Branch Herald’s Voters Guide Submittal
I submitted the following responses on March 18th to the request I received from the Branch Herald.
Unless otherwise noted (like masking email addresses), what follows is what I submitted to them, word for word.
Name: Dave Jimenez
City of Residence: Coppell, TX (Within CFB ISD District Boundaries and within the CFB ISD Tax District)
Length of Residency in CFBISD: 10 Years
Occupation: Executive at a Technology Consulting Firm based here in Dallas
Education: Public Education & College. Post Grad work in Artificial Intelligence from UT Austin.
Campaign Phone: (214) 307-2113
Email: (Deleted to avoid SPAM)
Website: dave4cfb.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587946694926
YouTube: NA
Other Social Media: LinkedIn
Why are you running for the board of trustees, and why now?
My wife Stephanie spent 30 years in this district as a teacher, coach, and administrator. She left the district in January 2026 to serve as the Assistant Superintendent at Bonham ISD. Up until January 2026, she was the proud principal at Newman Smith High School. I have lived this district’s wins and struggles at our kitchen table for a very long time. I am running now because CFBISD is under pressure from every direction. There is a budget crisis driven largely by state underfunding by an active campaign in Austin to divert public education dollars to private interests, and a local governance process that has lost the community’s confidence. This district needs a board member with core principles of honesty, candor, and respect and a willingness to fight for our public schools and against the special interests influencing Austin. I have spent 30 years doing that kind of work in the private sector, and I want to bring that to CFB ISD.
What do you see as the district’s three biggest challenges?
The state funding crisis. The legislature has not meaningfully increased per-pupil funding in years while actively pushing voucher and privatization schemes that would pull even more dollars out of districts like ours. I want to amplify our efforts to fight against these forces.
Financial sustainability at home. The district ran on consecutive deficit budgets before making the difficult decision to close four schools, and we have to have a credible multi-year plan.
Community trust. The closure process left families feeling shut out, and until the board rebuilds that trust, it cannot rally the community behind the hard decisions still ahead. No matter what those decisions are, trust comes through candid communication that instills a common understanding of the situation, regardless of how hard that communication might be.
What are the district’s three biggest opportunities?
The $716 million bond voters approved in 2023 is a once-in-a-generation chance to modernize facilities, create excellent environments that drive positive student outcomes which will help our community in great ways. Roughly $131 million of that bond was originally earmarked for campuses that have since closed, including Central Elementary. That money needs to be reallocated, and how the board handles that will tell the community everything about whether their trust was well placed when the bond passed by a large margin. Career and technical education can make CFBISD a destination district by giving students marketable credentials alongside their diplomas. And CFBISD should be leading the statewide fight for public education funding, not sitting quietly while Austin makes decisions that continue to gut our classrooms.
What does success look like for CFBISD in five years?
A balanced budget. Bond projects completed on time and on budget. Rising enrollment because families are choosing CFBISD. Teachers who stay because they feel supported. And a board the community trusts because they can see how decisions get made and they can see the follow through with actions that back up stated claims and commitments.
What is the proper role of a school board trustee?
Governance, not management. Set the vision, evaluate the superintendent, approve the budget, and hold the administration accountable. The board does not run campuses or direct curriculum. With that said, there is a dimension most people overlook. Trustees have an obligation to advocate for their district at the state level. When the legislature is making decisions that directly threaten our funding and our future, our board needs to be in that fight.
How will you balance the needs of students, staff, parents, and taxpayers when those interests conflict?
Start with the student and student outcomes. That is the lens everything else should be seen through. After that, be honest about trade-offs. Teachers deserve competitive pay, taxpayers deserve efficient spending, and parents deserve a voice. You cannot make everyone happy, but you can earn the respect of all stakeholders by communicating well and showing your work. Transparency is how you balance competing interests.
What unique perspective or skill would you bring to the board?
Thirty years managing P&Ls exceeding $150 million. I know how to read a budget, find where money is leaking, and hold leadership accountable. But what makes me different is the combination of executive-level financial rigor, a deep passion for public education, and the knowledge of the inner workings of the district from someone that spent 30 years in it. My wife was a principal here. I know what campus leaders need from their board, and what it looks like when they are not getting it.
What do you believe is the district’s core mission?
Prepare every student for the next step in their life and to keep up with what that preparation looks like in a rapidly evolving world. Whether that is college, a career, or military service… everything exists to serve that end.
CFBISD faces a significant budget deficit. What specifically would you do to help stabilize district finances?
Help to build a transparent, multi-year financial plan the community can actually understand. Benchmark central administration spending against peer districts and cut where we are overspending. Make sure the $9 million in annual closure savings goes to classrooms, not overhead. Ensure the roughly $131 million in bond funds originally budgeted for closed campuses is reallocated through a genuinely transparent process. Voters approved that bond at 65%, and they deserve to know where every dollar goes. In addition to that, fight at the state level for the funding our students are owed. The legislature has not kept the basic allotment in line with inflation, and there are active efforts in Austin to redirect public education dollars to private voucher programs. Our board needs to be in that fight aggressively.
What do you believe caused the district’s current financial situation?
Austin to start. The legislature has not kept school funding in line with inflation. That is the single biggest driver. On top of that, the state has spent recent sessions prioritizing voucher programs that would siphon even more funding from public districts like ours. Locally, CFBISD experienced years of declining enrollment, some of which was driven by macro-level challenges like declining birth rates. It carried nearly 10,000 empty seats for as long as it could, and adopted deficit budgets two years running before taking action. The root cause is a state that has stopped investing in its public schools while actively working to privatize them.
What spending areas should be protected at all costs?
Classroom instruction. Teacher pay, campus support staff, student-facing programs, special education. When you cut the resources closest to students, families leave and you accelerate the enrollment decline you are trying to solve. Protecting the classroom is not just right; it is smart math.
What spending areas should be reviewed for possible reductions?
Central administration and district-level overhead. Staffing ratios, consultant contracts, any position that does not directly support a campus. These things should be justified with data and benchmarked regularly. Overhead grows quietly. Discipline keeps it in check.
Would you support closing additional schools if necessary? Under what circumstances?
I would not rule it out. Anyone that says they would rule it out wouldn’t be dealing with a situation that might come to require it. With that said, I would demand the use of all relevant publicly available data. I would seek genuine community input before a final decision is made via full Open Meetings Act compliance in letter and spirit. If the numbers justify it, the board has a fiduciary obligation to act. That is the reality, as hard as it is.
How closely should trustees scrutinize administrative spending?
Very closely. Benchmark it annually against comparable districts. Make the ratio of central office spending versus classroom spending visible to the public. Asking “where is this money going and what is the return on those investments?” is not micromanagement, is the responsibility of the board.
Do you believe the recent school closures were handled appropriately? Why or why not?
The data justified consolidation. 10,000 empty seats and consecutive deficit budgets left no choice and much of that deficit was created by forces outside the district’s control, primarily stagnant state funding and declining enrollment. No matter what, there were going to be families impacted and those families had a right to be upset about that. Unfortunately, families felt blindsided, and there are unresolved questions by those impacted about whether proper governance procedures were followed. Making it worse, some closed campuses, including Central Elementary, were slated for significant investment under the $716 million bond voters approved just two years earlier. That raises questions that voters deserve answers to. The right decision perceived to have been made the wrong way still does damage. When faced with these difficult situations and decisions, the board needs to maintain trust with stakeholders through transparency and channel the community’s energy toward the real threat, which is a state government that has been systematically underfunding our schools.
How do school closures affect student performance and community stability?
They are disruptive. Students lose routines, relationships, and belonging. Research shows temporary academic dips, especially for younger and struggling students. For neighborhoods, a closed school can hit property values and community identity hard. Handle it transparently with real transition support and you mitigate the damage. Handle it poorly and families leave the district entirely, making the problem worse.
How should the district measure success beyond test scores?
Graduation rates. Post-secondary enrollment, trades and certifications included, not just four-year colleges. Chronic absenteeism, one of the strongest predictors of long-term outcomes. Teacher retention, because when good teachers leave, student results follow. And family engagement…are parents showing up? That tells us whether the district is connecting with the people it serves.
How should the district support struggling students?
Catch them early and intervene immediately. A student behind in reading by third grade is a five-alarm fire. That requires diagnostic tools, evidence-based interventions, and enough campus-level staff (counselors, reading specialists, interventionists) to deliver help. It also means seeing the whole child. A kid struggling in class may be dealing with hunger, instability, or a mental health crisis. The support has to reach the campus, not just the district central office.
How should the district support high-performing and gifted students?
With the same intentionality we bring to struggling students. The LEAP program at McCoy showed how much families value strong gifted programming and how much it hurt when it was disrupted. Advanced coursework, dual-credit options, and enrichment should be available at every campus. If that is not possible, it is critical that parents understand where their child can go within the district to gain access to these things. Gifted students who are not challenged disengage and their families might leave for a district that they believe takes it seriously.
What role should career and technical education play?
A much bigger one. Not every student needs a four-year degree, but every student needs a path to economic independence and mobility. Industry certifications, employer partnerships, and hands-on skills training are excellent for kids. CTE keeps students engaged and gives them something real when they graduate. Done right, a student walks across the stage with a diploma, a certification, and even a job offer.
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing teachers in CFBISD?
Pay that has not kept up with the cost of living. Administrative burden that pulls them from teaching. The instability of closures and rezoning that broke apart teams built over years. Finally, a persistent feeling that major decisions happen at the top without input from the people closest to students. Teachers did not cause the deficit. They should not bear the worst of its consequences.
How important is pay relative to other budget priorities?
Essential. CFBISD competes with Coppell ISD, Lewisville ISD, and others for the same teachers. When a good teacher leaves for a bigger paycheck 10 minutes down the road, every student in that classroom pays the price. Pay is not the only thing that matters though. Workload and respect matter as well. With that said, if the pay is not competitive, nothing else keeps them.
What role should teachers have in district decision-making?
A real one… and early, not after the decision is already made. Teachers, counselors, and campus administrators know what is working and what is not. When the central office makes major decisions without their input, they are flying blind. My wife spent 30 years in this district. I have seen what happens when educators feel heard, and what happens when they do not.
What qualities are most important in a superintendent?
Integrity, communication, and execution. Be honest with the board when the news is bad. Be transparent with the community when it is uncomfortable. Deliver results. Be open, communicative, and visible on campuses throughout the district. Insist that the central office team are servant leaders for those on campuses. Finally, a superintendent works for the board, not the other way around. When that relationship is healthy, the district works well.
How will you ensure transparency in district decision-making?
Financial reporting any taxpayer can understand. Community input before major decisions, not after. Budget, bond, and performance data on the website in a format people can actually use. Transparency is not a policy. It is a discipline.
What is something the public misunderstands about CFBISD?
That this is mainly a local management problem. It is not. Texas has not meaningfully increased per-pupil funding in years, and powerful interests are influencing Austin to actively work to redirect public education dollars into private voucher programs. Every district in the state is feeling this. CFBISD has local governance issues to fix, and I will push hard on those. But the bigger fight is not inside our district… it is for our district, against forces in Austin that are systematically defunding the public schools our community depends on. Until voters understand that, we will keep blaming local boards for problems the state created.
