2024 Leander ISD School Board Elections leanderparents, October 14, 2024October 21, 2024 If you’re a parent or grown-up in Leander ISD, you should know that we have an important school board election coming up for Leander ISD School Board. Out of 7 seats on the Board of Trustees, 3 are on the ballot, and need your vote to select who will lead the district. Learn who’s running, what to watch for, and where to learn more. Things to watch out for As you’re learning about the election, note that there are politicians, Political Action Committees and influencers with local, state, and national extremist organizations seeking to sway elections like ours. (Read more about political campaigns in our recent blog post: Who is funding extreme political candidates in Texas?) We have some incumbents and candidates who serve our community and advocate for public schools and our district. However, we also have candidates in this election who have participated in anti-LGBTQIA activities, the January 6th protest, and book banning activities, have self-identified as Christian Nationalist, been endorsed by anti-LGBTQIA groups, and have fought against funding our schools in recent bond elections. Some of these individuals have also been engaged in groups that intentionally disrupt board meetings and harass staff, teachers, and students, and share false and misleading information. In particular, note that there are various incorrect statements being made about district enrollment, pay, planning, and financial data. Refer instead to official data sources, including the Leander ISD Demographic Update, Long-Range Planning and Financial Transparency pages and TAPR reports. Please be an informed voter, seek out credible sources of information rather than political rhetoric, and fact-check the info you receive against other sources. Know who you’re voting for and make a plan to vote early or on Election Day. Candidates Photo and bios submitted by all candidates are available on the Leander ISD Elections website. Leander ISD Place 3 Leander ISD Place 3 is currently held by Christine Mauer, who is not running for re-election and has endorsed candidate Nekosi Nelson. The candidates for Place 3 are: Nekosi Nelson Facebook: Nekosi for LISD Website: nekosiforlisd.vote Jim Sneeringer Website: jim4lisd.com Leander ISD Place 4 Leander ISD Place 4 is currently held by incumbent Anna Smith, who is running for re-election. The candidates for Place 4 are: Brandi Burkman Facebook: Brandi Burkman for LISD Website: brandiforlisd.com Anna Smith* Facebook: Anna Smith, Leander ISD Board of Trustee – Place 4 Website: annaforlisd.com Zach Zayner Facebook: Zach Zayner for LISD School Board – Place 4 Website: zachzaynerforlisdschoolboard.com Leander ISD Place 5 Leander ISD Place 5 is currently held by Sade Fashokun, who is running for re-election. The candidates for Place 5 are: Gerald Prater Facebook: Gerald Prater Sade Fashokun* Website: sadeforlisd.com Facebook: Sade Fashokun for Leander ISD, Place 5 *Incumbent. Learn more: Leander ISD Board Elections website. Additional information about the candidates The following are great resources to read, watch, and learn about candidates. Leander ISD Council of PTAs The LISD Council of PTAs hosted a candidate forum on Monday, October 7th at the ACC Cypress Creek campus. The meeting was recorded by students and a replay of the Candidate Forum is available on their YouTube channel. Participants included Place 3 candidates Nekosi Nelson and Jim Sneeringer, Place 4 Candidates Anna Smith and Zach Zayner, and Place 5 candidate Sade Fashokun. Brandi Burkman and Gerald Prater did not participate. Watch Replay Cedar Park Chamber of Commerce & Leander Chamber of Commerce The Chambers jointly hosted a Candidate Forum sponsored by American Constructors, Pfluger, and O’Connell Robertson at 6:30 PM on Wednesday, October 16th at Facilities Resource Center. All candidates participated, and the meeting was recorded. A replay is available on the Cedar Park Chamber’s Facebook page. Watch Replay Community Impact News Get to Know the Candidates for Leander ISD Place 3, by Chloe Young Get to Know the Candidates for Leander ISD Place 4, by Chloe Young Get to Know the Candidates for Leander ISD Place 5, by Chloe Young League of Women Voters The nonpartisan League of Women Voters Austin Area published the League of Women Voter’s Guide for the upcoming election. The guide includes the places for Leander ISD (page 37-38) and is available on their website in multiple languages, including English and Spanish. You may bring a copy with you into the voting booth to vote. Election information October 21 – Early voting begins November 5 – Election day Find your voting locations and information on the Williamson County Elections or Travis County Elections page.
School funding allotment remains stagnant leanderparents, October 4, 2024October 4, 2024 Did you know our per-student school funding allotments haven’t changed since 2019? As shown in the chart above from The Dallas Morning News, the “Basic allotment” funding amount per student in Texas is currently $6,160. This has remained stagnant since it was last adjusted in 2019, lagging behind inflation. The basic allotment would need to be at least $7,741.73 to have the same buying power. Read more: These 7 charts help explain what’s straining Texas school budgets (The Dallas Morning News, October 3, 2024) How does this fit into our school funding? The Basic Allotment is set by the Texas legislature, providing school districts a certain amount of funding for each student based on their Average Daily Attendance. It’s modified by factors like Special Education, Career and Technical Education, language, transportation and more. Notably, the amount of revenue a school receives isn’t tied to the number of students enrolled – which the district has to support no matter what – but instead, to the average number of days that those enrolled students show up. Learn more: Leander ISD: Finance 101 The Basic Allotment is part of a complex funding model that includes local property taxes, state taxes, and federal funds, with the largest portion coming from local property taxes, tied to the value of our homes. However, when property values and taxes go up as they have in the past few years, there is not a proportional increase in funding for our school district. Instead, much of that money goes back to the state through a process called Recapture, and Texas sends more funding to school districts with lower local property tax. Here’s a helpful video published by LISD during the 2022 bond election that explains the funding process. In addition to facing complex funding formulas, inflation, and stagnant allotment amounts, our schools have had to comply with state mandates that are sometimes unfunded. For example, the district has had to address $2 million in startup costs and $4.8 million in yearly expenses to create a police department to comply with House Bill 3. In spite of these funding challenges, LISD continues to earn top ratings for fiscal accountability, with an AA+/AA bond rating. You can see a wealth of information in the Financial Transparency section of the LISD website and learn about how to advocate for better funding models and more funding as legislative priorities. As we approach election day, let’s ensure we also elect leaders who are committed to fighting for and fully funding our public schools.
Who is funding extreme political candidates in Texas? leanderparents, October 2, 2024October 2, 2024 Ever wonder where the funding comes from for increasingly extreme political candidates? A new article from ProPublica and NY Times Magazine highlights a key source: billionaire oil magnates and preachers named Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks. Since 2000, Dunn and Wilks have dominated political funding in our state. Tim Dunn and his wife have given more than $29 million to candidates and PACs in Texas. Farris Wilks and his wife have donated to many of the same PACs as Dunn, totaling $16 million. Last year, Dunn and his associated entities provided a full two thirds of the donations to the state Republican Party. “Dunn and Wilks want to slash regulations and taxes. Their endgame, however, is more radical: not just to limit the government but also to steer it toward Christian rule. “It’s hard to think of other megafunders in the country as big on the theocratic end of the spectrum,” says Peter Montgomery, who oversees the Right Wing Watch project at People for the American Way, a progressive advocacy group.” “Over the past decade, the pair have built the most powerful political machine in Texas — a network of think-tanks, media organizations, political-action committees and nonprofits that work in lock step to purge the Legislature of Republicans whose votes they can’t rely on. Brandon Darby, the editor of Breitbart Texas, is one of several conservatives who has compared Dunn and Wilks to Russian oligarchs. “They go into other communities and unseat people unwilling to do their bidding,” he says. “You kiss the ring or you’re out.” Read more: A Pair of Billionaire Preachers Built the Most Powerful Political Machine in Texas. That’s Just the Start. (NYT / ProPublica, October 2, 2024) What does this have to do with schools? Wilks and Dunn are not just donating to Governor, AG and Senate races. In fact, Texas Tribune reports that in the 2022 election cycle, their Defend Texas Liberty PAC made donations ranging from $4,000 to $18,000 to extreme candidates in Spring Branch ISD and Round Rock ISD. Read more: Here’s who gets money from Defend Texas Liberty, the PAC whose leader met with white supremacist Nick Fuentes (Texas Tribune, October 12, 2023) Why would they do that? CNN reports: “People who’ve worked with Wilks and Dunn say they share an ultimate goal: replacing much of public education in Texas with private Christian schools.” “Dorothy Burton, a former GOP activist and religious scholar, joined Farris Wilks on a 2015 Christian speaking tour organized by his brother-in-law and said she spoke at events he attended. Burton said that after a year of hearing Wilks’ ideology on the speaking circuit, she became disillusioned by the single-mindedness of his conservatism.” “’The goal is to tear up, tear down public education to nothing and rebuild it,’ she said of Wilks. ‘And rebuild it the way God intended education to be.’” “In sermons, Dunn and Wilks have advocated for religious influence in schooling. ‘When the Bible plainly teaches one thing and our culture teaches another, what do our children need to know what to do?’ Wilks asks in one sermon from 2013.” Read more: How two Texas megadonors have turbocharged the state’s far-right shift (CNN, July 24 2022) If that’s their objective and they’re already funding it at the state level and in nearby school districts, it’s worth watching out for them here.
Clothes Closet leanderparents, August 17, 2023August 17, 2023 Did you know about Leander ISD PTA Clothes Closet? Owned and operated by the Leander ISD Council of PTAs and community volunteers, it provides gently-used school clothing and brand-new underwear and socks to students residing in our school district. Families can find clothing for grades pre-K through the SELF 18+ Program (sizes 3T-4X for all genders). The only qualification to shop at the Clothes Closet is that the student resides within the Leander ISD boundaries. Their program has no income requirements and no vouchers are required. Give them a follow, donate, and volunteer to support this incredible resource for our community.
Back to school best wishes leanderparents, August 17, 2023August 17, 2023 As we kick off the 2023-2024 school year, we want to extend our thanks and appreciation to the teachers and staff who will make this year meaningful and memorable for our kids. Thank you to all of you for the work you do every day to help our children grow and to make our community better. Wishing everyone a great year!
Seeing through the chaos in Texas schools leanderparents, August 23, 2021October 29, 2024 Most of us believe that all kids – no matter their race, religion, background, or zip code – should have the freedom and opportunity to learn, and want to equip Texas schools with the resources needed to deliver quality education that prepares our kids for the future. Over the last few years, teachers and district leaders across the state have done tough work providing safe learning opportunities for students coming out of a global pandemic, responding to new and changing state requirements, and dealing with politicians who fight against funding our schools or try to write certain groups out of history books and libraries. It’s not just our district. Like many areas of the country, our educators face harassment and chaos from political groups and extremists seeking to destroy public school systems. They shout, disrupt, and try to be the loudest voices in the room, representing themselves as the voice of our community. In fact, many do not have children who attend our schools. This small, loud group would like to ban books, implement strict dress codes, reject investment in public education and enact policies and laws that undermine public education, in favor of shifting our tax dollars to pay for private religious schools. The issues they raise – from book banning to dress codes and bond funding – may vary from week to week and month to month. But, their topics of the moment don’t speak to their real agenda. In fact, when no longer useful, they will pivot from any issue to the next at a moment’s notice. As informed parents, we watch for the pivots. The same trends are happening across Texas and the United States, and they’re not happening by chance. Wealthy donors and PACs, including organizations like the True Texas Project, Texas Values, and Moms for Liberty, push issues in the Leander area and are doing the same in other Texas schools, including Round Rock ISD, Carroll ISD, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, Irving ISD, Keller ISD, and Plano ISD, Spring Branch ISD, Katy ISD, and others. The real goal of their intentional chaos is to distract and inflame. They use the drama and exaggerated performances to record themselves and each other, to amplify on social media and gain attention, video views, and clicks. They’re trying to grow their audience and build support for their real issue: overthrowing school boards and city councils to enforce their own views and push for de-funding public education. But their disinformation campaigns are old and tired. Instead, let’s stick to the facts, focus on our kids, and engage in real discussions about how we can find the best outcomes for everyone, together.