Katy school board Position 5 candidate profiles

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 5 race. Mary Ellen Cuzela has lived in the district for 23 years and is a Katy ISD substitute teacher. Shana Peterson has lived in the district for 17 years and is retired.

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 5.

Question 1: What will be your top two priorities if elected to the Katy ISD Board of Trustees?

Mary Ellen Cuzela

Discipline and Teacher Retention.

In speaking with teachers and parents across the district, it is clear that discipline is a major concern. I want Katy ISD’s discipline policy consistently applied at all campuses and to back up teachers when disruptive students are in the classroom. Teachers should not have to repeatedly waste valuable classroom time because a few students are disruptive. Students in the class should not lose valuable learning time because of a few students. With consistent discipline comes consistent teaching and learning. Teachers get to do the job they love to do, and student outcomes improve.

With the statewide teacher shortage, Katy ISD needs to work to attract and retain great teachers. Teachers are essential to the success of a school district. They rarely enter the teaching profession because of pay. They become teachers because they love to teach. Ensuring their job satisfaction is critical. Decreasing their administrative workload, adhering to classroom size limits, and backing them up with a consistently enforced discipline policy are some ideas to help retain and attract great teachers. If we address these factors, they can do the job they love to do.

With high inflation combined with the teacher shortage, teacher pay is now also critical. Katy ISD teachers need to be paid comparable to surrounding districts and a bit more if we want to attract and retain our great teachers.

Shana Peterson

My attention would be focusing on supporting and retaining our current teachers and school staff, while providing an environment that attracts highly qualified staff. These individuals have the most direct impact on our students. We need to prioritize ways to reduce workloads and provide resources, so that teachers can focus on what they do best….Teach.

Another top priority is the physical and emotional well-being of our students. With safety and mental health issues on the rise, we need to focus on the emotional and social well-being of our students. When students are emotionally healthy, they experience fewer disciplinary incidents and can concentrate better on academics. Mental health support for our students and faculty needs to be a priority.

Question 2: Why do you want to be on the school board?

Mary Ellen Cuzela

I want to keep the focus on academic excellence and the basics of education, stand with parents and teachers, protect students and safeguard the learning environment and provide leadership and financial oversight.

Parents are the first and primary educators of their children. Parental authority should be respected. Teachers are the frontline. They should be heard and equipped to do the job they love to do. No child should be sexualized or indoctrinated, especially at school.

I will work together with the board to lead the district to get out ahead of problems before they get out of hand. I will steward taxpayer dollars, ensuring they are invested wisely in the classroom and that district operations run lean. We have a great foundation in Katy ISD. I want to protect it and enable it to flourish even more.

Shana Peterson

This is an opportunity for me to give back and serve my community using my knowledge and skill set.

I believe my experience in education would be an asset to the board.

Lastly, I would enjoy being part of the Katy ISD school board to develop shared goals and expectations for the district.

Question 3: What experiences or life events have prepared you to be a school board member?

Mary Ellen Cuzela

I have current classroom experience as an active substitute teacher in all different parts of Katy ISD (north and south of I-10, east, west and in between). I have a unique perspective on how different administrations run schools and how classrooms actually operate.

I have actively participated at school board meetings for the past 3 years advocating for parents and students. Specifically, I advocated for parent's authority over their own children, the protection of students from sexualization and indoctrination, for online testing / learning concerns and for teacher and bus driver job satisfaction and pay.

I have working relationships with current school board members and teachers. I am courageous and passionate about why I'm running for Katy ISD School Board.

Shana Peterson

I have recently retired from the Texas public school system after 31 years of service, 17 of those years right here in Katy ISD. I have teaching experience in both general and special education and held leadership roles in the departments of dyslexia and special education.

In Katy ISD, the majority of my career was working as an educational diagnostician to determine why students were struggling to learn and ways to help them overcome these challenges.

In addition, I participated in helping develop the special education operating guidelines, various training documents, and served on campus advisory boards.

Throughout my years of working within Katy, I have spent time in over 80% of the schools within the district.

Question 4: Is there anything else you’d like the voters to know about you?

Mary Ellen Cuzela

I also bring financial acumen and analytical skills to the board. I have a BBA in Finance and a BA in Spanish from the University of Houston. I worked as a software and technology consultant for eight years at Accenture. I am fluent in Spanish.

Our three children have grown up in Katy ISD schools for their entire education, elementary, junior high, and high school. I have been a parent volunteer in Katy ISD schools for over 14 years (in the classroom, Junior Achievement, International Festivals, Athletics & Fine Arts). I am a 5th generation Texan, a native Houstonian, and a long-time resident of Katy.

Shana Peterson

My husband and I chose to raise our children in Katy because of the high quality of education Katy ISD could provide. Our children all graduated from Katy ISD ready and prepared for the future.

My sole goal is to join together with the board, parents, community members, and district staff to continue providing the high level of education that Katy is recognized for.

I have the experience, time, and dedication needed for this position. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to serve the community in this capacity.

Read our profiles on the other 2023 School Board Candidates:

Position 3 Candidate Profiles

Position 4 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.

Mary Ellen Cuzella

Shana Peterson

Comments (2)

Comment Feed

Katy ISD Board Elections

I appreciate the perspective of increased discipline in the classroom and a return to the basics of education as Mary Ellen Cuzela has stated. We should not let our children’s education get sidetracked because of political pressures. Keep education as the focus of our schools.

Mollie Ullrich more than 1 year ago

Mary Ellen Offers the Best for KISD

I agree with Mary Ellen that both parents and teachers need to be better supported by the district, esp. on the issue of discipline and classroom disruption, and we need to retain great teachers. As a sub teacher, Mary Ellen has been able to get first-hand experience in classrooms all over the school district at various grade levels, and her experience is very current. This is a different kind of experience than her opponent, who has been a diagnostician who administers tests and isn’t in the classroom much, at least from my understanding. In contrast, Mary Ellen has seen up-close some of the areas in classrooms where improvements can be made, both from a teacher and a parent perspective. She still has 2 children in a KISD high school, and her oldest is now thriving in college. I have worked with her, and I know how bright and talented Mary Ellen is. She’s an active engaged parent and volunteer. Her work ethic is outstanding, and her energy and enthusiasm are unmatched. It would be a huge windfall to Katy ISD to have Mary Ellen Cuzela on the Board. I think everything she has to offer — her experience, her intelligence, her past leadership in many roles, her desire to protect kids and help them excel in school, support teachers, and work with other school board members to bring about the best policies for our district — would all make her an outstanding, excellent member of the KISD school board. She’s a great leader and an amazing advocate for children in Katy. Quite simply, as her answers in this article help demonstrate, Mary Ellen is the most well-qualified, exceptional, and distinguished candidate running for KISD school board this year, hands down.

Kelli DeGeeter more than 1 year ago