Q&A with Amauri Martinez, candidate for Stephenville ISD Board of Trustees.
Q. What do you believe is the most important role of a school board member? A. As a board trustee, my main priority is to put the community's interest as a whole first and not the interest of a political party or personal agenda.
As a school board trustee, our responsibility is to advocate for all the district children regardless of who they are, what they believe, or where they came from.
Our job is to gather all the facts and community feedback to make decisions that put the school district above all else. Then communicate and provide transparency to all the various demographics of our school district.
Q. What are the biggest challenges facing SISD?
A. One word: Trust.
The lack of trust can be felt everywhere, from our country to our school district. Communication, gathering feedback, and transparency are the foundations for building trust back in our school district.
Parents need to trust that our teachers, staff, and administration have their kids’ best interest at all times. Teachers need to know that parents and their leadership will be there for them in the good and bad times.
Community members also need to spend more time having face-to-face discussions and not behind a screen. As adults, we need to set an example for our children. That foundation begins with all of us.
Trust is one of the reasons that I am running to be a school board trustee.
I want to work with the school district to implement a system that will gather both community and employee feedback consistently.
Begin looking at trends and use that data to measure if we are improving or not. If we are not improving, then we must identify the key areas to focus our resources on.
Our parents, teachers, and staff deserve to have a safe environment to express what they feel without the fear of retaliation. Communication, mutual respect, and transparency are the critical building blocks of our future.
Q. Do you support the bond initiates going before voters in May? Why or why not?
A. I support both Proposition A & B of the bond.
This is an investment in our kids, school district, and community. I have focused on providing the taxpayers with the factual information they need to make an educated decision throughout my campaign. I understand everyone is on a different journey and has other reasons for voting for or against the bond and it needs to be respected. One of the arguments is that this is not the right time, but if not now, when? The world's economic drivers have changed, and the longer we postpone this initiative, the more expensive it will become.
The other alternatives, such as using Lem Brock for a stadium, are not long-term solutions but temporary band-aids. It will cost the taxpayers more money over time. I favor doing this responsibly, and if the bond is approved, I will work to minimize the impact on our taxpayers.
Finally, to put this in perspective, on a $300K home, the monthly taxpayer impact would be $14.65 per month, less than a typical Amazon Prime subscription.
Q. What educational and career experiences in your background make you the most qualified candidate for this position?
A. I graduated from Tarleton State University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information and a Master of Science in Management Information Systems.
After my Bachelor’s degree, I also completed all the required courses from the Cisco Network Academy at ESC Region 11, which allowed me to teach at Stephenville High School and Tarleton State University. After teaching at Stephenville High School for five full years, I continued my professional technology and business career at a local oil & gas company.
Then my wife and I started our thriving small business, which operates all over North Texas. I am a former Stephenville High School teacher with classroom experience, fully bilingual, continue to work for a global energy company, and am a business owner.
I feel confident in my decision to run and am both qualified and ready to take the next step as a Stephenville ISD School Trustee.
