SAM SMITH

1. The issue of growth in the Bullard ISD must be dealt with in a proactive manner. We are no longer a small school district that is shielded from outside influences.

Bullard has become THE place to live and people will continue to flock to the area to take advantage of the lifestyle and quality of education our schools provide.

The Bullard ISD is now a multi-million dollar organization that must be treated as a business and coveted as an asset of the community.

I have worked diligently to immerse myself in the issues that face the Bullard Schools and prepare myself to serve on the School Board.

I have two children, Sheridan (10) and Jensen (5), that attend these schools and I want them to have the same quality education that laid the foundation for my success in the business world. I am a 1984 Bullard graduate and I have over 18 years of executive level experience running organizations with sales of over $500 million.

I currently serve as a consultant to senior level executives of some of the largest retail organizations in the world on how to strategize and manage their businesses. The community must insist upon Trustees that have the skill set to manage large business issues and have the experience to ensure that every dollar spent is maximized for the benefit of our kids.

The voters have approved the funds to address the rapid growth, but we must ensure that we keep Bullard special.

Every voter has invested into this community in some manner and I want to utilize my business experience to help protect their investments.

2. The key to the future success of the Bullard ISD is to keep the community involved in the daily activities of our schools. My family has lived all over the country and we have seen what it takes to make a successful school district ... community involvement. My wife is currently the Vice President of the PTO as well as the Room Mother Coordinator.

I served as a volunteer consultant for the Bullard Community Library Capital Campaign fund raiser that was held last month and our efforts contributed more than $14,000 for the construction of the new library.

I dedicated several months of my personal life to ensure that the bond initiative passed by serving as the Co-Chairman of the For the Future of the BISD committee to get the facts of the recent bond proposal to the voters.

We held numerous Town Hall meetings all across the District to hear from the voters and ensure that your voices were heard. $28.5 million is a lot of money and we need to make sure we maximize the investment that we all have made in our children.

I have made a point to attend every School Board Meeting since the bond initiative passed, with the exception of one (out of town on business), and I continue to stress to the Board the issues that were raised during our Town Hall meetings. I am committed to the residents of our district to continue to roll up my sleeves and work with the administration to deliver a quality education to the next generation of Bullard leaders.

I challenge everyone in the community to get involved in YOUR schools.

It's for our kids!