Robert Selders Jr.

Robert Selders Jr.

Nonpartisan

Garland Independent School District, Place 6

Tenure

Present officeholder

Term ends

2027

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Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last election

May 4, 2024

Education

High school

Washington-Marion Magnet High School

Bachelor's

Southern University

Graduate

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California University of Pennsylvania

Personal

Profession

Health/fitness expert, business owner

Contact

Personal website

Robert Selders Jr. is a member of the Garland Independent School District in Texas, representing Place 6. His current term ends in 2027.

Selders won re-election to the Garland Independent School District to represent Place 6 in Texas outright after the general election on May 4, 2024, was canceled.

Biography

Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

Selders graduated from Washington-Marion Magnet High School in Louisiana, where he was also class valedictorian. He has a bachelor's degree from Southern University and a master's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), both in electrical engineering.

In 2009, Selders left his career as an electrical design engineer to pursue a career in the health sciences. He obtained a master's degree in exercise science from the California University of Pennsylvania. He is a performance enhancement specialist and corrective exercise specialist with the National Academy of Sports Medicine, a certified strength and conditioning specialist with the National Strength and Conditioning Association and a certified integrated and functional movement specialist. He is the owner of 3Q Fitness – CrossFit Garland.

Elections

2024

See also: Garland Independent School District, Texas, elections (2024)

General election

The general election was canceled. Robert Selders Jr. (Nonpartisan) won without appearing on the ballot.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Selders in this election.

2021

See also: Garland Independent School District, Texas, elections (2021)

General election

General election for Garland Independent School District, Place 6

Incumbent Robert Selders Jr. defeated Bob Duckworth in the general election for Garland Independent School District, Place 6 on May 1, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robert Selders Jr. (Nonpartisan)	56.2	5,016
	Submit photo	Bob Duckworth (Nonpartisan)	43.8	3,915

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,931
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2018

General election

The general election was canceled. Robert Selders Jr. (Nonpartisan) won without appearing on the ballot.

2015

See also: Garland Independent School District elections (2015)

The general election on May 9, 2015, in the Garland Independent School District featured two seats up for election. In the Place 6 race, two challengers, Dwight Davis and Robert Selders Jr., faced off since incumbent Steve Knagg did not file for re-election. Selders triumphed in that race. Place 7 incumbent Rick Lambert ran unopposed.

Results

Garland Independent School District, Place 6 General Election, 3-year term, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Robert Selders Jr.	51.1%	1,418
	Nonpartisan	Dwight Davis	48.9%	1,359
Total Votes				2,777
Source: Dallas County Elections, "Joint Election - May 9, 2015," accessed May 9, 2015 These election results are not official and will be updated when certified results are available. You can submit certified results by contacting us.

Garland Independent School District, Place 6 General Election, 3-year term, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Rick Lambert Incumbent	100%	2,318
Total Votes				2,318
Source: Dallas County Elections, "Joint Election - May 9, 2015," accessed May 9, 2015 These election results are not official and will be updated when certified results are available. You can submit certified results by contacting us.

Funding

Selders reported no contributions or expenditures to Garland Independent School District as of March 31, 2015.

Texas school board candidates and officeholders must file semiannual reports, which were due on January 15, 2015, and July 15, 2015. In addition, candidates in contested elections were required to file 30-day and 8-day pre-election reports, unless the candidate chose modified reporting.

Candidates in contested elections who did not intend to exceed $500 in contributions or expenditures, excepting filing fees, were eligible for modified reporting. If they exceeded the threshold before the 30th day prior to the election, candidates were required to submit the 30- and 8-day reports. If they exceeded the threshold after the 30th day prior to the election, they were required to file a report within 48 hours of exceeding the threshold and participate in regular reporting for the rest of the election cycle.

Endorsements

Selders did not receive any official endorsements for this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Robert Selders Jr. did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2021

Robert Selders Jr. did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.

2015

Rowlett Lakeshore Times candidate questionnaire

Selders participated in a candidate questionnaire administered by the Rowlett Lakeshore Times, which was published on March 26, 2015. The questions and his answers are below:

“	Why are you running to be GISD trustee? I feel that high quality education is a critical gateway to improved personal quality of life, community enrichment, and economic vitality. I filed my application to become the GISD School Board Trustee for Place 6 because, as a parent, the quality of education has always been important for me and my family. As a consumer of GISD – having all of my children in GISD schools – and Garland business owner, being in this role would allow me to serve our community at a higher level and to help shoulder the work of moving the GISD vision forward. What is your experience with education? My experience with education is multi-faceted. I matriculated through public high school, college, graduate school, and completed post-graduate work. As a result, I appreciate and have the experience of being thoughtful and purposeful regarding my children’s education because I realize its importance and the options it affords. What from your background has equipped you to be an effective trustee? I can contribute a unique perspective to this role from having experienced life at many distinct positions – high school and collegiate student-athlete, corporate engineering employee, small-business owner and employer. This perspective would allow me to provide voice and action towards both serving the needs of GISD students and employees and working towards solutions that enhance communication and effectively implement GISD strategic plan initiatives. What are the district’s most pressing issues? From my vantage point as a parent of GISD students and a Garland-based business owner, there may be others, but here are a few of the districts more pressing issues: Clarity and transparency in communication across all levels within GISD, Execution of the district’s strategic plan and proposed plans for which the GISD Bond was passed, Enhancing, mentoring, and retaining educator and GISD employee talent, and Meeting the holistic needs of all GISD employees and students. How should the district address those issues? These issues are best addressed by maintaining open lines of effective communication among all levels within the district. The district has already begun working down the path towards addressing some of the others. The groundwork has been laid to close the achievement gap among children of all ethnic groups within GISD, time and assessment reports will soon reveal how effective the implemented measures were. Hiring an outside firm, Jacobs, to manage the Bond Program and associated projects provides the transparency and progress GISD educators, trustees, families, and students want to see. Last year voters approved a $455.5 million bond program. How would you ensure the money is spent as promised? If elected School Board Trustee for Place 6, I will work to ensure Jacobs delivers on their commitment to manage the 2014 Bond Program and Projects in a manner that's fiscally responsible, meets timeline objectives, and provides the school district with an end product that adds value for years to come. How would you best represent the entire district? I feel I can best represent the entire district by providing a positive, motivating, impactful, and supportive presence wherever I am. How would you handle negative feedback from parents, students, teachers and others in the community? Negative feedback in many situations can be the result of misunderstandings, poor and untimely decisions, and lack of real communication. Taking each case on an individual basis, I feel it’s important to listen intently to what’s being shared, communicate openly about the challenges or obstacles present creating the negative situation, and then engaging those who have been impacted by the situation to be a part of the solution that produces a transformed end result.	”
—Robert Selder Jr.'s questionnaire responses (2015)

Ballotpedia survey responses

Selders participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:

“	I think the most critical issues facing Garland ISD and what would be my top priorities – closing the achievement gap and ensuring the execution of the school district’s strategic plan and proposed plans for the GISD Bond. superintendent.	”
—Robert Selders Jr. (2015)

Ranking the issues

The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:

Education policy
Click here to learn more about education policy in Texas.
Education on the ballot

Issue importance ranking
Candidate's ranking	Issue
1	Closing the achievement gap
2	Improving college readiness
3	Expanding career-technical education
4	Expanding arts education
5	Improving education for special needs students
6	Expanding school choice options
7	Balancing or maintaining the district's budget

Positions on the issues

The candidate was asked to answer 10 questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column of the following table:

Question	Response
What is your stance on implementing Common Core standards?	"I haven't researched this topic enough to provide a thorough answer."
Should your district approve the creation of new charter schools?	"I haven't researched this topic enough to provide a solid answer. However, I do support academic institutions that provide our children with the opportunity to learn and grow into responsible, caring, and well-rounded members of the community who are motivated to be high contributors within the community."
Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system?	"I haven't researched this topic enough to provide a thorough answer."
Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement?	"No."
How can the district ensure equal opportunities for high and low achieving students?	"That's a very interesting question. I think it's more the district's responsibility to ensure that all students receive what they need at the student level in order to be successful. And what that looks like may very for each student. So what's more important, I think is to first identify what each student's needs are and then make available the things they need that will ultimately ensure their success."
How should expulsion be used in the district?	"Expulsion cases must be viewed on a case-by-case basis rather than the district having an overarching policy."
If a school is failing in your district, what steps should the school board take to help the students in that school?	"Once the metrics and standards are in place to determine success or what would constitute failure. It is the school board's responsibility to govern and oversee the management of the schools within the district. If the school is failing, it is the board's responsibility to hold accountable those who are in the position of managing the day-to-day functions within the school."
Do you support merit pay for teachers?	"Yes."
How should the district handle underperforming teachers?	"Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district."
How would you work to improve community-school board relations?	"Before communication with parents can be improved, you must first determine where disconnects exist. GISD uses a number of things from phone calls, to mailings, to flyers in homework packets, and emails (some through Skylert) to keep parents informed. This would be a great place to begin - acquiring information on the number of parents not obtaining any notification or communication from GISD. Once this is known, then steps can be taken to reach out directly those parents or parent groups."

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