TYLER (TYLER MORNING TELEGRAPH) - Tyler ISD board President Michelle Carr will not seek re-election for a fourth term.
Mrs. Carr, 51, who was first elected as the District 6 trustee in 2004, said it primarily was a family decision.
"It takes a great deal of time when I'm board president, and I just decided I wanted to spend more time at home," she said.
District 6 is one of three TISD board positions up for election in May. The other two are District 1 and District 3.
The
Rev. Dr. Marty Dunbar filed last week to run for the District 6
position. Dunbar is associate pastor at Marvin United Methodist Church.
Mrs.
Carr said she is most proud of the gains the district has made in
closing the achievement gap. She said student performance measured
throughout multiple years on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and
Skills, the state's previous testing system, demonstrates this.
She
also is proud of the district's long-range plan developed during more
than a year through community meetings and board discussions. It moves
the district forward through 2020 and beyond, she said.
Although Mrs. Carr will leave the board at the end of her term in May, she is not leaving the education world.
She
plans to be involved with Raise Your Hand Texas, a nonprofit education
advocacy organization that works to strengthen Texas public education,
according to its website.
The
organization funds a leadership program for public school principals and
advocates for public policies to make public schools better for
students, according to its website.
Mrs.
Carr said she will volunteer as an East Texas representative in the
area to help make school administrators, community leaders and others
aware of the organization's work.
She said through her time on the board, she has gained a huge appreciation for educators.
The expectations placed on them are many, and yet they do the job with no excuses regardless of the challenge, she said.
"I have just been so impressed with people that have dedicated their lives to this profession," she said.
Mrs.
Carr and her husband, Jeff, a cardiologist, have three children, one at
Robert E. Lee High School, one at The University of Texas at Austin,
and one in graduate school at Fuller Theological Seminary.
Michelle Carr, 51, Tyler. (Courtesy)
