Candidate Name: Cameron “Cam” Bryan
Occupation: Thirty years in the aviation industry after receiving a civil engineering degree from Auburn University
How long have you lived in Southlake? What brought you to town?
We have made Southlake our home since 2004 and have loved every minute. Everyone being a Dragon from pre-K through 12th grade gives this community a unifying touch and advantage over other adjacent communities. The exemplary schools, safe environments and abundance of parks and green space is why Southlake continues to receive a top ranking in Texas for families and is why we moved here and continue to call it home.
What inspired you to run for this position?
With two children currently in the district, I want to continue my service to the community in this capacity as I believe it is my civic duty.
I have a consistent, demonstrated passion to serve the youth in this community. Over the last decade, I have mentored, coached and taught hundreds of Southlake’s children in various youth programs. I’ve served a seven-year tenure on the board of directors for Dragon Youth Football, served as Odyssey of the Mind volunteer coach and am currently the president of the North Texas Football League.
I believe CISD’s commitment to excellence in academics, athletics, the arts, programs for gifted and talented students and children with learning differences makes CISD the best school district in the state of Texas. Continuous improvement in all of these categories is possible and necessary to ensure the best and brightest future for our kids and our district.
What in your background has prepared you for this position?
My qualifications for this position were developed over many years working in the public service sector and serving the youth in this community. As a career public servant and leader in the aviation industry, I bring over 30 years of capital planning and budget experience having managed large airport infrastructure programs across the nation. This experience will serve the board and administration well in preparation for and implementation of the annual CISD budget as well as setting priorities for longer-term capital planning initiatives.
In addition, as a member on two local program boards, I will bring an immediate understanding and respect for the governance aspect of board participation, placing particular emphasis on the importance of open and transparent communication.
Finally, having led numerous youth athletic and academic teams in this community, I have worked directly with hundreds of CISD students and understand the importance of building relationships with parents to instill trust. The same is true serving on the school board. We must make every effort to build relationships with parents while sharing our common values to build back the trust of our community.
What do you hope to bring to this role?
Knowledge is power, and I firmly believe providing our kids with a quality education is the best way to equip them to become leaders, innovators and visionaries as they grow up and embark on the next chapters of their lives.
I know what it takes to run an efficient and effective operation. But, I’m also a dad. And as your voice on the CISD School Board, I will never stop fighting to ensure our budget and operations are managed soundly and responsibly, our practices are conducted transparently and our students’ best interests are at the forefront of everything we do. I am committed to ensuring our outstanding teachers receive the support and resources they need, our parents’ voices are heard and our students have access to the best education possible.
What do you hope to accomplish in this position?
Ensuring fiscal responsibility, improving district excellence and implementing policies that put the students first are outcomes I will bring to the board when working on solutions to the many important issues facing our school district today.
As a Chapter 49 (Robin Hood) designated school district, we have to be mindful our budget dollars are spent on the highest priority items. The taxpayers in this community put their trust in the school board to set reasonable tax rates, pass balanced budgets and allocate funding to the highest priority items.
Additionally, improving district excellence means we have to understand our teachers in the classroom are the single most important factor to keeping our district’s exemplary status. Our challenge as a district is to ensure we hire and retain the best and brightest teachers while providing them with the tools and resources they need to be successful. And putting students first means passing policies that benefit all students. Our focus should always be on improving our academic curriculum in the classroom while building on or creating more programs that challenge our students.
What are your top priorities if elected?
Teachers: I believe our administration’s support of our teachers is the single most important factor to keeping our district’s exemplary status. Our challenge as a district is to ensure we hire and retain the best and brightest teachers while providing them with the resources they need to be successful. I pledge to make our teachers a priority because teachers make our students a priority.
Administration: I am committed to fulfilling a school board trustee’s responsibility of oversight of our administration. Our administration must shift the focus to prioritizing the support of our teachers and students to keep CISD’s tradition of excellence. I am excited for this new season of leadership with Dr. Lane Ledbetter.
Finances: I will work hard in the budget development process to identify funding for more teachers, become budget neutral and be fiscally responsible. As a Chapter 49 (Robin Hood) designated district, we have to be mindful to assure budget expenditures (our tax dollars) are spent wisely and appropriately. Responsible board oversight is vital to identifying and eliminating wasteful spending.
What actions do you believe are necessary to help unify the community?
Everyone should be treated with respect. The mistreatment of any student should not be tolerated. We are a wonderful town with loving giving people of all races, ethnicities and world views. We are blessed with leaders from around the world choosing to make Southlake home because of our excellent school district. The reputation being portrayed in the media does not reflect our true community. Southlake citizens help each other and those less fortunate in times of crisis. The recent winter storm is a shining example of the Southlake I know and love. Neighbors helping neighbors, rushing in to help with burst pipes and offering strangers their warm homes.
Having said that, anyone denying racism is real does not live in reality. It is real all over the world and Southlake is not immune. There are many forms of racism and when our kids are targets it is especially heartbreaking. When true racism or bigotry occurs in our schools, it should be dealt with swiftly. The Student Handbook and Code of Conduct (SHCOC) is clear on not permitting students to be victimized by racism or bullying. The SHCOC should be enforced consistently across all campuses.
What’s your relationship with CISD?
I have called this great community home for 17 years. My wife and I have a blended family and are proud to have two Dragon alumni and two current Dragon students. All four children began their educational journey in kindergarten at CISD. The education the two oldest received from attending CISD has prepared them well for the next chapter in their lives. Both are thriving and claim the rigorous CISD curriculum played a major role in preparing them for college. The younger two are being challenged through the district’s gifted and talented program. I sincerely believe CISD’s commitment to greatness in education, athletics, arts, extracurricular opportunities and programs for gifted and talented students and children with learning differences make CISD the best school district in the state of Texas. I’m running for school board because I believe continuous improvement in all of these categories is possible and necessary to ensure the best and brightest future for all students in our district.
What does being a Dragon mean to you?
What’s unique about CISD is that all campuses have the same mascot. What stood out to me when visiting Southlake for the first time was immediately recognizing homes, cars, businesses and restaurants all proudly displaying the Dragon logo. After moving here, I learned the logo stood for so much more than a mascot. It stands for the proud tradition of exemplary schools, where all students have an equal opportunity to a first-class education and its award-winning athletics, arts and extra-curricular programs. I also learned that everyone bleeds green in this town and with that comes a sense of unity and pride. When I travel, I am no longer surprised when I run into a fellow Dragon or a complete stranger pointing at the logo on my shirt and asking if I live in Southlake. I believe in this community and I am proud and blessed to be a Dragon.
Is there anything else you would like our readers to know?
I have zero tolerance for any form of bullying or discrimination in our community or schools. I do not believe CCAP is the solution. In fact, this document, which I have studied closely, will create more problems than solutions. I am committed to positive and open dialogue and will work with the community and district administration to find solutions to problems that are cost effective, benefit all students and include a normalized means to evaluate success.
I believe equal enforcement of the Student Handbook and Code of Conduct (SHCOC) by our teachers and administrators should be a key element to any recommended action plan. The SHCOC has recently undergone a major overhaul with over 340 updates since 2019. The SHCOC sets clear expectations for student behavior while applying various levels of consequences when those expectations are not met. We must find solutions soon so that we can reunite this great community and turn our focus back to our students and award-winning academic curriculum.
Each candidate in this race was provided the same questions. We are publishing their answers in their own words. The views expressed in these articles do not directly reflect those of Southlake Style.