Of all the topics discussed at the Highland Park Independent School District (HPISP) Board Forum on April 8 at the Via Dolorosa Museum of Biblical Art in Dallas, one sentiment was constant: the school district was once excellent and can return to its former glory.
“It’s a district that I am incredibly fond of,” said Tyler Beeson. “We chose this district, and I often describe it as one of the last places that is like a great little ‘Leave It to Beaver‘ kind of neighborhood.”
Beeson, who is running for an HPISD School Board position against incumbent Jae Ellis, was one of three speakers of the night.
The second was Spencer Siino, who is also seeking a trustee position on the school board opposing Ellen Lee, as incumbent Edward Herring is not seeking re-election. The two candidates were joined at the forum by Austin Hopper, a representative of HP Families PAC in Dallas.
“Historically, Highland Park ISD has been one of the strongest districts in the nation,” said Hopper. “Surprisingly, our district has fallen 157 places in U.S. News and World Report’s rankings over the past 10 years. The premier school district in North Texas is now being outclassed by schools in Dallas and Plano ISD.”
The forum was held in the museum’s Marc Chagall Hall and attended by nearly eighty guests. The event was sponsored by the American Liberty Forum, the Dallas Eagle Forum, and Park Cities Republican Women.
Both Beeson and Siino said they believe education in the school district is under the leadership of a superintendent who worries more about purchasing technology and putting money into facility maintenance and upgrades than the HPISD teachers and students.
Each spoke about critical race theory (CRT), and while parents in the district are told it is not taught in area schools, the candidates believe it is. Siino believes the school curriculum is being imposed upon educators by administrators.
“I promise if I am the one elected, at my first meeting, I will propose a resolution to replace our superintendent with a classical educator, someone who will implement a proven curriculum and prioritize our district’s resources,” Siino said.
Siino said the people of Highland Park need a partner as their school superintendent. He believes the current administration, and education in Texas as a whole, are run by lobbyists and special interest groups.
“I mean, it’s the whole machine, and they’ve got their tentacles throughout our buildings,” he said. “We have got to get rid of them.”
Sinno said that if he and Beeson are elected, they serve as allies on the board and will have a better shot at turning things around for the school district, which Beeson claims is currently a disservice to its students.
Beeson said that he spent many hours with the Highland Park Literacy Coalition and, for the most part, was disappointed in what he discovered.
For instance, the candidate said he was initially pleased to hear that the all-time classic book, The Odyssey, was being taught at the high school level in the school district. However, at least one member of the coalition had laughed at him when he expressed his excitement, telling him he should look inside the book.
“When I did that, I was shocked,” Beeson said. “Again, this is ninth and tenth grade. At Highland Park … they call it a ‘graphic novel’; I call it a comic book. They’re reading comic books … to my ninth-grader.”
Beeson talked about students at HP High School who are currently reading books meant for fourth-grade students. At the elementary level, he said, students are no longer taught to read through phonics-based studies but taught by guessing games and using pictures to identify words.
Both Beeson and Sinno said the school district has terrific, dedicated (and under-paid) teachers, and they want to see HPISD return to being one of the best school districts in Texas.
They said the current administration is too focused on technology instead of old-school teaching styles, and the students and teachers are suffering.
“You can have the knowledge; you can have a plan, but we need fighters,” Sinno said of his candidacy. “I think we’ve all seen that, as conservatives, if you want to take on the administrative state, be it the Department of Defense or Highland Park School Districts, you need to have a fighter, someone who doesn’t give up.”
Beeson’s purpose in seeking a trustee position is to help put the school district back on the right track and, more importantly, help the district’s children get the education they deserve.
“I’m not a politician, I’m extremely conservative, but I’m not up here doing it for ‘the Right,'” Beeson said. “I’m here for the kids.”
Voting information for the HPISD School Board election can be found here.
