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Voters in Port Arthur Independent School District will decide Saturday which two candidates will fill empty seats on the board of trustees.

Candidates include Nina Stelley, Kenneth Lofton Sr., Regina Drake, Johnny Brown and Lloyd Marie Johnson.

The candidates took part in a Q&A with Port Arthur Newsmedia.

 

Nina Stelley

Age: 63

Profession: Educator

Q: What inspired you to run for office?

A: I’ve had a heart to serve since I was in the seventh and eighth grade. As an adult, I have a heart to serve the community, especially being an advocate for children and youth. I have the experience and educational background.

Q: What are the challenges facing Port Arthur ISD?

A: Unity with the parents, churches, city and refineries. Let’s get back to our in-person meetings, start uniting the parents, churches, city and refineries. Our parent involvement should be a major thrust in PAISD. Due to COVID, everything was shut down. Everything is now open for in-person activity with caution. The district parent involvement should be meeting in person on a regular basis. This is important. Annually there is a parent policy that should be signed by those who attend and those involved (parents, community representatives) with parental involvement. Parents and those interested should also be included in making decisions on how this funding is utilized on all individual campuses. Once this foundation had been established, we can move on to building a relationship with churches, the city and refineries. It takes a village. Uniting all that had been said makes us stronger for the students and we are then all on the same page.

Q: If elected, what are your goals?

A: Discipline of students, classroom size and retention of employees and increase in salary including substitutes. I want to serve and make certain we are united and are going in the same direction on the previously stated issues.

Q: Why should voters choose you?

A: Voters should choose me. I’m in the schools day to day and inside those classrooms since 1982. The experience and educational background.

Regina Drake

Age: 55

Profession: Training and Development Coordinator

Q: What inspired you to run for office?

A: I’m a proud alumnus of PAISD. I know the long history of PAISD and its continuous capacity to provide students with a good academic foundation. The current and future students deserve the same opportunity. I believe that my work experience, academic credentials and experience serving on various executive boards will be a great resource in helping our students and staff be successful.

A: What are the challenges facing Port Arthur ISD?

A: The district faces a changed world. We are challenged by educating our students, post pandemic, post Harvey, post economic downturn. We must identify the root causes of our challenges and implement solutions that fix the things we can and determine best practices and solutions for our current and future students.

Q: If elected, what are your goals?

A: Student success and school safety, upward mobility, parental and family engagement; partnerships (among) school, family, community, and industry; opportunity and access; respect for one another; teachers and staff support.

Q: Why should voters choose you?

A: My desire is to give back to the district that meant so much to me. I believe the students deserve that and more. We have a resilient group of individuals who show up every day and fill roles in various capacities. They need an advocate. I support family and community engagement and understand the value of working with industry and organizations that support student success.I bring an objective perspective and a wide range of skills, knowledge and executive board experience. Voters make a difference.

Kenneth Lofton Sr.

Age: 50

Profession: Process operator at Motiva Enterprises

Q: What inspired you to run for office?

A: My community and the children of Port Arthur is the reason I am running for school board. I’ve been fortunate enough to be elected to the school board for the past 15 years. Our kids are our future, and I want to make a difference in our kids’ lives, whether through academics, athletics or just being there for them. Our kids need to see and hear positive people in their lives helping and promoting them to be great and successful.

Q: What are the challenges facing Port Arthur ISD?

A:  (1) Discipline is a factor that we are facing in our schools. When you have a kid or children with discipline problems in the school, it affects the learning of kids that want to learn. The teacher spends a lot of time disciplining those students rather than teaching. Discipline starts at home. It takes a whole village to help discipline the kids so they can come to school with the right frame of mind and ready to learn.

(2) Teacher shortages. PAISD has recently addressed this problem as a board.

PAISD will have a certification program that will help people with a bachelor’s degree teach and earn their certification. This will also help with not having long-term substitute teachers. It will be a great program because we have a lot of people here in Port Arthur that want to teach and will be very helpful to PAISD.

Q: If elected, what are your  goals?

A: To continue pushing and fighting for our kids to be successful. Not all kids are going to college, but that doesn’t make them not want to be successful. I’m trying

to get more programs in the Career and Technology program such as the outside machinist program and electrician program because those careers are in need

right now. I also want to see the rest of the bond out to make sure we are using it wisely and putting it towards the needs of our kids.

Q: Why should voters choose you?

Citizens of Port Arthur should vote for me because I am product of Port Arthur ISD. My wife is a teacher in PAISD for 30 years, my kids graduated from Memorial and are very successful. I want to continue representing our schools and our community in a positive way, making sure our kids have everything they need to have a successful future. Remember: our kids, our future.

Johnny Brown

Age: 74

Profession: Adjunct professor, Lamar University

Q: What inspired you to run for office?

I was born and reared in Austin, Texas, and frequently reminded by my parents about the importance of taking time to reach out to help others. That message was emphasized throughout childhood and beyond by teachers, ministers and community. When such a mindset is combined with my background and experience as an educator, I decided it was an obligation rather than a choice to serve on the PAISD school board. The decision was crystallized when several former students encouraged me to serve.

I believe I can add value in planning and decision-making and strategic thinking for improving student performance and preparation for adulthood and for holding employees accountable for results.

Q: What are the challenges facing Port Arthur ISD?

A: Student safety and well being are always important considerations and ensuring the environment is positive and appropriate. As a trustee of the PAISD school board I pledge to keep the safety of children at the very top of my thoughts in planning and decisions I am part of making. Academic achievement is also an important consideration. Each child deserves the best from we adults for putting in place the conditions, personnel, resources and policies.

Mental health is a factor that impacts the performance of the children and employees. I believe it is important to make sure counselors, nurses and other support professionals and resources are in place and training is routine and required to ensure focus on the social, emotional, moral aspects of the school experiences of the teacher – student relationship and resources are devoted toward making the greatest difference to help achieve the goals of the district.

Q: If elected, what are your goals?

A: Any goals we focus on as a district must be agreed upon by the “team of 8” – school board members and superintendent. I am concerned about any appearance of low expectations and want to emphasize high standards and expectations for employees and children. I am proud of the many children who have achieved at high levels and, yet, concerned about any who have struggled. I would like to emphasize “thinking like champions” in the classroom, just as we think that way in sports activities. I am also an advocate for all children being involved in extracurricular activities: clubs, arts, sports and more. Among other points of interest: accountability; academic excellence; orderly learning environment and facilities; and fair, equitable distribution of resources devoted for the best outcomes for success.

Q: Why should voters choose you?

A: I am passionate about doing what I can to support the children. My background is rich with successes in education, including (a) preparation and successes as a leader: degrees from Texas State University and doctorate completed at The University of Texas at Austin; b. author of two books; (b) employment as teacher and coach in San Antonio and Austin and major accomplishments as principal, deputy superintendent and superintendent as an educator in four states, including Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, and Texas; (c) Adjunct Professor at Lamar University’s superintendent preparation program. I have lived in Port Arthur for 17 years and I am aware of the issues and challenges and well prepared to address them. I am a proven leader as a volunteer in serving others beyond self: officer in the Port Arthur Rotary Club and 100 Black Men of Greater Beaumont.

Lloyd Marie Johnson

Age: 63

Profession: Acute rehab physical therapist

Q: What inspired you to run for office?

A: I have been a PAISD trustee for 20 years and what keeps me going is to continuously believe that every child can learn and become productive citizens with a firm educational background as their foundation

Q: What are the challenges facing Port Arthur ISD?

A: (1)Safety, realizing that we have to ensure the safety of not only every facility but our health and well-being of each student and teacher. (2) STAAR data increased since COVID and can and will get only better.