by CJ Vetter
Kyle – The Hays Educator Association hosted an open forum on March 24th for those candidates running for a seat on the Hays CISD board of trustees. The forum was hosted at the Kyle Public Library, with candidates Byron Severance and Amy Grant running for district 4, while Bear Heiser and Esperanza Orozco are running for the district 5 seat.
The first to speak during the open forum was Heiser, who was followed by Orosco. Heiser, who has resided within Hays CISD for over a year and has children enrolled in the district, is running this year in response to a lack of communication and transparency between the school and the community from his perspective. He also cites the lack of dissenting voices as a dampener of progress in the district. He says his advantage comes from his prior work experience and wide set of skills.
“If we have to look of outside the teaching profession to find people who truly care about the development of kids, and the development of communities that are supporting the kids, I have no problems with being that,” Heiser said. “I don’t know why we’d ever limit the pool.”
Orozco, the current 10-year incumbent of the district 5 seat, is bilingual, and has been both president and vice-president of the board in the past and has lived for over 21 years in the area. She has served on the Hays County protection board and has also served as president of Community Action Inc. of Central Texas. She places her success on her involvement in the community, and her own previous experience as both a teacher and the president of the union for teachers.
“It’s okay to not agree all the time, but what is important that you work together for the morale imperative,” Orozco said. “Which means, putting student success and student achievement for all students first.”
Severance and Grant are the candidates running for District 4 seat; the previous holder of the seat, Merideth Keller, is not currently running for the position. Severance has been a resident of Buda since 2006, is a small business owner, currently has children enrolled in Hays CISD, and was on the Facilities And Bond Oversight Committee, which is responsible for developing bond proposals, and then ensuring bonds are completed on time and within budget.
“I got a pretty good understanding of the workings of the district and some of the things on that committee,” Severance said. “I’m pretty passionate about what I’ve done on that committee.”
Grant, while having worked with the district before in roles regarding special education, has a different background. She operates a pediatric, family-centered speech-language and occupational therapy clinic, which has been open since 2009. She is running for office as a way to try and help raise awareness for neurodivergent communities with the school district and is an advocate for the acceptance of difference.
“I also believe in the method of full child education. This is really important; we need to not just focus on academics and athletics or extracurriculars,” Grant said. “We need to look at everything a child needs, because a lot of the time they don’t have enough help.”
The Hays Educator Association, who live streamed the event, has over 500 members and is a leading advocate for teachers in Hays County. The election day for the board will be on May 7th, while early voting will April 25 through May 3. For more information, visit www.hayscisd.new/election2022.
