Three board seats opening in PISD

Three long-standing members of the Plano ISD board of trustees have announced that they will not run for re-election in May, leaving their positions open for community-minded volunteers a chance to serve.

Place 1 trustee Duncan Webb and Place 3 trustee John Muns have both stepped down from their post to run for Collin County seats. Webb is running for Collin County commissioner, while Muns is running for Collin County judge.

Mary Beth King announced Tuesday that she would not run for re-election in May.

After 15 years on the board, King feels that it's time for her to step aside and allow someone else to sit on the board.

"Since my husband retired, he and I have done quite a bit of traveling to places where two weeks is not enough time," she said. "I feel the district deserves someone who can commit more time and that it is time for me to step down and allow someone who has the time this volunteer job requires."

King said she is most proud of the district's efforts to close the achievement gap among students and the community conversations the district has held regarding those efforts.

"There has been much progress done, and I know we are very close to closing all achievement gaps across the district," she said. "The gaps were fairly significant in some areas of the district."

King hopes that whoever is elected to take her seat on the school board should have the wants and needs of all students across the district, not someone with a specific agenda.

"I hope to see that their goal is to help all students receive a good education and be successful in life," she said.

The new board member should also take the time out to regularly visit schools and be a familiar face to school administrators and staff, King said.

"I mentored with schools frequently," she said. "Being involved with the schools on a weekly basis helped me see what was really going on and what needed to be done to change or enhance it."

King said she will miss all of the board and staff members she has worked with and come to know over the years, but her decision to not run for re-election does not mean she will drop her involvement in the district. She said she will remain an active member of the Plano ISD community.

"I will always care about public education and especially Plano ISD," she said. "The last 15 years have been both challenging and rewarding, and I wouldn't trade one minute of the experience."

King was elected to serve her fifth board term in 2007. She has served as vice president and president of the board. At the state level, King serves as a member of the board for the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), where she currently serves on the bylaws and resolutions committee.

In 2008, King was honored with the Celebration of Leadership Award presented by the alumni of Leadership TASB. She is also the recipient of the 2001 Distinguished Leadership Award presented by Leadership Plano and the Community Leadership Association.

Come May, Muns will also be wrapping up 15 years on the Plano ISD board of trustees. He served on the board from 1993-2001, took a brief sabbatical from the board and was re-elected in 2004.

"When I got on the board, there were 26,000 students in the district, and now there's 55,000," he said. "The district built more than 30 schools and renovated almost all of them. It's been a joy to work with not only three different superintendents, but the tremendous amounts of administrators who were my teachers years ago."

When he was first elected to the school board, Muns said his primary goal was to help provide resources for all students in the district to have the same opportunities to excel in school. Muns said his real point of pride is that 15 years later, that commitment remains strong.

"It's always about the journey, not the destination," he said. "We provided the kids with the same tools, technology and opportunities across the board for each individual student to succeed. That hasn't changed, and I hope that objective will carry through to the new board members."

Although the three longest-serving trustees leave in May, Muns said the remaining and future school board members will strive to continue to do what is best for Plano ISD students.

"Plano ISD has always striven to close the achievement gap - which will always be a problem as Plano ISD matures," he said. "I hope the new board members and administrators will face the challenge and maintain their commitment to the district and its students."

A Plano native, Muns said he will stay involved with Plano ISD and hopes to see the district continue to flourish.

"I have a real love for Plano ISD, and I certainly will still be around," he said.

Muns is currently serving his fifth term on the board after having been reelected in 2007. His civic service has included serving on the boards of the Volunteer Center of Collin County, Civic Center Advisory Board, Plano YMCA, Plano Sports Authority, Children's Medical Center and Leadership Plano.

With 12 years of experience with the Plano ISD board of trustees, Webb is the third longest-serving trustee.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed my time on the board and have accomplished some great things," he said. "I am proud that the district has been able to grow and become more diverse."

Webb said he moved to Plano in 1983 because of the highly ranked school district and hopes that future trustees and administrations continue their commitment to providing quality education at an affordable price.

Among the great things that have been accomplished during his time on the school board are higher average SAT and ACT scores, a record number of National Merit finalists and semi-finalists and a record number of students taking the AP test and scoring a 3 or higher. Without the leadership of the board of trustees, the journey to the great heights Plano ISD has been experiencing would have been more difficult, Webb said.

"Plano ISD's legacy has been that it provides the best education and that it remains among the top school districts in the country," he said. "I want to see that legacy continued."

Webb said he would like to see a community-minded volunteer to take his place on the board after the May elections.

"I'd like to see someone who loves and cares about this district as much as me," he said. "I hope that they will have as much energy, if not more, to serve on the board."

Webb is currently serving his fourth term on the board. During his tenure as a trustee, he has held the offices of president, vice president and secretary. He has earned the designation of Master Trustee from TASB, is a graduate of Leadership Plano, a Fellow with the Center for Reform of School Systems and he has been recognized with a Texas PTA Lifetime Award. He has chaired and served on community boards including Leadership Plano, Plano Library Advisory Board, Assistance Center of Collin County, The Classics, Plano Family YMCA and Christ United Methodist Church. Webb is currently on the board of trustees for Medical Center of Plano. Webb and his wife, Beth, were recently recognized by the Plano Chamber of Commerce as the 2008 Plano Citizens of the Year.

The three trustees will continue to be active trustees until the May election, when their respective successors are elected to the school board.

The first day to file as a school board candidate is Monday, and according to the district, several people have expressed an interest in filing for candidacy. The deadline to file is March 8.

Filing packets can be picked up at the Plano ISD administrative office, at 2700 W. 15th Street.

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