Arlington school district Place 1 candidates in May 1 election
Sarah McMurrough
Age: 36
Occupation: Districtwide Literacy Coach
Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education, Texas State University-San Marcos
Have you run for elected office before?
No
Please list highlights of your civic involvement:
Delta Kappa Gamma International Society of Key Women Educators (former Theta Alpha chapter secretary and Member of the Year), Sunday school teacher at Westminster Presbyterian Church, AISD Operation Graduation volunteer, former board member of the First Presbyterian Church Preschool, Founder of “Little Ladies,” a social/emotional development student organization for 4th-6th grade girls at Little Elementary
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding?
No
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding?
No
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
Arlington Board of Realtors (ARBOR), Tom & Diane Cravens, Derrick Kinney
Why are you seeking this office?
As an Arlington native, current educator, and mother of an AISD student, I have a genuine, vested interest in advocating for the children and teachers of our community and strengthening the integrity of our Arlington public schools. Our board of trustees needs a current K-12 educator as part of the leadership team, and I am a districtwide literacy coach in a premiere neighboring district. I will bring critical insight and innovation straight from the classrooms into to our school board’s discussions and decisions so we can authentically improve student learning during and after the pandemic, strengthen the connection between home and school, and retain our top notch personnel so we can truly offer our students the best quality of education.
What are the biggest challenges facing your district?
Our classroom teachers have found themselves with less instructional time and more unnecessary burdens getting in the way of focusing their time and energy on teaching the students they serve. Down to the pre-kindergarten level, they have been charged with teaching both virtual and in-person students simultaneously, and this has proven to be a highly stressful and unsuccessful learning model for the vast majority of our teachers and students. There is also a growing disconnect between home and school at many campuses throughout Arlington, and our students’ course failure rate is higher than ever. Although these problems originally stemmed from the pandemic, I have solutions that I want to immediately implement so our students don’t have to compromise any more learning or positive childhood experiences related to school. If elected, I will also help prevent any learning models being voted on that would lead to learning loss. We can and must do better.
What would your top 3 policy priorities be?
I want to revise our current learning model so that teachers can devote their time to teaching in-person learners or virtual learners (not both populations at the same time), strengthen family engagement in each of our schools, and increase our students’ instructional time by limiting the number of district-mandated standardized tests and required meetings in which teachers are pulled out of their classrooms during class time.
Why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?
Teaching has changed drastically just in the past few years, and I am a currently serving, award-winning educator who is immersed in classrooms each day. I serve on a districtwide level, and I am constantly in touch with what our teachers, administrators, staff, and students are facing. As a literacy coach, I also understand the inner workings of a Curriculum & Instruction Department, and this would bring much needed insight to our school board and superintendent. I am ready to serve with knowledge, energy, integrity, and a listening ear. I will lead a positive change in directly enhancing the quality of our classroom instruction so we can prepare 100% of our students for college and career readiness. I am a proud product of AISD schools, and I will ensure that we are graduating students who can say the same.
What are the biggest challenges facing your school district overall and the specific schools you seek to represent?
Throughout the district, classroom teachers have found themselves with less instructional time and more unnecessary burdens getting in the way of focusing their time and energy on teaching the students they serve. There is also a growing disconnect between home and school at many campuses throughout Arlington. As an AISD parent, PTA member, and former Family Engagement Representative, I am ready to work as a team with our AISD personnel and community members to actively bridge those gaps.
If you have children, do/did they attend school in the district? If not, why not?
Yes
What’s the best way to help students recover from learning lost to the pandemic?
We must consider the whole child and ensure that we are building relationships and creating a safe, inspiring school environment for each and every student. It is also critical that our Curriculum & Instruction Department is thoughtful and organized in embedding the TEKS standards (learning standards for each grade level) into the grade level curriculum pacing for the following school year to help our teachers bridge academic gaps. (For example, 3rd grade standards from March-June of 2020 should be woven into 4th grade’s curriculum documents when it is most appropriate so we can target gaps and address previously missed content.) Our teachers are highly skilled at differentiating their instruction to meet the needs of all learners, and we as a district need to provide them the necessary curriculum pacing guides and instructional resources to do so.
As the pandemic wanes, how should Fort Worth schools use virtual instruction, if at all?
All students deserve their teacher’s full attention. If the state allows school districts to offer virtual learning for the 2021-2022 school year, I would be strongly opposed to our teachers continuing to teach both virtual and in-person students simultaneously as they are now. Although technology is a valuable tool, our in-person students are on tech devices for far too long throughout the instructional day, and our teachers are essentially doing two full time jobs in balancing both populations of students. As a parent, it is highly important to me that my child attends school in person. This benefits him academically, socially, and emotionally.
Should the district attempt to significantly raise teacher pay? If so, how much, and how would you pay for it?
We must offer competitive pay so we can attract and retain top notch teachers and staff. In turn, this benefits the children we serve. I support offering our teachers a pay raise of at least 2% for the coming year and do all we can to improve their benefits. I would also advocate for giving our paraprofessionals a pay raise because the work they do for our children is incredible and invaluable.
School district taxes are the biggest driver of homeowners’ property taxes. Should the district try to reduce taxes and if so, what would you cut?
I am fiscally conservative. I would be steadfast in ensuring our taxes are not raised, especially after the approval of the 2019 bond package.
How would you rate the performance of the superintendent and his leadership team? What changes would you like to see him make?
I respect Dr. Cavazos. I believe he has been a strong and diplomatic leader, especially under the unforeseen circumstances we’ve seen this past school year. I would like to see our school board and superintendent devote more attention and urgency to directly supporting our teachers and overseeing our Curriculum & Instruction Department, and I am the key piece to that missing part of the puzzle.
What problems do you see with the district’s communication with parents and the community, and/or with its transparency of operations? What would you do to improve that?
The reality is that family engagement differs from campus to campus, and I want to strengthen the home and school connection at all of our schools for the sake of our students. There is a direct correlation between parental involvement and student achievement, and we as a school district have the power to fill our parents’ capacity in supporting their child’s education. I would love to work closely with our PACE (Parent and Community Engagement) Department to bridge the gaps between home and school, especially after a year of parents not being allowed into the brick and mortar school buildings. Maintaining transparency of operations to our families and community members is also critical. I would ensure that this is a common practice as a trustee.
Polly Walton
Age: 71
Occupation: Retired school teacher/librarian
Education: B.A. and M.Ed. – Southern Methodist University: Library Science - Texas Women’s University; Associate’s – Kilgore Junior College
Have you run for elected office before?
Yes. I first ran and was elected to the Arlington ISD Board of Trustees, Place 1 in 2015, and was re-elected to this same office in 2018.
Please list highlights of your civic involvement:
Currently on the Board of Friends and Foundation of Arlington Public Library
Currently Communications Chair for the Windemere Homeowners Association
Currently nominated for Treasurer of Arlington Woman’s Club Creative Living Department
Past president of United Educators Association
Held numerous offices in the Arlington Council of PTAs
Past president of the Wimbish PTA
Past president of the Creative Arts Theatre and School (CATS)
Past chairman of the City of Arlington Arts Grant Review Board
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding?
No
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding?
No
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
Steven Poole, Stuart Rose, and Dick Powell
Why are you seeking this office?
I am running for re-election because we are in the middle of a crisis. For months our team of seven trustees and the superintendent have been moving quickly to continually address totally unforeseen challenges. If COVID continues to diminish, we can begin the process of helping students recover from over a year of trauma and disruptions. This is going to require just as much, if not more, focus, team work, and good decision making.
Our students, teachers, and staff are facing many new challenges as we recover from the pandemic. My experiences as a teacher and trustee will continue to prove advantageous to our board’s future deliberations and decisions.
There is much to be done, and this is not the time to change leadership.
What are the biggest challenges facing your district?
Securing appropriate funding for our public schools from the Texas Legislature
Recruiting and retaining the best and brightest teachers for our students
Helping students and staff recover from trauma experienced from the COVID Pandemic
Designing successful programs to help students recover academically from COVID Slide
What would your top 3 policy priorities be?
Equity policies
Virtual Learning policies
Health & Well-being policies
Why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?
My Experience:
I have over 40 years of experience with the AISD as a teacher, a parent, a grandparent, and for the past six years as a member of the AISD Board of Trustees.
As the incumbent for Place 1, I have acquired detailed knowledge of the issues and challenges facing our district. I work well with my fellow trustees and with Superintendent Dr. Marcelo Cavazos. I know how the system works and how to get things done.
My Leadership Skills:
In 1992 Larry Shaw, Judy Luttrell, and I started the United Educators Association (UEA), an advocate organization for teachers. Today, UEA continues as a strong organization of 26,000 members in our area. When I returned to teaching, I served as a UEA officer working for educators for 12 years, including as president of Arlington UEA for two years. I attended and spoke before the AISD School Board many times, addressing needs of employees, including better salaries.
This is not the time to change leadership.
What are the biggest challenges facing your school district overall and the specific schools you seek to represent?
As Place 1 represents the entire Arlington ISD, the biggest challenges are the same.
Securing appropriate funding for our public schools from the Texas Legislature
Recruiting and retaining the best and brightest teachers for our students
Helping students and staff recover from trauma experienced from the COVID Pandemic
Designing successful programs to help students recover academically from COVID Slide
If you have children, do/did they attend school in the district?
Yes, my daughter and son both attended AISD schools and graduated from Lamar High School. I now have grandchildren attending AISD elementary schools.
What’s the best way to help students recover from learning lost to the pandemic?
First we must address their primary needs, including working through personal trauma caused by the COVID Pandemic with counselors to help them. When their primary needs are met, then schools can begin helping students close academic gaps.
AISD will start this recovery for elementary students by offering them counseling and a robust summer school program that will include arts and physical activities as well as classes for reading and math. Summer school classes in math and language arts will also be available for older students. Grade recovery programs to recover credits needed to graduate will also be offered to get students who are behind, back on track to graduate with their class.
As the pandemic wanes, how should Fort Worth schools use virtual instruction, if at all?
Arlington ISD is exploring using limited virtual instruction in the future with strict guidelines for students. This limited virtual instruction would be very different from the concurrent instructional model being used now, which blends in person and virtual learning.
However, the district’s plans are on hold until decisions are made at the state level.
The Texas Education Agency is waiting on the Texas Legislature to act on this matter. The big question still to be answered is will the state provide funding to school districts for students using limited virtual instruction, or will the district be required to entirely fund any virtual learning. The state’s decision and its financial impact on our district will influence how we are able to move forward.
Should the district attempt to significantly raise teacher pay? If so, how much, and how would you pay for it?
Yes. I am committed to keeping all salaries and wages highly competitive with our neighboring districts. Arlington ISD must do this to attract and retain the best teachers for our students. The VATRE approved by Arlington voters last November raised the amount of money going into our Maintenance and Operations fund for salaries. Many other nearby districts have also approved VATREs. This increase in our funding makes it possible for Arlington schools to continue paying highly competitive salaries.
School district taxes are the biggest driver of homeowners’ property taxes. Should the district try to reduce taxes and if so, what would you cut?
At this time, I see no reason to cut taxes further. The Arlington ISD has cut taxes on the Interest and Sinking portion of the budget in past years. Each year, the district works to maintain a very tight budget. However, salaries are 88% of our budget and I am committed to maintaining highly competitive salaries.
Before considering reducing property taxes, I would need a report from our district’s Chief Financial Officer on the necessity of tax cuts, and where cuts would be possible without harming the safety and education of our students.
How would you rate the performance of the superintendent and his leadership team? What changes would you like to see him make?
AISD Superintendent Dr. Marcelo Cavazos and his leadership team are doing a stellar job. They have worked tirelessly throughout the COVID Pandemic to keep our students, staff, and community safe. They have also made sure our students were fed, buildings equipped with filtration systems, implemented new COVID protocols, and supplied students and teachers with technology devices. Close communications with the Arlington Emergency Management Team and the medical professionals at the Tarrant County Department of Health by Superintendent Cavazos and his leadership team were critical to making good decisions during the crisis. They have listened and worked with our community every step of the way. Considering their excellent performance and the times we are in, there is no reason to make any changes in leadership.
What problems do you see with the district’s communication with parents and the community, and/or with its transparency of operations? What would you do to improve that?
The performance of the AISD Communications Team directed by Anita Foster during the year of the COVID Crisis has been amazing. This team has done a stellar job of anticipating what parents wanted to know and delivering this needed information rapidly via emails, calls, texts, and/or videos. If the performance of the Communications Team could be improved, I am sure they will be working on the improvements before any of the rest of us see the problem.
