Local candidates speak out on issues

LANCASTER - Early voting for local school and city council races begins Monday, May 2 and starting this week, The Ellis County Press will highlight a few key platform issues from local candidates running for Lancaster school board.

Lancaster Independent School District has three positions up for re-election this year: districts 4, 5, and 7.

District 4 

Irene Mejia- Incumbent

“1.Continue putting the district on a sound path to financial stability. 2. Improve the quality of education for our children. 3. Keep our taxes low and learn to do more with less.”

District 4 

Sheri Brisco

“1. Maintaining financial stability. 2. Innovative ways of presenting academics.3. Increase parental involvement within our district.”

District 5 

Joe Kana- Incumbent

“1. District financial management. 2. Teacher  morale and retention and 3. Student academic performance. I wou-ld push these issues by insisting on full disclosure from the administration on budget issues with more transparency in the budgeting process.  I would pay for teacher retention and higher student academic performance by insisting that taxpayer money go more toward classroom and instructional issues rather than extraneous programs.”

District 5 Ty G Jones

“1. Reviewing policy to ensure systems are in place to bolster student success, 2. Encouraging more community involvement within the schools, and 3. Encouraging that all decisions are based on sound data that has a direct correlation with student success, teacher retention and development while fiscally responsible.”

District 7

Ellen Clark-Incumbent

“1. I want is to see parent and community support in our schools.  The school Website offers facts about achievements and a schedule of events that I wish every citizen of Lancaster would view. 2. To continue the increase in test scores and achievements.  3. Decrease the incidents on campus which have been going down through the anti-bullying program. I would like to see stronger discipline.”

District 7 

Mannix O. Smith

“1. Encourage parental involvement Increased communication between parents, teachers, students, and administrators.  When you increase the communication you can increase the collaboration and cooperation. 2. Accountability for the academic performance of LISD and 3. Strengthen the School Board - through leadership and policy- if elected, I would be the only school board member on the school board whose children actually attend LISD. Not even the Mayor of Lancaster sends his children to our schools. We deserve leadership which leads by example!”

For full candidate Q&A’s visit www.elliscountypress.com. Early voting for Lancaster will be held May 2-10 at the Lancaster Veterans Memorial Library on 1600 Veterans Memorial Parkway.