Booming Northwest ISD needs steady leadership. Here’s our recommendation for Place 5 | Opinion
Three candidates are running for school board for Place 5 in the Northwest ISD. We think the incumbent seeking a third term, Steve Sprowls, is the best choice for this spot.
This district is booming, and Sprowls, 52, a resident of the Saratoga subdivision of Fort Worth, has a good handle on what’s been done and what still needs work to facilitate that growth. The district is asking voters to approve $2 billion in bonds to build a dozen schools and three new stadiums. Funds for technology for teachers and students are also included in the bonds.
Sprowls, currently the board’s vice president and professionally a pilot for Southwest Airlines, has a passion for expanding career and technical education classes, a good strategy for kids and the workforce, which needs trained blue-collar professionals.
On the increasingly common topic of school safety, Sprowls supported having a school resource officer, or SRO, at elementary schools more often.
In our interview, Sprowls proved to be measured, thoughtful, and kind toward opponent Amanda Smith, 31, a certified ophthalmic technician. Smith, a resident of the Riverside Place area of Fort Worth, is energetic and passionate about the district, which is a good thing, but she can’t match Sprowls’ experience. On school safety, she noted that she doesn’t support teachers having firearms in the classroom.
Both candidates expressed a sincere desire to keep extreme politics out of school board discussions. That’s relevant not only from controversies in nearby districts that have sparked national headlines but also because a political committee is funding three staunch conservative challengers in NISD races. The candidate in this race, Jennifer Stephens, did not respond to our requests for an interview.
Northwest ISD covers Roanoke all the way to New Fairview and is one of the fastest growing districts in Fort Worth and its surrounding counties. School board members are elected to a three-year term of office, on a 2-2-3 rotating basis. Members are elected at-large and represent the entire district.
Early voting starts April 24 and ends May 2. Election day is May 6. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes, a runoff between the top two finishers will follow.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHey, who is behind these endorsements?
Members of the Editorial Board, which serves as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s institutional voice, decide candidates and positions to recommend to voters. The members of the board are: Cynthia M. Allen, columnist; Steve Coffman, editor and president; Bud Kennedy, columnist; Ryan J. Rusak, opinion editor; and Nicole Russell, opinion writer.
Members of our Community Advisory Board may also participate in candidate interviews and offer their views, but they do not vote on which candidate to recommend.
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How does the process work?
The Editorial Board interviews candidates, asking about positions on issues, experience and qualifications, and how they would approach holding the office for which they are running. Board members do additional research on candidates’ backgrounds and the issues at hand. After that, members discuss the candidates and generally aim to arrive at a consensus, though not necessarily unanimity. All members contribute observations and ideas, so the resulting editorials represent the board’s view, not a particular writer.
How do partisanship and ideology factor in?
We’re not tied to one party or the other, and our positions on issues range across the ideological spectrum. We tend to prefer candidates who align with our previously stated positions, but qualifications, temperament and experience are important, too.