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Aaron Baxter
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Aaron Baxter ran for election to the Lubbock-Cooper Independent School District to represent Place 1 in Texas. He lost in the general election on May 4, 2024.
Baxter completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Aaron Baxter was born in Wichita Falls, Texas. His career experience includes working as a director of information technology, specializing in software development, systems administration, and cybersecurity..[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Lubbock-Cooper Independent School District, Texas, elections (2024)
General election
General election for Lubbock-Cooper Independent School District, Place 1
Amy Punchard defeated Aaron Baxter in the general election for Lubbock-Cooper Independent School District, Place 1 on May 4, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Amy Punchard (Nonpartisan) | 73.4 | 4,049 | |
 | Aaron Baxter (Nonpartisan)  | 26.6 | 1,465 | |
| Total votes: 5,514 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Baxter in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Aaron Baxter completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Baxter's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Aaron has been a volunteer of Lubbock-Cooper ISD since 2015, serving as a district photographer, guest educator, and mentor. He is a technology professional and software developer of 15+ years, specializing in the areas of web development, systems administration, and cybersecurity.
- Communication is everything, and it begins with listening. We should seek *first* to understand, then to be understood. Our teachers and students have much to say, and Aaron has spent the last nine years listening.
- Technology pervades the world around us, especially in education. Decisions regarding how to prepare our children to enter a high-tech workforce, how to implement technology in the classroom, and how to approach new frontiers like AI are being made every single day in our public schools. It is vital that our district has leaders with a deep understanding of technology and the implications surrounding it.
- Public education is for everyone; a key characteristic that separates public education from the alternatives. A school district should serve all of its students by ensuring that support systems are in place to meet the needs of its diverse population.
Aaron has spent the last several years writing to congresspeople and educating the public regarding the matter of funding for public education. While school board members do not vote on funding bills, it is upon them to advocate for adequate funding to keep our schools running safely and efficiently, to pay our teachers fairly, and to allow for growth.
Most recently, I met TMEA Executive Director Robert Floyd who has spent his life lobbying and advocating for our students and fine arts teachers. Hearing him speak with such conviction about what it is he has devoted his life to is a model of what I aspire to accomplish for all of our kids and their teachers.
Integrity, above all, is necessary to be an effective public servant. Elected officials should serve all of their constituents, not a select few with deep pockets. They should be willing to keep an open mind and be prepared to change their stance if and when presented with new, compelling evidence.
The ability to build bridges is a trait that I hang my hat on. I truly believe that there is no person in this community that I cannot communicate effectively with. It has been my professional responsibility for nearly 15 years to build these bridges, to translate concerns into action, and to bring people together.
Primary reasons for the existence of a school board include hiring the superintendent and approving budgets, but these cannot overshadow the responsibility of a school board member to communicate with the community.
I want to inspire people to be admit when they are wrong, to be honest with themselves, and to be generous. I want it to be said that there was never a person so low that I could not serve them.
9/11. I was in middle school. They lined everyone up in the hallways and we evacuated the building, simply because no one was sure what else to do.
Oh gosh, I think I was a cart boy for a local golf course. It was only for a summer when I first got my driver's license!
1984, by George Orwell. I'm a huge fan of dystopian society stories and 1984 is a classic.
Satellite, by POD
For 26 years of my life, it was selfishness. Though I didn't see it, I lived only for myself and did not think of others nearly enough. Nine years ago, the people of the Lubbock-Cooper community broke that spirit in me and gave me a purpose beyond anything I had ever known. Today, at 35 years old, I am still a student of service... and I hope to never stop learning how to serve those around me. 26 years is far too long to have lived in the dark, and I am running to make up for lost time.
It is the highest responsibility of a school board member to listen before they speak and, when they do speak, it should be with a voice that advocates for their students and teachers.
Every citizen residing within Lubbock-Cooper ISD's attendance zone, regardless of whether or not they have children of their own. Public education is a cornerstone of our society; It affects economic and social health for everyone.
I can best serve the needs of our community by continually educating myself about those needs. Awareness is the greatest obstacle, and it may only be overcome by pointed effort to remain connected to as many groups as possible.
I will continue to build relationships with members of the community by doing what I have been doing for the last nine years: Meeting them where they are. I show up to their games, concerts, assemblies, meetings, and even make appearances in their classrooms.
I want to communicate with every group, but where I always look first is to our teachers.
I want to communicate with every group, but where I always look first is to our teachers.
Good teaching is evident by good results. Students should be able to demonstrate what they have learned with accuracy. That said, it's important for school board members who are not educators to realize that they should seek advice from *many* of those who are.
There are many wonderful ways that we are continuing to expand curriculum. It is my desire to support these efforts, but also to encourage students to pursue extracurricular activities such as music, theater, and sports for their many benefits that are often not achievable in a traditional classroom setting.
We have to be a voice in the ears of our congresspeople... all of us! I have and will continue to encourage our community to vote for their children. Opponents of public education abound, and all that is required for them to succeed is that good people do nothing.
Vigilance. Our district is fortunate to have a wonderful group of officers in its own police department, and we must hold them responsible for avoiding complacency. We must also not ignore when a teacher or parent voices a concern about violent behavior or other security issues.
If I sound like a broken record, so be it: We must continue to fight to give our teachers raises. If you're reading this right now, there is no better time to pause to contact your state house/senate members and urge them to raise funding for public education and give our teachers significant raises. A teacher's mental health stands no chance when they are working 50-60 hours a week and continue to be financially compromised.
I'd say I'm more a fan of situational comedy.
I have no agenda, only to address each issue as it arises and look for ways to be proactive to prevent as many issues as possible from developing.
In the ideal learning environment, students are healthy and safe. They are fed and clothed, have adequate sleep, and feel loved for who they are. Students are challenged, asked to reach outside their comfort zone academically, and given opportunities to pursue their passions. Our teachers should be well paid! If they are unable to focus on their classes because they are worried about being able to pay rent, we all lose.
School districts around the world were asked to respond immediately to a global crisis that they were not only ill-equipped to handle, but were ill-funded to address. Considering the situation, I believe our district did as well as they could have in many respects. What now remains is how we can help our younger students who spent a significant chunk of their formative years attending class from their home computers, understanding the effects this had on them, and what should be done to get them up to speed academically and socially.
As stated previously, I have already built a great relationship with hundreds--if not thousands--of parents by supporting their kids on the field, in the concert hall, and in the classroom. Not a week goes by that I don't have messages in my inbox from parents around the district--wonderful conversations regarding their amazing students.
To summarize: Priority identification. If you want to work for our district, what I want to know is where your priorities lie. What is most important to you? If your priorities do not align with that of the district and the overarching goals of public education, we have a problem. We are in the business of preparing students to enter the workforce, to be accountable and reliable citizens, and to exude respect for one another.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 11, 2024
