Natasha Butler
Natasha Butler was a member of the Alief Independent School District in Texas, representing Position 7. She assumed office on November 20, 2017. She left office on November 16, 2021.
Butler ran for re-election to the Alief Independent School District to represent Position 7 in Texas. She did not appear on the ballot for the general election on November 2, 2021.
Biography
Butler has been associated with the Shared Decision Committee, STEM Advisory Council, Family Engagement Council, Bond Steering Committee, and Alief YMCA Board.[1]
Elections
2021
See also: Alief Independent School District, Texas, elections (2021)
General election
General election for Alief Independent School District, Position 7
Gregg Patrick defeated Damon Barone in the general election for Alief Independent School District, Position 7 on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Gregg Patrick (Nonpartisan) | 56.7 | 2,936 | |
 | Damon Barone (Nonpartisan)  | 43.3 | 2,238 | |
| Total votes: 5,174 | |||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Natasha Butler (Nonpartisan)
2017
Four of seven seats on the Alief Independent School District board of trustees in Texas were up for at-large general election on November 7, 2017. No incumbents filed for re-election, leaving four open seats and guaranteeing newcomers would make up a majority of the board.
In Position 4, newcomer Darlene Breaux defeated newcomer Jesus Zamora. Newcomer John Nguyen defeated newcomer Donald Murphy Guillory in the race for the Position 5 seat. The Position 6 seat drew newcomers Anton Dowls and Jennifer Key, with Key defeating Dowls. In Position 7, Natasha Butler defeated Janet Spurlock, and Soren Valverde[2][3]
Results
| Alief Independent School District, Position 7 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Natasha Butler |
38.67% | 1,210 |
| Janet Spurlock | 38.32% | 1,199 |
| Soren Valverde | 23.01% | 720 |
| Total Votes | 3,129 | |
| Source: Harris County, Texas, "Cumulative Report - Official," accessed November 22, 2017 | ||
Campaign themes
2021
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Natasha Butler did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Natasha Butler participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates.[4] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on October 17, 2017:
| “ | If elected, I will advocate for early childhood education, Health and Wellness, Fine Arts Programs, After School Programs, Livable Wages for all staff, Retirement Funding, and STEM Programs.[5][6] | ” |
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 | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | Closing the achievement gap is the most important issue. Education is about providing education to students to prepare them for the future and help them become be a positive impact on their communities.[6] | ” |
| —Natasha Butler (October 17, 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. |
| 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. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| On a case by case basis and only as a last option after all others have been exhausted |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers. |
See also
2021 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted on Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form on October 17, 2017
- ↑ Marielle Bricker, "Email communication with Edith Williams," September 6, 2017
- ↑ Harris County, Texas, "Cumulative Report - Official," accessed November 22, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Natasha Butler's responses," October 17, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
