Early voting continues through May 6 for the GCISD Board of Trustees election. GCISD's Board of Trustees Place 6, current trustee Vince Rosen is being challenged in the election by Leon Leal. Place 7 candidates are Mia Green and Jorge Rodríguez. Place 7 incumbent Freda Ward is not seeking re-election. Current trustee Jesse Rodríguez, Place 5, is unopposed for his seat on the Board. Candidates are elected to three year terms. Members of the Board of Trustees are unpaid and do not represent specific geographic areas.

Ward's letter is reproduced in its entirety below:

Dear Friend and Neighbor,

As most of you know I have chosen not to run for re-election of the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD School Board. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to serve you over the last six years. It has been a rewarding opportunity! Even though things are going very smoothly I think it is time to give others the chance to bring in new ideas and opinions.

As you also probably know Colleyville does not have a city election. We do however, still have a school board election that is not only important to our students but to you as homeowners and taxpayers! It is important to have school board members that are vigilant and continue to ask questions that affect school district spending and have an impact on student’s test scores, accountability and in turn affecting your property values.

I have spent time with all of the candidates, either in person or by phone. As my neighbor I would like to tell you to make sure that you do go out and vote for the school board. It is VERY IMPORTANT!

I will be voting for Leon Leal and Jorge Rodriquez. You probably are wondering why I am not supporting the incumbent, Vince Rosen, running for re-election. Vince is a nice man with a very nice family. However, he has not been a vigilant board member. He was given the opportunity to serve his community and yet, in the three years on the board has not asked one question during our board meetings. Texas has an Open Meeting Law giving board members the opportunity to discuss agenda items amongst themselves and to ask questions of the administration. Vince has never done this!

Grapevine-Colleyville ISD and our community deserve board members that will ask the tough questions and discuss policies and budgets with other board members during our Open Meetings!

That is why I will be voting Leon Leal and Jorge Rodriquez for Grapevine-Colleyville ISD School Board. I hope you will do your research and go out and vote!

Thank you for all you do for the Students and Taxpayers of GCISD!

Please read the information below or contact the candidates personally with any questions.

Jorge Rodriguez and his wife Jill of 12 yrs, with their two children, have been residents of Grapevine since 1995. Both are active volunteers in their community.

Jorge has a master's in electrical engineering and an MBA. He has worked in the telecom industry for over 14 yrs.

Jorge believes that the educational success of our children is directly related to teachers, administration, parents and the entire community working in unison. He is passionate about high academic standards, particularly in math and science. He wants the district to meet the
diverse educational needs of all children.

www.jorgerodriguez.org http://www.jorgerodriguez.org

Leon Leal and his wife Tracy have been married 19 years and have lived in Grapevine for 17 years. They have 3 boys in the GCISD District, Jacob a 7th grader; Joshua a 5th grader and Joseph a 3rd grader. He and Tracy met in college and both graduated from the University of Oklahoma. They have attended Memorial Baptist Church (Church at the Cross) for the past 15 years. In the 17 years they have lived in Grapevine, they have spent countless hours volunteering to help improve.

Current Community Service
• Serve on Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine Board of Trustees for the past 6 years
• Grapevine Parks and Recreation Advisory Board for the past 5 years
• Support the Grapevine-Colleyville Education Foundation through an Endowment
• Baylor Hospital Quality Committee
• Baylor Hospital Strategic Direction Committee
• Grapevine Youth Wrestling Board Vice-President
• Volunteer Coach for Grapevine Youth Baseball for the past 7 years
• Volunteer Coach for Grapevine Youth Wrestling for the past 5 years
• Volunteer Coach for Colleyville Youth Baseball
Other community service
• Co-Chairman of the 2005 GCISD bond
• Selected by Baylor Hospital to Lobby in Austin and Washington DC for Health Care
• Volunteered time to work with area HS wrestlers in Colleyville, Grapevine andSouthlake
• Help solicit scholarships for graduating seniors (over $250,000) through athletic and academic scholarships.
Business Experience - Current business owner
• Abba Staffing & Consulting Inc. – Event staffing company
• Abba Professional Inc. – Relief Pharmacist staffing company
• Abba Professional Group LLC – Real-estate investment group
• Business consultant for individual business owners

Early voting locations in the area include Colleyville City Hall, 100 Main St.; Grapevine Community Activities Center, 1175 Municipal Way; Euless Public Library, 201 N. Ector Drive; and Southlake Sub-Courthouse, 1400 Main St.

On May 10, Election Day voting for the GCISD Board of Trustees will take place at Bear Creek Elementary, 401 Bear Creek Drive in Euless, or Bransford Elementary, 601 Glade Road in Colleyville. The voting location depends on a person’s precinct.

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