Suzanne Smith (Texas)

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Suzanne Smith

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 6, 2018

Contact

Campaign Facebook

Personal website

Suzanne Smith (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Texas State Board of Education to represent District 12. She lost in the general election on November 6, 2018.

Smith completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2018. Click here to read the survey answers.

Smith was previously a candidate for District 2 representative on the Dallas Independent School District board of trustees in Texas. The general election was held on May 7, 2016. Smith was defeated in the election by fellow candidate Dustin Marshall.

Biography

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

Smith earned a master's degree in business administration from Duke University. She is an adjunct professor at the University of North Texas and is the founding owner of the nonprofit consulting firm Social Impacts Architects. Previously, Smith worked with the American Heart Association and Phoenix House.

Elections

2018

See also: Texas State Board of Education election, 2018

General election

General election for Texas State Board of Education District 12

Pam Little defeated Suzanne Smith and Rachel Wester in the general election for Texas State Board of Education District 12 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pam Little (R)	49.4	334,584
		Suzanne Smith (D)	47.9	324,307
	Submit photo	Rachel Wester (L)	2.7	18,002

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 676,893
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary runoff election

The Democratic primary runoff election was canceled. Suzanne Smith advanced from the Democratic primary runoff for Texas State Board of Education District 12.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Laura Malone-Miller (D)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas State Board of Education District 12

Suzanne Smith and Laura Malone-Miller advanced to a runoff. They defeated Tina Green in the Democratic primary for Texas State Board of Education District 12 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Suzanne Smith	48.1	35,460
✔	Submit photo	Laura Malone-Miller	26.3	19,426
	Submit photo	Tina Green	25.6	18,883

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 73,769
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas State Board of Education District 12

Pam Little advanced from the Republican primary for Texas State Board of Education District 12 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pam Little	100.0	82,548

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 82,548
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also:Dallas Independent School District elections (2016)

The 2016 Dallas ISD elections were marked by a slew of newcomer candidates. District 5 incumbent Lew Blackburn was the sole incumbent to seek re-election for one of three seats on the ballot. Blackburn was challenged by new entrants Marquis Hawkins and Linda Wilkerson-Wynn. In District 4, three newcomers—Omar Jimenez, Jaime Resendez, and Camille White—vied for the seat. Newcomers Isaac Faz and Audrey Pinkerton ran in District 7.

Additionally, a special election was held in conjunction with the regular board elections. Previous board member Mike Morath vacated his District 2 seat after being tapped as the new commissioner of the Texas Education Agency. Mita Havlick and Dustin Marshall placed ahead of Carlos Marroquin and Suzanne Smith, but neither candidate received a majority of the votes. Marshall defeated Havlick in the runoff election on June 18, 2016.

Ultimately, Blackburn retained his seat, defeating challengers Hawkins and Wilkerson-Wynn. Resendez and Pinkerton defeated their fellow candidates to take the District 4 and 7 seats, respectively.

Results

Dallas Independent School District, District 2 Special Election, 1-year term, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Dustin Marshall	43.26%	2,719
Mita Havlick	28.08%	1,765
Suzanne Smith	27.33%	1,718
Carlos Marroquin	1.32%	83
Total Votes		6,285
Source: Dallas County Elections, "Unofficial Final Cumulative Results," accessed February 28, 2017

Funding

Smith reported $1,1475.00 in contributions and $8,411.25 in expenditures to the Dallas Independent School District in the election.

Endorsements

Smith was endorsed in the election by the National Education Association-Dallas, National Latino Peace Officers Association, Preston Hollow Democrats, the Tejano Democrats, and Dallas City Council member Philip Kingston.

For a full list of Smith's endorsements please click here.

Campaign themes

2018

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's candidate surveys

Suzanne Smith participated in Ballotpedia's candidate survey on October 3, 2018. The survey questions appear in bold, and Suzanne Smith's responses follow below.

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

“

While there are many issues that are important to our future, three stand out: • Strong start – The statistics are clear. Quality early education from birth to third grade provides the highest ROI for the future success of our students. I will work to expand high-quality pre-K to full day for economically disadvantaged students in Texas with leading early childhood alliances. • Whole child - A whole-child approach focuses on the intersection between physical space and the cognitive, social and emotional development of students rather than focusing on one element in isolation. The learning environments we create can either help or hinder learning, development, teaching and collaboration. Attention must be given to children who come to school hungry, whose asthma problems inhibit their activity or who are being bullied at school or feel unsafe, because issues like these hinder learning. I will work to bring attention to these issues through various health, education, and poverty groups. • Teaching recruitment, excellence and retention – Teachers are one the biggest drivers of student success. But, attracting and retaining quality teachers has been one of our biggest failures as a system and a community in North Texas. To increase educator effectiveness, we must address both the root cause of this failure and the systemic issues that have resulted in our teacher shortage. I will work to bring attention to this issue alongside organizations, such as AFT.

”

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?

“

The Texas economy is thriving, ranked No. 6 nationally by U.S. News and World Report. But, I have become increasingly concerned that our education system is not keeping pace with our needs – ranked No. 37* in the country. If we do not make innovative and smart decisions over the next decade to change our course, tomorrow’s future will be dimmer. One of the key levers that lawmakers have ensures that we prioritize funding for our schools and fix our broken education finance system. If elected to the State Board of Education, I will do everything in my power to stop this. I will closely monitor the progress of the Texas Public School Finance Commission and work tirelessly to make Texas No. 1 in education, while preparing our children to be the global citizens of tomorrow. *U.S. News and World Report, 2018 Ranking

”

Ballotpedia also asked the candidate a series of optional questions. Suzanne Smith answered the following:

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow and why?

“

My parents, Ernest and Dr. Marie Smith, now retired, were career educators in Dallas, Garland, Rockwall and Royse City ISDs. They began as teachers in the classroom and eventually moved into administration as principals. As a child, I watched them dedicate themselves during the day to children in our community and then come home to raise four daughters. We often talked at the dinner table about ideas to improve their schools – starting gifted and talented programs, opening a Head Start facility or working with teen moms to ensure they stayed in school. I admired their dedication to making a difference in their schools and their desire to inspire young people to achieve their greatest potential. Now, I aspire to do the same through my work and now running for State Board of Education.

”

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else that best describes your political philosophy?

“

I recently wrote an Op-Ed published by the Dallas Morning News about the disappointing nature of our political discourse today - https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2017/06/16/3-ways-turn-political-brawling-constructive-teamwork. In it, I say, “Our greatest challenge right now is bringing people back together toward a shared sense of purpose. We have to put ego aside and choose the greater good.” I want the State Board of Education to make the headlines, not for fiery debates over social issues, but rather for how we are leading the rest of the country in cutting-edge thinking, such as teaching digital citizenship or social and emotional learning.

”

2016

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey

Suzanne Smith participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on April 14, 2016:

“

Strong Start - Investing Early in Our Children • Expand and build momentum around quality pre-K • Link quality pre-K with elementary years to establish a lasting foundation • Jumpstart parent engagement early Whole Child - Each Child: Healthy, Safe, Supported and Challenged • Promote healthy, safe environments • Champion social and& emotional developmentRethink the purpose and effectiveness of standardized testing • Champion social and emotional development Empowered Schools - Creating Award-Winning Campuses • Improve the district’s facilities and technology • Ensure effective implementation of 2015 Bond and bridge plan • Support our teachers, principals, staff, and parents in both words and actions Connected Community - It Takes All of Us • Commit to a team-based approach to solutions • Spread District 2 success to the rest of Dallas ISD and learn from others • Share #DISDBbrightSspots Successful Finish - Redefine Dallas’ Definition of Success for Our Children • Expand vocational training to support Dallas’ future workforce needs • Support college readiness beyond acceptance • Engage with the business community to get real-time information on workforce needs

”

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
1	Closing the achievement gap
2	Improving relations with teachers
3	Improving post-secondary readiness
4	Balancing or maintaining the district's budget
5	Expanding school choice options
6	Improving education for special needs students
7	Expanding arts education

“	I have an Action Plan for DISD, which is available at: http://smith4disd.com/action-plan, which gives more details on these points.	”
—Suzanne Smith (April 14, 2016)

Positions on the issues

The candidate was asked to answer nine 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. Not until we do further impact analysis.
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 defer to school board decisions in most cases.
Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement?
Yes. Yes, it is our best measure of success, but see my Action Plan for my viewpoint on testing.
What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative?
While it takes some local and state control away from communities, it set a standard nationally for all students.
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?
Offer additional training options. Put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve. 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?
It should be a punishment of last resort.
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

• Texas State Board of Education
• Texas State Board of Education election, 2018

External links

Suggest a link

• Search Google News for this topic
• Campaign website
• Texas State Board of Education
• Dallas Independent School District