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BASTROP — School board candidates were among the first in Bastrop County to effectively answer why voters should choose them instead of the person to their side.
Incumbent Billy Moore and challenger Joseph B. Thompson gave their opinions on topics relevant to Bastrop Independent School District in a candidate forum last Tuesday, April 11. The two residents are vying for Place 3 on the school board. Video of the forum is at the bottom of this article.
“It's an exciting time to be a part of Bastrop County and with its growth, and you can see it everywhere. There's new rooftops through subdivisions. There's jobs through companies like SpaceX, The Boring Company and TCS Mechanical,” said Becki Womble, Bastrop Chamber of Commerce president and CEO. “That means thousands – I said thousands – of new children living in the area in a school district covering almost 437 square miles. With this inevitable growth that's upon us, we need visionary leaders, and they need to have energetic leadership.”
Candidates for Place 4 on the Bastrop ISD were also scheduled to answer questions last week. Due to a family emergency, Priscilla Ruiz was unable to attend the forum. Greg Mueller was allowed to say his opening statement.
Moore and Thompson answered questions on a variety of topics, including academic performance, achievement gaps, sex and gender discussions in school, the 2023 bond packages, school finance and more.
Residents submitted questions as well. One concerned parent asked how to stop and reverse the decline of student performance based on some below average ratings and reports at BISD.
“We have to look at where we are academically and increase our resources to help these students. I've seen the reviews. I've studied the reviews and you know as a lifelong Bastropien, you know it's embarrassing. … We have to increase the trust in the community and that part of that is being accessible to the community as a board member, being out there seeing what's going on,” said Thompson. “I've talked to several teachers who one of their things was training. They need more training, so let's get them training. You know, just whatever they need to increase our academic performance, we have to give it to them. We have to support them.”
Moore credited Associate Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Matt Warford for pulling together teachers to investigate needs, current resources and strengths, and the best way forward. He also touched current initiatives such as tutoring, focus programs on math and literacy shortcomings, wellness checks and liaisons to children in homeless situations.
“The district is moving in the right direction. If you look at the performance of this last year's STAAR test compared to the pre-COVID 2019 test, the numbers are up,” said Moore. “They're not where we want to be. They will be when we want to be when everything's 100%, and that's what we strive for.”
The candidate forum was hosted by Bastrop Votes, a chamber initiative that focuses on Bastrop and Bastrop County races. To date, more than 20 forums have been conducted in-person and through livestream.
A candidate forum for the Bastrop City Council was Tuesday, April 18. Lyle Nelson, Elizabeth Northcutt, Dock Jackson and Deborah Jones signed up to run for mayor. Councilmember Kevin Plunkett is seeking re-election for Place 3 against challenger Carrie Caylor. Candidates in a special election to fulfill the unexpired term for Place 2 includes Cynthia Sanders Meyer, Christine Long and Gary Moss.
“The purpose is pure and simple. We want to actively register voters to vote. We have a website with Fair impartial and insightful information about candidates seeking elected office, and we conduct candidate forums like this so that you can see and hear the candidates themselves before Election Day on Saturday, May 6.”
For full forum videos and more information, visit https://bastropvotes.com.
