Meet Dr. Amit Kalra who is running for Frisco ISD Board of Trustees Place 1. We appreciate Dr. Kalra for submitting his responses to our candidate questions. We have published his answers as submitted to us.
Frisco ISD Board of Trustees’ Questionnaire
Candidate Information
Full Name: Dr. Amit Kalra
Campaign Website and Social Media Links: www.DrKalraforFISD.com
Occupation and Background: Physical Therapist
Prior to running, how have you been involved in the community?
In Frisco ISD I have been a part of the District Advisory Council, Capital Projects committee, Library Reconsideration Committee Review Pool, Bond Exploration committee and the Leadership Board Academy
In Frisco City, I have completed the City Hall 101 Program and have been a part of the Frisco Cricket League captains and volunteer committee.
I have served in the HOA of my community and developed a newsletter for the community.
I have been organizing community events and cultural meets, all at-cost to provide the best experience at minimal cost to the attendees and not drawing any profit from it for 8 years now.
I have been volunteering in every community I have lived in for the past 25 years.
What experience or skills do you have that will make you a great board member?
By volunteering in different committees, I have learned about the different departments, operations, personnel and the idea exchange platform through the workshops. Recently we had a workshop attended by the candidates and BOT. The results of that workshop for planning the 2025-26 school year was shared with the District Advisory Council, I was a part of that too- other candidates were not. I am the only candidate in my race who will be ready to take on the role from Day one and save the district time and resources for training. I am also aware of what are the direct and indirect needs of the district at the moment.
I am a parent of Frisco ISD 6th grader who has been to three different elementary schools in Frisco ISD.
I am a physical therapist who has worked with children with special needs.
I am a healthcare professional and we don’t have one on the school board.
What are the 3 most critical issues facing the district today?
Deficit budget, decreasing enrollment and school safety are the three most critical issues being faced by the district today.
How do you plan to address these issues?
school safety through increased teacher empowerment and ability to escalate issues to take control of the situation instead of delayed response from procedural timings.
Decreasing enrollment by addressing the needs of the community and improving the and making more accurate assumptions in budget calculations. This will prevent overestimation of enrollment numbers.
Deficit budget through restructuring of departments as necessary and prevent the execution of “all or none” law currently in place for replacement of equipment and furniture. Analyze the increased spending on the healthcare services and the counsellor services ( it encompasses a whole lot more than just school counselors).
The new challenge that got created today is the passing of HB3. Maintaining student enrollment is a challenge the new board will face.
Do you support ESA’s and Senate Bill 2?
I do not support ESA, but it got passed today.
It is crucial to maintain the financial health and integrity of the Frisco ISD community. Parents believe the need for transparency and accountability is at an all-time high in the district. Would you support a official Forensic Audit of the district’s finances by an independent 3rd party?
The Board of Trustees oversee the performance review of two personnel’s- The Superintendant and the internal auditor. We are currently rated top amongst the top financial review benchmarks in place. The financial reports are available online. I would, however, like more details about the line items since they encompass a lot of sub items under those few words. If the need arises for an Independent 3rd party audit the board has the power to vote on it, but then approval of that third independent third party may also get questioned by some sections of the society. It’s also an added cost when implemented. There needs to be substantial evidence to demonstrate some wrong doing to make these changes. I believe in transparency and accountable finances.
Do you believe the current districts’ disciplinary procedures are acceptable or do you believe we need to update our procedures for discipline and safety?
I think there is a scope for continuous improvement in the districts disciplinary procedures with a lot more common sense application in place. It’s too rigid and too structured that limits the perpetrators for getting punished for provocation. Teachers also feel limited in their ability to act, handle and respond to a situation and the events that occur post situation.
Our procedures need to enhance towards AI related image morphing and visual generation that may mislead a student, teacher, staff or parent in to believing its accuracy. Cell phone presence reduction, free time screen usage reduction, and reduction of barriers to reporting and increased usage of StopIt app will help to further address these issues.
What do you believe needs to happen with Staley Middle School and how should this have been handled?
As a capital projects committee member I was anticipating meeting to discuss Plan B and Plan C for Staley after the Bond failure but were disbanded. I disagree with this course is action. Any discussion about closure should have been a recommendation from this committee first. Communication was inadequate from Nov to Mar between the district and the Staley parents/ administration. When half the staff is moved out then why are discussions being placed now? It’s more painful to see these thousand paper cuts. At this point it’s been pushed to the point of closure as the only option which will be announced after the elections. It will close whether it’s for repairs or permanent closure.
Capital projects committee should have decided on the next steps. The demographer should have been changed. The communication to the board about the impact and financial implications of every aspect of Staley closure/ delayed closure/ and continued operation should have been shared at a meeting at Staley itself with the board and Staley community present.
Do you have knowledge of Roberts’ Rules and Board Meeting Decorum?
Yes. This is the big highlight after the last board meeting where the rules were reduced to words in a book. These rules were also shared as a part of our HOA board.
What efforts or changes could be made to increase decisive leadership and improve community trust during board meetings?
Being present for the workshops and discussions prior to the meeting.
Asking the hard unpleasant questions behind the scene to make a clear understanding of the situation and its implications.
Understanding the leadership role and the influence of emotions Vs facts/logic.
Accuracy in the meeting order items and staying on course with the meeting items.
Elect leaders who will stand up and take a stand instead of pleasantry panderers.
Lastly, anything you want voters to know about you!
My child attends middle school in Frisco ISD and every decision I will make will have an impact for the next 6 years. With school voucher program passing we need a leader that understands the role and will help to quickly adapt to the changes. I have a Presidential Voluntary Service Award. As a healthcare worker I took a stand against the Covid-19 vaccine because I didn’t find the research convincing. This impacted me and my family directly. I operate and make decisions based on facts, evidence, research, and critical analysis. All my friends know that I am keen follower of rules and regulations. I took the time out away from my family to learn about the role before I filled out my application.
I am here to serve because it’s important to have the right leadership for decision making.
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