Grand Prairie school board spots unchallenged so far

by Kirk Dickey of TODAY Newspapers

So far, Grand Prairie has no contested elections for either the school board or city council, although incumbents have filed for spots in both.

Bebe Bingham, Mike Skinner and Paul Martinez have all filed for re-election to the school board.

Bingham, who has served on the board for about a decade, said she enjoys her work with the school board and sees it as an extension of the work she did as a school principal, albeit on a volunteer basis. She worked for the school district for 20 years.

“I am in the position now to have the time and attend the school activities and functions,” she said, noting that she is the only member of the board who is retired.

“I think this is part of my retirement,” she said. “I feel like when we retire, everyone should do some type of volunteer work. This is mine.”

If re-elected top Place 5, Bingham said she wants to see Dubiski develop into a top-notch school and wants to make sure the district makes good financial decisions.

“The whole economy is getting so tight now,” she said. “I don't want to cut out any programs, but we need to make the things we do more cost-effective.”

“We want to be good stewards of the taxpayers' money.”

Mike Skinner, boardmember in Place 6, said he has enjoyed his time on the board and would like to continue to serve the district.

“It's been a good experience for me so far,” he said. “I think we have made some progress in the last three years. We have had some major changes and we are looking forward to having continued benefits of those changes.”

Skinner noted that he served through the recent bond election and the selection of a new superintendent, both of which have turned out well. The district is seeing improvement of its test scores and he wants to continue to see that through.

Skinner said he had not yet set any specific goals for a future term, but would like to be part of the future, nonetheless.

“I feel like I have something that I can contribute to the process,” he said. “I am interested in continuing in that capacity.”

Attempts to contact Martinez, who serves the board in Place 7, were unsuccessful.

Filing for the council and board remains open through March 9. Contact City Secretary Cathy Dimaggio's office at 972-237-8039 to learn more about filing for Grand Prairie City Council. Call Dave Crittenden at 972-237-5592 to file for election as a school board trustee.