Kristin Kuhne

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Kristin Kuhne

Prior offices

Richardson Independent School District school board District 3

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Contact

Personal website

Kristin Kuhne was a member of the Richardson Independent School District school board in Texas, representing District 3. Kuhne assumed office in 2014. Kuhne left office in 2020.

Kuhne ran for re-election to the Richardson Independent School District school board to represent Place 7 in Texas. Kuhne won in the general election on May 6, 2017.

Kuhne previously served as the Place 7 member of the Richardson Independent School District school board from 2014 to 2019. In 2019, the school board voted to change board member composition from seven at-large seats to five by-district seats and two at-large seats, causing Kuhne to become the Place 3 representative.

Elections

2017

See also: Richardson Independent School District elections (2017)

Three of the seven seats on the Richardson Independent School District board of trustees in Texas were up for general election on May 6, 2017. The Place 6 and 7 seats were up for election to regular three-year terms, but the Place 3 seat was up for election to a two-year term due to the announced resignation of incumbent Kris Oliver. The race for the open Place 3 seat included candidates Joseph Armstrong, Karen Clardy, Eric Eager, and Ben Prado. Clardy won election to the seat. In his bid for re-election to Place 6, incumbent Justin Bono ran unopposed and won another term. Place 7 incumbent Kristin Kuhne defeated challenger Lynn Davenport.

Results

Richardson Independent School District, Place 7 General Election, 3-year term, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Kristin Kuhne Incumbent	54.42%	6,100
Lynn Davenport	45.58%	5,109
Total Votes		11,209
Source: Dallas County Elections, "2017 Joint Election," accessed September 20, 2017

Funding

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

Kuhne reported $14,445.00 in contributions and $17,061.86 in expenditures to the Richardson Independent School District, which left her campaign with a deficit of $2,616.86 as of April 27, 2017.

Endorsements

Kuhne was endorsed by Richardson City Council members Steve Mitchell, Mark Solomon, and Bob Townsend. She was also endorsed by a number of former officials and community members. Click here for a list of her supporters.

2014

See also: Richardson Independent School District elections (2014)

Kristin Kuhne defeated fellow challengers Bonnie Abadie and Judy Yarbrough in the election on May 10, 2014, for the Place 7 seat.

Results

Richardson Independent School District, Place 7, 3-year term, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Kristin Kuhne	69.2%	4,335
	Nonpartisan	Judy Yarbrough	23.3%	1,459
	Nonpartisan	Bonnie Abadie	7.5%	473
Total Votes				6,267
Source: Dallas County Elections, "Unofficial Cumulative Results," accessed June 24, 2015 Ballotpedia confirmed these results are official by phone.

Funding

Kuhne did not file a campaign finance report with the Texas Ethics Commission.

Endorsements

Kuhne received endorsements from Richardson Mayor Laura Maczka, City Councilmen Steve Mitchell and former board members Bettye Stripling, Ron Hughes and Anne Foster.

Campaign themes

2017

Candidate website

Kuhne highlighted the following issues on her campaign website:

“	All parents want their children to succeed. Our schools play a critical role in this success, from kindergarten through high school. RISD is a strong school district – one of the best in Texas – but there are still ways we can improve RISD schools and ensure our children receive an excellent education, one that enables them to achieve their highest potential. Four areas that are key to this work are: Engaged learning for all students. Engaged students are successful students. We need to make sure all students are challenged to achieve at their highest level. Enrich learning through the use of research-based instructional strategies designed to engage students in their own learning. Design rigorous and relevant career and technical education programs that create multiple pathways for student success. Recruit, hire and retain highly qualified teachers and principals. A key element to student success is effective, high-quality teaching. Develop strategies that ensure our teachers have the support they need to excel in their classrooms and are excited to stay in RISD. Support principals’ work leading instruction and creating a culture of learning on their campuses. Fully implement career pathways that deepen teacher practice and honor their experience. Sustaining RISD’s legacy of fiscal responsibility and operational excellence. School funding is a complex issue, one that RISD has managed remarkably for many years. Given the changing landscape, financial and operational excellence is an essential element of providing our children with the best educational experience. Make the best use of taxpayer dollars, fully supporting curriculum and instruction. Maintain our excellent bond rating to preserve low interest rates. Continue to ensure our school environments are safe and secure. Create and implement long range facility plans that meet the needs of growing student enrollment. Strengthening collaboration with partners in our community. From parents to students to community partners, collaboration is critical as we look for ways to improve student success. Enhance engagement of parents as partners in their children’s learning experience. Seek out student voices to inform policy and practice. Accelerate our progress toward educational goals through dynamic collaboration with business leaders, non-profits and other public officials.	”
—Kristin Kuhne (2017)

The Dallas Morning News survey

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

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

“	Richardson ISD is a remarkable district. Measure after measure shows our students are learning and growing in our schools, even those students considered at-risk. All students get a chance in our schools. Parents know that. It’s why they choose to live in our neighborhoods. But these achievements don’t come easily. They require unrelenting work by professionals who understand what works in schools as well as they understand the students we educate. I graduated from Richardson High School and so did my husband, Brad. We chose to raise our family here because of the great public schools. Both my education (doctorate from UTD in Public Policy and Political Economy) and professional career (Director of Insights and Analytics at Educate Texas) give me extensive knowledge, first-hand experience and a thorough understanding of education that uniquely qualifies me to lead RISD. I believe in the power of public education to transform lives. Many of the students I work with are the first in their family to graduate from high school and go to college. I hear their stories about how education gave them – and their families – hope and opportunity for more productive lives. Their stories are what motivates me. But even with RISD’s strong reputation and enviable achievement statistics, we do not excel in all categories for all children. This is where my personal passion for reaching all students and my professional expertise can push the district to even higher levels. I chose to earn my PhD in education policy because I wanted to learn how to improve public schools. As a researcher, I’ve studied education policy and practice for more than 10 years, working in areas ranging from early childhood education to college and career readiness. I have the opportunity to work with school districts all over Texas, which offers me unique insights into the practices, policies and resources needed to drive improvements in RISD. I am proud of the contributions I have made during my first term on the board. I spearheaded a strategic goal for all RISD graduates to earn college credit or professional certificate. This led to the expansion of dual credit courses at all four high schools and the adoption of a strategic plan for Career and Technical Education. As a member of the board’s search committee, I led efforts to recruit, retain and hire Dr. Jeannie Stone as our superintendent. Dr. Stone is an exceptional leader who will continue to build upon our legacy of excellence and accelerate the growth of the district. RISD is a strong school district – one of the best in Texas – but there is still more to do; that’s why I’m running. I want to make sure that every student is reading at grade level by third grade. To make this goal a reality, I support the expansion of prekindergarten programs to reach all eligible students and start them off right. My research on the positive effects of prekindergarten in Texas was selected for publication by a leading economic research organization. Bringing up my two sons, now aged 17 and 20, in RISD has given me first-hand knowledge of our district; kindergarten through high school. I’ve been a football mom, a band mom and a PTA president, actively involved in the fabric of RISD as a volunteer leader serving on numerous district committees, booster clubs and civic positions. My professional experience, community leadership and deep RISD roots uniquely qualify me to serve on the school board. I stand ready to use my experience and expertise to make our schools and our district the best they can be. Our children’s future depends on it today.	”
—Kristin Kuhne (2017)

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

“	Student Population Growth: Young families are moving to Richardson and choosing RISD to educate their children. Enrollment is projected to exceed 40,000 students by 2020, a jump of 5% since 2015. As a board member, I strongly advocated for creating a new Long Range Facilities Planning Committee, made up of community members, to craft solutions that best meet the needs of our growing student population into the future. I worked diligently on the board to address capacity needs by supporting new classrooms at 10% of our campuses over the last 3 years. The revitalization of many RISD neighborhoods is a positive reflection of the strength of our schools, yet it presents “growing pains” for the district that I will continue to address in the future. Growing Student Opportunities: 60% of all jobs created in the next decade will require either college or advanced training. I spearheaded a strategic goal for all RISD graduates to earn college credit or a professional certificate. This led to the expansion of dual credit courses at all four high schools and the adoption of a strategic plan for Career and Technical Education. In my next term, I want to make sure all students are reading on grade level by third grade. To make this goal a reality, I support the expansion of prekindergarten programs to reach all eligible students and start them off right. RISD is a strong school district – one of the best in Texas – but there is still work to be done to provide hope and opportunity for all children.	”
—Kristin Kuhne (2017)

For incumbent trustees: What have you learned from your board service that you believe makes you more effective?

“	I have learned how to leverage my expertise and experience to drive change and add value as a board member. Over the last three years, I have visited dozens of campuses and attended hundreds of events, games and community meetings where I listened to constituents’ ideas about how to improve our schools. I am effective as a trustee because I am dedicated to researching and understanding all sides of an issue, asking critical questions and soliciting community input before acting. As a researcher, I bring data savvy that informs RISD’s continuous improvement. As an elected servant, I represent the will of the community, not a personal agenda. As an at-large representative, I must consider the interests of all students in the district, while taking into account the needs, concerns, and challenges of each area. My professional experiences give me insights into the solutions that will move students forward at each school. As a board member, I intentionally strive to be a positive role model for students and the community, contributing as a member of the team to enact a shared vision that promotes student achievement. While I do not always agree with my colleagues, I collaborate to build consensus that provides clear direction to the superintendent and her staff. I am proud of the contributions I have made as a trustee in the last three years to spearhead college and career readiness initiatives, hire a visionary superintendent and accelerate campus performance in RISD. Looking ahead, I remain focused on creating systemic improvements that ensure our schools are the best they can be. My board service has given me a deep appreciation of the crucial role an effective board member who is focused on positive change plays in meeting the challenges facing public education today.	”
—Kristin Kuhne (2017)

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

“	Since having an effective teacher in every classroom is the most important way to improve classroom performance, the district must focus on promising new strategies to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers. This is especially important given that RISD has experienced higher than average teacher turnover in recent years. Based on feedback from teachers on RISD’s Retention Task Force, the board approved resources to create career pathways that provide financial recognition for the work of master teachers and mentor teachers in our schools. Looking ahead, we must continue to explore new ways to provide meaningful professional development, keep our salaries competitive and consider new approaches to providing employee childcare. Other ideas include innovative teacher training programs like UTeach that have been successful at recruiting college students majoring in STEM fields to the teaching profession. Finally, while technology is no substitute for having an effective teacher in a classroom, it holds great promise to improve classroom performance by customizing instruction in ways we never imagined before. RISD must continue to embrace innovation in order to keep pace with the changing demands of the education environment. In my job at Educate Texas, I work at the cutting edge of education innovation, partnering with districts statewide that are pushing the boundaries to improve student success. I have learned in my professional life that it takes fresh perspectives, hard work and original ideas to meet the challenges of education today and I bring that knowledge back to RISD to ensure our schools are the best they can be.	”
—Kristin Kuhne (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?

“	RISD is recognized across the state for our ability to educate our low-income students. Fifty six percent of our students are low-income and 26 percent do not speak English as a first language. RISD uses a variety of programs ranging from early literacy programs to AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) to provide support to low-income and at-risk students. Under the current accountability system, RISD exceeded the goal for “Closing Performance Gaps”. Those same results show that while RISD is making good progress, low income students have not yet reached parity and there is still work to be done that may require additional resources. RISD has a long history of sound fiscal management and effective use of taxpayer dollars; however, under our current system of school finance, increases in local property tax revenue result in decreases in state revenue to the district. In fact, the revenue RISD receives from the state has declined by nearly 10% since 2008. Given the impact on our budgeting process, I am carefully monitoring the school finance bills that have been introduced in the current legislative session and I am encouraged by bi-partisan efforts to address what has been called a “byzantine” school funding system. While the landscape is still shifting, there are early indications that funding per student may be increased next year. Keeping money collected for public schools in public schools allows the district to better serve all students, including low-income students. I remain committed to providing a world class education for all students, one that enables them to reach their highest potential. The future our community depends on our success.	”
—Kristin Kuhne (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?

“	As a trustee, I take the responsibility of financial stewardship seriously and I will always consider creative ways to save money. Strategic partnerships with businesses like the RISD/Methodist Richardson Hospital Health Science campus is an excellent example of a “win-win” relationship that reduced district facilities costs while benefitting students. In my work with districts across the state, I’ve learned about innovative partnerships with businesses to offer teacher externships that not only frees up professional development funds, but provides the teacher with relevant industry experiences to bring back to the classroom. I am open to new ideas about how to use taxpayer dollars more efficiently, but given that more than half of our students currently live in poverty, I am not in favor of shifting costs to students and parents. As a band mom, I certainly understand how expensive it can be to participate in extracurricular activities. “Pay to play” policies, which shift costs to students, would make participation prohibitively expensive for some of our families and are inconsistent with the board’s goal that all students are connected to their school community through clubs, extracurricular activities, etc. These types of activities complement academic learning by increasing a student’s sense of belonging and engagement. I want all students to have a well-rounded educational experience and I am currently researching a policy that would cap student assessments for all extracurricular activities in order to eliminate any hurdles to participation	”
—Kristin Kuhne (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 am in favor of transparency and accountability because parents and taxpayers deserve to know how their schools are performing. The current A-F accountability system is considered a ‘work in progress’. It’s important to me that the final accountability system provides information that can help schools improve. I supported the board’s position to work with the TEA to ensure the system delivers relevant, sound feedback to schools, parents and the community. Feedback provided earlier this year by RISD to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and Commissioner Morath has already contributed to modifications to the A-F system and a bill with revised criteria is now being discussed. While these modification are welcome, more work is needed to create a system that doesn’t penalized schools serving a higher population of at risk students. The current system attempts to incorporate components beyond standardized test scores, but ratings are still highly correlated with student poverty and don’t go far enough to weight continuous improvement demonstrated by student growth. Professionally, I’ve seen how data used appropriately can shine a light on areas of need so that they can be addressed. I will continue to work proactively with the TEA to identify and refine the metrics in the A-F accountability system.	”
—Kristin Kuhne (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?

“	RISD’s graduation rate and the percent of graduates considered college or career ready is 94%. Over 70% of RISD students enroll in college immediately after graduation and this number is rising. These results are a positive reflection of recent district initiatives I have supported or led to improve college and career readiness. Recent studies have shown that 60% of all the new jobs created in the next decade will require more than a high school diploma. I spearheaded a strategic goal for all students to graduate with college credit or a professional certificate. This goal led to the expansion of dual credit offerings at all four high schools and the adoption of strategic plan for Career and Technical Education. Implementation of this plan has resulted in unique partnership with Methodist Richardson Medical Center to offer a new health science program that will serve 600 students next fall. In addition, the board has allocated resources for every junior to take the ACT free of charge and every sophomore to take the TSI, an assessment needed to enroll in community college. I supported capital investments in Bond 2016 to expand ROTC programs to all four high schools. Having access to these opportunities opens the door of possibilities for our students. Expansion of the non-traditional high school, Memorial Park Academy, has given hope to nearly 200 students who were previously at risk of dropping out. In fall 2017, we will open a new facility to house this program which will allow us to serve even more students who need a flexible path to high school graduation. Looking ahead, the board has appointed a committee of community members and staff to provide input on our GPA policies, making sure our policies are aligned with our strategic priorities for graduation and beyond. As your trustee, I won’t lose sight of why these initiatives truly matter; it’s our responsibility to help students reach their highest potential and become contributing members of our community.	”
—Kristin Kuhne (2017)

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

“	Performing at grade level in reading and math is an essential indicator of a student’s success. Based on the latest state accountability ratings, 77% of all RISD campuses earned at least one distinction for outstanding academic achievement in reading, math or student growth and 11% of RISD campuses earned distinctions in all possible areas. RISD was recently recognized as one of six districts in Dallas County with student growth that outpaced the state. Three of our low performing campuses demonstrated such significant progress last year that their student achievement is now on par with state standards. While there are many schools making significant gains, analysis shows that Jess Harben Elementary is out pacing their peer campuses across Dallas county. These achievements reflect positively on goals adopted by the board for each campus that are focused on 100% proficiency for all students. These schools deserve recognition for their performance, but we should not limit measures of student progress solely to achievement on annual standardized tests. Instead, RISD expects all students, whether they are at, above or below grade level, to achieve at least one year’s growth in their learning. The board allocated resources for a new data platform deployed just this year that enables teachers and campus leaders to use data intentionally and efficiently to support student growth throughout the year. Schools and teachers that utilize data to set individual growth goals are particularly effective at accelerating student learning to grade level and beyond. I have high expectations as a trustee and I believe we should strive to exceed yearly growth expectations for every student. My vision is to provide every student with an education that’s as individual as they are and allows them to reach their highest potential.	”
—Kristin Kuhne (2017)

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

“	It is important to provide students and parents with school choices and our seven magnet schools at the elementary, junior and high school level deliver unique options for students with interests in areas like fine arts, law, leadership and STEM. These magnets nurture student interests in each of these areas with specialized programs, curriculum and extra-curricular activities that enrich student learning experiences in ways that are meaningful and in some cases life changing. Beyond our magnet programs, the expansion of our career and technology education programs, for example in health science and teaching, also provide students great choices for exploring potential career interests while in high school. While these programs complement our neighborhood schools, I am in favor of expanding these types of opportunities to even more students. In the last year, the board directed Dr. Stone and her team to explore additional magnet options based on a recommendation from community members on the Lake Highlands Reflector committee. I envision each neighborhood school could build upon their own unique identify with enriched learning experiences based on community input. In the future, expanded choices will give students freedom to select an education pathway that fits their unique interests.	”
—Kristin Kuhne (2017)

How would you assess your superintendent’s performance?

“	While she has only officially been on the job since January, Dr. Jeannie Stone’s direction as a deputy and interim superintendent have shown her to be leader who will move RISD forward to future success. As a member of the board’s search committee, I led the efforts to recruit, retain and hire Dr. Stone as our next superintendent. Her skills and experience matched all the characteristics we desired for our next superintendent; an inclusive, student oriented leader, an effective listener and communicator who builds collaborative relationships, and a systems expert with the ability to rally others around common goals through high expectations. She began implementing her plans for the district even as our interim superintendent by focusing the organization on “One Vision for RISD: Where all students learn, grow and succeed.” So far, she has established high expectations for student growth and instruction while building systems to support teachers with effective professional development. My work experience with district-wide reform uniquely qualify me to work with Dr. Stone to build on these early successes by aligning policies and resources with systemic strategies and monitoring progress toward our district’s vision for student success.	”
—Kristin Kuhne (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?

“	My own research and many other studies have established the lasting positive effects of high quality pre-kindergarten for at-risk students. Students who attend high quality pre-k programs are more likely to be ready for kindergarten and read on grade level by third grade, reducing achievement gaps and the resources needed later for remediation. Nobel laureate, Dr. James Heckman has estimated that the return on investment for high quality pre-k is approximately 10% based on long term effects on development of social skills, graduation rates and even health outcomes. Given the benefits of early investments, I support expanding access to quality pre-k programs to all eligible children to start them off right. While RISD has made recent gains in this area, increasing enrollment in pre-k programs by 7% in the last year, we are still only reaching 60% of eligible children. Moving forward, I would support exploring partnerships with early childhood centers to serve more pre-k students rather than increasing class-size ratios. I will continue to advocate for sustainable funding for full-day pre-k programs that are easier for working families to use. The time to act on the evidence is now. Our youngest children can’t afford to wait.	”
—Kristin Kuhne (2017)

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

“	School board members face difficult choices about how to allocate the district’s limited resources to meet the needs of all students. The board requested audits of RISD services for special education and dyslexic students that identified a number of areas for improvement where additional resources should be deployed to support teachers, students and families. I am happy to report that in the last three years the board has responded to those areas by working with staff to provide resources needed to increase staffing for these services (an increase of 4%) and offer additional professional development for our teachers, among other recommendations, that has resulted in double digit gains in student performance in all content areas. As our identified student population continues to increase, I remain focused on meeting the needs of all students and the campuses that serve them through appropriate staffing and supports. The foundation of a quality education is mastery of reading, writing and mathematical reasoning. Building upon this foundation, the use of technology holds real promise to maximize student engagement while realizing cost efficiencies like we have seen elsewhere in the work place. Who could have imagined Uber or paying bills with your phone just a few decades ago? I’ve visited classrooms where teachers are using Chromebooks to create amazing learning experiences for students that go above and beyond “sit and get” instruction. Today’s students are “digital natives” and research shows they often learn best through the use of technology. Because I believe continued use of digital tools will accelerate differentiated instruction for all students, I supported significant capital investments as part of Bond 2016 to expand instructional technology for teachers and students. Many teachers already have new laptops and RISD plans to roll out a device to every high school student next fall. Computer literacy is not optional for our students to succeed in today’s workplace. The use of digital tools can be a cost-effective way to facilitate enhanced learning experiences now and in the future.	”
—Kristin Kuhne (2017)

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

“	I believe we must make every effort to reach parents on their own terms because studies have shown that strong parental involvement is vital to the success of the child and the school. RISD is fortunate to have highly engaged parent groups that support our schools. Last year, parents like me, gave over 200,000 hours of volunteer service to our schools. Already this year, local PTA’s and other groups have donated almost $500,000 in gifts to support our schools. Parents are busier than ever, balancing long hours at work, with family and other commitments. In addition to face-to-face communication, RISD utilizes a suite of tools to communicate with parents: ConnectEd, a mass calling system that delivers phone and text messages; FOCUS, the online student grade book, School Times Now, a district e-newsletter; district and school websites and social media. A key improvement RISD could implement is to systematically ask parents about their preferred communication method and language and then use that information to customize delivery. For many parents, email is ideal, but those without Internet access may prefer written communication, text messaging or phone calls. As a district we must strive to keep parents engaged with their children’s academic life through improved communication so they can better support their learning. Looking ahead, the district must continue to be sensitive the diverse cultural and language differences of families by using community liaisons to welcome parents and increase parental involvement by partnering with the PTA to expand membership. With parents as school advocates and partners in their children’s education, we will realize our hopes and dreams for our children’s future.	”
—Kristin Kuhne (2017)

See also

• Richardson Independent School District, Texas
• Richardson Independent School District elections (2014)
• Richardson Independent School District elections (2017)

External links

Suggest a link

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