WISD Trustee Candidate: Gary Fox

WISD Trustee Candidate Gary Fox

WAXAHACHIE — Gary Fox 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.

Gary Fox

(Incumbent)

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

My family consists of my wife of 34 years, Teri Fox, our daughter Jennifer, and our son Justin. Jennifer is the Assistant Director of University Events & Student Organizations at UT Arlington and is working on her doctorate in higher education. Justin is continuing his education to be a coach and teacher. I am a retired teacher having taught 30 years. I sing and play guitar and we have a family band.

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

My 30 years of teaching experience has proven to be a great asset and has helped me be an effective board member. I taught nine years of math at the junior high level and 21 years in elementary special education. I have also taught on the high school level and have been a coach. During my six years as a WISD trustee, almost everything that has come up I have seen or dealt with in my own career. I understand the challenges our educators, students, parents, and tax payers are faced with every day. My six years of service on the WISD School Board and over 150 school board training hours provide me with the experience and knowledge to be an effective trustee.

My community service includes working with Operation First Day of School for six years. I am a member of Impact Waxahachie since 2011 where I am actively involved in their Crazy For My Kids campaign. I have helped with the Rotary Cow Creek Country Classic Bike Ride for 27 years. I have been a D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read) Day reader for six years, served as an officer in the Waxahachie Quarterback Club, and am a big supporter of Special Olympics. I regularly attend meetings of the Waxahachie Education Foundation, Student Health Advisory Council, and the Special Education Advisory Committee. I try to show my support by attending as many WISD events as possible.

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?

I currently do not have a child attending WISD as our youngest, Justin, graduated from WHS in 2012.

4) How long have you lived in Waxahachie?

I have lived in Waxahachie 59 years. I started school in 1961 at Northside Elementary and graduated from WHS IN 1973.

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

When I retired from teaching in 2008, I knew I was not finished helping kids. I felt that being on the school board would be a good way to continue to help. In 2015, I still have the same desire to serve. My whole life has been devoted to education and I truly care about everyone who lives, works, and goes to school in the Waxahachie Independent School District.

6) What experience do you have with complicated budgets?

I have six years of experience working with the WISD budget.

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?

One thing that our district has done well over the past five years is manage money. During bad economic times, our district did not have to lay off teachers. When other surrounding districts were having to let teachers go, WISD was able to keep its staff in place. We were able to give a lump sum raise to all employees and continue to add raises making us competitive with other districts. We completed a major district wide technology upgrade and also implemented the iPad nation program. I am sure that there are things that we could improve on, but I know that in all the decisions that we have made, we always tried to do the right thing for the students and teachers, while trying to be responsible with the taxpayer’s money.

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

I want to see the projects that we have been working on come to fruition. Some examples are extending our Pre-k and Dual Language programs, replacing the Turner Gym, and addressing security issues and growth of the district. Most importantly, I want to improve our test scores and concentrate on academics. We have accomplished a lot over the past few years, but we have several goals that need to be completed.

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

The top issue to me is to make sure that every student that comes through the door is provided with the best education possible. That means from the first day of Pre-k to Graduation. I will sincerely do my best to try and provide a safe place to learn, a great place to teach, and the support necessary to get the job done. We must also continue to address our growth and the priority of making our academics the best that they can be. We all have to pull together to make these worthwhile goals happen.

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

That is the easiest question of all. We must make every decision with the focus being on the students. The students drive every issue in a successful school district. They must always be the reason behind everything that is done.

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?

As a board member, I have always been easily approachable. I take pride in being a people person and I listen to what people say. As a rule of thumb, I think the best thing to do is to listen intently and then call Dr. Glenn to inform him of the situation. He is the man that can make things right.

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)

As a board, we want to be good stewards of tax payer money. Our current members are always eager to find ways to do just that. This year we refinanced to save the tax payers over 5 million dollars.

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.

Both propositions were studied intently by the board and our administration at the time. We put it to the people for a vote, because we wanted to do what the voters wanted. We then went to work to get their wishes done.

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.

Both propositions were studied intently by the board and our administration at the time. We put it to the people for a vote, because we wanted to do what the voters wanted. We then went to work to get their wishes done.

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 countless hours at home looking at the bond information. I have watched the videos of the Long Range Planning Committee meetings. I have stayed up way into the night, many nights, studying all the points and reviewing all the information provided to me. I said in a previous board meeting that the people of this district should have the opportunity to vote on this. It is a very important decision that will impact every citizen in WISD. Each person has the right to express their opinion, and we do that by voting. Read everything you can to educate yourself about the bond, then show up on May 9th and vote your heart.

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

Thank you for allowing me to serve on the WISD School Board. I always try to represent all the people of this district to the best of my ability. This is not something I take lightly. I seriously want to do what is best for everyone. I am asking for your vote to re-elect me, Gary Fox, to the Waxahachie Independent School Board of Trustees.