MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL Q&A

EDITOR’S NOTE: None of these mayoral or city council positions is contested. In its last meeting, the council certified the slate of declared candidates and canceled the May 1 election. Because two of the candidates will be new to this office, we believe that the public should know who they are and where they stand on some of the issues they will be expected to address once seated.

TERRILL BARTLETT

My name is Terrill Bartlett, and I am running for a second term as mayor of Canadian. I was born and raised in Canadian. I am president of Bartlett’s Lumber and Hardware, which was started by my father in 1937. My wife, Ronda, and I have five children and 12 grandchildren. As most of you know, I’ve developed a passion for running. In the last seven years, I’ve completed nine marathons, 20 half marathons, and various 5Ks and 10Ks. I run anywhere from 1,400 to 1,500 miles a year and, as you might imagine, I wear out a lot of shoes. My preferred running shoe is the Hoka Clifton. My favorite marathon was Chicago, and my favorite half was the Canyon Land’s run in Moab, Utah. I’m also on the Canadian Volunteer Fire Department and have been for 20 years. I love Canadian, and I think it’s a great place to live and raise a family, which is why I try to give back whenever I can.

JONILYN HANES

Hey, y’all! My name is Joni Hanes, or Jonilyn if I’m in trouble. My family has been here since the beginning of time (1893) and has been always been active in the community in one way or another. But I remember my grandmother, Laura Rhea, telling me, “Since the railroad moved out, Canadian is becoming a ghost town.” Canadian always finds a way. We are survivors. I currently own The Flower Shop on 7th Street, and my husband, Jesse, operates Basic Electric when he’s not off being a firefighter. We have three kids, two of which still live here, and seven grandkids, five of which live here. My mom also continues to live here, so if I do something you don’t like, you can tell her on me.

CHASE SMYTH

Chase Smyth was raised in Olton. In 2009, he graduated from West Texas A&M with a Bachelor of Science in history. After spending a few years farming cotton and corn in Olton, Chase finally made his way to Canadian. For the past 10 years, he has worked for Multi-Chem, Jacam Chemicals, FourPoint Energy, and is currently the area manager for Patriot Chemicals and Services. He and his wife, Erica, have a son named Sutton Jax Smyth and three dogs that keep them on their toes around the house.

What inspired you to seek election to public office? What strengths and assets will you bring to the city of Canadian as an elected official? If you are new to this office, have you attended a meeting of the city council in the past? What steps have you taken to remain informed about city-related issues?

TB: You are going to laugh, but you inspired me to run for mayor. This has always been the hardest question for me to answer— not because it isn’t a relevant question, but because I find it difficult to talk about myself. I think anyone who is fiscally responsible, willing to listen and learn, and has some leadership skills can be an effective public servant. Public office is always challenging, but last year was probably the ultimate challenge for everyone. I would like to thank all of our public entities and local businesses for a job well done. In the immortal words of Charles Heusel, “You must adapt and overcome.” That was true of 2020.

JH: Stress reduction. That’s what led me to seek public office. Learn more about my community and how it works. My strength is probably having a loud mouth. I’ve worked with tax budgets from different angles: being a department head for the hospital, serving on the CISD school board, serving on the Tax Appraisal Board, being part of the Trauma RAC finance committee, and currently being involved with Miami Emergency Service District. In the past, I haven’t kept astride with city politics except through the reporting of The Canadian Record and the rumor mill. I have attended a couple of city council meetings, trying to get up to speed so I can hit the ground running.

CS: I was asked if I would like to get involved. I thought about it for a few days and decided it would be a good learning opportunity for me. I do not know if this is a strength or an asset, but I feel that it takes all types of people to create a community. I am just another piece of the puzzle, with an opinion. I have attended a city council meeting. I have met with Joe and Terrill a few times to help get up to speed on the current matters at hand.

In 2016, the city of Canadian adopted a comprehensive long-range plan. The plan included among its top goals: the creation of more affordable housing choices, increasing business retention and diversifying the economy, creation of an attractive corridor and entryway to the city, and establishing a well-connected parks and trail system. How would you rate the city’s progress toward those goals? What priorities would you like to focus on during your term of office?

TB: In regards to the comprehensive plan, the city has done what it can with the limited resources available. Improvements in sewer and water infrastructure have begun. Additional walking/jogging trails could be added on the east and north side of the ballpark and driving range. You could also add some trails around the Frisbee golf park. The proposed hiking trail out to Lake Marvin would be great, but I don’t see it as very realistic. There is too much private and federal land to get through. The corridor into Canadian will get a facelift with the completion of the highway project. The demolition of the old apartments will definitely help. Hopefully, the property can be sold to someone that will make improvements to it and get it back on the tax rolls. An idea that I’ve suggested, with the help of Larry Gatlin, is for the school to build a new administration office where the apartments are and lease part of it to the city for a new city hall. That way, the city would not have to build it and the lease payment the school receives would not be subject to recapture, so it would be a win for both.

JH: After reviewing this lengthy plan, I think Canadian needs to continue to do what Canadian does best: being Canadian. We are well-known for our unique identity. As a friend of mine from a neighboring town put it, “Why can’t (insert his hometown) do something like that. Everything Canadian does, they do it right.” And we do. This is evidenced by Music Fest, the Beef Conference, the 4th of July, rodeos, Calf-Fry, Fall Foliage, live music venues, etc., etc., etc. Sorry if I missed an important one. But all of these represent the investment our community has made. These things make us unique. We need to play on our strengths and improve upon them.

One of the ways to do that is to have a great parks and trails system throughout our community. I know that they are in the early stages of implementation, and I think it’s great. Sixth Street has a sidewalk almost from the football field to the Pavilion, which leads to the rodeo ground, the duck ponds, and the Frisbee park. I think it’s great that our kids will have safe access to all of these. But for every good thing we do, we have to deal with consequences. Maintenance and upkeep. I do know one block in there is mostly overgrown and some people don’t even know a sidewalk exists there, so there is some question of maintenance.

Upgrading streets, paving them with curb and gutter is also another great way to improve our infrastructure and beautify our city at the same time. Upgrading parks is a constant. But we need places for people and their kids to go while they are here. The Citadelle is a great example of a destination, but I probably wouldn’t send a bunch of my grankdkids there by themselves for the day. Can you just imagine? Connecting our parks with trails and sidewalks is a must. We have some great parks: tennis courts, Jackson Park, the skate park. Constant review is needed, obviously. I know our swimming pool is a point of contention. Man, when it was built, I can remember busloads of kids coming in from out of town in the summers. That doesn’t happen now, and is lost revenue both in our park fund and also wherever those kids stop to eat. I would suggest to start by adding a splash pad to one of our existing parks and upgrading our swimming pool later. Just thoughts.

There was a lot of talk about creating niche shops, and what kind those would be. Cool, but: *Startup is costly. Rent is expensive. *One must know population base for industry standards. (Example: rule of thumb in population of 10,000 to sustain one flower shop!) *We must all be better by shopping local! *Streamline EDC process for small businesses. There’s just not much time left over at the end of the day.

Highway beautification, I mean “corridor design standards,” is an issue in any town. The plans seem rather homogenous to me, which makes us lose our identity. Similar signage and exterior facades. All of this also increases the startup costs for these niche shops and restaurants we all want. Personally, if I was driving through a town that looked like the one proposed, Jesse and I would keep driving to find something more interesting farther down the road. But that’s just me.

Access to higher education seems to be an issue with a ‘storefront’ college here. Twenty years ago, give or take, I obtained two degrees, nontraditionally, without high-speed internet. If you listen, you can hear the modem dial-up. I did my research. Did you know that almost every university in America offers online degree programs? My biggest obstacle back then was that I was working full-time and raising three active teenagers. I couldn’t quit my job. Even taking a day off to go to a testing site put a lot of stress on our finances. That leads me to propose having a testing center here as a start. Maybe it could be in a neutral location like City Hall or the library. I haven’t looked into the legalities or possibilities of this. But I do know that I have traveled to Wichtia Falls to sit in front of a computer to take a CEN test that was located inside an insurance office. My husband drove to Lubbock to sit in front of a computer to take an electrician test that was located inside an airport hangar. I have tested at Sylvan Learning Centers and in office buildings. Part of my reasoning of choosing Penn State was because it allowed me to utilize local resources.

So a testing center and maybe create a liaison officer with the school for adult education. A resource for that 35 year-old that wants a GED but doesn’t know where to start; someone wanting to further their education, but doesn’t know where to start; how to get financing for adult education, because it is different than finding it for 18-year-olds.

Housing? I think the economy drives this long-range plan. In short: Keep Canadian great.

CS: From what I can tell, the city has been making marginal strides towards achieving some of these goals. I feel they are doing their best to create affordable housing. PTCI has recently completed many of the steps to get high-speed internet capabilities implemented in and around Canadian. Some of the other issues I am currently working on getting up to speed on.

As this community recovers from the impact of the oil and gas bust and the COVID-19 pandemic, what is the single best thing the city could do to effect that recovery? What is the worst thing? Please explain.

TB: With the addition of PTCI’s highspeed internet, a growth area for Canadian is to attract people who would move here to work from home. Because of the pandemic, working from home will be a fact of life for a lot of company employees that have the ability to engage in remote work. There are job seminars that representatives from Canadian could attend—not to promote specific jobs, but to promote Canadian as a great place to live. I would gladly help with this. I believe the wrong thing to do would be to focus on the negative. It’s better to stay positive, keep looking forward, and look for opportunities when they come up.

JH: I have never been more thankful to live in Canadian, as I was during the COVID-19 crisis. We continued acts of compassion for our neighbors. Canadian has always been good about that. We continued to shop and support local. Always our best bet. The more people shop at home, the more variations retailers can afford. The more people shop at home, the better prices retailers can afford. The more people shop at home, the more sales tax we can collect to fund and expand our city services. Best thing? Shop at home. The worst thing? Don’t shop at home.

Hope I didn’t bore you to death. I’m at The Flower Shop most days if you have a concern or want to chat about something. My husband, Jesse, is running for the hospital board and has a real driven passion for it. Please make sure you vote for him. Thanks, Canadian, for all you have done for me over the years. Hope I can give something back.

CS: Hang tight and have faith. Help each other out and work together as a community. The oil and gas industry will come back around. It always does. I know firsthand how easy one can get down in the dumps with the current climate. Keep your head down and keep pushing forward. The worst thing the city could do would be to take advantage of people and each other in these trying times. Have some compassion for one another. Help lift each other up to make it through the tough times we have had. The smallest act of compassion towards someone could impact them in ways that you could not imagine.

Hemphill County Hospital District Board Q&A

JESSE HANES

I graduated from CHS. I’ve raised my children here and have made Canadian my home. I have a successful small electrical contracting business, and my wife operates a small business in Canadian, also. I’ve served multiple terms on the Hemphill County Tax Appraisal Review Board. I’m a career firefighter/ paramedic in Pampa.

WHITNEY JONES

WHITNEY JONES I grew up in Darrouzett and Perryton, and I am very fond and protective of Panhandle values and people. I graduated from Perryton High School in 2001 and graduated from Texas Tech with a degree in agricultural education in 2005. In fact, I did my student teaching with Tonny Hamby in the fall of 2005. After my husband, Adam, and I got married and started a family, we decided to move closer to family in the Panhandle, and we were lucky and blessed to find jobs in Canadian. I have always said the job I have now as the senior English teacher at CHS is my dream job. We have amazing students and staff, and we are well supported by the community. Adam and I are thankful to be raising our family here.

COLBY LEACH

I am seeking a second term on the Hemphill County Hospital District board of directors. I have lived in Canadian for 35 years. My wife, Amber, and I have three kids. Avery is a sophomore at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas. Dylan is a sophomore at Canadian High School, and Ryan is in the fifth grade. I am a former employee of Hemphill County Hospital. I worked there while in high school and for 10 years after college where the district paid for me to go to respiratory therapy school. I have a strong sense of duty to the hospital and to the people of Hemphill County for allowing me to go to school, and this is a way I can serve and give back.

CORY PITTMAN

I was born at the hospital in Canadian and grew up here. In 2000, I graduated from CHS and then went on to WTAMU, where I received degrees in both environmental science and geology. While at WT, I met my wife, Elizabeth, and after graduation, we made our home in Canadian. We have two daughters, Addison and Ainsley. I work for Presidio Petroleum as their EHS and DOT manager.

Why should voters cast their ballots for you as a candidate for the Hemphill County Hospital District Board? If you are a new candidate, have you ever attended a meeting of the hospital board before? What steps have you taken to remain informed about hospital-related issues?

JH: I am a new candidate for the HCH Board. I have attended an in-person meeting and several “virtual meetings.” I have requested copies of the budget items and have not received a reply back from HCH. I am concerned about the hospital’s future. We do not have the tax base we once had and cannot continue as we have.

WJ: I may not have grown up in Canadian, but I am well aware of the values and ideals of a small town, and I want to make sure that we balance growth with maintaining our core beliefs and priorities. I have spent time speaking with community members and HCH employees about their thoughts, concerns, and hopes for the hospital district, and if elected, I will maintain those lines of communication.

CL: I would ask the people of Hemphill County to vote for me because I have a sense of duty to the people of this county, and I enjoy serving on this board. I have learned so much over the past two years and would love the opportunity to continue this education. I believe we as the board have done great things and will strive to do what is right for the employees and the citizens of Hemphill County.

CP: I have been on the board for the last 10 years and president of the board for the last four years. I take my position as a board member very seriously and feel a sense of duty to serve and give back to the community. I was the first board member to achieve the Certified Healthcare Trustee designation, which requires 24 hours of continuing education and passing an exam. By attending the Texas Healthcare Trustees conference each year, I can stay up to date with the ever-changing healthcare industry.

Should the taxpayers of this county support the hospital district? If so, how is it beneficial to you and your family? If not, please explain.

JH: We should definitely support our hospital. They offer so many services that otherwise someone would need to travel an hour or two to receive, even just routine things. I have used their services as have my family. I support the hospital district 100 percent.

WJ: Taxpayers should absolutely support their hospital district. In looking at other rural areas, it is easy to see that those who experience continued growth and success maintain a healthy school district AND a healthy hospital district. I’ll share a short story here about how my family has benefited from our hospital. I began teaching at Canadian High School in August of 2010. Three short weeks later, our son, Easton, was born in Amarillo. He was six weeks early and spent 19 days in the NICU. I was a new mom and unsure and nervous. We started seeing a pediatrician in Amarillo, but our experience wasn’t great. Easton was having a hard time eating, and every time I called the doctor in Amarillo, I felt like I wasn’t being heard and my concerns weren’t important. Finally, in tears, I took Easton to see Dr. Cook. He looked at me and told me I wasn’t crazy. He talked to me and examined my baby and discovered he had a minor milk protein allergy. He prescribed a new formula, and within hours, I had a new, content baby. Our daughter has only ever seen the doctors at our clinic. I have every confidence that our medical professionals are knowledgeable, and their patience with each person that comes in their office is so appreciated.

CL: Without a doubt, the hospital is a vital part of our community. Not only is it one of the largest employers in our county, it also is the backbone of our community health. If the hospital was not here, we would be approximately an hour from any form of emergency medicine. The hospital’s ability to perform lifesaving acts is and will be imperative to those people needing it. I believe it is vital to our town and surrounding communities to have our facilities here. My family has benefited from the hospital here on several occasions and will continue to use it for our healthcare needs. I believe it would be a tragedy if we were to lose our hospital as so many other small towns have. The staff in our facilities are well-qualified and are an asset to our community.

CP: Yes, I do think the hospital district should be supported by the taxpayers for many reasons. First, we employee over 200 people, making the district one of, if not the biggest employer in the county. If we were to lose the hospital or any of the facilities, those jobs would have a major impact to our local economy. Second, just having the availability of the services the hospital provides to the county and to the surrounding counties that do not have healthcare facilities. Living in rural Texas, having a hospital in your community is crucial in receiving lifesaving care, and also the ability to transport you quickly to higher levels of care if needed.

In the last nearly 10 years, the Hemphill County Hospital District has expanded its services and built new facilities. Briefly reviewing its history in Hemphill County: In March 2012, the Hemphill County Association turned over the construction of Mesa View Assisted Living to the HCHD. In June 2014, the district assumed operation of the Canadian Family Physicians clinic. In May 2017, the newly constructed Canadian Family Physicians clinic opened. In January 2015, the district assumed operation of the Edward Abraham Memorial Home. In July 2019, officials hosted a groundbreaking for Mesa View Senior Living, the new nursing home, which opened in January of 2021. In addition to those efforts to grow and expand services here, the hospital district has increased its outreach to surrounding counties. In October 2016, the district opened the Harvester Family Medical Clinic in Pampa. In June 2019, the HCH EMS began providing EMS services to the city of McLean and the surrounding area. In October 2019, the HCH EMS began providing EMS services to the city of Pampa and Gray County.

Do you support the district’s efforts to provide a complete circle of care for Hemphill County and surrounding communities? Please explain.

JH: Our tax dollars need to support our citizens. We need local doctors and local services, but they should be able to support themselves as much as possible. As far as services outside of our community:

According to the HCH budget report as of March 2021, the taxpayers of Hemphill County have paid for a loss of almost $77,000 dollars in the 2021 Harvester Clinic. And according to reports, they have never made a profit since opening in 2016. I voiced my concerns about HCH contracting EMS services in Pampa in 2019. And according to the March 2021 budget report, month to date, the Hemphill taxpayers have had over a $40,000 loss in services for Gray County emergency services. This does not include the “in-kind services” provided to start up the service, and ongoing “in-kind services” to operate a service.

I support “thinking outside the box” and creative ideas to increase revenue, but I do not condone using Hemphill County taxpayer money to gamble on long shots.

WJ: The Hemphill County Hospital District is embarking on exciting advancements and expansions. I think it’s important for our hospital district to remain innovative as they explore new ways to provide for their community. I understand the concerns of those who aren’t sure why the hospital district is creating a circle of care. My goal is to have a transparent and open dialogue between the hospital district and the community in order to create confidence and clarity.

CL: I do support our efforts as a district to expand our footprint into other communities. I think we have the duty to take care of the citizens of Hemphill County first, and if other opportunities arise, as they have, to explore those. We serve several surrounding communities through our scope of care in our facilities. We have people from surrounding towns that come to Canadian for their healthcare needs. I have looked at the other ventures we as a district have, and I would not support them if I felt they were a drain on our taxpayers, or if they were not serving the greater good of people’s healthcare needs. I believe we have and are doing that now.

CP: Over the last 10 years, the district has built, acquired, and grown substantially. The hospital district had no intention of going into long-term care, but when asked, the hospital district stepped up and took over these facilities. If they had not done so, I am not sure these facilities would still be in operation today. Offering long-term care is important to Hemphill County because it allows our residents to stay here and receive the level of care they need, as well as staying close to friends and family.

Our local economy is largely driven by oil and gas prices, and when they decrease, our local economy follows. Operating services outside of Hemphill County is a way to provide a revenue stream back to the district. If you look at the revenue that the Harvester Family Medical Clinic directs back to the hospital, this makes a worthwhile venture. It is not always easy to see or understand just by looking at the Harvester financials, since much of the revenue reflects under the hospital from the services it provides to the clinic. Gray County EMS is also designed to be self-supportive and distribute revenue back to the district. If for some reason either of these entities are no longer revenue streams for the district, due to the way the entities were established, they could be easily shut down. The administration is always looking for and bringing ideas to the board of different ways to help generate revenue.

How would you rate the hospital district’s response to the COVID pandemic in the last year, including its efforts to provide access to COVID-19 testing and vaccines, as well as its dissemination of helpful information to the public? Please explain.

JH: Honestly, I cannot comment personally. I did see they offered several days of free vaccine administration. And I do know when Pampa was not offering testing, Hemphill County Hospital was. In a small community with limited media access, it can be difficult to publicize services. Thank you and hope you will support me!

WJ: I cannot say enough good things about our hospital district and their response to the COVID pandemic. Our hospital was preparing for situations long before they became an issue in Canadian, and as a result, we have weathered the pandemic remarkably well. The work they have done to inform the community about the disease and the transparency they used during testing is a large reason we were able to stay so safe. And when vaccines were being distributed, the hospital had already developed a plan and executed it beautifully. The hospital district absolutely worked to keep us safe and informed. We are all thankful for their leadership during the uncertainty of the COVID pandemic.

CL: I believe the hospital district has done a fantastic job with our community’s COVID pandemic. They have put out PSAs on social media, along with daily updates to the number of positive cases. This was a great measurement to all the people of Hemphill County and how we were all affected by this virus. They have been extremely cautious and have done their part to slow the spread of this disease. I am proud of our hospital and our hospital district for their response and their dedication to the health and well-being of anyone that should need our services. We have the best healthcare workers and staff. They are local heroes, and we should support them in any way we can. I would like to thank them for their excellence and professionalism through all of this. Having 15 years of respiratory therapy experience, I can’t imagine the mental and physical strain on our healthcare personnel. It couldn’t have been easy, but it was greatly appreciated.

CP: I cannot say enough good things about the phenomenal job everyone within the hospital district has done in the last year. Everyone went above and beyond to work together to handle the virus. From sourcing PPE, acquiring the quick tests, making rooms ready to handle patients if ICU beds were not available at larger medical facilities, and finally our vaccine rollout. It has been a lot of late nights, early mornings, and picking up extra shifts to cover people who were in quarantine to keep the district running, and they handled it incredibly well. It has been a very trying year for all employees in the medical field, and if you see someone, you should stop them and tell them thank you.

CANADIAN ISD SCHOOL BOARD Q&A

BLAKE BEEDY

I have been a resident of Canadian for over 15 years now. As most people of you, I love our small community, and I love raising my family here. My wife, Hilary, and I have four children that are attending CISD, and our kids range in age from high school on down to kindergarten. I believe having my children in all of our schools gives me a good sense of what they are facing in their everyday lives at school. My two degrees from Texas Tech University are in accounting and finance.

DR. CODY CULWELL

I am married to my high school sweetheart, Melissa. Together, we have six children: Aidan, Josh, Maude, Sophia, Zeke, and Faith. We have lived happily in Canadian for almost 12 years now. After attending schools in Tulia, I graduated from Baylor University and then completed medical school at UT Southwestern in Dallas. My job at Canadian Family Physicians brought us here in 2009, and we have been blessed by all the many great things the community has to offer including our schools.

COURTNEY TROLINGER

Born and raised in Canadian, my roots run deep in the community I have always called home no matter where I lived. I graduated high school from Canadian in 1984, benefiting greatly from the education and opportunities afforded me throughout my years in the CISD school system. A 1989 graduate of Oklahoma State University, my focus and career took me to Austin, where I then worked for two state representatives from the Panhandle and later as vice president of Governmental Affairs at Texas A&M University. Through these positions, I gained invaluable experience in public policy, working directly in agriculture and education issues more specifically. Due to a combination of life events and a strong desire to move back home to the family and community that I love, we returned permanently to Canadian in 2010. A major contributing factor in moving back to Canadian was the excellent school system. I am a partner and co-owner of Canadian Gardens in Canadian. I’ve been married to Keith Trolinger for almost 27 years. We have two children, Cooper and Olivia, who both graduated from Canadian ISD. I’m a member of the First Christian Church, a founding board member of the Canadian Education Foundation, and serving my third term as a board member of the CISD board of trustees.

Why should voters cast their ballots for you as a candidate for the CISD board of trustees? If you are a new candidate, have you ever attended a meeting of the school board before? What steps have you taken to remain informed about school-related issues?

BB: No, I have not attended a school board meeting, but I had not attended a city council meeting either before I decided to run for it 4-1/2 years ago. I stay well-informed by reading the articles in the paper; talking to current school board members; and by being active in the community, listening to the kids and parents of our children.

CC: Continued success in our school district would be the main reason. Throughout my time on the board of trustees, the school’s fund balance has grown (available to help overcome continued loss in state funding), new programs and CTE classes have been added, consolidation with Higgins ISD was achieved, and many strong staff members have been hired or retained.

I also still have a vested interest in our district with four children that will be enrolled next school year in Canadian ISD. Our school district is known throughout the Panhandle and across the state for its academics and extracurricular prowess. My goal is to continue to build on that reputation. A great school system can be a strong selling point to recruit new families and industry to the area.

Experience is an important factor, too. I have nine years of experience on the CISD board (and 11 years of school board experience overall). Knowing the way a board operates and having trust in our administrative team are important to keep things running smoothly and successfully. I will strive to continue to serve the district and community to be a part of bringing excellence to every child, every day.

CT: It’s been an honor and privilege to serve on the board of trustees. I believe my commitment to our school system and accountability to our community has been demonstrated during my tenure on the board. I’m proud of CISD and the accomplishments I’ve been a part of while serving. A few of the highlights I’ve been a part of include facility improvements at the middle school with the new classroom addition and cafeteria; the auxiliary gym at the high school; the creation of the District of Innovation; adding girls softball to the athletic program; advocating for college and workforce readiness; navigating a superintendent change; and facing fiscal challenges related to state funding. My experience in educational public policy and an established interest in our community provide a history voters can rely on to cast their votes. I’ve always been open and approachable to anyone in the district/community who wants to discuss specific concerns related to our school district.

Given the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic—the resulting school closures, the transition to online instruction, and the rise in staff and student absences—do you believe the district should take any extraordinary measures to bring students up to speed in their studies? Please explain.

BB: The coronavirus has been hard on everyone this last year. I have been impressed to watch our school officials and teachers face head on every unbelievable challenge that has been thrown on them. For our school system to continue to strive in the face of this uncertain pandemic is a credit to the great people we have working for us and our children. I believe what CISD accomplished this year is extraordinary in its own right. To put more pressure on our kids and our teachers seems like a bit much considering what all we have gone through.

CC: The COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented challenge in all aspects of our lives. Our school district has stepped up to the challenge. I really believe the district administration and teaching staff have already worked extremely hard to bring students up to speed. Programs such as RTI (response to intervention); extra tutoring; long hours of planning and implementation; and other creative ways to deliver instruction, to students both learning at home and in the classroom, have been utilized to close the gaps. The district has implemented these tools throughout this current school year and adjusted them as needed. The use of technology has been an integral part of instruction as well. Our district technology department has worked tirelessly to allow our students and teachers to succeed. Summer school will also be vital for those students who still need extra work to catch up.

Is every student where they need to be academically?—No. Overall, though, I feel we are well ahead of the curve compared to most of the state, and I know our teachers and administrators will continue to work hard to get all students to where they need to be academically.

CT: Absolutely! Given what we’ve been through in the last year, we should of course take any measure possible to make sure our students are not falling behind in any area. But let me follow up by saying that I believe we have already been taking extraordinary measures. Our teachers and administrators deserve enormous thanks and praise for what they’ve been able to accomplish given the circumstances. First, we had to create an entire new remote-learning system last year in a short period of time. The challenges were great, but the entire staff jumped in and worked tirelessly to ensure our students could finish the school year with some degree of continual learning. We relied so much more on the parents working with their children from home. Just the logistics and communications alone between parents and teachers involved tremendous teamwork and trust. The board and administration were concerned from the beginning about students receiving the instruction they needed just to keep up and not fall behind. Of course, when the fall semester began with no end in sight for the pandemic, our teachers and campus leaders rallied to make sure we could implement the hybrid system of in-school learning, as well as maintaining remote learning. I can assure the public that a constant concern from the board and staff is if we are meeting each and every student’s needs on the academic spectrum. My personal belief is that we should continue to find innovative and aggressive ways to make sure that COVID-19 does not rob any child of the education they deserve. This may include extra tutorial opportunities and optional sum mer school if determined by the teacher, parents, and administration. Obviously, I would support using additional district resources as needed for this purpose. I welcome any opportunity to discuss with a parent or staff member where we might improve or if we are falling short in any area.

How would you rate the district’s response to the COVID pandemic during the last year, including its efforts to guard the safety of staff and students, and its responsibility to be transparent and disseminate critical information to the public? Please explain.

BB: During this year, I have not liked what has happened to our schools and our children, but I also understand that in order for us to have remained open, we had to obey certain mandates handed down to us by the leaders in Austin. Extreme caution was used for most of the year, and I am thankful we only lost a couple of people in Hemphill County to the virus. I never felt like I was uninformed of the decisions being made by our school leaders and school board. Anytime I ever had a concern, Dr. Pulliam and many of the school board members were happy to answer any questions I had concerning the welfare of our children in school.

CC: I believe the district’s response to the COVID pandemic has been great overall. The hard work put in by Molly Kerrigan (and Marisol Meraz) along with the teaching staff and administration has been outstanding. Both Molly and Dr. Pulliam sought out the opinions of our local medical staff throughout the school year when needed. They have gone further than the TEA guidelines as well. Our maintenance department and custodial staff have also worked long hours to keep our students and staff safe.

Outbreaks within the schools were minimal compared with gatherings outside of school property or family exposures. This fact is attributed to the use of masks, adherence to social distancing in classrooms, and the use of plexiglass barriers along with screening students and staff daily. We all should be proud of the fact that the school district did not play a significant role in the spread of COVID-19 and did not have to shut down and go to strictly virtual learning as other districts in the area and state were forced to do.

The school district has also been transparent throughout the pandemic with frequent updates on cases and close-contact quarantine statistics. This information is made available to the public through the COVID dashboard during the school week.

CT: Honestly, I’m really proud of our district’s response to the pandemic over the last year. In the beginning, and truly throughout, things were changing daily. Having to respond to each new moment was in ways surreal as many people would agree. Reflecting on what happened in our community, I witnessed true camaraderie, partnership, and trust cemented between our school leaders, our healthcare professionals, and our county and city leaders, which put the overall safety and welfare of the entire community above all else. Everyone jumped in where they were needed.

I would like to highlight a group not usually at the forefront at our school, but whose efforts not only went above and beyond the call of duty but were essential to the safety of our school. These are the maintenance, custodial, and cafeteria staff. We all owe them a debt of gratitude for their work, and we could not have been successful in combating this pandemic without them. Truly work done under the radar at all hours of the day, night, and weekends. I’m very thankful for their dedication.

If I have to rate the district’s response,I must include a rating for the community as well because it was truly one in the same. Looking back, this rating is nothing short of incredible considering the challenges we all faced. The fact we have had school open all year, kids successfully participating in extracurricular activities, and fairly low infection rates from school is amazing.

Regarding the transparency and dissemination of information to the public, I believe our administration went above and beyond in that respect. Emails, phone calls, texts, social media, as well as information shared through our local paper was vital to ensure everyone was informed of the ever-changing plans and new requirements taking place. Specifically, notifying parents of quarantines, positive cases, and ever-changing TEA guidelines was a priority.

The district has several staff openings—including two special education teachers, a math teacher, and a family and consumer sciences teacher. Do you believe the district should aggressively search for and recruit the most highly-qualified teachers to fill these positions? If so, how would you encourage that approach to hiring new personnel?

BB: CISD is one of the highest rated school districts in the state. We excel at everything we strive to do. I have no doubt that extremely qualified people will seek us out, but I believe a thorough search for the best candidates for these important positions is an obligation we will fulfill.

CC: The district has aggressively searched for the best staff in the past, and I believe CISD will continue to recruit the most highly-qualified teachers that we can. To some, our remote location and relatively small size might be a hindrance to hiring but the district continues to offer some of the highest salaries in the region for teachers to offset that potential hurdle.

Canadian ISD should continue to be competitive with salaries and even use stipends to entice the best and brightest to work for the district. Our administration needs to continue working hard to sell the benefits of our community and school district as well. In the end, we all want the best for our children, and great teachers are a part of that process.

CT: I have always advocated for the best and brightest talent we can possibly find. I absolutely agree we should aggressively search for and recruit the most qualified teachers for these positions, as well as others which may become open. The board relies on our administrators to recruit, publicly list job openings, and interview qualified candidates. I believe our practice has been successful and would expect nothing less than the same effort in hiring new personnel.

Canadian ISD is now in its fourth year of an effort to de-emphasize standardized state testing and to shift to more innovative, project-based learning. How do you think CISD has handled that transition, and what is the best measure of its success, or its failure?

BB: As many of you know who have children in school, the STAAR TEST system just crashed in the middle of giving our test to our students. Standardized tests do have their good points, but to force a teacher to just teach geared toward passing a test on one day of the year seems unfair to our children. The measure of the success of this new approach has been seen in the success of the graduates of CISD over the last few years. I have seen and heard of many of our former students going on to succeed in college and their other endeavors, and I am convinced this approach has been successful.

CC: Standardized testing does have a place in education, but it should not be the only measure nor most important measure in determining student achievement. There is much more to education than teaching to pass a test. Our board realized this problem. We entrusted our administration and staff with the monumental task of developing more effective ways to measure success and ultimately prepare students for college and careers, not just mastery of a group of tests.

Overall, the transition has been successful but not yet complete. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, our staff and administration spent many hours brainstorming, attending meetings with other school districts, and meeting with parents and community leaders to develop a plan for local accountability. They eventually came up with a plan and the CISD “Profile of a Graduate.” The pandemic has slowed some of the momentum, but our district will continue to work towards complete implementation of this local accountability plan. I also feel that the de-emphasis of the STAAR test has been a welcomed relief for students, parents, and staff.

CT: One of the accomplishments I’m most proud to have been a part of is the creation of Canadian as a District of Innovation. I believe including community and parents in the establishment was key to its creation and remains key in its implementation. Taking the pressure of standardized testing off the teachers and students has proven to result in a better learning environment, allowing the teachers more flexibility in meeting students’ needs and challenging them in new ways. In my opinion, the best measure of success is the students’ abilities and opportunities beyond CISD. College readiness, workforce training, and life skills on all levels remain important measures for me.