La Voz de Seguin June, 2011 internet.pmd - La Voz Newspapers

La Voz de Guadalupe County - June, 2011Page # 1110 Questionsfor Louis Reyes III,President of theSeguin Independent School District Board of TrusteesLa Voz: Mr. Reyes, the voters turned downa bond election for the SeguinIndependent School District. Have youhad an opportunity to review the electionresults and see what the turnout was like?Mr. Reyes: Yes, I followed the results veryclosely. While voter turnout was higher inthis election versus previous elections,there were a lot of registered voters whodid not turn out to vote in the election.While I was disappointed in the results ofthe election, my fellow board membersand I remain committed to doing what isin the best interest of the children ourdistrict serves, our teachers, and ourcommunity.La Voz: Going into the election, it seemsthat quite a number of community basedorganizations were on board with theschool district. Looking back, was theremore work that should have been done?Mr. Reyes: These community- basedorganizations all understood the need forthe proposal. I’m very proud and honoredto have worked with the many communitymembers who spent countless hoursworking for the bond election.Three separate committees worked sinceOctober planning and created a vision forwhat teaching and learning should looklike in Seguin ISD. Currently, we aregathering information about what wentwell with the election and what thecommunity felt needed to be donedifferently.La Voz: Was the early vote about whatyou expected?Mr. Reyes: Seguin has a strongcommunity that recognizes that educationis the key to future growth and success.The early voter turnout is vital to thesuccess of a bond proposal.La Voz: I recall seeing one or two signsopposing the bond election. Was therevery much organized opposition?Mr. Reyes: As with any election, there aretwo sides FOR and AGAINST. Oppositionsigns were placed in a few places aroundtown. My work and my focus was with thepolitical action committee, Vote FORSeguin ISD Kids.La Voz: What surprised you the mostabout this election in terms of turnout?Mr. Reyes: The turnout for this electionwas higher that previous school bondelections, especially when you considerthat this was the only item on the ballot.The turnout showed community interest.La Voz: the turnout for this bond electionas compared to previous bond elections?Mr. Reyes: Please see the answer to theprevious question.La Voz: What were some of the thingspeople personally told you as to why theyvoted for or against the bond election?Mr. Reyes: After meeting with severalpeople on both sides of this proposal itseems that by addressing some issueswe could develop a proposal that will alignmost of our community. Seguinunderstands that it is time to address theneeds that remain at the high school. Weare working on gathering that vitalinformation from our community andlooking at the big picture to makedecisions about where to go from here.La Voz: Do you feel that everyone clearlyunderstood what the election was about?Mr. Reyes: I can’t say whether everyoneclearly understood the proposed plan, butI can say that I’m very proud of thecommunication efforts that were put forthby the schools district, the visioning andbond advisory committee members, andthe PAC. The media was also verysupportive in helping with coverage andeditorials about the bond election.La Voz: You have been on the schoolboard going on 19 years, will the boardhave to wait a certain amount of timebefore coming back to the voters again?Mr. Reyes: By law, school districts canonly call for bond elections twice a year,in either May or November. Currently, weare discussing with the communitymembers, school district leadership, andas a board, how to address the needs thatremain at Seguin High School.La Voz: Is there anything else you wouldcare to add?Mr. Reyes: I would add that I’m proud ofthe students and the staff at Seguin ISDwho make day a great day to be aMatador.Place Your Business Card HereFor As Little as $25.00 a month