John Black (Texas school board)
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
John Black ran for election for an at-large seat of the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District in Texas. He lost in the general election on May 5, 2018.
Elections
2018
General election
General election for Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District, At-large (2 seats)
Sally Hill Derrick and incumbent John Mathews defeated John Black and Nic Rady in the general election for Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District, At-large on May 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Sally Hill Derrick (Nonpartisan) | 44.4 | 4,028 |
| ✔ |  | John Mathews (Nonpartisan) | 25.5 | 2,316 |
 | John Black (Nonpartisan) | 15.3 | 1,384 | |
 | Nic Rady (Nonpartisan) | 14.8 | 1,339 | |
| Total votes: 9,067 | |||
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Campaign themes
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
- See also: Ballotpedia's candidate surveys
John Black participated in Ballotpedia's candidate survey on April 3, 2018. The survey questions appear in bold, and John Black's responses follow below.[1]
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
| “ | 1) School safety 2) Early childhood education |
” |
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?
| “ | Fairness and equality. Cost efficiency. Oversight of district operations.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many[3]
|
” |
Ballotpedia also asked the candidate a series of optional questions. John Black answered the following:
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
| “ | An elected official must have the integrity to do the right thing in the best interest of all involved.[3] | ” |
| “ | I have thirty years experience as a CFBISD teacher and substitute (37 years overall). I spent the majority of years as a band director, but also taught math two years before retirement. My children attended and graduated from CFBISD schools. I am a homeowner, taxpayer, and understand the issues related to increased property values and property taxes. Most of all, I listen to all sides of an issue and seek to understand each. I am calm, even-tempered, and do not rush to judgement. I come to this office with a strong understanding of the demands of teaching and a desire to work for continued improvement and innovation.[3] | ” |
| “ | The board must provide effective oversight of district operations insuring fairness, cost efficiency, striving to eliminate waste, promoting and building upon the quality of the district while pursuing high achievement for each student.[3] | ” |
| “ | See above.[3] | ” |
| “ | I will support the needs of students, parents, staff, and community by doing whatever meets the best interests of all involved with the funds available. This is a tricky balancing act, but with effective leadership comes the ability to compromise as needed.[3] | ” |
| “ | I believe many of us desire to find ways to increase parental and community involvement. I have seen many parents working longer hours to support their families and this has had a negative impact on parental involvement. I believe developing innovative ways to attract additional outside involvement should be a higher priority.[3] | ” |
| “ | A more diverse staff in a minority-majority district will improve operations and student achievement. I will look to see how job openings can be promoted to a more diverse population.[3] | ” |
| “ | Unfortunately, many of the issues having a negative impact on education are beyond the control of the district. The STAAR test is an unbridled, expensive beast created by the state, but one which cannot be ignored. The state legislature has thrown other unfunded obstacles at public education while cutting the state's share of funding. I will strive to do as much as possible with the funding available while being vocal to state leadership to resume their level of funding.[3] | ” |
| “ | If I could answer this in a few words, I would be a millionaire. But I will say good teaching consists (generally) of some common characteristics. Effective teachers often develop relationships with students which foster student achievement. Effective teachers openly and frequently communicate with parents to build support of staff and children. Effective teachers understand teaching constantly evolves and are willing to try a variety of ways to reach students that feel defeated from past experiences.[3] | ” |
| “ | Skill sets for the 21st Century were recently reflected in a study completed by Google their employees from 1998-2013. Quoting from their results: ""The seven top characteristics of success at Google are all soft skills: being a good coach; communicating and listening well; possessing insights into others (including others different values and points of view); having empathy toward and being supportive of one’s colleagues; being a good critical thinker and problem solver; and being able to make connections across complex ideas."" These are the qualities our staff should work to develop in their buildings from the children and adults.[3] | ” |
| “ | Public education should provide students with the opportunity to graduate with a career path in mind, be it continuing to college, a technical pathway, or some other vision leading the student to become a productive member of society while enjoying their profession. We should examine ways to provide opportunities to meet student needs with the future in mind while maintaining a balance of exposure to arts and activity/athletics.[3] | ” |
| “ | The years of decreased funding from the state have stifled public education. Until the legislature realizes the negative impact it has had on the future workforce of Texas, it will be important to examine ways to establish volunteer opportunities to promote student achievement.[3] | ” |
| “ | The design of district facilities will need to be improved. This has been a goal, but the beginning of 2018 has heightened the need for urgency. Future building designs should reflect sound security elements. Volunteer programs may be developed to monitor facilities (and create more positive, community interaction with students and staff). Staff members should NOT be armed.[3] | ” |
| “ | Programs exist to address the mental health needs and these should be continually assessed for improvements. Staff members are aware of students that need interventions. How to improve programs and procedures to improve and support the mental health of all is a high priority. What's one thing we can do differently to reach more? That's the question we should ask at every opportunity.[3] | ” |
| “ | Technology in a classroom is a great teaching tool. Students use a variety of devices in support of their learning and this often creates increased interest and participation. Students (and staff) may well need to learn how to manage their use of technology so that there are sufficient opportunities to work in groups, develop working relationships, and to effectively manage the amount of time spent working on devices. Education continually evolves. The district will evolve too in order to be as effective as possible.[3] | ” |
See also
- Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District, Texas
- Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District elections (2018)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "John Black's responses," April 3, 2018
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District elections in 2018 | |
| Dallas and Denton Counties Texas | |
| Election date: | May 5, 2018 |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
