Times are bolded, and Morales' responses appear below.
What experiences in leadership do you have that qualify you to serve as a school trustee?
| “ | I have a great deal of experience in leadership and an abundant amount of knowledge in education. I am a graduate of The University of Texas at El Paso, Sul Ross State University, and served as an educator for over 30 years in three different districts throughout El Paso, including serving as middle school principal. I was also nominated TASSP Principal of the year in 2011, which is a distinct recognition in education. In addition, to being an administrator, I was a varsity high school football and head baseball coach for over 20 years in the El Paso and Canutillo Independent School District. Currently, I serve as the Chairman for the team host football committee with the Sun Bowl Association and I am in charge of 17 committee members including 3 police escorts.[5] | ” |
| —David Morales (April 21, 2017)[6] | ||
What is motivating you to run for a school board trustee seat?
| “ | There are several reasons that are motivating me to run for school board: I am running for Socorro ISD Trustee because I believe I can have a positive impact on the district. I feel by creating a bridge to unite our communities with our schools is in the best interest of all children, teachers and all stakeholders. I am a parent with a child in the district and would like to give back to an outstanding district. I would like to support our teachers and staff with the necessary resources and tools to prepare our children for success. Also, I can share my experience and expertise as a former educator to help all children be successful, college ready and prepare them to meet the challenges that lie ahead in their future.[5] | ” |
| —David Morales (April 21, 2017)[6] | ||
Describe the impact you expect to make on the strategic direction of the school district and how does your specific personal experience support that expectation?
| “ | I believe I can have a positive impact on the district. I feel by uniting our communities with our schools in the best interest of all stakeholders, would enable us to have good open communication and transparency. As a parent with a child in the district and former educator, I would be able to relate to the current issues and make decisions based on my knowledge in education.
As a former school principal, I am knowledgeable of the policies and procedures that pertain to the school districts. With this knowledge, I would be in a position to help make decisions based on the strategic direction of the school district.[5] |
” |
| —David Morales (April 21, 2017)[6] | ||
Trustees, as elected by specific district, must act and govern for the entire school district, not just advocate for the schools within their particular geography. Describe a time when you had to balance potentially conflicting priorities with multiple stakeholders, and how did you determine how to allocate resources and investment to meet the needs of all?
| “ | During the time as a middle school principal I was able to balance conflicting priorities with multiple stakeholders such as parents, community members, business owners, teacher and staff. Part of my role as a school principal was to develop a budget for my campus with a strategic plan based on priorities and the needs of the campus. For example, many departments such as special education, ESL, athletics, band and the various departments from the core areas, would advocate for their departments. The funds were allocated to the various stakeholders based on the areas of need and priorities. Also, decisions had to be fair, equal and adequate to the multiple stakeholders.[5] | ” |
| —David Morales (April 21, 2017)[6] | ||
The role and responsibility of a trustee is governance, oversight, and setting policy. Tell us about your experience in honoring the scope of responsibility in a past role. How did you make sure you did not cross over into the tactical execution of another person’s responsibility in the organization?
| “ | As a school principal, you must define the roles and responsibilities of the members of your team. You must set expectations to follow through with your strategic plan and meet deadlines. This process can only be accomplished with open communication, transparency, respecting one another's opinions and their points of views.[5] | ” |
| —David Morales (April 21, 2017)[6] | ||
Attracting and retaining talented educators is critical to the success of a healthy school district. Describe your past experience as a leader supporting the broad strategy of identifying, selecting, and retaining top talent.
| “ | As a former school principal, one of my roles was to hire school personnel such as teachers and staff. Therefore, I was in a position to hire the best possible candidates for the various positions that were needed on our campus. One of my priorities in the hiring process was to hire individuals that would be the best fit our school climate and would follow my vision and the mission of the district.[5] | ” |
| —David Morales (April 21, 2017)[6] | ||
Describe your experience in managing large, complex budgets.
| “ | As a school principal, I had experience with managing a large and complex budget based on the Campus Improvement Plan. This improvement plan was the driving force for decisions made based on the need of the campus and the priorities of the various programs.[5] | ” |
| —David Morales (April 21, 2017)[6] | ||
Have you ever been arrested or charged with a crime? Have you ever had a civil judgment against you? Have you ever been in arrears on local, state or federal taxes? If so, please provide an explanation.
| “ | I have never been arrested or charged with a crime.
I have not had a civil judgment against me or have ever been in arrears on local, state or federal taxes.[5] |
” |
| —David Morales (April 21, 2017)[6] | ||
If elected, would you have any potential conflicts of interest that you are aware of that would impair your ability to serve as a school board trustee? Please explain.
| “ | If elected I would not have any potential conflicts of interest that would impair my ability to serve as school board trustee. This is in part, for the fact that I am a retired school educator and work part time as a self-employed insurance producer.[5] | ” |
| —David Morales (April 21, 2017)[6] | ||
What education innovations would you advocate as a trustee?
| “ | The education innovations I would advocate as a trustee, would be to develop programs that would motivate students to stay in school and be college ready. These programs must be inspirational, innovative, technology based and attractive to young generation. This in turn may improve attendance as well as our graduation rates in our district.[5] | ” |
| —David Morales (April 21, 2017)[6] | ||
Please describe your education. Where did you get your high school diploma? What higher education degrees and certificates have you earned?
| “ | I received my high school diploma from San Gabriel High School in southern , California. Also I attended Rio Hondo College in Whittier, California for 2 years. I am a graduate of the University of Texas El Paso with a Bachelor’s degree of Science in Education and a Master’s degree in Education with a certification in mid management from Sul Ross State University.[5] | ” |
| —David Morales (April 21, 2017)[6] | ||
Do you have other remarks you would like to share about your candidacy?
| “ | What differentiates me from my opponents is that I have a wealth of experience and knowledge in education. I am a graduate of the University of Texas El Paso with a Bachelor’s degree of Science in Education and a Master’s degree in Education with a certification in mid management from Sul Ross State University. I have served as an educator for over 30 years in three different districts throughout El Paso. I have 22 years of teaching experience in the classroom and was a varsity high school football and head baseball coach for over 20 years in the El Paso and Canutillo Independent School Districts. I served as an assistant principal for three years and five years as a middle school principal. I was also nominated for TASSP Principal of the year in 2011, which was only accomplished with a total commitment from my outstanding teachers and staff providing our students with the necessary tools for success. Also, I have served as a volunteer for the Sun Bowl Association for the last 20 years.[5] | ” |
| —David Morales (April 21, 2017)[6] | ||
Campaign themes
2023
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
David Morales did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
David Morales did not complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.
See also
2023 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ El Paso County Elections Department, "Sample Ballot: Socorro ISD (PDF)," accessed April 12, 2017
- ↑ Socorro Independent School District, "Board of Trustees Election: May 6, 2017," accessed February 21, 2017
- ↑ El Paso County Elections, "May 6, 2017 - Uniform Election Unofficial Final Election Results," accessed May 6, 2017
- ↑ Socorro Independent School District, "Candidate/Officeholder Campaign Finance Reports," accessed May 1, 2017
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 El Paso Times, "Get to know the SISD District No. 4 candidates," April 21, 2017
| Socorro Independent School District elections in 2017 | |
| El Paso County, Texas | |
| Election date: | May 6, 2017 |
| Candidates: | District 2: • Incumbent, Cynthia Najera District 3: • Incumbent, Angelica Rodriguez District 4: • Incumbent, Paul Guerra • David Morales • Dennis Redd District 5: • Incumbent, Gary Gandara |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
