For the first time in five years, there will be a shake up in the make up of the Tomball Independent School District Board of Trustees.

The District will hold its first contested election since 2005 on Nov. 2, which is guaranteed to result in two new members on the seven-member panel.

One of those new members will be Kathy Handler, who is running uncontested for the Position 1 spot vacated by Kathy Hanson.

Also running unopposed is current Position 4 trustee Mark Lewandowski and Position 3 incumbent John McStravick.

The lone contested race this year is for Position 2, where David Zuhlke, Michael Pratt and William Harris are battling for their first elected office.

Last week, the three candidates answered questions from the Tribune via e-mail response. The following were their responses:

Why did you decide to seek election?

Harris (WH, at left): “Ever since I can remember I have had very strong interest in our government and being involved in the community. I have voted in every election since turning 18, and since moving to Tomball I have attended countless council and board meetings, workshops and supported many candidates running for office. I decided that since no one has stepped up to run for the school board in five years that it was time for me to take the next step to run for the opportunity to serve our school district.”

Pratt (MP): “My interest in this role is genuine. I have lived in Tomball ISD for over 10 years. I have been married 16 years and have two children in the Tomball ISD schools today. I want the District to maintain and continuously improve for all Tomball children to ultimately be successful in life. Our children are the future and I am passionate about being their community advocate.”

Zuhlke (DZ): “I felt the school board election was the next logical step in my family’s involvement with the school district and the Tomball community.  I have been involved with volunteer positions in all levels of Tomball schools, as well as coaching various sports in the community. My daughter is currently a freshman at THS but will move to the new TMHS next year when it opens. Her excitement was part of my motivation for the election as the school board will be entering a new era of two high schools and will be facing new issues and opportunities.”

What do you see as important issues in the coming years?

DZ (at left): “School financing and growth in the district are the key issues I see facing the district. The current board and administration has done an excellent job on both fronts.  As the legislature begins a regular session in 2011, school financing will be a key item to be addressed. TISD should continue to be a proactive planning district instead of a reactive district. Providing adequate facilities at the appropriate time is the key to student development.”

WH: “We need to continue preparing for future growth as our school district continues to grow at a tremendous rate. We need to not only focus on the fundamentals of education, but also ensure that our graduates are fully prepared for the technological advancements in the modern day work place.”

MP: “I want to see TISD move from ‘Recognized’ to ‘Exemplary’ and in order to achieve this goal, we need to focus on continuous improvement in curriculum, instruction and assessment. When compared to other districts, we need to have a greater use of technology to create a more robust learning environment. I will advocate that we need to continue to be great financial stewards and that we need to focus on continuously controlled spending.”

With the recent suicide of Asher Brown, the subject of bullying has been a pressing concern with parents. How do you think bullying should be handled?

MP (at left): “Bullying and cyber-bullying are problems that we can no longer afford to overlook. We need to prevent bullying before it starts. I will advocate that we have standard operating procedures and policy in place so that all know what bullying is and what to do about stopping it. We need to make sure that we have a published policy readily available at each campus and district administrative office. I will promote an environment of trust along with the right reporting procedures, timely reporting, investigation and protection of the student.”

DZ: “The suicide of Asher Brown is a tragic story. Bullying should be handled at the grassroots level, with the teachers and administration in schools and parents at home.  Teachers should take all reports of bullying seriously and investigate appropriately.  I believe there should be behavioral training for all district employees (administration, faculty, staff, bus drivers, etc.) who have regular interaction with students. At home, parents should talk to their children to stay involved in their school and social life. As parents, we have the responsibility to protect and guide our children. Prevention of bullying is the responsibility of all involved.”

WH: “Every child should feel safe at school. I feel that we need to be more proactive in preventing this and all negative distractions from the educational environment. When a child or parent reports such actions are occurring it needs to be fully investigated each time, and all parties involved need to ensure proper communication so that such reports do not fall on deaf ears.”

With a possible tax increase in what is still a struggling economy, how does the district continue to be financially conservative?

WH: “As a conservative I will use a common sense approach to ensure that we are good stewards of the resources that we already have. I will strive to make sure that the taxpayers’ money is used wisely in the most efficient way, by working together with not only the District Chief Financial Officer, Mr. (Jim) Ross, but with the administration as well.”

MP: “We must be great financial stewards of the taxpayers’ dollars. We need to manage the growth and at the same time find ways to control spending. I want to challenge the status quo and I will advocate creating more efficient operations in an effort to free up non-instructional dollars into instructional dollars. If necessary, I will advocate postponing or cutting items that do not hurt the structure. We need to foster the approach of controlled spending and doing more with less spent.”

DZ:  “The district’s financial planning effort has it on very stable ground for the coming years. The administration has already earmarked available funding for future projects to offset those expenditures. An example would be expenses over the next two to three years as TMHS opens for students and requires equipment, books, etc. The school board and administration has accounted for these expenditures and will use earmarked funding for these items. Continuing of these financially conservative planning visions will allow the district to provide resources to the students and teachers without requiring a tax increase to property owners.”

This year marks the first year in which a Tomball ISD election will be held in Montgomery County, as well as Harris County.

For more information about this year’s election, including polling locations and sample ballots, visit harrisvotes.org or www.co.montgomery.tx.us/election/.

To read the complete interview with all three candidates, visit tribunenews.com.

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