KATY, TX (Covering Katy News) - Three new members of the Katy ISD Board of Trustees will be elected on Saturday, May 6, 2023. There are no incumbents in this year's election.
The school board has seven members. Positions 3, 4, and 5 are on the ballot this year, meaning nearly half the board will turnover in a single election.
This article focuses on the Position 3 race. Amy Thieme has lived in the district for 48 years and is a Realtor. Bruce Bradford has lived in the community for 20 years and is a mortgage loan originator. Shawn Miller has lived in Katy for 18 years and is a college professor.
Each candidate received the same questions. The unedited answers that they submitted are below. The order of their answers is determined by the date that they submitted their applications to run for Position 3.
Question 1: What will be your top two priorities if elected to the Katy ISD board of trustees?
Amy Thieme: It is critical that we concentrate on returning to the basics of reading, writing, math, science, and history. The mastery of these core courses and critical thinking skills will create a sound foundation for students to excel throughout their educational careers. The foundational skills taught in these core classes are vital for success in college, trade school, the military, and the workforce. Additionally, the recruitment and retainment of excellent teachers should be a priority of the district. Outstanding, passionate teachers inspire our children to work hard to achieve their goals, and those are the role models we must actively seek out.
Bruce Bradford: Foundational excellence…focus on best of class curriculum and best of class teaching strategies. Victories in Vocational Education…expand programs to handle greater volume as needed, expand programs available to meet community needs and needs of students… don’t forget the next generation of plumbers, welders, electricians…prepare them and celebrate them!
Shawn Miller: My top two priorities are students and teachers. Students should be safe and be successful. All students should feel and be safe. Secondly, students should be prepared so they can achieve their individual college, career, or military goals. Teachers should be supported and equipped. Our teachers should be well paid and provided with competitive benefits. They should also be equipped with the necessary technology, professional development, and resources to be successful in the classroom.
Question 2: Why do you want to be on the school board?
Amy Thieme: As a Katy ISD graduate and a former Katy ISD math teacher, I am concerned that current students are not receiving the quality education that I was given. Instead, there seems to be a focus on divisive ideology that distracts from teaching the basics for academic success. I have had extraordinary success in the classroom, and I bring a fresh perspective to the board as a former Katy ISD student, teacher, and parent.
Bruce Bradford: I have always had a volunteers heart. Over the years life happens and commitment to community can fluctuate. Last summer my wife (retired classroom teacher) asked me to get more involved in education…time to get back on that volunteer path and help where I can!
Shawn Miller: I am running for Katy ISD Board of Trustees because I care about our community and education. As a father of three children, my wife and I have lived in Katy for over eighteen years. We love our community. Our family has experienced many aspects of Katy ISD through our children’s involvement in athletics, band, art, journalism, and academics. I am running for this position because I want to give back to our great community.
Question 3: What experiences or life events have prepared you to be a school board member?
Amy Thieme: Growing up and raising a family in Katy, I have deep roots in the community. I have also had the honor of stewarding student success for many years. In my last year of teaching in Katy ISD, I had the highest percentage of students who passed the Algebra I End of Year exam in the entire district! Many of my students had never passed math before coming to my classroom. In fact, I recently received feedback from one of these students that he loves teaching his 6-year-old daughter fractions today, and his love for math began that year in my classroom at Katy High School!
Bruce Bradford: I have worked for a big company, owned my own business and balanced a budget, worked the last 10 years as a mortgage lender, lived with a school teacher for 38 years, been a Katy ISD taxpayer for over 20 years, had 3 kids graduate from the district, I have volunteered in a variety of ways in the district.
Shawn Miller: I have over twenty years experience in education and have received several awards, including two Faculty Excellence Awards and the Outstanding Accounting Education Award for Teachers in Texas. I have a Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA), which includes research conducted on finances for nonprofits. I am currently a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with Big Four accounting experience auditing public corporations.
I have also been involved in Katy ISD through the following programs:
- Served on the KISD Community Bond Committee
- Volunteered for the WatchDog program
- Served as a KEYS mentor
- Volunteered with Parent Teacher Association (PTA).
Question 4: Is there anything else you’d like voters to know about you?
Amy Thieme: I will bring my successful teaching experience from across the district to create solutions to improve student outcomes. My teaching experience included great success with students mastering advanced mathematics curriculum and performing well on End-of-Year testing, and I will continue that success on Katy ISD School Board. I am also a financially savvy small business owner who will add value as a board trustee tasked with financial oversight and budget creation. My motivation to run for Position 3 is to serve all students, staff, parents and the taxpayer community.
Bruce Bradford: I am for strengthening funding for public education and am against voucher programs designed to take money away from our 93,000+ kids.
Shawn Miller: I enjoy biking, hiking, and the outdoors. I have hiked to the tallest point in Texas (Guadalupe Peak) and have ridden in the largest organized bike ride in North America (MS 150) which is a 150 mile bike ride from Houston to Austin.
Read our profiles on the other 2023 school board races:
Position 4 school board candidate profiles
Position 5 school board candidate profiles
Election information:
Election day is Saturday, May 6, 2023. Early voting begins April 24 and runs through May 2.
See poll locations for early voting and election day.