Quick Recap of RISD Candidate Forum

The LWV of Richardson hosted a forum for the candidates for Richardson ISD school board Monday evening at the RISD Administration Building. All four candidates participated. For District 3, Bonnie Abadie and Debbie Renteria. For Place 6, Blake Sawyer and Eric Eager. Former Richardson mayor Steve Mitchell moderated. Nine questions were asked. Here's a quick recap.

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1. Asked to name RISD's greatest strength and challenge, Abadie said our graduation rate and our budget. Renteria said our community and funding. Sawyer said our people and funding. Eager said our community and funding.

2. Asked whether they would support closing schools to balance the budget or open enrollment to inter-district transfers to fill schools, Eager said every expense is being considered, but the last thing he wants to do is close schools. Sawyer said he's open to inter-district transfers but would want to evaluate that first. As for cuts, he said he "doesn't hold a lot of sacred cows." Renteria said one of the last things she would want to do is close schools. Abadie mentioned the "900" employees that the district added from 2017-2021 as a place to cut. (In the Vote411.org written questionnaire, Abadie said it was "600" additional employees.)

3. Asked how they have demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion in your life, Abadie said her martial arts business has enrolled students of every nationality and special needs students. Renteria said she served on RISD's original Racial Equity Committee and was the co-founder of a parent group to help non-English-speaking parents navigate the high school experience. Sawyer said he fostered in his own home eight children from all nationalities. Eager said he purposely enrolled his own children in RISD schools to make sure they were exposed to and learned that every person has value.

4. Asked their opinion of arming teachers in the classroom, all four said it is a bad idea.

5. Asked their definition of Critical Race Theory and how it has manifested itself in RISD curriculum, Abadie didn't define it. She said she's been told it isn't in the schools, "but then I see evidence." Renteria said CRT is a graduate level law theory class that we do not teach in the K-12 curriculum in RISD. Eager agreed that it's a graduate level theory that is not taught in RISD. Sawyer said CRT is the belief that there are inequities caused by systems or structures within our society that create inequities. He then told an anecdote about a video shown to a club during Black History Month in which a person said it wasn't until he went to college and had a Black professor that he knew what history was. Sawyer said he didn't think that had a place in our schools.

6. Asked about cell phone usage in class, all four candidates said cell phone use is distracting and usage in classrooms should be strictly controlled.

7. Asked if they support RISD's continued participation in the Texas Association of School Boards, Abadie described TASB as a lobbying organization and said that RISD should not be supporting it. Renteria said she has been appreciative of the training and resources they provide for local school boards. Sawyer said he wasn't aware withdrawal was an option, but it might be worth looking at. Eager said TASB facilitates training and sharing of best practices and their advocacy for education is not a bad thing.

8. Asked what the most important initiative they'd want to pursue, Eager named implementing the graduate profile defined last year. Sawyer named implementing the strategic plan for the next five years. Renteria agreed with Eager in that preparing students for everything that they need upon graduation, whether they go into a trade or into a community college or a four year university. Abadie wants to add a compacted curriculum for gifted and talented students, perhaps through a gifted and talented magnet school.

9. Asked their opinion on school vouchers, all four candidates opposed vounchers. (Abadie, when she ran in 2014, was asked a yes/no question about whether she supported vounchers. At that time, she answered yes.)

And with that, the ninety minutes allotted to the forum were up. The audience was encouraged to go to Vote111.org to see an additional 22 written questions and answers.