Our recommendation as Northwest school trustee, conservative challenger face off | Opinion
There are two candidates for school board Place 6 in Northwest ISD, incumbent Lillian Rauch and challenger Jon Pendergrass. Rauch has held the spot for nearly three terms and is the better choice for another.
Rauch, who turns 74 before Election Day, is a retired educator who lives in Trophy Club. She holds a doctorate in reading education and comes to the position with extensive experience in the educational needs of students. Rauch is articulate, genuine and thoughtful about what the district needs to thrive, especially as it continues to grow.
She seems aware of education gaps kids face due to COVID-related learning loss. She advocates for transparency between the school system and parents and believes that parents should be able to review the curriculum their children are using.
Pendergrass, 44, of Northlake did not respond to our request for an interview. He’s aligned with Northwest Family First, a political group aiming to elect social conservatives to school boards and stir controversy over gender, race and library books. But these don’t seem to be rampant problems in the district.
Northwest ISD covers Roanoke to New Fairview and is one of the fastest-growing school districts in Fort Worth and its surrounding counties. . In this upcoming election, voters will be asked to approve more than $4.9 billion in bonds for schools and amenities in Northwest and other area school districts.
School board members are elected to a three-year term. Members are elected at-large and represent the entire district. Early voting starts April 24 and ends May 2. Election day is May 6.
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.
This story was originally published April 16, 2023 at 5:29 AM.