065: Meet the Candidates for RISD School Board

(TIMECODE LINKS INCLUDED) The candidates running for RISD School Board were all sent the following 13 questions in advance and invited to "The Bunker" to answer them, without any time constraints. Meet the candidates who have invested years to make RISD school's the best they can be and learn about one who appears to be running for all the wrong reasons!
INTRODUCTIONS
The "stealth candidate" (0:52)
Show Format (1:19)
Dr. Courtney Gober (3:24)
Amy Hilton (6:46)
QUESTIONS
(9:30) 1. Why are you running for the RISD School Board? (Hilton 9:38 Gober 10:52)
(11:56) 2. What do you see as the school board’s primary role and responsibility? (Gober 12:02 Hilton 12:38)
(13:40) 3. As a school board member, who do you see as your primary constituent, and how do you intend to make sure that you are listening to their concerns? (Parents, Faculty, Administrators, Taxpayers…?) (Hilton 13:52 Gober 16:02)
(16:25) 4. How often do you attend RISD School Board meetings and do you feel that the Board does a good job of representing constituents? (Gober 16:33 Hilton 18:57)
(21:30) 5. In your view, what are the best attributes of Rockwall schools? (Hilton 21:36 Gober 22:45)
(23:45) 6. What do you see as the biggest challenges facing RISD? (Gober 23:52 Hilton 28:54)
(32:25) 7. One of the principal duties of the School Board is to evaluate the performance of the superintendent and hold him accountable. How will you go about doing that? (Hilton 32:38 Gober 33:27)
(35:34) 8. Is there a specific issue or set of issues on which you wish to focus if elected? (Gober 35:42 Hilton 41:20)
(42:09) 9. Obviously the COVID pandemic has had a dramatic and ongoing impact on education. From your perspective, what has been both the downside and upside of this crisis to education, and what do you believe is the biggest long-term impact on Rockwall schools? (Hilton 42:29 Gober 47:17)
(52:17) 10. RISD has instituted a hybrid model of learning where high school students with last names A-K attend school in person while those with last names L-Z attend remotely and then swap according to a posted schedule. There are also days when all students attend remotely. Do you think the hybrid model is here to stay and if so, what modifications can be made to improve it? If not, will classroom learning go back to the way it was before? (Gober 52:52 Hilton 55:47)
(1:02:11) 11. Neighboring Garland Independent School District allows parents to choose which school their child attends. How would you feel about giving that right to RISD parents? (Hilton 1:02:27 Gober 1:05:19)
(1:06:47) 12. Delegates to the Rockwall County Republican Convention unanimously adopted a platform plank, opposing gun-free zones, specifically the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990, which prohibits law-abiding citizens from carrying guns on public school property. This platform position is expected to be adopted by delegates of the Texas Republican Party and is now part of the Republican National Platform. If Republicans are successful in repealing the Act, would you support the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens to lawfully carry a firearm on public school property? Why or why not? (Gober 1:07:26 Hilton 1:11:30)
(1:12:30) 13. RISD posts nine outcomes that they hold as a goal for every graduate. If you were forced to choose just one (AND ONLY ONE) outcome from the list that best reflects your hope that every student might take away, which would it be and why? (Hilton 1:12:53 Gober 1:13:40)
• All students will be college and/or career ready.
• All students will demonstrate resilience to navigate adversity and educational challenges.
• All students will think critically to problem-solve independently.
• All students will possess strong ethical, emotional, and social intelligence.
• All students will apply creativity and innovation in a variety of learning opportunities.
• All students will create and engage in a personalized learning plan.
• All students will demonstrate the use of soft skills to effectively collaborate and communicate.
• All students will utilize a variety of media resources to demonstrate mastery of the curriculum.
• All students will experience the fulfillment of community service.
CANDIDATES ADDRESS VOTING VIEWERS
Dr. Courtney Gober (1:15:39)
Amy Hilton (1:19:58)
CLOSING REMARKS (1:20:53)