The Irving School Board is taking a new direction after Saturday night’s election. Randy Randle, Lee A. Mosty and Norma C. Gonzales – allies of censured trustee Steven Jones – won their respective seats.
Among the changes Randle wants is for immigrant children to learn English through immersion instead of the current bilingual program. Randle defeated Mike Gregory for District 7.
“By the end of the second grade they are put into a full English-speaking class. And I think the quicker we can do that with students, the more success they are going to have,” Randle said.
Norma Gonzales, who ran unopposed for District 6, wants fewer administrators even though Irving schools spend less on central office expenses than most area districts.
“I’ve always said we’re top-heavy and I think we actually need to eliminate some positions that were created in the past three years,” Gonzales said.
Mosty defeated incumbent Gwen Craig and Manuel Benavidez for District 5, which became a single-member district this year instead of at-large.
He and the other new board members also want to give teachers more authority to discipline students.
It remains to be seen what the changes will mean for Superintendent Dr. Dana Bedden, who has come under scrutiny. His contract was recently extended to 2017.
