Katherine Chan Goodwin

Did you or your children attend PISD ? If so, when?

My children, Chloe and Ben, both graduates from Plano Senior High School attended PISD from 1998 through 2014. I returned to serving students, parents, educators and the community through Barron Elementary PTA in 2019.

Why are you running for this position, and how has your experience prepared you for a position on the board ? Please include  your current and past civic involvement that are relevant to the PISD board position (e.g. PTA, public offices sought or held etc.)

We can all agree that we want our children to be safe and educated. The political stunts that increasingly dominate the public education conversation are distracting and dangerous. That is why I am running for Trustee. I will focus on the business of educating our students, removing barriers to effective learning and putting student achievement back on track.

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I want students and parents to feel their children are physically and emotionally safe at school - lifted by the feeling of belonging. I will support and respect teachers by paying them what they deserve and protecting their ability to teach the truth. And for all – students, families, educators and the community, I will work to rebuild trust.

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After an unsuccessful run for Trustee in 2019, I decided the best way help my community would be to say “yes” to every opportunity to serve in the community. This led to feeding people, first in the Douglass Community and then at Barron Elementary School and finally as the Plano West Rotary Club volunteer coordinator for all meals drive-thru events at PISD. Our volunteers delivered over 95,000 meals to students during the summer of 2021. We continue to deliver food to students and their families at three different campuses every month.

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As a member of Leadership Plano, Class 37, I have built relationships with small business owners, corporate and non-profit organization leaders, both small and large from every different background, political leaning, faith and national origin. I delight in connecting folks for mutual benefit. I am on the Board of Directors of both the ArtCentre of Plano and the Plano West Rotary Club and serve as Treasurer for both organizations. I am a Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow, and was honored with the Rotary International, District 5810 “Service Above Self” Award.

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I also served the older adult community as a volunteer certified Long-Term Care Ombudsman, and as a member of the City of Plano Senior Advisory Board. I currently serve on the Tax Increment Financing Reinvestment Zones 2 and 3 Boards.

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I served for 16-years on the Executive Board of every PTA for every Plano ISD school that my children attended. As the proud recipient of the Texas PTA Lifetime Membership Award, I also served on the PISD Diversity Advisory Committee and Plano ISD Council of PTAs Antiracism Committee. I currently serve as Barron Elementary PTA Treasurer. I have served with parents, teachers and school leaders of all stripes, in all kinds of conditions. We do not always agree, but we can focus on the goal of getting something done for our kids. I know how it feels to worry your first grader isn’t reading well enough or wonder why your middle schooler has stopped talking to you, or how you will ever get your kid thru the SAT test.

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Finally, as a dispute resolution specialist, I know how to leave my bias at the door and welcome everyone to the table to find solutions we can all live with. I know that you will never make everyone happy, and I am not afraid to be accountable for an unpopular but necessary decision. These are the required experiences, skills and traits of a School Board Trustee.

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What is your plan to manage the deficit driven by recapture, to create the best outcome for Plano schools, to ensure that teachers have sufficient resources and capacity to provide the best possible education to children ?

I am committed to ensuring educational excellence and equity by closing the opportunity and achievement gaps for ALL our students, whomever they are, wherever they come from.

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I support investment in:

• Fully funded, innovative programs to meet ALL of our students’ needs

• Our teachers, staffs and leaders to attract, develop and retain the best talent in every role

• Collaborative and safe environments to create and deploy best practices.

 

We must encourage continuous learning and re-invention as a joyful habit for our students - to equip them to be college, career and life-ready in a dynamic world.

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Plano ISD’s current tax rate has decreased 17.9 cents in five years. Even if the tax rate was lowered, raising property values could still increase the final dollar value taxpayer are paying. School Board Trustees have no role in determining property appraisal values or controlling the real estate market.

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I am committed to continuing the education of our community in the purposefully complex funding allocation formulas propagated by the State legislature that send our tax dollars to the state general fund instead of our District for the education of ALL children – this includes “recapture” payments. I pledge to continue to advocate for the students of our District in Austin because public education is the foundation of our communities and economies.

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Would you empower teachers to define and teach the curriculum based on state provided guidelines and specifically issues such as slavery being integral to American history, the historical importance of sexuality,  racial and gender identities, socio-economic status etc.? Please add your thoughts as to your position on empowering teachers.

Yes, Students should learn all that is available that meet our curriculum standards about race and the history of slavery and racial oppression in America, as well as the historical importance of sexuality, race and gender identities and socio-economic status.

 

I trust and support the trained and certified teachers and curriculum specialists who serve our students to select subject and age-appropriate materials for our students to learn.

 

Like scientific discoveries, information evolves with time and additional discoveries. Students are capable of understanding that information evolves and that it is their responsibility to continue to pursue additional knowledge in order to make their world a better place. Teaching our children how to learn, unlearn and relearn is essential to securing a better future for all of us.

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Do you believe that there is an issue within PISD with respect to book banning, social and emotional learning etc.? Please provide insight into your response to the question above. Is there an issue within PISD with respect to book banning, social and emotional learning etc.?

No, I love books – they are the portals to exploration of places, things, experiences, thoughts and ideas beyond where we safely sit. I trust the trained and certified librarians who serve our students to select subject and age-appropriate materials for our school libraries, certainly more than the filters on the average student’s cell phone.

 

PISD has local policies regarding parental involvement and processes to request change or complain about a book, as mandated by State law. I agree with current local policies and processes but am committed to hearing requests for change with an open mind.

 

I am glad to see that our District remains committed to Social, Emotional Learning (SEL) programs and continues to model the SEL competencies in classrooms. As the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) has defined it, “SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply…knowledge, skills and attitudes.” The “loss” in “learning loss” is the time schools did not have with their students, the time to build relationships, knowledge, community and skills. This lack of “build” time in addition to the divisive climate and effects of COVID-19 has resulted in deficiencies in learning, anxiety, fear and disruptive behaviors. We all need to learn and practice techniques of self-awareness, emotional stability, collaboration and empathy in order to reduce unproductive actions and move ahead with learning.

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Do you believe  student mental health issues such as anxiety, fear of violence/suicidal thoughts should be addressed at a district wide level? What steps, if any, will you take to alleviate student mental health issues such as anxiety, fear of violence/suicidal thoughts etc.?

Yes. Plano ISD should continue to:

• Enforce and fund safety policies, procedures and personnel

• Regularly test and maintain physical security systems

• Hire and retain more counselors to help students specifically with mental health concerns

• Ensure timely and regular mental state “check-in” and trust exercises for students and educators with built-in feedback and auditing

• Increase engagement between parents, the community and PISD, and between teachers, administrators, and staff and District support teams to rebuild trust.

 

We will not make progress in achievement until we address the safety concerns and mental health strains on our students, families, and educators.

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What measures will you advocate to improve the security of students, faculty and staff in the district without adding to the work load or out of pocket expenses of teachers?

See above. I would not support anything that would add to the workload or out of pocket expenses of teachers.

 

Do you believe trans students should be able to access the restroom that aligns with their gender identity? 

Yes

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