Gretchen Himsl
Gretchen Himsl was a candidate for District I representative on the Houston Independent School District Board of Education in Texas. Himsl was defeated in the by-district runoff election on December 9, 2017.
Himsl participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 school board candidate survey. Click here to read her responses.
Biography
Himsl received a bachelor's degree from Beloit College and a master's degree from the University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs. She has worked as a policy analyst for Children at Risk and as a staff member for the Texas Legislature's House Appropriations Committee. She has been associated with the Travis Elementary Parent-Teacher Association, the Girl Scouts, and the Houston Heights Woman's Club.[1][2]
Elections
2017
Six of the nine seats on the Houston Independent School District Board of Education in Texas were up for by-district general election on November 7, 2017. Candidates in Districts I and III advanced to a runoff election scheduled for December 9, 2017, after no candidate received a majority of the vote. The District III seat was up for special election to fill an unexpired term following the death of Manuel Rodriguez Jr.[3] The incumbents in Districts VI, VIII, and IX filed for re-election, while the incumbents in Districts I and V opted not to seek additional terms.[4][5][6]
In District I, newcomer Elizabeth Santos defeated fellow newcomer Gretchen Himsl. They defeated Monica Richart in the general election. In District III, newcomer Sergio Lira won against Jesse Rodriguez in the runoff election. They defeated Carlos Perrett and Rodolfo Reyes in the general election.[7]
Newcomer Sue Deigaard defeated three other newcomers—Kara DeRocha, Sean Cheben, and Susan Shafer—for the open District V seat. District VI incumbent Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca defeated challengers Daniel Albert and Robert Lundin for the seat with 50.42 percent of the vote. Incumbent Anne Sung defeated challenger John Luman in the District VII election. District IX incumbent Wanda Adams defeated challengers Karla Brown and Gerry Monroe.[4][5]
Results
| Houston Independent School District, District I Runoff Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Elizabeth Santos |
60.60% | 2,506 |
| Gretchen Himsl | 39.40% | 1,629 |
| Total Votes | 4,135 | |
| Source: Harris County, Texas, "Cumulative Report — Official: Harris County, Texas — Joint Runoff Election — December 09, 2017," accessed September 19, 2019 | ||
| Houston Independent School District, District I General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Elizabeth Santos |
44.80% | 3,994 |
| Gretchen Himsl |
34.04% | 3,035 |
| Monica Richart | 21.16% | 1,887 |
| Total Votes | 8,916 | |
| Source: Harris County, Texas, "Cumulative Report - Official," accessed November 22, 2017 | ||
Funding
Himsl reported $68,750.00 in contributions and $51,799.14 in expenditures to the Houston Independent School District as of November 30, 2017.[8]
Endorsements
Himsl was endorsed by the following organizations:
- C-Club of Houston[9]
- Houston Association of Realtors/TREPAC[10]
- Houston Chronicle[11]
- Houstonians for Great Public Schools[12]
- Houston's Premier Business Coalition[13]
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Gretchen Himsl participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates.[14] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on October 4, 2017:
| “ | My goal is to give every student an opportunity to attend a great Houston ISD school and graduate ready for college or a career. We are going to do this by: Building vibrant learning environments at every school Strengthening student pathways to success Improving equity in state and local funding I have seen first hand what our schools are capable of when teachers, administrators, students and communities work together, and receive the necessary support from the state and the district. I also have seen how much work we still need to do. I look forward to the opportunity to implement meaningful change in our district.[15][16] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Texas. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| “ | All of these issues are important, but our priority should be on improving the outcomes for all our students. Students with special needs have historically been denied service and we need to change those policies and provide services to all our kids that need it.[16] | ” |
| —Gretchen Himsl (October 4, 2017) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer eight questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| Yes. I want to make all our schools good schools, and if students choose to attend a magnet or charter school, it is because that environment is a better fit, not because they are fleeing a failing school. It is my hope that by providing strong neighborhood schools we take away the "customer base" of charter schools. Until that time, our students should have a range of options open to them to succeed academically. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| It depends on the test! In some cases it can be but many tests include cultural bias and questions that test process of elimination rather than true understanding of content. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes, but only if the metrics to decide on what is meritorious are agreed upon by teachers themselves and the administration. The matrix should include qualitative data such as peer reviews and principal reviews as well as quantitative data. Merit pay should not be based solely standardized test scores. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. Public money should remain in public schools. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Expulsion should be the last resort and never for children under the age of 6. The school to prison pipeline is real, and we must work to implement restorative justice programs, social and emotional learning and alternative education programs to maximize the opportunities for success for our students. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers. All of these factors are important, but an effective, inspired teacher is the key factor to true learning in a classroom. Low student-teacher ratios, supportive administration and involved parents can improve the learning experience but they cannot make up for not having a good teacher. |
Candidate website
Himsl highlighted the following issues on her campaign website:
| “ |
We are facing an important choice in the runoff election on Saturday, December 9 for HISD Trustee in District I. HISD is at a critical point. The district has a budget shortfall, the state is threatening to close schools, and we are still recovering and rebuilding from Harvey. We need a Trustee who has the knowledge and experience to address these complex challenges, along with the passion to fight for all our District I students regardless of where they live. Gretchen has the knowledge and experience to address HISD's challenges head on:
Public education is more than a job for Gretchen, it’s a passion. Gretchen is a passionate supporter of public schools who will fight for more resources in the classroom and less time on high-stakes test prep. She will go to work every day to ensure District I schools have the best teachers and principals, and that all our students enjoy the vibrant learning environments they deserve.[16] |
” |
| —Gretchen Himsl (2017)[17] | ||
Houstonians for Great Public Schools
Houstonians for Great Public Schools asked candidates if "increasing teacher compensation, increasing the per unit allocation (PUA), and addressing the goals, funding, and reach of the current magnet school program" would be candidates' top priority. Himsl said all three goals would be her top priority.[18] She also provided the following candidate statement:
| “ |
I would like to be a part of finding a way to ensure we are holding ourselves accountable for student learning, but want to also ensure that we are providing all necessary supports to make that possible for the majority of kids we serve who come in so far behind academically. While I value the high standards and accountability that comes with standardized testing, I’ve seen up close and personal how those things can hinder the positive educational experience. There are many things to be valued in a school beyond test scores, and I would like to see that work incorporated in a way that supports continuous improvement and growth rather than having our teaching driven by standardized testing that results in a fear based culture. We need to find a way that is free of bias to evaluate the progress of our district, our schools and our students without stifling the vibrant school environment.[16] |
” |
| —Gretchen Himsl (2017)[18] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Gretchen Himsl Houston Independent School District school board. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Gretchen Himsl for HISD Trustee District 1, "About Gretchen," accessed November 3, 2017
- ↑ Facebook, "Gretchen Himsl for HISD," accessed November 3, 2017
- ↑ Houston Independent School District, "HISD trustees appoint José Leal to fill District III seat until special election in November," accessed August 21, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Houston Independent School District, "Election Information," accessed September 12, 2017
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Harris County, Texas, "Cumulative Report - Official," accessed November 22, 2017
- ↑ Houston ISD, "Three HISD incumbents prevail on election night, one open seat filled, and two open seats head to runoffs," November 8, 2017
- ↑ Harris County, Texas, "Cumulative Report - Unofficial, Joint Runoff Election," accessed December 9, 2017
- ↑ Houston ISD, "Election Information," accessed January 24, 2017
- ↑ C-Club of Houston, "C Club Endorsements," accessed October 20, 2017
- ↑ HAR.com, "HAR Announces Recommended Candidates For Houston Independent School District Board of Trustees," October 2, 2017
- ↑ Houston Chronicle, "Endorsements for HCC and HISD runoffs," November 28, 2017
- ↑ Houston GPS, "2017 Endorsed Candidates," accessed October 20, 2017
- ↑ Houston's Premier Business Coalition, "Endorsements," accessed October 20, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Gretchen Himsl's responses," October 4, 2017
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Gretchen Himsl for HISD Trustee District I, "Home," accessed November 29, 2017
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Houstonians for Great Public Schools, "District 1: Gretchen Himsl," accessed November 29, 2017
