Jeremiah Stoker for Aledo ISD Place 4
Special Education
I am committed to ensuring that our Special Education programs receive the support and resources they need to thrive. Recently, there have been changes to the Special Education department, including a restructuring of roles and responsibilities. While Dr. Bohn clarified that the 2024-2025 school budget did not make cuts to Special Education, I have concerns that the changes may not have been fully endorsed by the Special Ed teachers. I believe it's essential to listen to and amplify the voices of our Special Ed teachers and parents, who are best positioned to understand the needs of our students. I want to hear their concerns, ideas, and suggestions for how we can improve our Special Education programs. By working together, I envision a collaborative and student-centered culture that prioritizes flexibility, creativity, and cooperation. This means providing more resources and support for our teachers and ensuring that every student receives a supportive and inclusive education that meets their unique needs, while upholding the principles of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Teachers
I believe it's essential to ensure that our district's personnel policies promote fairness, transparency, and due process for all employees, particularly our teachers. To achieve this, I propose revising our Board Policy Manual to include specific guidelines for evaluating the Superintendent's recommendations for nonrenewals of teacher contracts. By providing clear and enumerated examples of "arbitrary or capricious" reasons that would warrant denying a nonrenewal recommendation, we can promote consistency, equity, and accountability in our decision-making process. Furthermore, I believe that providing teachers with a right to appeal nonrenewal decisions is crucial for fostering a positive and supportive work environment. Currently, our policy only provides this right to teachers on term contracts (DFBB). I propose revising our policy for probationary contracts (DFAB) to mirror this provision, ensuring that all teachers have a fair and transparent process for addressing concerns and disputes related to their employment.
Students
Promote Experiences, Not Appearances
The Aledo ISD administration put a moratorium on out-of-state school trips for the 2024-2025 school year with the exception of trips that were already approved prior to the 2024-2025 school year. Even though these trips are student-funded, the moratorium was issued because of the appearance of the AISD spending money when the budgets are tight. Some of the student organizations traditionally do an out-of-state trip every other year, or once every 4 years. I will work to end this misguided policy.​ ​ As school budgets remain tight, I will work to ensure that school-sponsored extracurricular activities hosted at Aledo facilities remain accessible to our students and participating ISDs. This includes shielding organizations like the University Interscholastic League (UIL), Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA), FIRST, Future Farmers of America (FFA), National Honor Society (NHS), Texas Association of Student Councils (TASC), and Drama Texas from unnecessary and prohibitive fees.