WISD Trustee Candidate: Clay Schoolfield

WISD Trustee Candidate Clay Schoolfield

WAXAHACHIE — Clay Schoolfield and six other candidates are vying for a place on the Waxahachie Independent School District Board of Trustees. Voters will take to the polls on May 9 to cast a ballot for their preferred choices to fill three of seven seats that are up for election.

Clay Schoolfield

1) What personal background information would you like to share with voters, such as your family, hobbies, personality, etc?

My family and I enjoy time on our ranches, which allows to hunt, fish, ride horses and live a slower paced life.

2) What professional experience, community service and other qualifications do you have that would make you an effective trustee?

My experience in both business and education give me a perspective that will be valuable as WISD makes very important decisions in the coming months and years.

Having spent seven years in the classroom, as recently as 2011, allows me to evaluate the real effect of WISD Board decisions from the perspective of teachers. My business experience gives me a sound fiscal background against which all our decisions must be viewed.

I have also owned my own insurance agency for 15 plus years and managed a cattle operation for over 20 years. These two endeavors have made me very familiar with asset management and allocation.

3) Do you currently have any children attending a WISD school or have you had any children attend a WISD school in the past and how long ago was it?

My two children currently attend WISD. I have a son in 7th grade and a daughter in 2nd grade.

4) How long have you lived in Waxahachie?

My family moved to Waxahachie in 1976. I was in the second grade at the time. I left for college in 1987 but quickly realized that Waxahachie was where I wanted to live and raise my family. Waxahachie has been my home for nearly forty years.

5) What reasons made you decide to run for the Waxahachie ISD school board?

1. I want the children of this community to have the very best education possible.

2. Outstanding schools will be the single greatest driver of economic growth for Waxahachie. WISD must make decisions that benefit our entire community–our students and teachers, as well as our taxpayers.

3. Waxahachie is in a unique position today where our local economy is doing well, and our city is growing. More families are moving here, seeking the quality of life that has made our city great for decades. But our schools must keep up with this growth, and we have to plan wisely both near-term (new high school and other campuses) and long-term.

6) What experience do you have with complicated budgets?

As the owner of two types of business for many years (insurance agency/cattle) I have had to make and adhere to budgets through good times and bad. Having to make a budget and actually live with it on personal level has been an important part of personal growth for me. We need to see that same discipline from the district.

7) In your view, what has the district done well over the last five years? What has the district done poorly that you would change?

The district has improved facilities both through construction and maintenance which is good. WISD investment in technology has also been important for our students. This being said, I feel long range planning has often been lacking and is certainly very important now.

8) If elected as a trustee, what do you plan to accomplish while serving the district?

My hope would be to leave the district in a better place than before I was elected.

9) What do you feel are the top three issues facing WISD and what will you do as a trustee to address those issues?

1. Growth! We must manage our growth so we can be in charge of it, not driven by it.

2. Opportunity! We have two high schools now ( not counting high school of choice/ challenge academy). I think that building on the success of global high and expanding its programs is very important for our community. I would really like to see more local students enrolled there. In order for this to happen we need to expand the offerings available to attract more students. With construction of a new high school we will have to opportunity to create a new environment from the ground up. This community has not had that opportunity since the early 1970's. At that time many in the community thought building a school on a farm north of town was a poor idea. I am thankful for the people in made it happen. It's time for this generation to provide opportunities.

3. Management! We must manage our dollars wisely! Projects must be completed in a financially responsible manner. The devil is in the details.

10) What are the factors on which you will base your decisions as a school board member?

The decisions made by the board must be based on providing for our students while being responsible with the tax payer's dollars.

11) If a parent or principal comes to you regarding, for example, a maintenance issue at a particular campus or a situation involving a particular teacher, how do you see your role as a school board member in resolving the issue?

The board is a checks and balances system for the district. When issues are brought to the attention of a board member they need to be looked at closely. Usually these issues can be handled at a campus level and individuals need to be steered in that direction. If that is not appropriate due to scale or other issue board members should address the issue with the superintendent.

12) What are your thoughts on the current WISD outstanding debt principal? According to WISD, the district currently has $115,092,535 in outstanding debt principal that represents debts from the 1997 bond issue through 2013 refunding bonds issued. Future repayment obligations through 2037 call for $131,375,577 in interest payments resulting in total payments of $246,468,111.
(Source: http://www.wisd.org/default.aspx?name=BUS_Debt)

These bonds were voted on and approved by voters. The board's fiduciary responsibility charges them with allocating the dollars approved and completing the projects that were voted on. In a district that is experiencing growth spending on infrastructure is going to take place. The margin of victory or defeat of a bond is irrelevant, the board is charged to meet the people's wishes. I encourage people to vote so that they can be heard!

13) Voters approved two bonds in March 2010 totaling $28,120,000 thus resulting in a property tax increase of 6.9 cents per $100 of assessed value.
(Source: http://www.wisd.org/docs/1-Bond%20Brochure%20color.pdf)

13a) What is your opinion of the 2010 Proposition One bond referendum? This bond totaled $22,175,000 and was used to renovate the softball field at WHS, renovations to Richards Park, renovations at the district's baseball complex and renovations and expansions to Lumpkins Stadium. Of the total bond amount, $20,139,780 was for Lumpkins Stadium alone. This resulted in a property tax increase of 4.4 cents per $100 of assessed value. This bond passed with a narrow margin of 78 votes: 1,042 FOR and 964 AGAINST.

These bonds were voted on and approved by voters. The board's fiduciary responsibility charges them with allocating the dollars approved and completing the projects that were voted on. In a district that is experiencing growth spending on infrastructure is going to take place. The margin of victory or defeat of a bond is irrelevant, the board is charged to meet the people's wishes. I encourage people to vote so that they can be heard!

13b) What is your opinion of the 2010 Proposition Two bond referendum? This bond totaled $5,945,000 and was used for campus renovations to 11 of the district's 13 school facilities. The impact on the property tax rate was 2.5 cents. This bond passed by a margin of 750 votes: 1,372 FOR and 622 AGAINST.

These bonds were voted on and approved by voters. The board's fiduciary responsibility charges them with allocating the dollars approved and completing the projects that were voted on. In a district that is experiencing growth spending on infrastructure is going to take place. The margin of victory or defeat of a bond is irrelevant, the board is charged to meet the people's wishes. I encourage people to vote so that they can be heard!

14) What is your opinion on the $125 million bond referendum the WISD board members recently called that will result in a property tax increase of 12.5 cents per $100 of assessed value if passed by voters? Are you for or against the bond and what are the reasons behind your position?

I have spent a lot of time and thought on this issue, I feel that the cost of waiting is exponential. One needs to look no further than our current high school. When I graduated from WHS in 1987 the district could have purchased property adjacent to the school for expansion. It was not done and now WISD is stuck. The cost of waiting is now very evident in a school that is landlocked and has limited ingress and egress and no room for further expansion. I want to see the district build a high school in an area and with a construction plan that we can grow into. By this I mean that a school that will house our short term needs for students with the placement and ability to be expanded as dictated by growth. If we provide a great educational system for our children this community will experience positive growth that will lessen the tax burden on us as individuals as the expense is shared. On the other side of the coin if we don't plan our growth we become a slave to our finances.

15) Is there any additional information that you feel voters should know about you?

This is a very important time for WISD. I am the only candidate with experience in business, education and construction. I understand that the citizens of the district are divided on the current bond proposal. The passage or failure of this bond will be decided by May 9th by the voters. We need a board in place that can manage the taxpayers dollars wisely and I am prepared to do just that regardless of the status of the current bond proposal.