Jon Hanna

Jon Hanna

Jon Hanna was a candidate for Place 6 representative on the Lewisville Independent School District school board in Texas. Hanna was defeated in the by-district general election on May 6, 2017.

Elections

2017

See also: Lewisville Independent School District elections (2017)

Two of the seven seats on the Lewisville Independent School District board of trustees in Texas were up for general election on May 6, 2017. In her bid for re-election to Place 6, incumbent Kristi Hassett defeated challengers Jon Hanna, Eric Parker, and Peter Rabner. Place 7 incumbent Tracy Scott Miller defeated challengers Shari Chambers and Sandra Weinstein. A third challenger, Colleen Shaw, originally filed in the Place 7 race, but she formally withdrew her candidacy on April 19, 2017, citing personal reasons. While she no longer campaigned for the position, Shaw's name still appeared on the ballot.

Results

Lewisville Independent School District, Place 6 General Election, 3-year term, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Kristi Hassett Incumbent	67.69%	8,027
Eric Parker	13.53%	1,604
Peter Rabner	10.36%	1,229
Jon Hanna	8.42%	999
Total Votes		11,859
Source: Denton County Elections, "Cumulative Report–Official: Denton County–2017 May General and Special Elections," accessed June 6, 2017

Funding

See also: Campaign finance in the Lewisville Independent School District elections

Hanna reported no contributions or expenditures to the Lewisville Independent School District as of May 3, 2017.

Campaign themes

2017

Hanna participated in the following survey conducted by The Dallas Morning News. The questions provided by The Dallas Morning News appear bolded, and Hanna's responses follow below.

Why are you running for this office, and why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?

“	1. I believe teachers should be paid better over the course of their careers. The starting pay is good, however, after 15 years the pay scale only goes up by 10%, which is a pathetic statement about how we value our experienced educators. It ignores the experience gained and greater effectiveness of the individual. Compare that to the Superintendent's salary, which according to an article I saw in the Texas Tribune has gone up approximately 117% since 2011. 2. I also believe teachers deserve much better health care. The current plan costs too much, has poor coverage and high deductibles. 3. Teachers need to be relieved of as much of the administrative burden they face as possible. That means reducing paperwork and freeing them up to plan and execute those plans without having to spend countless hours nights and weekends. It also means not having to teach how to take the standardized test so a student isn't tricked into providing a wrong answer. 4. Standardized testing should be eliminated in favor of course finals. If the purpose, as I've read, is to insure students are ready for college, districts need to make sure what's taught day to day is adequate. 5. Every graduate needs to have training in how to be successful in a job interview. They should also have training on how to write a resume and have a completed one before graduation. There is much to be said for proper knowledge and certifications, but as everyone who's been hired for a job they never took classes for knows, employers are willing to train. The young person has to make it past the interview to get the job. 5. I am against vouchers or any program that takes money away from public schools. 6. I'm against the current school rating system, which appears to take much of its data from the standardized tests.	”
—Jon Hanna (2017)

If elected, what two issues would you give the most attention and resources?

“	1. Teacher pay/health care. 2. Preparing graduates for job interviews and developing a resume.	”
—Jon Hanna (2017)

For non-incumbent trustees: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned about how a board member can be effective?

“	Yes. I haven't learned much so far, as the only person who spoke was the Board President.	”
—Jon Hanna (2017)

As you look around the country, what innovative ideas would you recommend for improving classroom performance?

“	I’m new to this and am not familiar with what is happening around the country. I will say that there are basic principles we must follow to keep classroom performance at a high level: 1. Attract and retain high quality teachers 2. Eliminate unnecessary burdens on teachers and let them do their jobs, e.g. the tremendous efforts that go into teaching kids how to take the standardized tests. 3. Keep class size down 4. Keep parents involved 5. Make sure adequate resources are available to help teachers teach and students learn. That doesn’t necessarily mean more technology.	”
—Jon Hanna (2017)

Given the current funding structure, how does your district meet the academic needs of its low-income students? Are you willing to ask voters to approve a tax increase to create or expand these programs?

“	To the first question, I’m not yet familiar enough with the system to answer knowledgeably. On the second question, I generally oppose a tax increase until I feel sure current funding is apportioned effectively.	”
—Jon Hanna (2017)

Many districts are exploring creative ways to save money or shift costs to parents and students. What creative measures would you favor or oppose and why?

“	I definitely support creative ways to save money that don’t include shifting costs to any other parties until I understand how effectively currents funds are being utilized. Specific actions will have to wait until then.	”
—Jon Hanna (2017)

The state has adopted an A through F accountability system for district and campuses. Do you favor or oppose this system and why?

“	I'm against the current system. Much of the data comes from the standardized tests, which I regard as a waste of time and money.	”
—Jon Hanna (2017)

How would you assess the district’s efforts to improve graduation rates and increase the number of students prepared for college? What further improvements would you advocate?

“	I have no opinion on the first question, however, I'd like to see much more attention paid to students being prepared to enter the workforce in general. Aside from those who choose to enter the workforce right after high school, many college-bound students will still need to work to support themselves while in college and should benefit from this type of training/instruction.	”
—Jon Hanna (2017)

What schools in your district have been particularly effective in getting every child up to grade level in reading and math?

“	I have no opinion at this time.	”
—Jon Hanna (2017)

How would you assess your district’s current school choice efforts, and what changes are needed?

“	If this is in reference to vouchers, or like proposals and programs, Lewisville ISD officially opposes vouchers and I am in agreement. I'm aware that LISD is working on implementing Academies and am in favor of this program.	”
—Jon Hanna (2017)

How would you assess your superintendent’s performance?

“	I have no opinion at this time.	”
—Jon Hanna (2017)

Where do you stand on the importance of early-childhood education? Would you support increasing class-size ratios at other grade levels in order to introduce or expand pre-K?

“	I support early childhood education, but not at the expense of reducing the effectiveness of teachers and of students learning by increasing class size. I will look into other ways to see this goal is accomplished.	”
—Jon Hanna (2017)

What resources are lacking in schools in your district? How could the district deliver services in the most cost-effective manner?

“	I’m not aware LISD has any significant problem with resources. As for delivering services in a cost effective manner, that’s exactly what I want to find out once I’m able to fully analyze the budget.	”
—Jon Hanna (2017)

In what ways can your district’s communications with parents be improved? Likewise, how can parental involvement in your district improve?

“	As in the business world, marketing is a key effort in making sure your customers know what’s going on with your products. We need to have similar efforts, consolidated at the administrative level to make sure parents know what’s going on. That means more than just posting on websites- it means active promoting of everything going on in the district. If there is nothing like this happening now, I would look into devoting resources to forming an office or department to provide this service.	”
—Jon Hanna (2017)

See also

• Lewisville Independent School District, Texas
• Lewisville Independent School District elections (2017)

External links

Suggest a link

• Lewisville Independent School District
• LinkedIn profile