Struggling schools, board stability key issues in Fort Worth District 9 race

Struggling schools and the role of trustees in the operations of the Fort Worth district are among issues voters in District 9 will consider May 6 in the race between Ashley Paz and Pilar Candia.

The District 9 race is one of four Fort Worth school board contests in the election.

The district stretches from the Near Southside through downtown Fort Worth and winds its way north through the Riverside neighborhood into parts of the Diamond Hill pyramid. The district includes Carter-Riverside and Trimble Tech high schools.

Paz, 34, is a marketing consultant elected to the District 9 seat in 2013 when she stepped into politics because of struggling schools and a board she said was unresponsive to parent concerns. She said helping hire superintendent Kent Scribner was the most notable task of her tenure.

“His addition to our school district has been a turning point for Fort Worth ISD,” she said.

Paz, a mother of two, is the board’s vice president and has been endorsed by the United Educators Association, which represents teachers and school employees.

Candia, 32, the district director for Fort Worth City Councilman Sal Espino, said she stepped into school politics because she is concerned about lack of parent engagement and “the decline of neighborhood schools, particularly in District 9.”

“One of the big questions in this election, for me, is ‘Are we giving up on our neighborhood schools?’ ” said Candia, who was endorsed by the Greater Fort Worth Association of Realtors.

A mother of three who became active in schools through the PTA and mentoring, Candia said she removed her daughter from the Fort Worth school district because of bullying. Now, she wants a hand at strengthening neighborhood schools and helping students graduate career-ready.

Struggling schools

District 9 includes several campuses that have had academic difficulties — Daggett Elementary, Daggett Middle, DeZavala Elementary and Riverside Middle. The four campuses are listed by the state as “Improvement Required.”

Paz said data-informed decisions coupled with board stability are important for improving schools. She said too many urban school systems, including Fort Worth, don’t keep superintendents at the helm long enough because of “board issues,” which impact students.

“How does a school district succeed when you can’t even keep a superintendent for two full years?” Paz said, adding that school districts with high-performing schools have stable boards and superintendents with long tenures.

Candia said she is worried that neighborhood schools struggle with success because the parents are not engaged. She said better communication with parents is needed, including outreach to Spanish-speaking parents.

“We need to bring our community to help these schools. We need to bring the private sector,” Candia said.

Candia said schools need more classroom resources. At struggling schools, re-evaluation of principals and teachers might be in order, she said.

“We have a challenge right now when it comes to resources to our classrooms … our state is not giving us a lot of resources, but it is a matter of re-evaluating how we are spending our money in the district. I believe we are focusing a lot on high-paid administrative jobs and less [on] resources in our classrooms,” Candia said.

The role of trustees

The two candidates differ on trustees’ involvement in operations.

Paz said trustees shouldn’t micromanage. Policies guide different situations and conflicts that arise in district operations, she said. Paz said trustees set goals and give the superintendent tools to prepare more students for college or a career.

She said that for too long trustees have pushed “sacred cows of principals and programs” that can’t be touched by the superintendent.

Paz said she initially ran to change the school board’s focus: “They were focused on contracts and politics,” she said.

Candia said while she understands concerns about micromanagement by trustees, school board members have to step into some situations. Candia is critical of the fact that Paz didn’t step in when an internal controversy arose over a credit recovery program at Carter-Riverside.

“She has not been responsive,” Candia said, adding that she suggested meeting with the principal in that case.

“As trustees, we need to go beyond,” Candia said. “We need to represent our students. It’s about the children.”

Supporting the LGBT community

The May 6 election is first board election contest since the district made national news when it set up guidelines aimed at protecting transgender students.

The transgender guidelines were widely interpreted as allowing students to use bathrooms that corresponded with their gender identity. Some described the controversy as “bathroom politics.” Critics also worried that parental rights were being diminished. A revised set of guidelines was introduced, addressing protections for all students, and the controversy ended.

Both candidates said at a forum sponsored by Tarrant County Stonewall Democrats that they support protecting the rights of LGBTQ students. Both were among three school board candidates who answered the group’s questionnaire.

Paz said she stood up for LGBTQ students when the issue became politicized and supported the superintendent when Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called for his resignation.

“I think as difficult as that entire situation was, and as much of a distraction that it was, it was testament to the leadership that he has brought to Fort Worth ISD.”

Candia, an honorary board member of LGBTQ S.A.V.E.S. who has participated in committees to revise the guidelines, also said the issue, intended to address student safety, was politicized.

The controversy singled out young transgender students, she said: “Now, they were being attacked. Now, they were in the spotlight.”

This report includes material from the Star-Telegram archives.

This story was originally published April 17, 2017 at 3:35 PM with the headline "Struggling schools, board stability key issues in Fort Worth District 9 race."