Newly elected AISD board members ready to serve the community
ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) — The Abilene Independent School District has two newly elected board members: Dr. Taylor Tidmore in Place 1 and Blair Schroeder in Place 3. Both are humbled to be chosen and excited to get started.
“So growing up in Abilene and being a product of AISD schools, I recognize that there’s a long legacy of a lot of great leaders. And so I’ve got big shoes to fill. I’m looking forward to stepping up and serving in a role. It’s humbling, but our work cut out for us with AISD schools and I’m eager to be able to step in and serve alongside the other trustees,” Schroeder shared.
“I’m humbled and honored that, you know, the community came out and voted and, you know, elected me to fill this position… I think the fact that my wife and I have kids in the district and that perspective wasn’t currently being represented on the board. I think that really resonated with a lot of people in our community, as well as a lot of parents of current students. I spent a lot of time the last couple of months talking to as many people as I could: the district administrators, teachers, principals, and parents who visited campuses. I think people within the district really appreciated that and I think that was good for me. I do feel like I put forth a strong effort the last couple of months, and I felt like it thankfully paid off yesterday,” Tidmore shared.
Schroeder is looking forward to working with parents, students, and staff to create new opportunities.
“I think with the new superintendent, making sure that there’s good chemistry with the board and the direction that needs to occur. First, making sure that Dr. Kuhn has the opportunity to be able to lean into the agenda and vision that he set forth that got him hired,” Schroeder said. “While I wasn’t a part of that process, I definitely think it’s important and critical for our student’s success, as well as teachers, to feel like they’re supported in a way that they can be vital. I’m excited to be able to be the voice of a parent, the voice of somebody who has a spouse who’s part of AISD, but also somebody who has a vested interest as a community member. So a lot of opportunity ahead, we got to close that achievement gap. But our opportunity is large and so the work is gonna be significant.”
Tidmore won against incumbent Derek Hood and candidate Aileen Bunting.
“I feel very humbled and honored that the community got behind me; I have a lot of respect for Mr. Hood and his service over the last four years. We had a very cool, cordial relationship throughout this whole process. I do have a lot of respect for him and the service he’s given for the last four years. But I just felt honored and humbled that the community kind of chose me to do this going forward,” Tidmore said.
Throughout his campaign, Tidmore emphasized the importance of having a parent of a current AISD student on the board.
“I think a wide range of perspectives are needed on our board. But I think the perspective of current parents is a really important perspective to have. I think the environment our kids go to school in is much different than it was four or five years ago, pre-COVID, much less 10 years ago. I think that perspective was missing, and people recognize that, and they responded to that,” Tidmore expressed.
Schroeder took a similar approach to Tidmore, also aiming to appoint a current student’s parent to the board.
“It’s been a long time since they’ve had somebody who actually has children who are part of a part of AISD school. We’ll have a fresh voice for parents who currently have kids in the school district. So that’s an important voice. It’s not been at the table for quite some time and we’re excited to be able to play that role. I’m looking forward to working alongside Dr. Tidmoore and the other trustees to be able to achieve results for AISD kids,” Schroeder said.
Since Schroeder was unopposed in the race, he used that time to prepare for day one.
“Having run a non-traditional campaign without having an opponent, I thought it was important to be able to put myself out there to be able to provide access to parents, teachers, and the central office. I’ve tried to use the campaign time that most people would have to be able to prepare myself for day one. I’m excited about the opportunity that lies ahead. I’m clear-eyed on the objectives that we need to accomplish and work together to get there. And our work, our causes are noble, and our work is just, and I’m ready to step in and do the hard work that we need for everyone’s kids,” Schroeder expressed.
Abilene ISD appoints Dr. John Kuhn as new superintendent
Tidmoore expressed his excitement about serving on the board and said he wants to tell AISD’s story better.
“Obviously, there’s going to be a learning curve initially. As I’ve gone through this process, I’ve just learned a lot more about the district. I’m really excited about the district. I’m excited about the direction it’s headed. I think we have lots of great administrators and teachers and wonderful students,” Tidmore shared. “I think sometimes the district gets a little bit of a bad rap in our community, and I think sometimes the view that some of our community has the district is inaccurate, and so I just want to make sure we’re, we’re painting a positive, accurate view of our district. We have a really great story to tell, but I think we need to do a better job of telling that story.”
Incumbents Rodney Goodman (Place 2) and Angie Wiley (Place 7) ran unopposed and were reelected to another term.
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