Published: May 03, 2009 01:43 pm      

Three vie for slot on Cleburne ISD board

Wendell Dempsey said he hadn’t planned to run for Cleburne school board this year. He’d lost twice before.

“Then a friend brought me two [candidate] packages, one for school board and one for city council,” Dempsey said.

He decided the Cleburne ISD trustee race was more lucrative.

“I know more about the schools,” he said. “I get a lot of stuff fed to me.”

Dempsey, Tolin Navarrete and Matt Snider are vying in Place 3, the only contested Cleburne race of the May 9 election. Brent Easdon is unopposed in Place 4 and Teddy Martyniuk unopposed in Place 5. Place 3 incumbent Jennifer Dugger chose not to run.

Of the three Place 3 candidates, Navarrete is the only Cleburne ISD product. He touted his Cleburne roots.

“I have two children that are currently students in the Cleburne school district and one more that will be next year,” Navarrete said, “and I want to ensure that they are receiving a quality education and that they have all of the advantages that other school districts have available to them. My wife is also an educator that has chosen to work in the Cleburne ISD, and I want to ensure that she and all educators are given the tools that will assist them in giving our children the best education possible.”

Dempsey stressed his business background.

“I run probably the biggest business in Johnson County [Johnson County Auto Parts],” he said. “I’ve done a lot on my own and with the help of a few friends. I’ve had three generations of kids in Cleburne schools.”

Snider said his background would aid the district in making wise financial and personnel decisions.

“I believe I am uniquely qualified to help guide the school district in setting policies that inspire the greatest amount of public trust in its financial stability and responsible management through complete openness, accountability and transparency,” he said. “I also believe that I can have a positive impact on restoring the morale of CISD employees.”

Navarrete said his community roots run deep.

“I have been elected and appointed to many boards in the community,” he said, “and I feel that the experience that I have received from serving on these boards has prepared me to serve as a trustee. The stress and the difficulty that comes with decision making are not foreign to me, either. Cleburne is a growing diverse city and I am fully bilingual. Being fluent in both English and Spanish gives me the ability to communicate with the Spanish-speaking members of our community.”

In a recent question-and-answer exchange published by the Times-Review, each candidate touched on Cleburne ISD’s punishment at the hands of Texas Education Agency.

That theme continued.

“I heard some rumors about the way they were spending money, and I looked at my taxes, and that got my curiosity up,” Dempsey said.

“I believe that being a business owner also qualifies me to deal with some of the financial issues that are involved in being a school board trustee,” Navarrete said. “Budgets and contracts are areas that I deal with on a daily basis. I believe that my background in construction would make me an asset to the board, when making decisions on building repairs and approving blueprints for new structures.”

Snider said, “In my offer to serve I bring to the table a sharp and inquisitive mind, extensive business and financial management skills, a responsible and tenacious nature, a commitment to the unbridled truth and a Christian perspective and set of expectations on how CISD executives and board members should act.”

In the question-and-answer exchange, Dempsey was critical of current school board members.

“Some of them sure don’t like me,” Dempsey said. “I’ve talked to several different board members. Some don’t know everything that’s going on.”

Dempsey declined to be specifically critical of Superintendent Dr. Ronny Beard.

“He’s faced with a heck of a problem,” Dempsey said. “When you start trying to straighten up a mess, you’re not going to make many friends. There are rules you have to abide by. The rules are put there for a reason. Personally, I don’t know the man one way or the other.”

Snider said he wants to serve all of the community.

“I have the same primary qualifications to be a school board member as anyone: the broad desire to serve my community in general and the specific desire to serve the stakeholders in the CISD: the taxpayers, parents, students and CISD employees.”

Dempsey said his perceived conflicts with the present board don’t keep him from wanting to join the board.

“You don’t know till you’re on the inside what’s going on,” he said. “I’m on the outside and being told a lot of things. I want to see for myself.”



Polling Places

Cleburne City Limits

C1 — Wheat Middle School

810 N Colonial Drive

C2 — Gerard Elementary School

1212 S Hyde Park Blvd.

C3 — Cooke Elementary School

902 Phillips St.

C4 — Booker T Washington Community Center

100 Mansfield Road

Outside City Limits

Pct. 6 — Wheat Middle School

810 N Colonial Drive

Pct. 16 & 23 — Gerard Elementary School

1212 S Hyde Park Blvd.

Pct. 14, 15, 17, 31, 33 — Cooke Elementary School

902 Phillips St.

Pct. 9, 20, 21, 22, 24, 27 — Booker T. Washington Community Center

100 Mansfield Road