Eanes is optimized to send kids to the 4-year universities of their choice, and that must not change. There are some areas for improvement too. We need to maximize Spanish Immersion and Special Education while recognizing opportunities in a changing economy. More parents work from home, might be homeschooling and looking for educational options that fit their lifestyles. We should offer training programs for America's highest paid vocational careers. Eanes should restate our mission to include: "Guarantee parents an excellent and market-ready education for their young adult students."
“Market Ready” Educational Options
Many parents and students recognize that the promise of higher education in America is not what it once was. Many students are graduating college with high levels of debt and skills that don’t match current market demands.
Recently, I reviewed the top ten highest-paying vocational jobs in the economy and compared them to the Eanes AP curriculum, and there was a complete mismatch. It’s time to build an incremental pathway to success through “market-ready” vocational programs for students who want to graduate from high school and go right to work in high-demand jobs of today and of the future. We have been in a “gig economy” for many years, it’s time for Eanes to adjust to market conditions.
Advocate for a Vocational Education Research Committee to study the current and future US job market needs and align curriculum to meet that demand.
Partner with technical colleges, ACC vocational programs, professional certifications, and private sector entrepreneurial initiatives (and their investment dollars) to develop skills that are in demand today and the next 10 years.
Invite local Austin companies like Dell, Microsoft, Indeed, Tesla, Oracle, and Capital Factory Incubator to partner with Eanes to produce highly-skilled, market-ready students.
Resist Unnecessary Distractions
I frequently talk about the need to eliminate non-educational distractions from the campus, including recent trends to bring in politics, moral, and social influences into the classroom. This also extends to one of the biggest distractions disguised as education: the STAAR test. For a high-performance school district like Eanes, the STAAR test is simply a waste of time and focus for our students, teachers, and administrators. The STAAR test is not a measure of excellence, it is designed to ensure rural and less-advantaged districts with limited resources and parental involvement to maintain minimum standards. It does not help our students enter college or the workforce and it diminishes the creativity and skill of our teachers by taking away critical class time focused on the right curriculum. I will regularly advocate against the STAAR test process at the Texas Statehouse and - if it must be replaced - with something that is purposeful and meaningful to the advancement of our students.
“...Guarantee parents an excellent and market-ready education” added to our mission statement. And then strive to achieve it.
Call for a district-wide exemption of the STAAR test.
Compete with Private Schools
Maximize under-populated campuses with magnet programs that could focus on Special Education and Spanish Immersion for example.
Develop private-public partnerships with local entrepreneurial organizations and companies that can invest money in Eanes and help educate our next generation of students for the workforce of today and tomorrow.
With your help and your vote on May 4th, I will lead the Eanes Board of Trustees on these issues in order to take Eanes ISD to the Next Level of Excellence.
Aaron M. Silva
Candidate for Place 5
Eanes Board of Trustees
Quick References:
Early Voting: April 22–30;
Election Day: May 4
Click here: Schedule a private meeting with Aaron
Click here: Join the Campaign
Click here: Listen to the Eanes Parents Unite Podcast (available on all major platforms )