The race for Place 7 on the Denton school board attracted one candidate who hopes to unseat incumbent Patsy Sosa-Sanchez.
Carolyn Rachaner is a consultant in the wellness industry, and she’ll face off against Sosa-Sanchez, a career educator with fairly deep roots in the district. One of her accomplishments is being part of the team that created Denton ISD’s first dual-language programs.
The race reflects state and national trends, with Sosa-Sanchez defending her career in public and higher education against a newcomer who has been motivated to run in part over objections to masking during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rachaner organized a protest of a school board meeting. Her COVID protests, which urged administrators to let students attend school without masks, then led to her protest of library materials she believes are sexually explicit and unsuitable for campus libraries.
In last week’s candidate forum, Sosa-Sanchez put her support behind the district’s revised book policies and said she trusts the procedures the administration has adopted and the staff members who understand the Texas Education Agency standards and requirements for library materials.
Retiree Danny Majors filed to run for the Place 7 school board seat but withdrew from the race in February.
What do you believe should be the top priorities of the school district, and, if elected, how would you advance those priorities?
The No. 1 priority is providing children with an excellent education. Currently, in Denton ISD, only 43% of students demonstrate reading proficiency and a mere 36% are proficient in math, which tells us there is much room for improvement.
We need to support our teachers, review our curriculum and do everything possible to raise these percentages. We also need to prepare for the massive growth our district is experiencing by attracting qualified teachers.
Another top priority is student safety, which requires that we examine all options for keeping kids safe on campus.
Social-emotional learning has become a buzzword in public education. What do you know about SEL in the school district, and do you think students benefit from an SEL curriculum? Why or why not?
We all want our children to be emotionally healthy, but SEL has many possible negative outcomes that need to be explored. First, it takes away from instructional time, and the best way to give children a solid foundation for a healthy and prosperous future is through a good education.
It may also infringe on parental rights as most parents want to handle psychological issues as a family and in the way they believe to be appropriate. SEL curriculum often enhances an emotional focus in the classroom when the teachers should be able to focus on academics.
Do you believe the school district properly values parental involvement in their children’s education and in setting district priorities? Why or why not?
After attending school board meetings for two years, I do not believe that parents’ voices are being heard. I am running for school board because I want to change that dynamic. Parents are the most important people in a child’s life, and their concerns should be readily and quickly addressed by the board and by the administration. I have seen this positive attitude toward parents at some schools but not at others. It needs to become the culture of the entire district, and a priority of the school board, to encourage parental involvement and address parents’ concerns.
Do you have any children or grandchildren attending district schools — either in a virtual program or on a district campus?
Yes, two of my children currently attend Denton ISD schools.
Patsy Sosa-Sanchez speaks at the Denton ISD candidate forum on Thursday night.
Jacob McCready/DRC
Patsy Sosa-Sanchez
Age: 57
Birthplace: Laredo
Education: Doctorate in reading education (emphasis on literacy/bilingual education), 2015, Texas Woman’s University; Master of Education (curriculum, teaching and learning/bilingual education), 2006, TWU; Bachelor of Science (interdisciplinary studies/bilingual education), 2004, TWU.
Family: Spouse, Rey; three grown children
Professional experience: 13 years in public schools teaching bilingual education, English as a second language and International Baccalaureate curriculum; university professor for eight years; Denton ISD PTA member, 1996-2010; campus leadership team member for Nette Shultz and Borman elementary schools; Communities in Schools of North Texas board member; member of Denton ISD Advisory Committee, 2017-18; numerous TWU leadership roles, Texas Education Agency committee roles and several national education associations. Denton ISD school board member since 2020.
What do you believe should be the top priorities of the school district, and, if elected, how would you advance those priorities?
My top priorities are student safety, equitable student success, and teacher recruitment and retention. I will continue to advocate and advance these priorities by remaining as an active voice at the legislative level.
Many of our challenges stem from legislative action that is taking place as we speak. We cannot solve student safety without full funding for initiatives on each campus that provide safety and security for teachers and students. We need to provide resources, student opportunities and expansion of services that offer equitable access for all learners, including mental health.
And we need to provide incentives and pay for teachers that is comparable to other public service careers, while providing health care that is affordable with outstanding benefits for themselves, and their families. Our teachers teach because they are passionate about their students. They work with the parents to make home-school connections, they serve the community in providing in-school and after-school activities. They teach holistically to produce high school graduates who are academically and socially successful in our community and beyond.
I will continue my efforts in making sure that my priorities are fought for at the legislative level, and benefits are handed down to our districts as they should be.
Social-emotional learning has become a buzzword in public education. What do you know about SEL in the school district, and do you think students benefit from an SEL curriculum? Why or why not?
SEL is not only a buzzword, but it is state mandated. TEA has adopted a comprehensive and aligned approach known as the Safe and Supportive School Program (SSSP). This curriculum approach was implemented to ensure wellness, learning and physical and psychological safety across the learning community. It addresses school climate, social/emotional domain, and behavioral and mental health and wellness. It includes collaboration with community, county and state organizations, conducting behavioral threat assessments; and the implementation of a multi-hazard approach to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from crisis situations.
It is a multi-tiered system of support that is research-based to support academic and non-academic wellness and development as students, as well as address the physical and psychological safety of all individuals within the school community.
The curriculum teachers are given to teach has these tiers embedded in their everyday lessons. All students and teachers benefit from this approach. With so many school disasters happening around the world, the social and emotional disruptions hit close to home. They disrupt learning and teaching. We must know how to address it to avoid learning losses.
Do you believe the school district properly values parental involvement in their children’s education and in setting district priorities? Why or why not?
Absolutely. The district offers many opportunities for parents to become involved in their children’s education, including becoming an active voice through the district’s PTA. In addition, we encourage parents to become engaged in their children’s school by helping in their teacher’s classroom, as cafeteria monitors, on field days, as field trip chaperones, etc.
While engaging in this manner, the parents can get a glimpse of the everyday life of the relationships being built between the teachers and the students, between students and students, and how these relationships impact their children’s learning. I believe that understanding how relationships are built in a classroom is important. This builds trust between the student and the teacher, thus building trust between home and school.
Do you have any children or grandchildren attending district schools — virtually or on a district campus?
I moved to Denton to attend university at a very young age. I stayed in Denton, married my husband of 32 years and had three children. They are all products of the Denton ISD elementary, middle and high school curriculum. Two are serving our country through the Air Force, and one is serving the community as a trauma counselor.
The Denton Record-Chronicle took a look at how Denton ISD Place 7 candidates voted over a 10-year period. In her application to run for the seat, Rachaner reported that she has lived in the district for 10 years.
The Denton Record-Chronicle took a look at how Denton ISD Place 7 candidates voted over the last 10 years. In her application to run for reelection, Sosa-Sanchez reported that she has lived in the district for 40 years.
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LUCINDA BREEDING-GONZALES can be reached at 940-566-6877 and via Twitter at @LBreedingDRC.
