Questionnaire: Jerome Tilghman for EPISD Board of Trustees

1.  Revelations experience:

•  17 years 2018 retiree from classroom teaching in EPISD.

•  District 5 resident since 1992 w/ two graduates of EPISD Schools

•  Liason for DOD Schools abroad as a senior army officer in a majority Latino demographic 

•  Board of Directors for the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce; Membership VP and Develooment Director for the GEPCC

•  Personnel Officer - 5000 soldiers for the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment when it was stationed here.

2.  Top Issue:

The restoration of trust and confidence in the district's leadership, improve community outreach in the wake of the ethics transgressions of the two previous Supers.

3.  Top 3 qualifications for super :

•  Indigenous - someone who is familiar with the cultural, socio-economic nuances of the border.  Our interim is local that that proves that we have the skill sets already here.

•  willingness to accept contract rewrite to include an ethics clause as well as one for recruiting to restore population levels lost to family's ooting for neighboring districts.

•  Communication skills (bilingual helps) to foster community outreach and a super who focuses on graduating students who feed the laborfoce needs locally and nationally.

4.  Biggest challenge :

•  We must identify/establish a metric to measure the effectiveness of the hybrid model and be prepared to modify toward improved efficacy.  The pandemic is rebounding.  Until our public feels we are deep into the vaccine comfort zone, we must engage teachers and students on best hybrid practices going forward. 

5.  Arrest and reverse enrollment decline:

•  Copy success ... what are the more successful districts doing and how can we replicate and improve on it

•  Restore district reputation tainted by the previous supers.

•  Build recruiting and population restoration into the supers contract

6.  Value in the hybrid learning model :

•  We must first measure the effectiveness of the current hybrid model.

•  The STAAR is what we have now.  Use it w/o it being the advancement variable.

•   Parents are not trained educators and we have to lift the education burden from their shoulders.

7.  Vaccinations for professional education and support staff must remain a priority.

•  Retrofit campuses to build healthy , sanitized campuses

•  Determine remaining funds after federal funds have been exhausted.  Can't teach sick students.

•  Healthy environments foster learning.

8.  Another bond ...

•  no ... cpmplete and assess the 2016 bond first

•  what's left goes to retrofit

9.  Commit to communicate directly with constituents :  yes

10.  Tax rate :

•   Leave it where it is.

•  Our target has got to be a collaboration with the remaining taxing entities along with the local chambers of commerce so we can increase the reservoir of commercial tax revenues.  That will decrease the property tax burden on district residents and home owners.

11.  Best candidate

•  Go back to question 1