Newly elected Lewisville ISD trustees eager to get to work

Three women — two incumbents and one new member — are looking forward to starting their three-year terms on the Lewisville ISD Board of Trustees this month.

In Place 3, Sheila Taylor won a three-way race with 48.2% of the vote during Saturday’s election, according to unofficial election results from the Denton County Elections Office. In Place 4, Incumbent Katherine Sells won reelection with 57.2% of the vote, and in Place 5, Incumbent Jenny Proznik held off Chris Bowen for a five-point victory.

All three victors said this week that they were honored and humbled to have the faith of the voters, and they know the district needs to continue to address issues caused by COVID-19 and the shutdown in 2020.

“I will continue to be a strong advocate for LISD and all public education as we continue to address the academic, behavioral and personnel gaps resulting from COVID,” Sells said.

Taylor said she was dreading checking the early results on Saturday evening, but excitement took over as she saw her lead widen throughout the night.

“I was just feeling ecstatic, overwhelmed and excited about putting my passion to work for the purpose of every child in this district,” Taylor said. “I was in tears that I won a hard fought election, just the second black person to join the board in 102 years of history.

“I’m so ready to get started.”

Taylor said she campaigned by reaching across the aisle and keeping the race nonpartisan. She said she will prioritize board transparency, financial transparency, taxpayer relief and equity for students throughout the district.

“I definitely want to work on poverty,” Taylor said. “It’s hard to focus on school if you’re concerned about homelessness, or your parents are unemployed or there’s not enough money.”

Proznik said one of her priorities this term will be to make participation in an extra-curricular or club a requirement for high school students to graduate.

“Students who participate in extra-curriculars and clubs have better grades, more discipline and are more likely to graduate,” Proznik said. “We need 100% participation for high schoolers so they’re connected to their campus.”