
Simon Salinas
Plano ISD Board of Trustees - Place 7
Website
Email:
Education
I obtained an Associate of Science degree in General Studies from Collin College
Questionnaire Responses
Did you or your children attend PISD ? If so, when?
I attended PISD schools since I came to the district in 4th grade. For the last 9 years, I have been in Plano ISD schools.
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.)
My “why” is unique. 2 years ago, I was a student at Plano ISD and I saw how decisions made by the Plano ISD Board of Trustees affected me, my classmates, and my teachers significantly and I wanted to be part of those conversations. I am a recent graduate of Plano ISD, not a politician. I think that’s what sets me apart from other candidates. I've been campaigning for two years and I've even knocked on doors around Plano East Senior High during my high school lunches. I saw how certain decisions became political when they should've been common-sense decisions. I am not going to let my district continue down that path. The students and staff deserve better.
I decided to run because we don't have a Trustee on the Plano ISD School Board that has attended, taught, and volunteered for our district. It's not necessary to have those classroom experiences, but it should be preferred to have a Trustee who has been in the programs that they want to advocate for. I realized that I was someone who has all of those experiences and that I could make a change in the lives of our staff and students by using my perspective on our school board. That’s when I decided that I was going to make tough life choices and sacrifices to run for the PISD School Board and started to research the primary roles.
I have a unique perspective from both sides of the classroom that I want to bring to our school board. I’m a 2022 Plano ISD and Collin College graduate, a certified Pharmacy Technician, a substitute educator, a former member of the Plano ISD Diversity Advisory Committee, a LULAC member, a City of Plano Multi-Cultural Outreach Roundtable (MCOR) member, Pass the Props Plano ISD volunteer, and Plano ISD PTAs volunteer. We need someone on our school board that understands the current concerns of our district and community. I’m frustrated that we’re not focusing on what the teachers and students see as important upcoming decisions for the district. Additionally, there are staff who are worried about voicing their opinions on decisions because of potential consequences. As a Trustee, I will focus on these community issues and take the attention away from national partisan talking points.
The Plano ISD Board of Trustees has four main roles: Setting the tax rate and budget, overseeing the Superintendent, setting the calendar, and handling level four grievances. Each role requires experience in the classroom and an understanding of how the district works. Additionally, I believe the Board of Trustees has the responsibility to meet the community where they are by going out to community events and making sure to listen to the perspective of every community member that they can meet. Each decision is crucial to our community. I am an inquisitive person, so I know that I will ask thoughtful questions about each item on the dias.
​
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 ?
Nearly 66% of your property taxes go to Plano ISD. About 36% of those tax dollars collected go to the state in the form of recapture. Recapture needs reform. The intention was noble, however, there is no transparency on where your taxes are going. Our State legislature needs to adjust funding to account for inflation and Plano ISD shouldn’t be paying a high recapture payment when we are already in an 8-year deficit. Our district cannot keep operating like this. As your trustee, I will continue advocating for public schools and make sure to let our community know about these issues that our district is facing. There is only so much that advocating can do so I’d like to help create an innovative plan with other Trustees to lower the amount of recapture Plano ISD has to pay to prevent our district from cutting programs. Additionally, I believe we need to pause the creation of costly programs. The programs we have are already being underfunded and I don't want to cause more harm to our budget.
I think that's another way we can respect teachers. I think it’s interesting and speaks well of district administration that Plano ISD currently has the second-lowest tax rate in Collin County. Our district has continued to keep lowering property taxes to give relief to the taxpayers and I’m committed to continuing that work. The current total tax rate is $1.2598 per $100 of taxable value.
​
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, Education is changing and we must have academic support in place to retain our talented and passionate educators. This requires empowering our teachers to use their professional training to teach while being given support and minimal interference from the PISD Administration and the Board. This will enable students to see this and thrive in a healthy and trusting environment.
Additionally, we need to offer incentives for support staff. The last thing that our staff needs to worry about when they are going through something personal is who is going to teach their class while they're out. Plano ISD needs more special education, bilingual, and bilingual special education substitutes and teachers. We need to do our best to solve these issues fast. Special education and bilingual students deserve the same education as any other student.
​
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 don't believe that there's an issue, but I think that it's important to listen to every concern the community has. Parents have always had a voice in what students are being taught and the materials that are in libraries. I’m excited that more and more parents are becoming aware of this and are getting involved in this process. Plano ISD teachers work hard to send current information to parents of our district. I believe that Plano ISD should have a clear process, similar to surrounding districts, for materials to be reviewed by the community. If community members and parents are concerned and have extra time to volunteer to review certain books, they should be allowed to take that initiative. We should encourage our community to get involved in any way that sparks that continued passion for our district. This should not be a pathway to ban any book that someone disagrees with. Overall, I believe we need to shift our focus and attention to trying to increase student literacy and participation in libraries.
​
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. As a student, I saw how hard my High School and Senior High School counselors were working daily. Unfortunately, they are busy with academic and career counseling paperwork to have time dedicated to being mental health counselors. We need to automate parts of their work so that they can spend more time on mental health counseling for the students and staff. We also need to normalize talking about any mental issues we're having. Also, I believe that it's crucial to have a Trustee so students can feel more comfortable sending a concern.
​
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?
I am glad to know and support our Plano ISD SROs. I was the president of the Plano Youth Police Academy Class 56, where I listened to the duties of School Resource Officers and gained more respect for law enforcement. Our SROs have become an integral part of our district and I felt safe as a student when I knew they were securing the school.
As far as classroom security, I believe we must invest in protecting students by upgrading the locks on our classrooms/pods and completing classrooms so that each elementary school class has a door and not an open concept. It’s an investment that we need to look into and one we can be proud of.
Teachers should not be in charge of security, that is not what they signed up for.
Do you believe trans students should be able to access the restroom that aligns with their gender identity?
Yes
​