Candidate for GISD Board

A candidate for the GISD Board has emerged that appears to want to take on the "real" issues facing the students in Georgetown.

Francis Jackson has filed as a candidate for Place 4 on the GISD Board of Trustees.

In an interview with the Wilcosun on February 26, 2020, he articulated his concerns and approaches to change the Board and administration focus.

He is running on a platform of “well-thought-out change.” “Georgetown is in trouble,” he said, citing the district’s multi-year decline in the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) program.

Mr. Jackson is outspoken about Superintendent Fred Brent’s salary — $319,534 in 2018-19. He said it’s too high for a district of 12,000 students. “He’s the 24th highest-paid superintendent in Texas,” Mr. Jackson noted, citing data from the Texas Education Agency.

He also believes that the superintendent and senior administrator's pay should depend on meeting or surpassing state averages on STAR scores. This is a transparent way to hold them accountable.

For those citizens in the GISD, this candidate provides an opportunity to vote for a person with a focus on accountability, both for student achievement and financially.