Wylie Today

On Monday night, May 19th, 2008, the Wylie ISD Board of Trustees elected officers for the next year, voting unanimously to keep Susan Shuler as President and Ralph E. James as Vice-President. Sam Satterwhite was elected Secretary. The evening began with newly elected Trustee Lance Goff taking his oath of office along with Ronni Fetzer and Ralph E. James.

I’m still amazed at the results of the Fetzer/Goss race. Five votes. Wow. The people still have faith in Ronni Fetzer. And the people believe that Barbara Goss is the right type of person needed on the School Board. Maybe the time will come where everyone can be happy and support both Ronni Fetzer and Barbara Goss. Personally, I have no doubt that they will both put our children’s education as the top priority in each decision they make.

After the election, Ronni Fetzer said, “My sincere thanks to all the voters who made an effort to have their voice heard on the Wylie ISD elections, and to those who supported me during the campaign. Thanks also to Barbara Goss and all the candidates who put their hats into the ring to serve the students and families of Wylie ISD. We are in an important time for our district, and the dedication and commitment of many people is vital to our success. Please stay involved with your local schools.”

I also think it’s real funny (sorry, Sam) that they elected Sam Satterwhite as Secretary, even after Ronni Fetzer told everyone he said he didn’t want to be. It’s too bad Mr. Satterwhite was doing his job as WEDC Executive Director in Las Vegas today and wasn’t there to nominate someone else as Secretary. You know, Stacie Gooch, or someone like that.

Voters residing within the Wylie ISD opted not to change too much at once in the 2008 elections. Two incumbents, Ralph James and Ronni Fetzer, will remain as Trustees for another three years, pending official results. Mr. James will be serving his fourth term and Mrs. Fetzer will be serving her third.

Lance Goff was elected to unseat incumbent D. Baron Cook, who was appointed to the seat last year to replace the departed Eric Lindsey. This particular seat is a one year term, so Mr. Goff will have to run for election again next year.

I don’t know that I have seen a race as close as the Fetzer/Goss race since I have been here (or ever). Ronni Fetzer gained 701 votes while challenger Barbara Goss received 695. Also voting for ‘blank’ were 105 people. Goss was ahead by a handful of votes after early voting results were released.

Dear Editor:

Election is day is just around the corner. The Wylie School District has several open seats this year. I believe a change is needed on the current board. I believe Barbara Goss is the right person to fulfill the role. Barbara, like me, has children enrolled in the school district. Barbara wants to make sure our tax dollars are spent wisely and that the best education for our children is available.

I believe communication is key for a board member. I know Barbara attends school board meetings and communicates to those she knows, her opinions and thoughts on what is going on.

Barbara is proactive and forward thinking, which I believe is lacking with the current school board.

I know election day is soon, but its not too late. I hope that everyone will speak with Barbara and learn what she wants to do for the school system. Barbara’s website is http://www.barbara4wisd.com

Please get out and vote for Barbara Goss to be our voice on the school board.

Leslie Simms

Letters to the Editor are personal opinions of the author listed and do not necessarily represent the views of wylietoday.com.

Dear Editor:

May 10, 2008 is a critical day for the Wylie Independent School District.  May 10, is Election Day for several seats on the school board.  Barbara Goss is running for Place One. I believe Barbara Goss is the right person for the job.

Barbara and I met five years ago when she became employed in the Human Resources Department of my company.   As a manager in the company, I had several opportunities to work with Barbara to resolve Human Resource issues.  Barbra was always very well organized and professional.  I know, with her professional experience, she can utilize those skills in being a successful School Board Trustee.

Barbara has children that attend Wylie schools. She has a vested interest in making the sure the schools perform, as well as spend our tax dollars wisely.

For the past several years Barbara has regularly attended school board meetings.  She keeps her friends and neighbors informed on issues at hand and communicates that information clearly.  I believe there is currently a lack of communication from the current school board.

The current school board needs a fresh perspective and fresh ideas. The school board needs to plan for future growth.  There is no reason children should have to switch schools years after year after year. The current school board is reactionary and fails to plan accordingly.

I encourage you and all your readers to speak with Barbara, and read about her ideas, and beliefs.  I believe if you speak with her, you will see the passion that I have seen.  Barbara’s website is http://www.barbara4wisd.com/.

May 10, 2008 is a crucial day for the WISD.  Let’s move WISD forward by voting for Barbara Goss, Place One.  She has earned my vote.
Jeff Cox

Letters to the Editor are personal opinions of the author listed and do not necessarily represent the views of wylietoday.com.

School Board Trustee candidate Barbara Goss is hosting a meet and greet picnic at Community Park this Saturday, April 19th from 10:30am to 3:30pm.

Bring your appetite and your questions to this event and enjoy the day. Community Park is located by the library.

James R. Griffin has filed as a candidate for WISD Trustee Place 2 in the May 2008 election. He will run his campaign against incumbent Ralph E. James. Mr. Griffin, who filed his paperwork yesterday, currently serves on the Library Board. Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to speak with him last night about his vision or plan. I’m sure I’ll get that information emailed to me soon, though.

The deadline to file was yesterday, March 10th. There will be no uncontested races in the WISD election this year. Place 1 features Barbara Goss and incumbent Ronni Fetzer to round out the General Election. Candidate Lance Goff will run against Baron Cook in the Special Election for Place 4.

Barbara Goss is a candidate for WISD School Board Trustee Place 1. She was kind enough to forward her thoughts about her goals as your Trustee.

What do you hope to accomplish as WISD School Board Trustee?

I have a few things that have driven me to run, and I believe I can improve in our district.

I would like to see more consideration for people. For example the recent ‘updates’ to the standardized dress were pushed through at the 11th hour.  This did not allow the parents time to prepare prior to the new school year.  All I could think about was growing up with a single mom.  I know it would have been a struggle had my mom been put in that situation while trying to raise three kids on her own.  I do not want to put our citizens in that situation. It is unfair to assume they can afford to go out and re-purchase or have the time to exchange school clothes already purchased.  The changes should not have been announced so close to school starting.  Many people who were in favor of the dress code are now unhappy due to the last minute changes.

We should do a better job of hearing the people. The Parent Think Tank is a committee that was set up to help in determining the High School decision.  I sat in the meetings for over a year waiting for an update.  Every month the answer was “no update, we haven’t met.”  Ultimately the decision came down to the community showing up en mass to voice their opinion.  What if the community had not shown up? I have sat in lots of meetings where huge decisions were made and no one showed up.  The voice of the people has not always been heard.

We must take better care of our teachers.  They are the true assets to our school system.  On average our teachers are paid much less than teachers in similar local districts.  We have some amazing teachers, and we cannot afford to lose them to competing districts.  We talk about how great a school system we have, but the bottom line is without great teachers we can’t have great schools.

We need to plan before we act. We must begin planning before we are in the midst of transitions.  Wylie is transitioning to a multi-high school format with no ‘concrete’ plans in place.  At a recent meeting Dr. Fuller said the following, “we must begin to plan as we move into the transition period.” What???  Plan as we move???  Why haven’t we already planned?  We should not be in the position where the parents and the kids do not understand what schools they will be attending and how those choices were made.  We don’t know how we will fund the programs.  We don’t know what programs will be in place.  The building is not fully “built out.”  We don’t know where the money will come from.  There is ‘hope’ a bond will pass and everything will be good.  We have got to be more fiscally responsible and plan ahead.

I think we need to understand the people.  The board currently does a good job of looking at the data, but they do not always see the people.  This was apparent last year when the district lines were drawn.  Creekside was set to change elementary schools for the 4th time in 4 years.  The parents spoke at a board meeting, and it was changed.  I believe the board should have had the forethought to recognize such an issue prior to the parents requesting a review of the school district line.

This is why I respectfully ask you to consider choosing me as your representative on the WISD school board.

This has been the week to declare candidacy, it seems. Let’s take a look at the players so far in the City of Wylie May elections.

Bennie Jones filed this morning as a City Council Place 6 candidate. Incumbent Carter Porter filed for his re-election bid to Place 6 yesterday.

Incumbent Rick White has filed for City Council Place 5.

There will be a Mayoral race this year as former Councilman Eric Hogue has filed to run against Mayor John Mondy.

Barbara Goss has filed as a candidate for WISD Trustee Place 1. Incumbent Ronnie Fetzer has stated her intentions for re-election.

Incumbent Ralph James has filed for re-election.

Lance Goff has filed as a candidate in the WISD Trustee Special Election against appointed incumbent and former Trustee Baron Cook.

That’s all I have right now. I’ll pass on more information as it comes.

Barbara Goss officially filed to run for WISD Trustee Place 1 this morning. She has filed for the seat currently occupied by Ronni Fetzer, who has held the seat since being elected in 2002. Mrs. Fetzer has stated the she intends to run for re-election this year.

Earlier today, Mrs. Goss had the following to say. “Wylie ISD is growing, and with that growth brings change. I want the opportunity to represent the families in this community as we plan for this growth, and work through the school transitions. Wylie is moving to the Multi-high school format, and currently there are no concrete plans in place for this transition. We need to be proactive and decide what programs to put in place for Wylie East and communicate with the community throughout the transition process.”

“My family is one of the many families that have moved to Wylie in the last 10 years. My son is a student at Harrison Intermediate, and my daughter will begin kindergarten in the fall. I have the skills necessary to assist in this process and provide a voice to the community. In my professional career I have experience in Special Projects, Human Resources, Benefits Administration, and most recently Account Management. “