Bernadette Nutall was spurred into action three years ago after becoming uneasy with how the Dallas school district was being run.
She ran for the District 9 school board seat back then on a platform of change, losing by 68 votes to an entrenched incumbent. Nutall says that things haven't improved since 2006 and she's back to claim the post.
She faces educator and consultant Sally Cain in a runoff for the seat on Dec. 8. Trustee Ron Price is vacating the post after 12 years.
"I was praying the district would do better from 2006 to 2009, but when it didn't happen, I said let's do it again," Nutall said. "I can complain. But if I don't do anything about it, it's just air."
The last year has been rocky in DISD. A multimillion-dollar deficit resulted in teacher layoffs. Staffing was cut at learning centers and some magnet campuses. And the district's reserve fund is dangerously low after millions of dollars were used to help cover the deficit.
Some blamed Superintendent Michael Hinojosa for the problems and wanted him to be fired. The controversies broadened a rift on the school board, with some trustees supporting Hinojosa while others had reservations.
Nutall was the top vote-getter in the Nov. 3 election, but fell short of the more than 50 percent of votes required to win the seat. She's been labeled the front-runner, but she's not taking that for granted.
"We're engaging people," she said of her campaign. "People are ready for a change."
Nutall's passion centers on helping children. She runs a nonprofit program, called Circle of Support, to provide summertime learning and enrichment programs for children from families with low to moderate incomes. The organization serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
The kids take field trips, receive hot lunches and snacks and are tested in various subjects during the eight-week program. Most of participants are from Dallas public schools and single-parent homes.
Nutall, a former DISD community liaison, said she began the program after noticing how students would come back after summer break with glazed eyes. The program started with 37 girls in 1999 and now has 181 girls and 91 boys.
"We have to get involved more with what our students are doing in the summertime because that has a lot to do with our achievement gap," Nutall said.
Nutall, who has two children and is married, said she had to learn to adjust to change early on because her father was in the military. Her family moved around a lot and lived in Germany at one point. She moved to Dallas in 1989 after graduating from Sam Houston State University.
Some black civil rights leaders in Dallas have voiced concern about the race for the District 9 seat, which includes South Dallas and parts of downtown and Pleasant Grove. They fear that Cain, who is white, could win the seat, which has only been held by a black trustee. Nutall, who is black, has said that race shouldn't matter.
Some observers say Nutall would be tougher on Hinojosa than Cain. That doesn't surprise Nutall, who noted that her opponent has been endorsed by trustee Jack Lowe, a Hinojosa supporter.
"Jack Lowe endorsed her – it makes sense," she said.
Nutall has said that Hinojosa should be held more accountable for problems in the district. But she said there is a bright spot in all the controversy: teachers.
"In spite of the leadership in DISD, teachers are still teaching children," she said.
Article provided by www.dallasnews.com
Phil Hobson, Prudential Texas Properties