MEET THE CANDIDATES: Aledo ISD Place 2

Apr. 12—The Weatherford Democrat recently reached out to candidates running in contested races in the May 1 election. Featured below are candidates running for the Aledo ISD board Place 2 — Laura Morrow and Jennifer Loftin.

Candidates were given a platform to provide information about themselves and answer questions regarding their priorities, challenges and why they are running for office. Each candidate's response is published in the order their name will appear on the ballot.

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Name: Laura Morrow

Age: 39

Occupation: Financial Analyst

Education/experience: Aledo High School — Class of 2000 Salutatorian; B.B.A. (majoring in finance and accounting) from TCU in 2003; Master's degree in Accounting from TCU in 2004; M.B.A. from TCU in 2008; CPA License

Family: I have been happily married to James for 12 years, and we have a 9-year-old son and a 7-year-old daughter. I am the daughter of Austin and Joyce Eckstein.

QUESTION: Why are you running for office?

ANSWER: I am running for school board because I want to make a positive difference in the lives of the 6,600 students in our district. I am also running because I want more representation for elementary students, and I want to be a voice for them. Currently, 49% of Aledo ISD students are in elementary school, but only one of the seven trustees has a child in elementary school.

Both of my children are in elementary school, and I will ensure that elementary kids have a voice on the school board. I feel like, oftentimes, decisions are made with the focus on high school students, and the younger students are overlooked. Furthermore, I am running to ensure that the mental health of our students is at the forefront of all decisions made by the school board.

The last year (since the pandemic began) has shown me just how important our local leaders are and how much influence they have over our everyday lives. It really encouraged me to become more involved in all areas of representation that affect my family. It also sparked a desire to learn more about our school trustees and their tenure. I was surprised to discover that the 2019 trustee election and the 2020 trustee election were cancelled because they were uncontested. We need more people willing to step up and serve our kids and our community, and I would feel honored to have this opportunity.

I am running because I want to bring a new perspective, fresh ideas, and lots of questions to Place 2 of the board. I want to help propel our district to higher levels of excellence.

Q: What are the top issues facing the district and how do you hope to remedy them?

A: The top issue facing the district is the tremendous growth and the frequent need for new schools. Demographers project growth of about 600-700 students per year for the next five years (and a larger amount after that). It is projected that our elementary schools will be over capacity in the fall of 2024, the middle schools will be over capacity in the fall of 2027, and the high school in the fall of 2028. This will require multiple bond packages over the next decade to keep up with the growth. With the huge influx of new houses in the district and the increasing property tax appraisals, would like to challenge the future bond committees to build new schools while decreasing the tax rate. If that is not possible, I would advocate that the tax rate stays flat. If elected, I would support modest bond packages to meet the needs of our students while being fiscally responsible to our taxpayers.

While still six to seven years away from being over capacity at the middle and high schools, I think it would benefit the district to start brainstorming how we plan to address this issue. In order to create as many opportunities for our students, I would advocate for another middle school and a second high school (likely on the north side of town). Building a second high school would greatly benefit our students by doubling the number of opportunities available to them (e.g., sports teams, fine arts, clubs, competitive teams, et cetera).

Q: What are your top priorities if elected?

A: My top priority is the desire for school to return to normal. The pandemic 'Return to Learn' plan has served its purpose. I believe that most of the restrictions should be removed as soon as possible, and school should function like it did before the pandemic. This would include optional masks, optional social distancing, allowing school parties, allowing kids to sing in music class, allowing parents to volunteer in the school, allowing kids to socialize at lunchtime, and allowing kids to play with balls at recess, just to name a few. Additionally, starting in the fall of 2021, I think that virtual school should be eliminated as an option for Aledo ISD students. It is very difficult for teachers to manage virtual students and in-person students well at the same time while maintaining pre-pandemic levels of effectiveness. The virtual school changes made to address the pandemic have negatively impacted the learning experience at Aledo ISD and need to be rescinded as soon as practical. If elected, I would work towards a normal school setting.

Secondly, I would like to increase the transparency of the board. If elected, I plan to use my Facebook page to keep the community informed about the most prevalent topics affecting the community. Also, I plan to have an 'open door policy' for students, parents, employees, and the community. I want to help create a culture where all stakeholders are listened to and feel valued. I want to engage in healthy, productive dialogue with other members of the board and the administration because I believe that healthy conflict with substantive debate on complex issues is good for our kids.

Q: Any final thoughts on why residents should vote for you?

A: My parents moved to the district in 1979, and I have lived here since birth (in 1981). I attended Aledo ISD from first grade through my senior year and was the Salutatorian of the Class of 2000. I graduated from TCU in three years with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. After that, I earned a master's degree in Accounting and then an M.B.A. both from TCU. I began my career in 2004 working in the accounting department at a large company. Almost 17 years later, I am still at the same company. I have had a variety of jobs with increasing responsibility over the years, mostly in the accounting and finance organizations.

My extensive knowledge of financial statements, budgeting, data analysis, and financial analysis will benefit me well if I were elected. I will be able to bring my knowledge and skills to the board to look for ways to be more efficient with our processes and our spending. I enjoy asking questions and learning, and I believe that both of these traits will serve me well if I were elected.

I am a Christian, a conservative, a wife and a mom. If elected, I promise to put the needs of our students first. I promise to work hard representing the community. I promise to be open, honest, and transparent. I promise to learn new things so that I can serve our students and staff well. I promise to value and respect different opinions. I promise to do my best.

I would be honored to have your support and your vote. Thank you for your consideration. For more information: https://www.facebook.com/lauraforaledo/

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Name: Jennifer Loftin

Age: 46

Occupation: Mom, homemaker, law firm manager and financial analyst

Education: James Madison University: BA Mathematics Magna Cum Laude, BA History Magna Cum Laude with Distinction

Experience: Served for two terms as a school board trustee, currently as vice president; graduate of eXceptional Governance Project for school boards; maintained Continuing Education requirements for school board trustees (every year); worked in Washington, D.C. on Capitol Hill with both the House and Senate members as well as serving at the C Street House and the National Prayer Breakfast; worked with national, state and regional levels of the Student Leadership Forum on Faith and Values; worked with Certified Financial Planning; worked as a special assistant for TCU for the TCU Police Department, as a substitute teacher at Kinderfrogs, for the basketball department and to assist the strategic planning of the Business School.

Community Involvement: — Vice president, Aledo ISD board of trustees — Former school board liaison to Aledo Education Foundation — Former board of directors Aledo Education Foundation — Former co-chair for Bearcats N Boots (AEF fundraiser) — East Parker County Chamber of Commerce — Local Government Collaborative — Aledo ISD District Safety Committee — Aledo PTO — Advocats — Volunteer with Aledo ISD — classroom and library assistance, book fair volunteer, field trip chaperone — Beach Club after school Bible Study leader at Stuard when my kids were there — Leader for Women in the Word at Christ Chapel Bible Church — Parker County Republican Party — Delegate Alternate to the Texas Republican Party — Member Republican National Committee

Family: Married to Trey Loftin. We have four Bearcats on four different AISD campuses: McAnally sixth grade, Aledo Middle School, Don Daniel Ninth Grade Center and Aledo High School. We have lived in Aledo since 2006

QUESTION: Why are you running for office? I am running for re-election because I believe it is critical to have experienced board members as we come out of a pandemic year where we worked extremely hard to keep our kids in school (unlike Fort Worth, Dallas, and most of the country). Under my leadership we have lowered taxes and passed bonds to remodel outdated campuses and build new elementary schools and soon offer a new middle school.

Q: What are the top issues facing the district and how do you hope to remedy them?

A: The top issue facing our district currently is keeping teachers and students in school and moving forward. Dually important is that we are a fast growth district which impacts every aspect of the school district. It is not something we can remedy, but something we must use experience and effort to make wise decisions regarding. We have people moving to Aledo every day and most are moving because they want their children to attend our schools.

Q: What are your top priorities if elected?

A: My top priority if elected is to continue to work with our community and district to Grow Greatness each and every day. We have been able to celebrate the fact that our kids have been in school this year learning, growing, participating in sports, band, theatre, dance/cheer and other competitions (and even win championships). We worked very hard to make sure that our parents had the option to send their children to school in the midst of the pandemic. Most of the country did not have that option. Our students have had a great year, and we want to continue to build on our exceptional experiences.

Q: Any final thoughts on why residents should vote for you?

A: Please vote. If you consider my background and the entire job of serving as a trustee I believe you will support my re-election. My activities serving our community with churches and charities and foundations led me to becoming a trustee — where I now serve as vice president. During my time as trustee, Aledo has become one of the fastest growing districts in Texas, because of the hard work of our teachers, coaches, students and families. We have lowered taxes, grown and built campuses, and won championships — and working together, found a way to keep kids in school. I am very proud of our success and my part in serving this school district.