Paper: Houston Chronicle
Date: THU 04/17/2003
Section: ThisWeek
Page: 01
Edition: 2 STAR

Missed meetings an issue / Challengers take jab at Katy school trustee

By SANDRA BRETTING, Houston Chronicle correspondent

CORRECTION: This article contained incorrect information about the Position 7 trustee race in the Katy Independent School District. Incumbent Joe Kimmel is being challenged by Jim Radcliffe. Correction published 4/24/03.

Two challengers in the upcoming Katy school board election say the incumbent they are running against played hooky last year.

Michael Strunk, 48, and Tess Zimmerman, 35, point to Robert Shaw's meeting record in 2002 as proof.

 

According to district records, Shaw, 55, a trustee since 1997, missed missed 60 percent of school board meetings last year. That's 17 missed meetings out of 28.

 

Shaw said his work as a mechanical engineer at Bechtel Inc. required extensive travel during the last 18 months. He now works for Aker Kvaerner. *

 

"I did not leave (Bechtel) because of my school board responsibilities," he said.

 

"With children in both high school and college, being out of town so often was a huge burden on my family.

 

"It was a career move (leaving Bechtel) on my part, with a higher salary and increased responsibilities," Shaw said. His new job doesn't require him to travel as much as before.

 

"However, as the (Katy school board) works on an electronic agenda, all board members have Internet access to all study data," Shaw said. "I've accessed the agenda and submitted my concerns and questions and in turn received answers."

Strunk says that's not good enough.

 

"I've attended board meetings and I spoke with Superintendent Leonard Merrell for three hours before I made the decision to run," said Strunk, a real estate broker. "I know what's involved with this and I know I will make every effort to attend every meeting."

 

Zimmerman, a homemaker, thinks board members should be more active than Shaw.

 

"I think some of the school board members are more involved than others," Zimmerman said. "And those are the people who should be on the board."

 

Four board members - Jackie Birkel, Eric Duhon, Marsha Myers and Judy Snyder - attended all 28 meetings.

 

Two regular school board meetings are scheduled each month. First, trustees hear from district department heads and others at a work-study session held the third Wednesday of the month. A formal board meeting is held the following Monday night.

 

Additionally, special sessions sometimes are called.

 

Last year, Shaw missed 11 work-study sessions. He attended the final session in December. He also missed four special meetings and two formal board meetings.

 

He has attended every board meeting this year.

 

While trustees aren't legally required to attend meetings, there is an ethical consideration, said Barbara Williams, public information officer for the Texas Association of School Boards.

 

"We have a code of ethics that we encourage board members to use," Strong said. "I think now more than ever it's important for school board members to be involved, because a lot of districts are facing tough issues and making tough choices. But attendance does depend on an individual's circumstances."

 

Board trustees serve three-year terms, which are unpaid.

 

According to Shaw and his opponents, election issues include school financing and district growth. A particular focus is a $315 million bond voters approved last fall.

 

"I think the district will be prudent in how they request that the funds be spent," Shaw said. "The majority of the bond dollars are earmarked for student growth projects in the district."

 

Strunk said the district needs to be more careful about the way it spends its money.

 

"There is such explosive growth in the district, I think we need to be very cautious, and examine all of our expenditures," Strunk said. "A lot of the money that's being spent needs to be examined to make sure there's not any waste."

 

Zimmerman advocates a businesslike approach.

 

"There's so much talk about number crunching now, and we have a lot of businesspeople on the board to handle that," Zimmerman said. "I'm concerned with the interest of our kids."

 

Zimmerman cited rezoning as an equally critical issue.

 

"Our neighborhood (near Mayde Creek) has been rezoned so many times we don't even know the people in the next neighborhood," she said. "We need to make sure we don't lose our sense of community as we rezone."

 

Joe Kimmel, who represents Position 7, also is on the ballot but is unopposed (SEE CORRECTION).

 

The school board election will take place May 3, at 15 schools across the district. Early voting, for voters in all precincts, is under way and continues through April 26.