I want to thank everyone for coming out to join me and for traveling through bad weather.

I
deeply appreciate everyone here tonight. I want to personally thank Tory here at Love and
War in Texas for allowing me to use the restaurant and for always being supportive of my
political endeavors.

As everyone here already knows, I ran for the Plano ISD school board in 2009. Unfortunately, I
was unsuccessful in my campaign but I would not change a single thing about it. I ran a positive
campaign that not only highlighted the need for change, but offered real solutions surrounding
school dropouts, educational technology and budget issues in a fiscally conservative way. I
personally traveled to Austin as a father and lobbied against the state mandated 4x4
curriculum. These are real issues that are important to me.

Since last year’s campaign, I have learned many things. I have strived to temper my passionate
message to reach a bigger audience without compromising my values and principles. I have
learned that my impact on education is not limited to being a school board trustee. A major
accomplishment that I am most proud of this year has been my time and service to the North
Texas Job Corp on the Industry Committee. In the last 9 months, I have petitioned and worked
to get a technology curriculum adopted so at risk students have other lucrative options rather
than only learning trades such as culinary arts, lawn care and carpentry. I have taken my
dedication to promoting technology vocational training in Texas public schools to Austin to talk
to state representatives and the Governor’s office about legislating real solutions that reduce
the dropout rate state wide, not just in PISD. Lastly, and most important to me, in the last year,
I have continued to serve my community despite losing my 2009 campaign for school board.
Service isn’t just about winning a race, it’s about leadership and standing up for what’s right.
One lost election will not deter me from working hard for education, Plano, Collin County or our
great state of Texas.

Recently at a Plano Chamber of Commerce lunch event, I had the opportunity to listen to “Skip”
Jenkins, the President of the PISD School board, give a “state of the district” type speech.
While his speech briefly talked about education and student achievements, he seemed more
focused on bragging about big government educational goals, the impact of the district and the
ever increasing $600 million budget on the local economy. In addition, he stressed those social
programs implemented to turn public schools into the largest institutional providers of
government welfare.

Which brings me to some PISD highlights of the last past year:

• Technology spending that was not needed, such as the $5 million upgrade to the old
wireless network that wasn’t even being used.
• An increase in operating budget
• An increase in the property tax rate
• A muddled attempt at setting school boundaries that started with a committee with no
everyday parents, then that committee has since been dismissed, school board trustees
following with half ideas, a blundered Academy idea for Williams High School that
 trustees wrongly called a Magnet school. Lastly and most disturbing was a quick “vote
and run” to approve the new boundaries without any discussion or public input.
• My personal favorite – The PISD superintendent along with deputy and area
superintendents and other administrators contributed to the Collin County political
campaigns of two currently sitting school board trustees. Is anyone surprised that Dr
Otto’s contract was extended last Tuesday night?

Plano ISD has escaped yet another year with no accountability, no communication, and no
transparency. These are the very things I promoted so passionately in my 2009 campaign.
Plano parents need something different. Plano Parents deserve better leadership. We need
parent-focused leaders on our school board that will be held accountable, communicate openly
with parents and value the need for transparency in the government process.

Jeffery Goldberg , a Plano parent that urged parents to vote for anyone but me in 2009 wrote in
a blog, “… the suspicion that he is a partisan candidate in what should be a non-partisan race
makes him more of a political insider than is good for Plano Schools.”

I never hid the fact that I am a Conservative Republican with true values and principles that I
will not comprise away to be popular. I strongly believe Republicans should be very active in
school board elections with their votes but I have never advocated partisan elections for school
board trustees.

However, we have come to a true crossroads in the educational future in the United States. We
can no longer say “non-partisan elections” and use it as an excuse to not discuss a candidates’
value system. There are fundamental differences between conservatives, liberals and
progressives and our beliefs in the future of education. Those values make up the way trustees
should decide issues and how trustees vote while on the school board. We must not forget
that.

This brings me to this year and my decision concerning the 2010 Plano ISD school board
elections. After much consideration and counsel from family and dear friends, I have decided
not to run for the Plano ISD school board in 2010.

Let me go back to Jeffery Goldberg to explain why. Jeffery also stated in the same blog that “I,
for one, would much rather see Steve in the state legislature than on the school board.” I value
Jeffery’s endorsement and have decided to run for Texas State Representative in 2012.

Why am I announcing so early as a candidate for 2012? As much as I believe that I would win a
school board trustee election this year, I want to be open and honest with the citizens of Plano
ISD and Collin County when I say that I truly want to represent Collin County in Austin. I do not
want anyone to say that I was only using a school board seat as a “stepping stone” or face the
backlash of resigning in the middle of my elected term to run for State Rep. I owe the parents
of PISD more than being a part time school board trustee. Again, I value principles and strive to
do what is right for citizens and the community.
I also feel that I can do much more for education, the school district and Collin County if I am
your educational voice in Austin, fighting against Robin Hood, 4x4 and fighting for vocational
training and real educational solutions that help students, not just school district
administrators.

I want to state unequivocally that I have no plans to run against any current incumbent Collin
County State Representative. In 2012, the will be the first year after redistricting, there will be
one or two new State Representatives will be created in Collin County. I believe it is important
that we have fully qualified and experienced candidates ready early to fill those open seats to
avoid much of the mudslinging that we have seen in recent campaigns. Although I am not new
to Austin or politics, I know there is still much for me to learn.

In the meantime, I will continue to focus my efforts on education and in the community across
North Texas while staying politically active.

In addition, as a commitment to strong education, I would also like to announce the Texans for
Conservative School Board Trustees PAC whose mission is to recruit, educate, train, support
and endorse conservative candidates running for local school boards. As a first time candidate,
it is hard to know the processes and steps needed to run a campaign. We will be committed to
helping candidates with those tasks.

This is just the beginning of a long road head and I would like your support.

Thank you,

Steve