WISD Trustee Candidate: Theresa Smithey

WISD Trustee Candidate Theresa Smithey

WAXAHACHIE — Theresa Smithey 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.

Theresa Smithey

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

Professional Experience: Bachelor of Science, University of Texas at Austin, Assistant Scientist - Mary Kay Corporation and Teacher for 11 years (Pre-Advanced Placement Biology and Anatomy and Physiology), small business owner (Longhorn Properties, 14 years, Smithey’s Power Clean Carwash, 1 year). I am also an active member of First United Methodist Church in Waxahachie where I serve as Communications coordinator of the Asbury Sunday school class and also serve on the Lay Leadership committee for the church.

My father was a Colonel in the United States Air Force; therefore I grew up across the globe. I believe this childhood experience has made me a well-rounded individual. I believe growing up moving every 3 to 5 years that I am able to adjust to situations easily.

I have been married to my husband for 18 years. He is a Lieutenant in the Dallas Fire Department. My hobbies include running, horseback riding, and scrapbooking. I also enjoy watching my children participate in their many activities. My son plays tennis for WISD as well as plays in the outstanding Spirit of Waxahachie Indian band. My daughter is an avid softball and volleyball player who also enjoys riding horses. My youngest plays baseball in the Waxahachie Youth Baseball League of Waxahachie.

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

My experience includes working in the corporate world for 7 years and managing a research budget at Mary Kay Corporation. In addition, I am currently a teacher who can provide prospective of what works in a classroom and what resources give the most "bang for your buck." While my husband and I manage our real estate portfolio, I too can see the burden high property taxes can bring to a community. I have the unique perspective to see both sides, the need to provide for our students and teachers and also continue to be careful with the taxpayer’s money.

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 have 3 children attending WISD schools. I have a child in second grade, another in sixth grade and a third child in ninth grade.

4) How long have you lived in Waxahachie?

16 years

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

After presenting to the board this February concerning GPA and class standing distribution, I realized many on the board no longer have children in the district and as a result found there to be a disconnect between the board and the schools. I have a child in each level of the education system, elementary, middle and high school. I have daily experience in dealing with the reality and challenges in the district. Also, with my husband, I help run our businesses and have a solid understanding of budgets, debt, cash flow, saving and planning for the future.

6) What experience do you have with complicated budgets?

I was a product development and research scientist at Mary Kay Cosmetics. During my time there I was in charge of my department’s research budget for four years.

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?

What the district has done well: supporting the Spirit of Waxahachie Indian Band, openness of communication with teachers and response of teachers to parents, on-line grade reports, Global High, supporting the students that require supplemental instruction, Education Foundation and the volunteers who run the foundation, Gifted and Talented program.

What the district has done poorly: lack of support in the SAT/ACT preparation, little support for the high achieving student that desires to go to university, having user friendly technology readily available to both teachers and students.

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

When elected and if the bond passes, I would like to be instrumental in developing the new high school with needed resources and technology for teachers and students. Also, as a trustee I would like to have assistance provided to students across all educational levels. For example, providing continued remediation to those that need it for the state exams and also provide SAT/ACT training for those students that are college bound. I would also like to see SAT/ACT classes started in the night school program to assist student who need or want to improve their college entrance exams. I believe the board needs to stay in tune to what students on all levels of the education spectrum need.

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. Bond issue and best allocation of funds.

2. Technology improvement for the schools and the possible new high school.

3. Educational support for all students on all levels - from remediation to college readiness.

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

I would base my decision on feasibility of the request. I would research the background information and make sure it is the best option for the district and the students, teachers and faculty of the district.

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?

I would listen to the parent’s concerns and gain all the information I can from both the parent and the teacher or campus involved and make sure I have all the details. If the situation is a parent having a challenge with a teacher, I would ask to make sure the following has occurred:

1. The parent has corresponded with the teacher.

2. There was a parent teacher conference concerning the issue.

3. There was a parent, teacher, administrator and possibly counselor conference concerning the issue.

Once I know all of these steps have been taken and the issue is still not resolved, I would provide the information to the superintendent or assistant superintendent for addressing. I would then follow up on the situation with the administration and also with the parent. Likewise if the issue was about a campus or maintenance issue, I would follow similar steps to ensure all levels in the organization were informed of the situation.

My role as a school board member in this situation is to be a liaison between the parent and the school board and administration. A goal of the school board is to ensure relationships with families and respond to their concerns.

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 most of us have debt to finance our homes, WISD has debt to finance our schools. I am pleased the district refunded the current bonds to save money. With the refunding success, hopefully the district can continue to pay principle to reduce the interest accrued.

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.

Initially I was against Proposition one of the 2010 bond election. Once I gained a true understanding of the condition of the facilities I realized the upgrades were necessary. We want to have facilities the students can be proud of and the district has a responsibility to maintain these facilities. I know this was a large investment in athletics, but to maintain a viable program you must maintain the facilities.

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.

In 2010, I supported Proposition two because this section of the bond mainly went towards security improvement for many of the campuses. Before the facility improvements were made to the school entrances, visitors were not directed to enter the office to check in as we are now. It was possible to enter each of my children’s schools without checking into the office. The painting and repairs that were included in this bond were necessary maintenance for the upkeep of our schools.

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 think the bond election is a step in the right direction. With proper allocations of funds, the district can build a state-of-the-art high school and update the resources and technology across all campuses. I do realize that this is a large bond, but when visiting the high school you soon realize we have out grown the facility. It is also a challenge for those students who have to cross the busy street, Indian Drive, to get to classes, band or athletics. The new location would give Waxahachie a high school in a safer location with safer accessibility.

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

I made the decision to teach to have more time with my family and also share my love of the sciences with my students. As a result, I made the decision to leave Mary Kay Corporation. I have excelled in teaching at the high school level. I have been named Teacher of the Year at Ennis High school and have also earned the Mirabeau B. Lamar Award for teaching excellence from the Masons. I am a hard working individual that is not afraid to ask the difficult questions and do what is best for the district. The children should be our focus. They are our future.

I truly appreciate my husband, family, Treasurer John Rodgers and all those who are supporting and helping me during this process.

For more information visit: http://tsmitheyforwisdschoolboard.weebly.com/.