MCC Exclusive: Candidates Issue Congratulations in School Board Race!

OP ED SUBMISSION

Congratulations to Steve Smelley and Sonal Bhuchar on an impressive win Saturday.  This was a hard fought race through which more people in our community took interest and got involved than have in many years – and that’s a good thing. There is now, not only more awareness, but higher expectations for Board performance with regard to proper governance, due diligence and accountability.  And that’s a very good thing.

I certainly learned a great deal more about this district through the election process.  I also met an astounding number of people from every corner who, like me, want to sincerely see Fort Bend ISD become the model for educational excellence it should be and that our children deserve.

I would like to thank the many people who worked incredibly hard in this election on my behalf and who voted for me.  In particular, I want to thank my loving husband, John, and my children who, as always were incredibly patient and supportive.

Mr. Smelley’s initial public comments set the right tone for a productive beginning.  I sincerely hope he and Mrs. Bhuchar will put aside any preconceived notions they may have and take the time to get to know and work with other current board members to rebuild a more productive atmosphere on the Board.  Otherwise, winning the election may have been the easiest thing they’ve done to date.

Despite the negative stories that have dominated in recent months, several positive steps have been taken in the past year to make Board governance more open, transparent and inclusive of community input.  There has also been significant progress made toward more fiscal responsibility and accountability with an eye toward moving more funding back into teachers and classroom resources and improving the District’s abysmal student/teacher ratio. The need for real and ongoing long-range planning was highlighted during this campaign and met with almost universal acceptance.  These are paths that the Board should continue down.

Many large challenges lie ahead for Fort Bend ISD.  It’s important that we deal in facts and be honest with the public about where we are so we can chart a path, together, for where we want to go. 

In the coming months, the Board will be engaged in the selection of a new Superintendent to lead this District. This is the most important task a school board undertakes. The community should be actively engaged in this process as a Superintendent Profile is developed by the Board. I urge everyone who got involved in this election (for any candidate) to stay engaged as this process moves forward. 

Finally, in response to the many people who have asked… Yes…the Save our Schools site (www.save-our-schools.blogspot.com ) will come back on-line with fresh news about District and education issues in the next week or so.  We will continue to attend and report on Board meetings and actions as well as serve as a community forum on FBISD. 

Liz Mitton
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Comment: Good to hear that the SOS group will get their site going again. We rely on it as an alternative source of district information. I know without it we wouldn't have known about the zoning issues that came up on our area of Mo-City in Feb.-March. Thanks SOS (didn't read about it in the Star until long after the coverage)!