Two pairs compete for AISD seats

Residents of the Aubrey Independent School District will be choosing between two candidates each for two contested races May 1.

Jana Temple and Mike Thompson are competing for Place 1, while Terry Brockett is challenging incumbent Carlos Urquidez for his Place 3 seat.

Brockett attended AISD schools through the eighth grade before moving to Celina. He has two children in the school

Brockett said he’s running because he wants to become more involved as AISD is continuing to grow.

“This is home, and I have a lot of pride in the community and have been very proud of what Aubrey has done in the last few years, and I’m at a place professionally where I can dedicate the time to run,” he said.

Brockett wants to further develop the sense of community around the school district, which he said comes from having played for G.A. Moore in Celina. He feels like there’s an opportunity to grow that in Aubrey.

He also wants to continue in his family’s legacy—his father served on the school board and his uncle is H.L. Brockett.

Brockett also feels his skillset in the business world and his perspective from his time at Celina would benefit the board.

Carlos Urquidez has been serving as an AISD trustee since May 2018.

He has three children in the school district. His initial inspiration to run came from working on the district’s Facilities Planning Committee and when friends and neighbors kept telling him he should run to represent them.

“I try to serve in our community at every opportunity that I have,” he said.

He pointed to his support of the schools he attended in Denton and his time coaching youth football in AAYSA. He is also involved with multiple organizations and service clubs in the area.

“I believe every decision [the school board makes] should begin and end with the children’s best interest in mind,” he said.

He put an emphasis on fiscal responsibility.

Based on his observations of his mother’s career —she retired from Denton ISD—Urquidez believes one major challenge is unfunded state mandates.

“When certain learning requirements need to be met, well, those include supplies or equipment that needs to be purchased,” he said. “A lot of times, those costs that were not previously in the school budget, we have to find room for those items.”

Jana Temple is running for Place 1.

She has four children in the district and has lived in the district for the past seven years.

Temple has been involved in her children’s schools through parent teacher organizations and booster clubs.

“I have a servant’s heart and giving back to my little town that I call home was probably the number one reason [I was inspired to run],” she said. “And I’ve always had a love for education, so being involved in something that impacts in a positive way seemed fulfilling to me.”

She hopes to be a part of making a positive impact.

“Our current board does a wonderful job, so I want to tag along with where they’re at and build on what they’ve already got started,” she said.

She would like to offer students more opportunities to get involved with the community.

As a previous educator at Temple Christian Academy, she sees AISD administration and teachers as the district’s biggest assets.

“Our turnover in Aubrey is very little, so I think just having stable teachers … allows our kids to be confident in them and know that they’re always going to be there for them,” she said.

Growth in the district is important to her. She says she would work on keeping Aubrey’s “hometown feel.”

Also running for Place 1 is Mike Thompson, a local business owner. He has three daughters that have grown up in the district, with two of them still in school.

His inspiration in running for a place on the board has come from being involved with the district through being the president of the Aubrey Friends and Family of FFA Alumni, and serving on AISD committees.

“I’m an Army veteran, I used to be town councilman in Providence, I’ve been working within the Aubrey [380 Area] Chamber of Commerce [as president] for several years,” he said. “The whole point of that, is it’s just the next level I want to be able to help —the Aubrey school district.”

He believes that a strong school district not only attracts people to move to the area but also businesses, and he sees the businesses as a way to help “sustain some of the [cost of] growth without putting it all onto the homeowners,” he said.

Thompson sees the strong leadership, teaching staff and the newer structures that the school district owns as assets.

He also sees the development of current structures and the need for building new structures in the school district as things that will need to be addressed soon.

“Where and how are we going to do those? Can we stay in front of the growth of the incoming individuals? ... It’s an area that we have to stay awake,” he said.

Annette Crooks is running unopposed and will continue serving in Place 2.