Lohit Datta-Barua
Lohit Datta-Barua was a candidate for Position 5 representative on the Humble Independent School District school board in Texas. Datta-Barua was defeated in the by-district general election on May 6, 2017.
This candidate participated in Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey. Click here to read his responses.
Elections
2017
Four of the seven seats on the Humble Independent School District school board were up for by-district general election on May 6, 2017. A total of 15 candidates filed for the seats. Position 1 incumbent Robert Sitton filed for re-election and defeated challengers Rolando Cruz and Robert Rehak. In Position 3, incumbent Angela Conrad was victorious over Christopher Herron. Deborah Yocham also filed to run for the seat, but her name did not appear on the ballot. Position 4 saw incumbent Charles Cunningham defeat newcomer Abigail Whitmire. Position 5 saw the most competition after the seat's incumbent did not file for re-election. Seven candidates filed for the open spot on the board; Martina Dixon emerged victorious over Lohit Datta-Barua, Shawn Biazar, Jonathan Prevot, Robert Panzarella, Edgar Clayton, and Clifford Crossett.[1]
Results
| Humble Independent School District, Position 5 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Martina Dixon |
47.18% | 2,368 |
| Lohit Datta-Barua | 23.63% | 1,186 |
| Robert Panzarella | 12.67% | 636 |
| Clifford Crossett | 7.43% | 373 |
| Shawn Biazar | 4.78% | 240 |
| Edgar Clayton | 2.19% | 110 |
| Jonathan Prevot | 2.11% | 106 |
| Total Votes | 5,019 | |
| Source: Harris County Clerk, "Cumulative Report-Official," accessed May 31, 2017 | ||
Funding
No school board candidate in this race had filed a campaign finance report with the Harris County Department of Education as of April 17, 2017.[2]
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Lohit Datta-Barua participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates.[3] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on April 20, 2017:
| “ | No response[4][5] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Texas. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | My goal is excellence in education through unconventional and customized learning based aptitude and needs. This also requires attrcting and retaining the best teachers with motivation to inspire students. We must deliver best value for education for every dollar spent, so managing and balancing budget with primary focus on education is essential. For well rounded education, we need to expand art education. I am not in favor of spending public funds on for-profit private education. Public education is the backbone of the society. Siphoning public fund to subsidize private education will start a downward spiral in public education destroying society's baclbone abd creating a further divide - rich and poor, educated and uneducated and so on.[5] | ” |
| —Lohit Datta-Barua (April 20, 2017) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer eight questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| No. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. It is just one element of performance metrics. Standardized test is a snapshot in time. Also just reading, writing, arithmetic is not total education to be a responsible, hardworking, compassinate citizen with respect and integrity. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes. Merit much be recognized through an incentive program. If everyone gets the same kind of pay, there is no incentive for people to give their best (except for those whose personal values compel them to do that). Obviously, everyone should get an annual cost of living adjustment. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Unacceptable and/or illegal behavior after giving adequate warning, mentoring and 2nd chances. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers |
Candidate statement
The Tribune published the following statement from Datta-Barua:
| “ | At the end, we must prepare the children for change no matter where they school or live and what the environment may be. Change is inevitable whether we like it or not. Education must prepare for post-industrial or information age. Whether we like it or not, it’s just matter of time when drivers’ jobs will disappear with self-driving cars, buses, trucks and trains.
We must ensure that our children are not mislead into thinking that they could make a living doing what their predecessors did for generations. Our businesses have evolved from barter to cash to credit, from isolated to connected business through agriculture, industrial, technological, and information ages. Competition has changed from local to regional to global. So, our children must have relevant education to fit the time and prepare themselves for the toughest global competition. Competition is the best thing one can have. If one wants to improve his/her game, he/she must play with someone better than him/her. The competition in the global environment is in the intellectual field and not necessarily on the football field. In such a changing environment, un-conventional and customized education/learning is required. Conventional learning may give a little head start, but it can rob creativity and eroding competitive edge. All students must be encouraged to think outside-the-box, ask questions, and give ideas. A learning environment must be created that is based on student’s needs and aptitude. Vocational training, education for students with special needs must be seriously considered, provided. A diploma or a degree is not necessarily true and holistic education. A degree/diploma may be a tool to make a living, but may not necessarily make a decent, responsible citizen. Schools must provide not only an employment oriented education, but must provide a safe, respectful learning environment where hate, bullying, discrimination has no place. The need of the day is unconventional learning; learning that is appropriate for changes that can be envisioned, that is employment oriented that would reduce economic divide, learning that encourages questions and ideas. Peer pressure, if any, should be for academic excellence, not for Air-Jordan shoes or drugs. Our schools must provide the same, but customized learning environment, same opportunity and access to each student. We as community members, parents and tax payers must demand that.[5] |
” |
| —Lohit Datta-Barua (2017)[6] | ||
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Tribune, "Fifteen candidates file for Humble ISD Board," February 18, 2017
- ↑ Elisabeth Moore, "Email exchange with Winford Adams, Public Information & Policy Manager for the Harris County Department of Education," April 17, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Lohit Datta-Barua's responses," April 20, 2017
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The Tribune, "Lohit Datta-Barua," February 21, 2017
