The RISD school board election will be held May 6
Shelby Eidson withdrew from the Richardson ISD school board race today, leaving incumbent Justin Bono the sole candidate in Place 6.
Eidson released the following statement: “I am announcing my withdrawal from consideration for Board of Trustees Place 6 for the May 6th election. I planned to run for RISD Board of Trustees Place 6 to amplify my advocacy for the quality of education, facilities, and opportunities for all children in RISD. I have a law degree from the University of Virginia and have over 13 years experience in policy analysis, important skill sets missing currently on the Board. After the filing deadline, Justin Bono and I were able to have a more meaningful conversation about the needs of Lake Highlands and all RISD children and what we could accomplish together.
“After realizing we can accomplish more together than being adversaries, we are excited to be working on specifically: strongly advocating for and attempting to pass a board policy of 30 minutes of recess for all elementary school children reflecting the vast public health evidence of the benefits of such a policy, and an urgent need for creation of two Commissions: a Facilities Planning Commission, and a broader Strategic Planning Commission. These two commissions would meaningfully and significantly involve professionals with independent voices aiding the Board and District in planning. We will also be looking at other ways to collaborate going forward.”
Bono, completing his first three-year term on the board, also released a statement: “I appreciated the opportunity to meet with Mrs. Eidson and discuss positions important to her. I was pleased that that dialogue led us to a place where we determined we had much more in common than we had issues that separated us. During my nearly three years of Board service, I have focused on having meaningful dialogue with constituents and have worked in my role as a Board member to act on issues important to the community. I appreciate Mrs. Eidson’s engagement, look forward to working to advocate for these items important to both of us, and continuing to build a strong working relationship with her and the broader community.”
The school board election will be held May 6th.
In Place 7, Lake Highlands resident Lynn Davenport has filed to challenge incumbent Dr. Kristin Kuhne (more information here).
While the deadline to file has passed for Places 6 and 7, candidates may still file in Place 3, since it is a special election. Kris Oliver is retiring mid-term to permit his daughter to apply for employment as a teacher with RISD. Joseph Armstrong, Karen Clardy and Ben Prado have filed to run in Place 3 thus far. Advocate will bring you more information about these candidates in the coming days.
