About Me

My name is Harper Weaver, and I’m running for Plano ISD Board of Trustees, seat 3. My two older kids are thriving in PISD, and our third will join them soon. The reason I have chosen to run for The Board is the lack of oversight The Board showed during the process of closing schools over the last year. A school board that is complacent enough to defer completely to the district is not a functional school board. This is especially true for issues as important as school closures.

Independent Data Analysis, Not Politics

I am a data engineer by trade, not a politician. My career has taught me how to analyze complicated systems using data. I am capable of doing this independently instead of relying on already formed conclusions given to me. I look forward to using these skills to help ensure that the students, families, and teachers have better protection against arbitrary decisions.

Represent the Community, Not the Administration

I am not a single issue candidate. I’ve been spending significant amounts of time reviewing previous board meetings, studying state provided resources, and more to prepare myself to be a knowledgeable board member.

I Am Committed

Both running for School Board and actually holding that position are things that require a susbstantial amount of time and effort. That is why I gave notice to my employer two weeks ago. I am committing my whole self to winning this race, and then to doing everything I can to make PISD the best it can be.

You can reach me at 657-378-0646 or harperforpisd@gmail.com. Please reach out if you have any questions about my platform, want to support my campaign, or want to talk about issues your family is currently facing regarding Plano schools.

Platform

My first and foremost goal is the the most important goal any candidate for The Board can have: excellent and equitable student achievement. This all-encompassing goal requires hard work on many different fronts. Some of the areas I am most looking forward to serve Plano families are:

• Accountability: Families have the right to know how the district is making decisions before the district makes them. If those decisions do not earnestly involve feedback from the public and from teachers, they will not align with the public's best interests.
• Equitability: All of Plano's students, families, and teachers deserve the same chance to succeed. This must be true regardless of location, demographics, income, or any other status. Some policy decisions can have effects that last for decades. Equitability must always be a heavy part of decision making in these policies.
• Safety: Unsafe environments have a negative impact in students' abilities to learn. We have reached the point where parents are requesting transfers at the elementary level to avoid percieved unsafe feeder patterns. This is not sustainable.
• Advocacy: The state government has put all public school systems in a very tough spot by restricting funding recently. Without adequate funding we risk losing our staff to more attractive positions, having to shut down special programs, and all kinds of other damaging outcomes. We need advocacy in Austin, but we need advocacy that starts in Plano. We need to do a better job of educating and galvanizing the public here.

How can you help?

First of all, make sure you vote, and get your friends to do the same! Election day is May 3, and early voting runs from April 22 to April 29.

Campaigns take a lot of hard work from more than just the candidate. If you want to see me in office then please consider donating below or volunteering. We can use help block walking, advocating at meetings, or even just letting us put a sign up in your yard. If you are looking for a way to help out, please reach out at harperforpisd@gmail.com