By Alice Jauregui
Candiates for the Waco ISD School Board election began filing Wednesday, Jan. 19., the first day of the filing period for two district trustee positions. Filing will open Jan. 28 for an at-large WISD Board position.
Three candidates filed on the first day. Jonathan Grant and Hope Balfa Mustakim filed to represent Trustee District 4, and Emily Iazzetti filed in Trustee District 5.
On May 7, voters will elect one person in each of those districts to serve a three-year term on the Waco ISD Board of Trustees. The deadline for candidates to file for a place on the ballot is 5 p.m. Feb. 18.
District 4 is currently represented by Angela Tekell, who announced last month that she did not plan to seek re-election. Tekell was first elected to the board in 2010.
Iazzetti was appointed to represent District 5 in August following the resignation of Allen Sykes.
In May, voters will also elect someone to serve the final year of the current term for the vacant at-large seat on the Waco ISD school board. The vacancy was created when Cary DuPuy resigned in November. The following month, the school board announced they would leave the position vacant until the May election. The filing period for the at-large position will open Jan. 28 and end at 5 p.m. March 7.
More information about becoming a candidate is available at wacoisd.org/elections. Applications for a place on the ballot can be filed with the superintendent’s office at the Waco ISD Administration Building (501 Franklin Ave., Waco).
The Waco ISD Board of Trustees recently adjusted boundaries of the single-member trustee districts to equalize the number of people in each district following the 2020 Census. A map of the single-member trustee districts along with a description of those changes can be found at wacoisd.org/redistricting.
Alice Jauregui is executive director of communication with Waco ISD.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email the ALW team — [email protected].
Cary DuPuy has resigned as an at-large member of the Waco ISD Board of Trustees after 10 years on the board. DuPuy was first elected in 2011 and was re-elected to a three-year term in 2020.
In a letter to fellow board members, DuPuy wrote, “I’ve been on the board for ten years now, I no longer have children attending WISD schools, and I feel strongly that it’s time for me to step away and let someone else in the community assume this responsibility.” He noted that he made the decision to step down with “mixed emotions” and will miss the sense of camaraderie and common purpose that he has shared with fellow board members.
In his letter, DuPuy praised Dr. Susan Kincannon, Waco ISDS’s superintendent, for leading the district through a successful bond election earlier this month and for recruiting talented educators to help lead the district. He said Kincannon had positioned Waco ISD “quite favorably.”
“Lastly, I’d be remiss not to mention once more my boundless appreciation and respect for all of our classroom teachers throughout the district,” DuPuy wrote. “Your devotion to our students is inspiring.”
The board plans to discuss the vacancy at their Dec. 16 meeting. The board has the option of appointing someone to serve until the next school board election or leaving the position vacant until voters elect someone to fill the remainder of the unexpired term in May 2022.
“It is clear that Cary cares deeply about our students and educators,” Kincannon said. “While I will miss his perspective and his unique sense of humor as a board member, I have no doubt that Cary will continue to make a difference for our students and everyone else in our community.”
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email Ferrell Foster.