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Duke, Sheffield eager to join board; Gregg, Ferguson say goodbye
By Chris Roark, croark@starlocalnews.com
Kathy Duke and Trisha Sheffield are ready to help lead Lewisville ISD.
Duke and Sheffield were elected to the LISD Board of Trustees on Saturday and will be sworn in at 1 p.m. Friday.
Duke won Place 1, a spot vacated by Tom Ferguson. He did not run for a fourth term because he is moving out of the district.
In Place 2, Sheffield (4,969 votes, 52 percent) defeated incumbent Vernell Gregg (3,830 votes, 40 percent) and Cornel Bekker (8 percent).
Duke rejoins the board after losing to Julie Foughty in 2010.
“I am very excited and humbled by the abundance of votes I obtained,” Duke said.
Duke said a key to her victory was the staff members who voted.
“The staff voted and used their voice,” Duke said. “They came to me and said they voted for me. That spoke highly of what the district wants.”
Duke said she has no specific agenda upon rejoining the board other than to help keep the district run smoothly.
Sheffield, too, said she has no particular agenda but said she is looking forward to the strategic design plan the district has embarked on. Sheffield is part of the Strategic Design Committee.
“That’s important, and I’d like us to move forward with that,” Sheffield said. “And we are.”
Sheffield doesn’t attribute her victory to one single thing but said her involvement in the district may have helped.
“The fact that I’m involved in the schools and that I have children may have resonated with parents,” Sheffield said. “I think they liked that I have a diverse area of experience in the classroom, the district and in my volunteering. So I think it was a combination of things.”
Sheffield said she is honored to be elected and said she knew it would be a challenge because of how many people are in the district.
“With such a large district, I knew one obstacle could be getting a wide support,” Sheffield said. “But I’m going to take what comes, and I hope to serve the community well.”
Sheffield’s victory puts an end to the six-year stint Gregg had on the board. She had said this upcoming term, if elected, would have been her last term.
“I congratulate Kathy Duke and Trisha Sheffield on their victories,” Gregg said. “And I am sure they will do a fine job of continuing the efforts of providing the best for our district, especially our students. I am proud of the progress the district made during my tenure, and I am excited about the direction we are going.”
Among the accomplishments Gregg said she is proud of is being the first LISD board member to attend the Center for Reform of School systems, which provides free training for new board members in large school districts. Members who attend learn about their roles, responsibilities and relationships of reform governance.
“I found it very helpful and encouraged other new members to attend. They also found it extremely helpful,” Gregg said. “Because of this training, I felt better prepared to be an effective board member and worked diligently on helping to improve our board.”
Gregg said she is also proud of her efforts in naming the LHS-Harmon Campus, which was named after long-time Lewisville educator and administrator Ben Harmon.
She said some of her other accomplishments include: the development of Standard Board Operating Procedures; effective board practices and team building training and the recommendation of implementing the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program, which prepares students for life after high school.
Gregg and Ferguson were each recognized for their service during Monday night’s board meeting.
“It’s been an honor to serve this district for nine years,” Ferguson said. “It’s been an honor to work with Dr. Waddell and [former superintendent] Dr. Jerry Roy and my fellow board members. And I’ve enjoyed working with the staff members. We have great schools because of a great community. And it’s been great to be part of this. I hope I’ve brought some value to LISD.”
When Ferguson first announced his intentions to not seek re-election, he said the board has accomplished too many things to list individually. But he said the district’s AA+ bond rating is one example of how the district has made several right moves over the years.
"This district has achieved so much excellence," Ferguson said. "This has definitely been a team effort."
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