Race starts for Place 5 on Iowa Park CISD Board of Trustees
“It’s really their voice, it’s their kids that are here.”
IOWA PARK, Texas (KAUZ) - The race for Place 5 on the Iowa Park Consolidated Independent School District Board of Trustees is officially underway.
Incumbent Ken Cooper and challenger Eric Wright are both seeking election to the position.
Cooper brings more than a decade of experience, having served on the board for 12 years. Wright, a former Iowa Park coach, is aiming to bring a fresh perspective and new ideas to the table.
Both candidates agree on at least one thing: the importance of community involvement in the decision-making process.
“I think it’s important for the community and parents to get involved, and that’s one reason I wanted to be a board member 12 years ago; I had a son in school, I grew up here, I’m a community member, and this school district is very important to me,” Cooper said.
Wright agreed with those sentiments.
“It’s really their voice, it’s their kids that are here; you want to serve them. You want to be their voice. Obviously, you have to follow policies and procedures that are in place. But if people don’t like those policies, then we need to go back and revisit them,” Wright said.
Managing the district’s budget is a key priority for both candidates, with each offering a different focus.
“You can’t pour it all into a brand-new football stadium or a basketball gym, it’s got to go into getting your students to the point where they can have jobs later on. So if that means building a new shop for them to learn mechanics or welding, that’s what we need to do,” Write said.
Cooper said student and staff safety, along with keeping facilities up to date were some of his top priorities.
“Making sure our facilities are what they need to be. Safety and security has always been a big deal to us in this district and just providing the students and staff the necessities they need each and every day to be successful,” Cooper said.
Early voting begins Monday, April 22, and runs through April 29. Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Election Day is set for Friday, May 3, with voting available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Copyright 2025 KAUZ. All rights reserved.
