Samuel Garcia (Texas)
Samuel Garcia was a candidate for the Place 5 seat on the Abilene Board of Trustees in Texas. He lost election against incumbent Danny Wheat in the general election on May 10, 2014. Garcia previously served on the board from 2007 to 2012.[1]
Biography
Garcia earned his B.A. in business administration from Texas A&M University in 1988. He has worked as an insurance agent and agency owner with State Farm Insurance since 1996. Garcia has served as the president of the Marlin Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the Abilene Hispanic Leadership Council. He and his wife, Norma, have two children who have attended district schools.[2]
Elections
2014
Samuel Garcia ran for election to the Place 5 seat against Danny Wheat in the general election on May 10, 2014.[3]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Danny Wheat Incumbent |
59.3% | 4,219 | |
| Nonpartisan | Samuel Garcia | 40.7% | 2,895 | |
| Total Votes | 7,114 | |||
| Source: Taylor County Elections, "Abilene ISD Cumulative Report-Official," May 16, 2014 | ||||
Funding
Garcia did not report any contributions or expenditures to the district office.
Endorsements
Garcia did not receive any official endorsements for his campaign.
2012
Garcia lost the Place 2 seat to Randy Piersall in the general election on May 12, 2012.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Randy Piersall |
63.9% | 2,544 | |
| Nonpartisan | Samuel Garcia Incumbent | 36.1% | 1,440 | |
| Total Votes | 3,984 | |||
| Source: Merlin Mann, KTXS, "Election Results: Spano Wins, Two Abilene Board Incumbents Lose," May 12, 2012 | ||||
Campaign themes
2012
Garcia discussed his campaign themes for 2012 in an interview with the Reporter News:
| “ |
1. What is your assessment of Heath Burns' first two years and what are your expectations of the superintendent? Being a member of the board that hired Dr. Burns puts me in a unique position. Dr. Burns was the most qualified candidate to address the specific issues facing AISD. His strengths and past performance in schools academic performance made him a stand out among the dozens of applicants. His ability to assess AISD needs are rooted in his passion for helping all students succeed, regardless of their background, resources or family support. He is not afraid of being held accountable by the board, parents, community leaders and Abilene taxpayers in all aspects of his job. He also recognizes that his job is not a 9-to-5 position by giving out his personal cellphone and home phone, inviting anyone with a concern about AISD to call him. I have been very satisfied with Dr. Burns performance but as he will tell you, I will continue to hold him accountable as the one employee of the board of trustees. 2. With state funding to districts cut back, how can Abilene ISD keep adapting? How important is it to keep experienced teachers in the classroom, though they would come at a higher cost to the district? We must continue to find ways to make our systems and program as efficient as possible, while still serving the needs of our students. For example with the consolidation of College Heights and Fannin Elementary to Martinez Elementary, we anticipate saving as much as $300,000 per year in operation cost. We also must recognize efficiency can only go so far. The inequities in state funding must be fixed to continue to provide the education that our children deserve and our community needs. Our district is blessed to have many teachers with so much experience. We must balance maintaining experience teachers with bringing in new talented teachers so that we have the best of both worlds. 3. How good a job is the Abilene school district doing in using technology in the classroom? Our teachers and staff do an outstanding job of using technology as a tool in the classroom. The issue we must deal with is the lack of funding for technology. I have fought for more technology funding all four years of my first term. Our board was making progress by recognizing that technology is an ongoing expense in our general budget. A decrease in funding by the state was our only setback. On top of a line in the general budget for technology, I would like to see some designation of AISD's fund balance for technology. 4. Are Abilene ISD students prepared for a successful college or technical education after graduation? I believe a large majority of our students are prepared for a successful college or technical education and an even larger number are prepared to enter the workplace. We cannot be satisfied until we can say all our students are prepared to be successful after graduation. One of the reasons I am seeking a second term is to continue the efforts we have made to eliminate the achievement gap in our district. 5. What are future facility needs that need to be addressed by the Abilene ISD? We are in the process of developing a facilities needs plan, which should will guide this district for years to come. This plan will allow the district to know what our needs are in future and not continue to just put out fires. One of my top priorities will be the completion of a new campus at Bowie Elementary. 6. What are three priorities you have set for the Abilene ISD? - Continue the development of programs that address the achievement gap among our students. - Additional funding resources for technology. - Providing all need support and resources for teacher and administrator development. |
” |
| —Reporter News, (2012) | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Samuel + Garcia + Abilene + School + District"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Reporter News, "Samuel Garcia has strong opinions about schools," January 31, 2010
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Reporter News, "Samuel Garcia: Abilene ISD Board (Place 2)," accessed March 28, 2014
- ↑ KTXS, "Candidate filings for city and school election in May," February 28, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| 2014 Abilene Independent School District Elections | |
| Abilene, Texas | |
| Election date: | May 10, 2014 |
| Candidates: | Place 4: • Cindy Parker Earles • Danny Kittley Place 5: • Samuel Garcia • Danny Wheat |
| Important information: | Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
