KYLE — The Hays Educators Association TSTA hosted a candidate forum on March 6 for the upcoming Hays CISD Board of Trustees election, where voters will decide the Single-Member District 3 seat and a Trustee At-Large position on May 4.
Courtney Runkle
The Single-Member District 3 seat is currently held by Courtney Runkle, who is running for re-election. Runkle and her husband moved to Hays County 20 years ago and are the parents of a recent Johnson High School graduate and an eighth grader.
“For the past 15 years, I have been actively involved in Hays CISD. I have volunteered in many capacities, including multiple school PTAs, campus and leadership teams, booster clubs, zoning committees, facility and bond oversight committees and the Hays Education Foundation,” said Runkle in her introduction. "Professionally I’m a business manager for a law firm overseeing attorneys, paralegals and other legal staff. I love my job; I love to lead and I love to manage people. I strongly believe that if you take care of your people, they will take care of you.”
Runkle stated that anyone who has known her, knows that she is relentless and will always hold both herself and others accountable. Because of this, she has created relationships with officials, which is important in a role such as this one. She also noted that having lived in both east and west sides of the district, she understands the perspective from various campuses.
In response to what she believes are the top three issues within the district, Runkle listed growth, insufficient and unpredictable funding, and unfunded mandates as it relates to safety and security:
• Growth: She explained that although the district has been blessed to have bonds passed, is continuing construction throughout the district, has a strong Facilities and Bond Oversight Committee and a 10-year plan, growth is still an issue.
• Insufficient and unpredictable funding: The state funding formula “does not serve the education of kids,” explained Runkle. She went on to detail the basic annual allotment of $6,160 per student — which, according to Runkle, has not been raised since 2019 — stating that it is unfair to taxpayers.
• Unfunded mandates, as it relates to safety and security: Mandates are laws that the districts must abide by, yet many times they are unfunded. So, although they are making safety and security a priority, it is still an issue.
One question that was asked was in regards to the equitable distribution of resources, which has been highlighted as an issue amid the district’s growth. Runkle, again, noted that she has lived in both parts of town.
“Equity means meeting you where you are. Do we have some disparities? Yes, we do, but I don’t look at it as an east and west side. I think we have that across both sides of the highway that we need to address,” she said. “We need to be able to differentiate all of our campuses. It’s not a one size fits all; every campus is different and unique.”
Runkle went on to highlight the monthly campus showcases, noting that this is a time where campuses can showcase their data, needs, struggles and the positives, as well. It is a time, she said, where they are able to listen and they can use the information to implement what the school needs.
“Our district needs this continuity and strength in leadership. The next three years will be pivotal for our district and public education as a whole,” said Runkle. “My extensive involvement in the community, my professional expertise and my dedication to education make me an asset to the Hays CISD school board. My heart is in it for all of the right reasons.”
Ray Chávez
Ray Chávez is also running for the district 3 position and has been an educator for more than 30 years in various capacities, such as a lecturer, a teacher, a student advisor, administrator, mentor and coach. He currently serves on the Hays CISD District Leadership Team and the city of Buda’s Historic Preservation Commission and is a member of the Friends of the Buda Library.
“I am a proud native of El Paso, Texas, my hometown originally, but I have fallen deeply in love with this community,” said Chávez.
He has also recently served as the director of the Oklahoma Institute for Diversity in Journalism, with more than 20 years of experience in the profession.
“It’s great to be from this area, but when you grow up and you experience other areas and see what they’ve done ... I’ve seen what works best and I’ve also seen what does not work," he said. "I think I bring that perspective. It’s that broader, wider perspective that I think I can bring to make the school board more effective.”
Similarly, Chávez noted that growth and school financing are big issues within the district. He commented on the rapid growth in the population, that is not isolated to Hays County, and how it poses numerous issues, such as expanding school facilities and infrastructure that is needed. By coordinating with the school board, the city and county, he believes that they could work on accommodating the growth, but that can’t come without communicating.
As far as school financing, Chávez immediately mentioned the “threat of school vouchers.” He stated that the efforts of Gov. Greg Abbott to provide tuition for private schools are “still looming on the horizon.”
Chávez believes that the individuals that live on the east side of IH-35 do not feel as though they are part of the larger community and that this feeling trickles down into the schools, as well. He has heard these issues from residents and knows that it needs to be addressed.
Another asset he has is the ability to speak Spanish. By speaking to the Spanish speaking residents, he would let them know that they can participate and have their voices heard, he said.
“We need to look at other institutions [and] look at individuals who come from different backgrounds in order to approach education and create educational opportunities for a wide diversity of students,” said Chávez.
Geoff Seibel
The first candidate for the at-large seat, currently held by Will McManus, is Geoff Seibel.
Seibel has been a resident of Hays County for more than 20 years, has two children in the district and his wife is the assistant principal at Kyle Elementary. Not only has he started a life in the district, but he interned at Hays High School to complete his teaching certification in math.
“I’m running for school board now because I just love public education. I believe it is critical to our culture and our society and everything we do,” said Seibel. “Our district and our board is solely focused on doing what’s right for kids and what’s best for kids. I’m ready to serve on this board to do what’s best for kids.”
He stated that his knowledge of ongoing happenings within both the district and the school board would give the ability to “hit the ground running day one in May and continue on the good word and making our schools great.”
Seibel noted that explosive growth is what everyone sees when they look at the district and that it is difficult to manage. Despite managing it with reports and other resources, the primary focus should be maintaining continuity with students as they enter each school. He also mentioned teachers having to move last minute because the numbers in the student-to-teacher ratio do not line up, which is another big issue.
Along with the number one priority of the district being to educate the students, another is mental health.
“We deal with the physical safety and security of students and that comes in a number of forms,” he said. “Being prepared to not only handle the physical safety of students, but the emotional safety of students, as well. Our students today are just under enormous mental health pressures that we didn’t have to face as a student at their age.”
In regards to the equitable distribution of the district, “it all comes down to doing what’s best for kids and understanding where are our needs and then how do we fill those needs,” Seibel said.
When campuses are not performing as well as other schools, the board can ask what the need is and analyze the community to understand what the community needs. This is because, according to Seibel, the needs of each of the campuses are going to be unique, as the district is so diverse.
“Working together, we feed that innovation and ideas to spark new things and to do better for our students and our staff and our district as a whole,” Seibel stated. “It all comes down to just educating and doing what’s best for kids and just seeing the joy and being able to celebrate that.”
Katy Armstrong
Katy Armstrong is running for the at-large trustee spot and is a mom of three children, two of whom attend Fuentes Elementary. With a master’s in education, certifications in English as a Second Language and special education, she has spent years diversifying her knowledge about the educational and developmental needs of children.
“I pride myself on being able to connect with kids of all ages, even the middle schoolers that terrify some people,” she added. “I’m also just very transparent. I want to listen to parents to hear their concerns and then bring that as a school board member to address it as a district.”
Additionally, she has also taught overseas in South Korea, so she has experience working with individuals with differing backgrounds.
Armstrong listed growth, school safety and funding as her top three issues in the district:
• Growth: The county is growing rapidly and the district needs to keep up with its level of excellence due to the vouchers. She stated that Hays CISD is projected to add 1,000 students each year for the next 10 years, so they need to focus on hiring more teachers to continue being a good district.
• School safety: As an active mother in the “mom groups,” she has read multiple posts about parents taking their children out of school due to bullying: “Students are having mental health issues because of it. They’re also looking to self-medicate because of those issues, that leads to our fentanyl crisis. Students are taking fentanyl not because it’s a party drug, but because they want to help themselves.”
• Funding: Armstrong noted that it is difficult asking voters for more bonds when they already feel overtaxed, so it is an “uphill climb,” but she is hopeful that they can put the money that is available to good use.
She lives on the east side, so she has the ability to represent what is perceived as the “lesser” side. Immediately, she stated that she does not find this to be true, but that there is a perception that not all of the schools are receiving equitable resources.
This is an issue of the school district not having a big enough budget and that the district needs to push the state for the money that is being held “ransom” for Gov. Abbott’s school vouchers.
“I know that I am coming into this as a pretty fresh newbie, but I feel like I can bring fresh eyes to the table. I have a master’s in education; I speak teacher. I’ve worked as a paraprofessional. I know that every member of the school is important,” said Armstrong. “I’m goal-oriented, determined, compassionate and I’m a problem solver.”
Jay Adcock, who is vying for the at-large position, was unable to attend the forum.
For more information on the election, visit www.hayscisd.net/election2024.
Candidate forum held for Hays CISD election
KYLE — The Hays Educators Association TSTA hosted a candidate forum on March 6 for the upcoming Hays CISD Board of Trustees election, where voters will decide the Single-Member District 3 seat and a Trustee At-Large position on May 4.
- 03/13/2024 08:00 PM
