Her position as an incumbent candidate gives her detailed knowledge of the issues and challenges facing the district, she told the Dallas Express. Those include maintaining state funding for public education, designing a plan that suits both students and staff for recovering from the pandemic, and staying competitive in terms of employee pay.
“I work well with my fellow trustees and with Superintendent Dr. Marcelo Cavazos,” Walton said. “I know how to get things done.”
With 40 years of experience within the district, Walton said she brings the experience of both an educator and leader to her position with the board.
“I taught for 30 years in public elementary schools in Arlington. I was a leader in my teacher professional associations, serving as president in the Classroom Teachers Association, Texas State Teachers Association, and United Educators Association,” Walton said.
As a parent and grandparent, Walton said she also has the perspective of those who send students to the schools, and has won multiple awards for her work with the Parent-Teacher Association.
“I have experience as the parent of two children who graduated from the AISD,” Walton said. “I served in PTA leadership for many years, including as president of Wimbish Elementary PTA.”
Even as someone with so much experience within AISD, Walton said she also is still always open to the ideas and perspective of others.
Walton also said she would like to see educators given an opportunity to recover after the added stress from the pandemic, particularly to spend time with their families and look after their own health. While AISD has one of the lowest ratios of administrators to teachers, she also sees room for improvement in terms of the school administration not wasting the time of educators with meetings to address subjects that could just as easily be handled by email.
The election will be held on May 1.
