Holly Smith Raymond / Robert Limon
by KIM HILSENBECK
Just 18 votes separated Hays CISD Board of Trustees candidates Bert Bronaugh, incumbent, and Robert Limon, challenger, for District 3. Limon won the seat in the May 12 election.
In the at-large contest, Holly Smith Raymond had 503 votes (53 percent) easily winning the seat over Hays High School coach Doug Ragsdale with 392 votes and Eric John with 56.
Incumbent Patti Wood, Board president, did not seek reelection.
Limon, a father of one current and one graduated student at Hays High School, said, “I am humbled by the results of the election and look forward to bringing my experience and new ideas to the school board.”
Limon said his priority is the budget.
“I still believe that the budget will continue to be our biggest challenge going into the next school year,” Limon said. “We’ll need a good open dialogue with our newly elected officials… to ensure that we have adequate funding in the next biennium. We cannot absorb further cuts without sacrificing the quality of education we are offering our children.”
He would also like to see the district continue to implement its five-year strategic plan.
One of Raymond’s priorities is also the strategic plan as well as how to pay for the implementation of the elements within it.
“We need to be vigilant in assuring the plan is on track and that we have the financial support to fuel it,” said Raymond. “Related to that are important issues such as classroom size variability and teacher salary equity for our district.”
Each of the seven-member Hays CISD board of trustees serves a three-year term. Members are not compensated for their time. The Board’s primary role is to make all final decisions on issues of policy and finance.
New Board members will be sworn in at an upcoming Board meeting, following the canvassing and certification of the votes.
