I met Shanda at a networking event a month ago and learned that she was running for the DSISD school board and wanted to introduce you to her and her family! School board elections are going on right now (vote early at the Headwaters Hub- it only takes a few minutes!) and it’s important for everyone to get out and vote for their favorite candidates! Let me introduce you to my new friend, Shanda…
Hey Shanda! Tell us more about you and your family…
My husband, Dave, and I met 22 years ago in college at Texas State University. We are both native Texans – I’m from Crowley and he’s from Corpus Christi. We settled in the Austin area to be right in the middle of his family and mine. We now have three beautiful daughters and two huge, crazy golden doodles.
What brought you to Dripping Springs?
Like many young families here, the great schools were a huge draw! We were living in South Austin, and I knew AISD did not represent our family’s values, so we had to make a move before our oldest started kindergarten. The Dripping Springs of 2015 reminded me so much of my hometown that I quickly felt connected and knew this would be home for us.
What do you love about living here?
I love that, even with the growth, there’s still so much of a small town feel. Anywhere you go in town you’ll always see someone you know!
What are your family’s favorite things to do in Dripping?
When we aren’t watching our kids’ sports or activities on the weekends we love to hang outside at local establishments – Dripping Springs Distillery, Suds Monkey, Flores, Treaty Oak are a few places that come to mind. But there are so many fun places in Dripping!
Kid-friendly is a must. We also love being at home on the weekends. Dave is kind of a grill master – he makes some mean fajitas! We love to have friends and their kids over to swim and catch up because all our schedules are so busy.
What is your favorite date night spot?
We don’t do date nights near as often as we should, but it will always involve good food! I’m looking forward to trying out the new restaurant, Garbo’s. In the last couple of years we’ve done a lot of fun concerts, including Stapleton, Reba, and the man himself, King George. We also love a good standup comedy show.
What got you into ISR swim lessons?
We put in our pool right around the time our youngest started crawling. Even though we had a pool safety fence, I knew it wasn’t enough. Drowning is the #1 cause of death in kids under five. I was a stay-at-home mom at the time and wanted to enjoy the summer with the kids with more peace of mind. There was no one teaching survival swim lessons in Dripping Springs so I drove all the way into Austin every day for 6 weeks for lessons. I knew there was a huge need for a service like that with all the young families coming to Dripping Springs, and I used to teach high school so I had a natural inclination toward teaching. I was certified in 2019 to teach ISR and it is one of the most rewarding careers you could imagine.
Tell us more about you deciding to run for school board…
Oddly enough, I have to say this campaign probably started in 2020…Covid hit and schools shut down. That fall, when we were set to go back to school, our district/board started having meetings to push the start date. I helped organize and mobilize a group of parents who, like me, felt the best decisions weren’t being made for our kids during that time (virtual learning, masks, social distancing).
For the next three years, I supported and campaigned for several strong leaders who are now on our school board. One of my strengths is connecting people, and we’ve had so much “disconnect” (Covid, a failed bond, an emotional discussion over becoming a two high school town) that we are still on edge at times. I think I have a pretty good pulse on a wide demographic of our community, and I felt called to step up and lead.
What do you hope to accomplish if elected to the school board?
I want to build more community connection. The heart of Dripping Springs is centered around our schools, which is a pretty unique characteristic. I want to make sure more voices are heard as we go through this period of growth – we have to balance the scale of the needs that must be met to maintain academic excellence with the willingness and desires of the community that has to fund it. Connection also means partnership with parents – keeping them engaged, informed, and active in our schools.
As a former teacher myself, I’m highly focused on listening to the needs of our teachers. At this time, state funding won’t allow for us to show them monetarily how valuable they are so, until then, we need to find other ways to do that.
Anything else we should know about this election?
People are shocked when I tell them this, but we have no representation on the board in schools on the west side of our district (DSE, WSE, DSMS). If elected, I will be the only representative filling that void. I have a daughter at DSMS and two daughters at DSE.
When is the election and where can people vote?
Early voting is now! Vote early at the HUB at Headwaters
April 22-26 from 8:00am-5:00pm
April 27 from 10:00am-6:00pm
April 29-30 from 7:00am-7:00pm
Election Day is May 4.
Vote at Headwaters or Precinct 4 on Roger Hanks from 7:00am-7:00pm.
How can we follow you?
Facebook page HERE
Instagram Page HERE
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Do you love the schools here and want to learn more about moving to Dripping Springs? I’d love to give you more information and set up a call to learn more about your move! If you are thinking about buying or selling real estate in the Dripping Springs or Austin areas then reach out to me at 512-569-8480 or email at laurenclark@magnoliarealty.com
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