Cameron Wiley files for re-election for Place 7 on Wylie ISD school board

Voters will have the opportunity to elect Abilene-area citizens to represent them in seats across the county at the spring 2024 election. On the Wylie ISD school board, two seats are open for election.

Cameron Wiley, incumbent for Place 7 on the board, filed for re-election for the three-year term position.

A career in military and plans after retirement

Wiley, a born-and-raised Arlington native, graduated from Kennedale High School in 2004. After graduating, he joined the Air Force and has had an extensive career serving in Texas, Las Vegas and Europe. He and his family have lived in Abilene for the past eight years.

The candidate shared his journey in obtaining higher education took longer than expected, especially while still being active duty with a wife and children.

“I kind of joke, but it did take me like 19 to 20 years to graduate from college, but I did finally get my degree,” he said.

He will be retiring from the military in March 2024, but will not be leaving base yet. Wiley shared he will start an internship with the public affairs office at Dyess Air Force Base in conjunction with starting his online master’s degree program with Texas A&M University.

The spouse of a Wylie ISD educator and father of two Wylie ISD students, a senior and a fourth-grader, joked that while he is working toward his master’s degree, his daughter will be attending Texas A&M in the fall of 2024.

“It’s a funny dynamic there, and I’m trying not too hard to get in my daughter’s way. This is kind of her time, but I’m very excited right now and I’m just trying to figure it out,” he said.

Wiley’s reason to serve again

When asked why he was running for re-election, Wiley expressed his enthusiasm for the challenge and love for making Wylie ISD better.

“I'll make it very, very simple. I just absolutely love it. I love doing it. It's hard. It's challenging, but it's a good challenge,” he said.

He shared over the past three years he has not been perfect by any means but loves the learning that comes along with the job.

“Even if I don’t know the answer to something, being able to know where to go to find the answer for our community is very rewarding,” Wiley said. “I want to keep giving everything that I’ve got to our advancement.”

Having a hand in the creation and approval of the district’s bond in November 2023, Wiley said it has helped combat the challenges affiliated with growth and adapting to consistent change within the community.

“I've been very fortunate to really have served on the board these last three years in really a time where we are tackling a lot of these challenges, you know. It's been difficult like I said, but it's been a good difficult to where I've been able to learn and really see what it means to sit in the seat and what we are accountable for to our community and being able to show them that we address their concerns and provide answers,” Wiley explained.

Issues Wiley wants to address if elected

Wiley expressed that when looking at the district to use a “10,000-foot perspective” as there are lots of little things within that come with the bigger issues.

He said his big concern is the “growing pains” and the struggles of accommodating the number of students coming in.

“We as a district have just been growing exponentially over the last eight to 10 years, and we're really seeing it now over the last five years really, and it’s not only just the Big Country but across the state of Texas. All the districts are struggling, and you can’t stop the kids from coming, and so what do we have? What can we do address it?” he said.

Wiley expressed the domino effect of needs when trying to accommodate more students.

“When you have more kids that means we need more infrastructure. Well, when you build more classrooms that means you need to hire more staff and more teachers. Couple that with the teacher shortage that we're dealing with right now ensuring we take care of our teachers and finding ways to recruit and retain. But I really truly believe in the kids, making sure our kids have the best learning environment possible,” he said.

He believes it all comes down to finding a balance and finding funding to create environments where “kids can learn effectively, and teachers can teach effectively.”

An example Wiley provided of trying to ensure teachers are cared for is the implementation of staff daycare within the district that’s available to teachers and staff.

A personal ‘thank you’ to the public

At the end of his interview with Abilene Reporter News, Wiley expressed his thanks to the community of Wylie ISD for the opportunity to serve on the board for the past three years.

“I hope I’ve earned enough trust and respect to keep doing this for them. It’s not for me at all, it’s for them, the community and the kids,” Wiley stated.

The last day to file for a place on the Wylie ISD school board ballot is Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. Physical and mailing address for filing an application for Wylie ISD, visit or mail to 6251 Buffalo Gap Road, Abilene, TX 79606. School board election day is Saturday, May 4, 2024.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Cameron Wiley files for Place 7 re-election on Wylie ISD school board