HUTTO – Greater collaboration is needed between the Hutto Independent School District and city leaders as growth puts more pressure on local campuses, City Council candidates said at a recent forum.
Representatives of the Hutto ISD board also appeared at the event.
“When you’re in the middle of a fast-growing community, not only are you pedaling hard to keep up with the growth in your sphere of influence, but there’s got to be a concentrated effort to include all the other stakeholders,” said Hutto ISD board President Billie Logiudice at a March 25 Hutto Community Watch Candidate Forum.
The city election is May 6. Early voting starts April 24 and lasts through May 2.
“We owe it to ourselves,” said Dana Wilcott, Place 5 candidate. “Those are our kids. We want them to learn and grow so we need to partner with the ISD to make sure we hit all the target areas.”
Place 1 candidate Brian Thompson echoed a similar sentiment.
“We could be more collaborative in sharing our insight and information so we could be working together in servicing the community as a whole,” he said.
Maintaining a dialogue between City Hall and the school board is critical, Logiudice said.
“Not that we forget about our partners, but we forget how critical keeping those lines of communication open is,” the school board president added.
“We have to acknowledge that the amount of growth we allowed to happen so quickly has impacted the city and the ISD has had to react to that,” said Robin Sutton, Place 1 incumbent.
She believes Hutto ISD deserves a seat at the table when the council plans for future growth.
Peter Gordon, Place 4 incumbent, said those types of meetings have already started. He confers with Logiudice, Mayor Mike Snyder and school board Vice President Amy English on a regular basis.
“I’ve got a pretty good relationship with the superintendent. I have open doors with several members of the board. Those kinds of things build greater relationships,” Gordon said.
Place 5 candidate James Weaver said he also fosters relationships with the school district, mainly Superintendent Estrada Thomas.
“I think all of the council members should be able to donate some time to meet with the senior members of the ISD,” he said.
Marcus Coleman, another Place 5 candidate, indicated that relationship building isn’t enough.
“There’s a communityengagement component that’s missing,” he said, adding, “When kids graduate, if they feel loved in the community they come back.”
Place 4 candidate Nicole Calderone said more is needed in addition to giving the school district more voice in city affairs.
“We need to combine forces, coordinating the planning and development and authorizing resources as well,” Calderone said. “I think what we can all do together is greater than what we do in our own silos,” Logiudice said.
“I think that we all have the same end goal in mind and that is too improve outcomes and opportunities for the citizens in our community. Each of us (has) different ways of getting there and that’s why to me it’s important to keep the conversation going and to find common ground,” she added.
