Ten seek a place on the fast-growth district's board

Four at-large seats on the Leander school board, which oversees district policies, the superintendent and 42 schools, are contested in the Nov. 6 election.

Ten candidates, including two incumbents, are running for a seat on the seven-member board. Leander trustees serve three-year terms for no pay.

Those elected will grapple with growing pains, as the district continues to add more than 1,000 students annually while trying to maintain high student performance. For the first time this year, a school in the district failed to meet state academic standards.

The Leander school district encompasses 200 square miles primarily in Cedar Park, Leander and parts of northwest Austin and Travis County.

Place 1

The incumbent, Trish Bode, 44, is seeking a second term after first being elected in 2015. A northwest Austin resident, Bode is a communications director for state lobby giant Hillco Partners and has watched legislative and policy issues. She has served as vice president of the Central Texas School Board Association, on the district’s policy advisory committee and a member of the Texas Association of School Boards legislative advisory council. Bode said the district needs to efficiently expand academic and extracurricular student programs and continue reviewing existing programs to ensure they are still relevant. “I am passionate about being a voice for our community,” said Bode, who has a fifth-grade son and an 11th-grade daughter. “I want to ensure we continue pushing for community involvement, supporting our teachers, advocacy that includes collaboration with our state and cities, academic excellence and sound financial planning.”

Melissa Glaze, 39, is an attorney for the Texas Railroad Commission, working in safety and pollution prevention in the oil and gas industry. The Cedar Park resident, who has a daughter in sixth grade, said the district must make thoughtful decisions about how to use money in a way that benefits all students and must prioritize what is needed to get the best educational outcomes. “Every dollar we spend in one place is a dollar we can’t spend somewhere else. Just because we want something doesn’t mean it's the correct decision,” she said. “What sets me apart as a candidate is my willingness to engage in difficult conversations.”

Bryan Patton, 39, is a Leander resident who works in the information technology division for the Texas Education Agency. He has a doctorate in educational leadership from Stephen F. Austin State University, where he also worked as a technology specialist. Patton served on multiple higher education committees at Stephen F. Austin, including those for strategic planning and campus disaster planning. He said wants to help shape the direction of the district because decisions made in the next decade will affect his 3-year-old daughter, who will attend Leander schools in two years. If elected, he said he will focus on training, retaining and supporting quality teachers and staff, financial responsibility and using data to drive decisions. “Planning and managing a high-growth district is an extremely challenging proposition,” he said. “Positioning the district for future success while addressing current needs will be my focus.”

Place 2

Gloria Gonzales-Dholakia, 45, is the executive director of the Hanger Foundation, which helps those with physical disabilities, and is the former executive director for the Leander ISD Educational Excellence Foundation, which provides resources to the district. The Northwest Austin resident, who has a doctorate in education from the University of Texas, has three sons in the district in grades six, nine and 11. Gonzales-Dholakia has a long list of endorsements, including from retiring longtime Place 2 Trustee Don Hisle and Austin City Council Member Jimmy Flannigan. Gonzales-Dholakia said she wants to initiate and lead districtwide conversations on offering more school options, such as early college high schools and medical/health care programs. “I am involved in our schools and community because my education provided me with a gateway to a better future,” she said.

Gary Hampton, 32, is an associate in the University of Texas Historically Underutilized Business Program office. The Leander resident served for seven years in the Army and has a master’s degree in education leadership from the University of North Texas. Hampton, who does not have children in the district, said school leaders must work to engage and involve the 11 percent of district students who aren’t involved in extracurricular activities and to offer students a better financial education, including understanding how credit works, individual budgets and student loans. “I want to bring energy to the board,” he said. “I want to be that person on the board people feel comfortable talking to.”

Sharyn LaCombe, 48, of Leander, is a policy advisor for the U.S. Department of Transportation and co-owner of a chiropractic business with her husband. She said her previous work experience in city government, and working with advisory boards, city councils and county commissioners, as well as congressional committees, would be an asset to the board. She has two sons in middle school. LaCombe said she wants to ensure the district is using the most modern safety techniques and tools to improve campus safety and surveillance, while continuing to offer a welcoming environment for families. “I offer my ear to other parents who want to help inform what LISD could do to make things better,” she said.

Place 6

Incumbent Aaron Johnson, 47, has served on the board since 2011, including as the current board president. The Cedar Park resident is the vice president of sales and marketing at Relationship One, a small consulting firm. Johnson has four children: three enrolled in the district (one each in elementary, middle and high school) and a son who graduated from the district. He wants to work with the community to guide the process of offering new educational choices, specialty programs and magnets. “Our community has a wealth of resources that is growing every day and rivals the best communities in the state and in the country,” he said. “The academic growth and performance of every single student should be on par. We need to continue to improve and grow.”

Mike Fischer, 48, plans the technical direction and technologies that prepaid debit card provider Netspend will use in automating its operations. The Cedar Park resident said the district must expand training in social-emotional learning, so teachers and staff can improve in areas of cultural awareness of a diversifying student body. He also wants to enhance literacy opportunities for students during and beyond the school day. Fischer, a former teacher, also spent 13 years in the Army National Guard and volunteers with the Seedling Foundation, which provides mentors to children who have a parent who is incarcerated. Fischer has three grown sons who attended school out of state. “My time as an educator informs my decision-making in a way that sets me apart,” he said.

Place 7

Elexis Grimes, 38, is the operations and managing director for the Texas division of WEXCO International, a construction management firm. Grimes participated in the district’s financial leadership program and has served on the district’s bond advisory and oversight committees. The Cedar Park resident said her previous role as an executive director of a statewide organization, for which she oversaw a large budget and managed fundraising efforts, provides her with needed experience to make hard decisions on spending and the budget. “I will work with parents on fiscally responsible solutions to ensure the well-being of every student," said Grimes, who has a fifth-grade son and another who graduated from the district in June.

Donnie Mahan, 43, is a director of business operations at Visa and leads project managers in supporting technology for company employees. Mahan, a former officer in the Army, has served on Leander’s districtwide educational improvement council and in the Watch D.O.G.S. program. The Leander resident said his focus will be on ensuring teachers have all the tools they need to be successful. He said the district must improve and quicken its communication to the community and campuses. Mahan has a daughter in eighth grade, a daughter in sixth grade and a son in third grade. “As a first-generation college graduate, I know firsthand some of the challenges our families are facing,” he said.

Informing voters

Early voting for Nov. 6 elections starts Oct. 22. For comprehensive expert reporting on local politics and the upcoming November elections, visit statesman.com/news/elections.