The Eagle Recommendations: Picks in College Station School Board Races

Eagle Editorial Board

Longtime College Sta-tion school Trustees Marc Chaloupka and Tim Jones are stepping down from the school board. They have served the people of the College Station school district well and honorably and they leave big shoes to fill.
Fortunately, there are good candidates running for both positions in the May 9 election. All are political newcomers.

All seats on the school board are elected at-large by voters throughout the entire school district.


Place 1

Joel Mitchell vs. Paul Dorsett -- A product of College Station schools, Dorsett says he has great loyalty to the district. He is a cancer survivor and says that experience made him want to be involved in community service. He is a strong supporter of career technology, saying that a second high school would free up space at A&M Consolidated to expand technology offerings. Dorsett said he worries about the kids in the "middle," saying the district needs to make sure they find their niche in school.

Originally from San Antonio, Mitchell received his civil engineering degree from Texas A&M in 1984 and has called College Station home since 1991. He, too, believes in community service. He is a church elder, a member of the Chamber of Commerce legislative affairs committee and has been active in the Bryan Rotary Club and the Children's Museum. He said there is not a lot of room for improvement in the College Station schools, but wants to focus on those areas that need to be improved. He said the district needs to work harder with lower socio-economic students who don't do as well as they should in school.

This is a race with two good candidates. Dorsett seems more open and eager to work with existing board members.

The Eagle recommends a vote for Paul Dorsett for Place 1 on the College Station school board.

Place 2

Carol Barrett vs. Desiree Marek vs. Joel Walker -- An assistant professor of physics at Sam Houston State University, Walker said the recent controversy over state science standards sparked his interest in running for the school board. He is the father of a child with special needs and he wants to support the district's "fine tradition" of meeting such needs. He said teachers must have the freedom to run their classrooms as they see fit. He called for student evaluations of teachers at A&M Consolidated High School.

Barrett has been a permanent resident of the community since she graduated from Texas A&M in 1985. She has served as president of the Rock Prairie Elementary School PTO and the citywide PTO. Barrett has been a member of the school district long-range planning committee and is a former president of the College Station Education Foundation. She also has been president of the Junior League, which actively supports local schools. She said school trustees need to consider all sides of the issues that come before them.

Marek earned her bachelor's degree in elementary education from Texas A&M in 1988 and substitute taught in College Station schools for several years. She said the district needs to stress the ability to speak, read and write in English and the district needs to start doing reading assessments of students in third grade. She believes the College Station district needs to set the standards for districts across the state. Marek said the district must respect parents and do a better job of communicating with them.

All three candidates are qualified to serve on the school board, but Barrett long has been involved, from the neighborhood school to the district-wide level. Having served on the long range planning committee, she has the background to help the district move forward with the projects included in the May 9 bond issue.

The Eagle recommends a vote for Carol Barrett for Place 2 on the College Station school board.