David Averett, Republican

I wrote Dr. Averett a couple weeks ago and expected to be ignored. This was not the case. He agreed to meet with me and we had a long conversation about his frustration with certain factions within the political environment and what “best for Waxahachie” might look like should he be WISD Superintendent for an extended period of time. The meeting was fruitful.

We spoke briefly about Party business as the reason for my reaching out was directly related to his outburst on Twitter mischaracterizing the Party. Then we quickly moved on to speaking about local issues that should be non-partisan.

Dr. Averett has a strong commitment to the community. This, of course, is not enough to be an effective political leader. We must always remember the path to hell is paved with good intentions, so further inquiry was required and had. FWIW, I believe that Dr. Averett’s commitment is full of positive motion and can manifest in positive change for our city.

One topic that we discussed was School Choice. I explained to Dr. Averett that I believe public school choice should be afforded to every parent and school transportation should accommodate this within reason. I do not believe we should subsidize private education with public money, just allow parents to send their children to a different public school if the situation warrants the move. For example, if a student is bullied or there is a particular special needs therapist at one school not available at another school. I see no reason that a public-to-public transfer system cannot be operated, maintained, and welcomed in our city and our State. Dr. Averett expressed concerns about the potential for moving public money into the private system; I hold the same concerns and am prepared to defend my position against public-to-private funding in any forum.

We continued to speak about the district and what kinds of actionable plans there might be for growth while maintaining the same or a greater level of professionalism. Dr. Averett spoke of the tradeoff between building more, smaller schools or fewer, larger schools. Larger buildings reduce administrative overhead as more students can be served by the same administrative staff. More buildings are more convenient and students can be educated nearer to where they live. The man had clearly put some thought into things and is prepared to execute on a vision. He plans to explain what he has in store at the next school board meeting.

I think some grace is in order. Dr. Averett had a momentary lapse in decorum. He cannot be boiled down to two statements made on social media; he is a whole person. I think he is well-fit for the appointment, and I am glad I took the time to find out who the man is before rushing to judgment.