Up for election for the Fairfield ISD School Board this year is 3 At-Large positions.
Election is set for Saturday, May 7, 2022. Early Voting will be held beginning April 25th and ending May 3rd. For complete information about election dates and poll locations, click here.
Candidates include:
–incumbent Greg Gipson,
–incumbent Kim Whitaker,
–incumbent O.B. Utley,
–challenger Penny Robinson Meredith,
–challenger Cody Roller, and
–challenger Josh Carlson.
Candidates were asked the following:
1. What qualifications or special skills will you bring to the Board of Trustees?
–Gregory Gibson
My name is Gregory Gibson. I am a product of Fairfield ISD and I graduated from Fairfield High School in 1980 and I have been a member of this community for 44 years. Being an FISD alumni and residing in this community, I understand the importance of education in this community. After high school, I attended Navarro College and earned an Associates Degree in Business Management. After 28 years of employment, I retired from Nucor Steel in Jewett, Texas. Because of my background, I understand the importance of providing a variety of opportunities and avenues for student success in the real world, whether that is trade school, traditional college, military, or work force.
In addition, I have served on the Board of Trustees for the last six years and received multiple years of Texas Association of School Board training. Serving in this capacity has allowed me to gain more knowledge of the vast aspects of education and a deeper appreciation for our staff.
I have volunteered in the concession stand, been a culinary arts “Food War” judge, member of the Eagle Club, worked basketball tournaments, attended countless student events, and served on the original Educational Foundation Board. All of these occurrences have allowed me to witness the many talents and successes of our incredible student body and phenomenal educators.
–Cody Roller
I am a fair and honest person, which I feel is the best characteristic anyone can have. I like to look at the whole picture, listen more than I talk, and then try to come up with solutions. Lastly, I have a servant and volunteering heart. I try to serve and volunteer my time in any organization and community I am involved in. For example my involvement in the Fairfield Athletic Booster Club for the past twelve years where I have served as the president for the past five years. Seeing our students succeed is why I am most proud of the fact that this year alone we have donated over $21,000.00 to the FISD athletic department to directly benefit the student athletes.
–Kim Whitaker
When I was elected to the Board in 2013 I was reminded by my husband that my main purpose as a Board member would be to provide children with what they really need to be successful. I see this as the only focus if I am truly to be a servant to this wonderful community in which I live. This constant reminder of being held responsible causes me to make sure that I have a humble heart in governance, for the decisions I make as a Board Member have a significant effect upon many lives. I know I bring discernment concerning the needs of students stemming from both of my parents, my husband, my daughter, and myself as classroom teachers and athletic coaches. These relationships provide me with a unique point of view from which to see what children need to be successful in the classroom and in other extracurricular arenas. I truly believe every child is a gift from God, and they come first! Therefore, any decisions that I make will be based on the Needs of children first. Children must come first, and parents should have a voice in their child’s education. Teachers also must have support from their administration which includes but is not limited only to standing strong when breaches of school decorum occur, providing financial support with adequate educational materials, providing adequate compensation to school staff by which to live, and providing appropriate facilities in which to teach. Because my father was an athletic administrator and my husband was an administrator, I see the way by which this school district works in and beyond the classroom and the different ways the academic, extracurricular, and security programs compliment each other to make this school district great. A factor extremely important to this district being great is school safety. We must have school security our children and our employees must be safe and feel safe!
Support services are also important to this District. When I was teaching, my husband was in charge of the transportation needs of the district. I learned everything I could about busses when I took a twenty hour course to learn how to drive a bus. This experience instilled within me an awareness that we as a board need to make sure that we hire, retain, and take care of support personnel such as bus drivers, cafeteria workers, technology experts, school resource officers, and maintenance workers with salaries and benefits commensurate with their chosen vocations. Additionally, team work on a school board is very important so that individuals don’t work counter-productively and thus fail to focus on the needs of children, parents and employees. I have coached high school and junior high g’rls basketball and track; I played college volleyball and I know what teamwork looks like and what it takes to work as a team. With thirty-five years in the classroom, nine years on the School Board, and at least 50 hours of school board training in terms of school governance, I have acquired the tools and experience to help me in decision making. Thus, as the President of the Freestone County Retired Teachers as well as a member of the Fairfield ISD Educators Hall of Fame, I am humbled and reminded that I am a servant as a School Board Member.
2. What are your thoughts on the $8M Bond Election that voters are being asked to consider this year?
–Gregory Gibson
At times, discussing finances can be very difficult, especially when dealing with everyday financial challenges. However, every school district must be maintained and attention must be given so that students can continue to receive a high quality education.
As a school board member, I must make the best decision for handling the school finances while not sacrificing high quality education for all students. As community members, I hope you consider the importance of maintaining our facilities, its impact on successfully educating our students, and support the bond.
–Cody Roller
Having attended the budget workshop meeting about the bond and several of the bond presentations Dr. Adams has done the last few weeks, I am knowledgeable on how the $8M Bond will be spent. In my opinion the bond is being spent on what should be considered necessities for the school district. In addition to things the school is planning to do with the $8M Bond, I would also like to see us update and improve facilities in order to benefit our current staff and students and in hopes of attracting new students and their families to Fairfield and Fairfield ISD.
–Kim Whitaker
I remember the days of “Robin Hood” when this School District sent millions of dollars to either the State of Texas or other school districts. I longed for the taxpayers of this district to get some relief after so many years of having to “recapture” money. I don’t like spending other peoples’ money, period. I don’t like asking for money from others—in other words when it came to fundraisers for different programs in which my children participated many years ago, I often just bought it myself. But, when it is absolutely necessary, as a last resort only, I will ask the taxpayers of this District to help because it is NEEDED. Our student athletes played in the Athens High School gymnasium against Rice High School, and someone exclaimed how wonderful that gymnasium is and it is quite remarkable. Then an elderly man remarked that he liked the Johnson Activity Center better—because—it is paid for. That made me very proud of our school district.
The $8 million bond is necessary because:
Currently, we have HVAC systems at the elementary, junior high, and high schools that are 15-20 years old that are not efficient anymore. With energy costs projected to rise in the future as well as the cooling agents needed by these systems, we must move now to insulate this District from these cost draining needs in the future. Good stewardship saves money.
We can save an estimated $50,000/year if we change all the conventional lighting to LED lights which last for years without replacement.
We need 6 large conventional school buses and 4 fourteen passenger buses to modernize an aging fleet: for example, when our varsity football team, volleyball team, and our 4cer team go to different events on a Friday night, we don’t have to wait until route buses (with more dependability based on mileage and repairs) get back from taking students home before these groups can leave to go to an event.
We also need to fix the roof on the main academic wing of the high school. The cost to fix this is about $200,000.
One thing that I can say for our current board is that we discussed all of these issues for over a year and chose the things that were needs and not wants.
3. Fairfield ISD does many things well. Name one thing you would like to see improved, and what you would do as a school board member to see it accomplished.
–Gregory Gibson
Fairfield ISD is known for its excellence in academics and an extraordinary district. We must continue to strive for success, providing more opportunities for success, to ensure educational opportunities are equitable so all students are prepared for their next step in the real world.
In the future, I would like for these educational opportunities to be provided through additional Career and Technology courses. I would also like for all students to have an opportunity to attain academic college hours, known as dual credit, without family finances being a determining factor. With all of the school finance challenges, I will continue to research avenues for FISD to alleviate the financial burden for many students and their families. Therefore, the one thing I would do is to continue to advocate for equitable educational opportunities and success for all students through supporting more career courses and reducing the financial factors for students earning dual credit hours.
–Cody Roller
Yes, Fairfield ISD does many things well. We have been known for both our academic and extracurricular successes. I have been involved in and witnessed those successes as both a student, a volunteer, and a spectator. I would like to see us continue to grow both academically and extracurricularly for the students of FISD. I would like to see us improve and increase teacher compensation and benefits so that we can recruit and retain highly qualified teachers and employees for the betterment of our students and schools. I would also like to see us update and improve facilities in order to benefit our current students and in hopes of attracting new students and their families.
–Kim Whitaker
It is virtually impossible for a student to finish in the top ten of his or her graduating class without taking advanced placement courses, honor courses, and dual credit courses. In the last twenty years, perhaps only two students who finished as the valedictorian were identified as low socio-economically disadvantaged. This is somewhat due to “weighted” courses such as dual credit courses as well as a lack of financial means. I am convinced that we need to level the playing field and give financially disadvantaged students an avenue to take dual credit courses through Navarro College just like neighboring schools do; I don’t want in cash strapped times to see students transfer to a neighboring school district that pays for dual credit classes. Obviously, there would need to be stipulations such as a student must make an A or a B in each course; failure to do so would result in the student paying the District back for the cost of the course. I would vote to pay for dual credit courses through Navarro College for students so that there would not be an unfair advantage to those students who are not limited economically. Children need and should have an equal opportunity regardless of their financial status.
4. Anything else you would like voters to know?
–Gregory Gibson
As a school board member, I want to ensure our staff have the tools and resources they need to educate and successfully prepare our students for the next stage of their life. It is important for me to be sensitive to the needs of the staff and their sincere concerns. In addition, educators must know that they are valued.
I have been honored to serve on the school board for the last two terms. If you attend school board meetings, you know how much I value education, educators, students, and the community. I would be honored to serve FISD and this community for a third term.
–Cody Roller
I attended Fairfield ISD schools Kindergarten through graduation. I am married to Andrea Roller, and together we have twin daughters Alleigh and Audrey, Fairfield ISD 2030 graduates. I am employed by Exxon Mobil/XTO Energy. I am currently an Operations Supervisor and I have worked for the company for 17 years. In my current role at Exxon my daily responsibilities include overseeing staff, managing accounts, and making decisions that affect daily operations. I am an active member of the First United Methodist Church in Fairfield.
–Kim Whitaker
My husband and I moved here in 1986 with an 8 year-old daughter and a 4 year-old son from the Rio Grande Valley. This community is our home, and the people in it have been so very wonderful and gracious. For this community to continue to prosper, one of the factors will need to be for the school District to thrive and even improve. As our society becomes more mobile and technologically dependent, parents will continue, as they have in the past to search online for those schools that are high performing. The better the school District the more attractive the community looks to potential relocation, One of the factors figuring into this equation for relocation is the attractiveness of producing learners that are college ready. College readiness many be enhanced through the number of students who enroll in dual credit courses-the more students we enroll, the more college ready your school is perceived by state agencies. More students will take dual credit courses if the District pays for the courses; this would be so financially helpful to our parents and students.
In closing, I am grateful for this community of extraordinary people and to the Fairfield Independent School District which gave my children the opportunity to be successful and meet their educational needs. I truly want to continue to serve students, parents, staff, and the community if I may be so fortunate to do so because of you. Thank you very much.
