Fort Bend Independent School District Board of Trust Lisa Rickert announced Friday she plans to seek a second term on the FBISD Board in the May elections.

She faces challenger Bob Broxson, a Sugar Land consultant, for Position 3 on the board.

Rickert served as board president in 2006 and said in a candidate’s announcement she is pleased with accomplishments during her first term but believes there are critical issues that need to be addressed in the future for continued improvement of the district.

“FBISD has made tremendous progress over the past three years,” Rickert said, “but there is still much work to be done. I have the experience and a clear understanding of the issues facing FBISD and look forward to helping the district move forward.”

Rickert says specific accomplishments during her first term include:

The board strengthened the management team by attracting and hiring a very experienced superintendent with the tremendous education and business background needed to take the district forward.

“Dr. Timothy Jenney is a great asset to Fort Bend and needs ongoing support from the board to keep FBISD moving in the right direction. He is building a solid management team with the skills and experience that will increase the efficiency of the district on all levels,” Rickert said.

FBISD’s student/teacher ratio has greatly improved. “When I first joined the board, FBISD’s ratio was among the lowest in the state,” Rickert said. “We have hired more teachers and have greatly improved that ratio, which means we have more teachers in the classroom and smaller average class sizes.”

Also, she said, funds going directly into classrooms reached and exceeded the 65% rule mandated by the state.

Teacher pay and compensation has increased significantly.
The board has worked with the administration to restructure the business side of the district and implement internal controls and best practices to ensure more efficient use of our tax dollars.
FBISD is saving more than a quarter million dollars a year by outsourcing the tax collection function from the school district to the county tax assessor. “These are dollars that we have been able to shift from administration to classroom instruction,” Rickert said.

The district has maintained its “AA” bond rating while building our capital reserve fund balance to nearly 25% of the annual operating budget, she added.

During a second term, Rickert said, she would focus on three specific issues:

1. Improving Academic Achievement in all corners of the district.

“It’s important that we continue to improve academic achievement for all students and increase the academic standards our children must meet,” said Rickert. “The Board should continue to evaluate programs to ensure that the administration is efficiently using resources to achieve the greatest positive and immediate impact for our students,” she added.

“We have hired an excellent chief academic officer along with an executive director of curriculum and instruction to accomplish those important tasks. We also hired a highly qualified chief operating officer whose focus will be making our tax dollars work more efficiently. I will continue to provide oversight to make sure our team is moving in the right direction.”

“Learning cannot take place without good teachers. As a board member, I will ensure that we have policies that allow us to hire and recruit quality teachers and will work to improve the retention rate of our experienced teachers. I will support programs that encourage our best teachers to seek administrative education, promote from within the organization and improve employee morale.”

2. Classroom Safety and Discipline.

“Every student must feel safe in the classroom and on campus and teachers must feel safe to teach effectively. This is an ongoing issue and it’s time we got it right in Fort Bend ISD,” Rickert said. “Dr. Jenney recently announced the formation of a broad-based commission of community members to make recommendations on student discipline and security in schools, which will be headed by John Frossard, the new CAO. The plan is for these recommendations to be in place when the next school year begins.

“As we go through this process, I will look to ensure rules are enforced in a fair and consistent manner with consideration for common sense - not zero tolerance.”

3. Managing Growth Efficiently.

“The growth of our student population in Fort Bend is a huge challenge. We are building new schools at a record pace and will need to continue that activity for the foreseeable future. The Board recently conducted a comprehensive rezoning analysis to balance attendance zones and to make more efficient use of our existing campuses. However, we need to continue to build new schools and improve our existing schools in the manner that uses our tax dollars effectively.”

Rickert says she looks forward to serving and asks for the continued support of the voters in FBISD. She and her husband have lived in the FBISD district for 15 years and have two daughters who attend school in FBISD.

She is a graduate of Tulane University with a B.S. cum laude in computer information, and is a former board director of New Territory HOA. She also served for nine years on a local Municipal Utility District board, holding the position of president for several terms. She has been a volunteer in the schools, served as treasurer and president of the PTO, taught religious youth classes at her church and has been a Girl Scout leader for 10 years. Lisa is also a graduate of the Fort Bend Chamber Leadership Class of 2006 and sits of the Health Exchange Advisory Board for OakBend Medical Center.

Note: FortBendNow will provide editorial space for one candidacy announcement for each candidate for local office, including school board, city or county elected office. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and brevity.

She faces challenger Bob Broxson, a Sugar Land consultant, for Position 3 on the board.

Rickert served as board president in 2006 and said in a candidate’s announcement she is pleased with accomplishments during her first term but believes there are critical issues that need to be addressed in the future for continued improvement of the district.

“FBISD has made tremendous progress over the past three years,” Rickert said, “but there is still much work to be done. I have the experience and a clear understanding of the issues facing FBISD and look forward to helping the district move forward.”