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DANIEL GALLAGHER
Candidate for Mansfield ISD
Please provide any personal background information you would like to share with the
employees of Mansfield ISD.
I have been married to my wife, Sonja, for 21 years and we have one son who is a sophomore and plays
baseball for Summit High School. Both my wife and I have each been in education for nearly 20 years
and we chose to move to Mansfield ISD because we wanted to ensure a great education for our son. I
am currently the Director of Elementary Services in the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD and my wife is a
teacher. We are both former Mansfield ISD teachers as well. I have taught at T.A. Howard Middle School,
Summit High School, and Legacy High School. My wife taught at Cross Timbers Intermediate and
Danny Jones Middle School. I graduated with my undergraduate degree from UTA and I received my
master’s degree from Texas Wesleyan University. I strongly believe that our students and teachers need
to be at the center of every decision that we make. Our teachers work harder today than ever before and
need our support in order to meet the needs of each student. Please visit http://www.danielgallagher.
co/ for more information about my experience and qualifications.
What qualifications do you have that would make you an effective trustee?
For almost 20 years I have been working with students, teachers, parents, and administrators on
providing the best educational opportunities possible for our children. I have been a teacher at the
elementary, middle, and high school levels and have worked with thousands of students. I spent
several of those years at T.A. Howard Middle School, Summit High School, and Legacy High School. In
addition, I have been a principal and I am currently a central office administrator. However, the most
important job that I have is that of being a parent. Our children are our most precious resource and their
education is critical to their individual success as well as the collective success of our community. Our
world is changing faster than ever and we need to ensure that our schools are providing opportunities
which will prepare our children to be global citizens. I strongly believe that our schools are the hub of our
community and are critical to the success of our children and their future. I am running for the Mansfield
ISD School Board because I have a passion for improving our public schools and improving the learning
opportunities for our children. I will bring a unique insight to the MISD School Board as a parent,
teacher, principal, and central office administrator. I believe that my collective experience provides a
unique voice to the MISD school board. I will be a voice for our students, parents, teachers, and staff
members.
As a board member, what would you see as the board’s role in providing competitive
salaries and benefits for its employees?
There is no question that our teachers are working harder than ever to meet the diverse needs of each
child. If anyone questions how hard teachers work, they are misinformed and need to spend time in
our classrooms. Over the last two decades I have witnessed the commitment that teachers have for
their students. It is not uncommon for teachers to spend their own money on school supplies, snacks,
or other items for their students. As a board member, I will work to ensure that our teachers receive a
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All responses are published as received, and have only been edited for format, not content. Publication of this survey is not an endorsement of any candidate by United Educators Association.
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competitive salary and benefits package so we not only attract quality candidates, but we take care of
our current teachers and employees as well.
What three issues do you think are the most important facing MISD? Please explain.
I believe there are several issues that we must focus on in order to ensure that MISD continues to be
an outstanding school district. The most important issue that we must always maintain a focus on is
student learning. As a board and leadership team, we must ensure that each teacher has the necessary
training, materials, and support needed for individual student success. Our teachers are working harder
than ever and being asked to prepare our students to be successful global citizens. Our teachers are
challenged with creating rich learning experiences provided through research-based practices. We must
work collaboratively as a leadership team to create and foster an environment of trust and support for
our teachers so they are successful which results in student success.
Another issue that continues to impact MISD is continued growth. When I began teaching in MISD,
we were a one high school district. MISD is now a district of more than 32,000 students and has over
4,000 employees. Over the last 5 years, MISD has grown by nearly 2000 students, or around 5.5%.
Our district is growing faster than most of the neighboring school districts which is very exciting and
encouraging. However, we must continue to be very deliberate in planning for this growth. One of the
biggest challenges for any growing school district is the maintenance of our current facilities. I am very
proud of the plans that our board and administration have developed to ensure that we are maintaining
and improving our current facilities throughout this time of growth.
In addition, we need to remain a fiscally responsible school district. The public school finance system
in our state is very complex and has been ruled as unconstitutional more than once. The state slashed
$5.4 billion from public education in 2011 to help with a state budget shortfall. This resulted in many
districts having to make significant cuts to our local budgets. Ultimately, this impacted our teachers
and students. We need to ensure that we continue to be a fiscally sound district while supporting our
teachers so they can provide our students with great learning opportunities.
Tell us how you have been active and involved in MISD leading up to your decision to
initially run for school board.
As an MISD teacher, I was involved with several PTA organizations, school committees, and volunteering
countless hours tutoring and working with children. I have also served on Campus Improvement
Committees as well as the MISD District Educational Improvement Council. In addition, my son plays
baseball for Summit High School, so my wife and I spend time with the booster club at athletic events.
Mansfield is a great community that welcomes new students and families on a daily basis. We need to
continue to create and foster a culture of collaboration between home and school which will result in
more volunteers and support for our schools.
Please discuss any other issue you feel is relevant to your election to the MISD Board of
Trustees.
All responses are published as received, and have only been edited for format, not content. Publication of this survey is not an endorsement of any candidate by United Educators Association.
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I have a wide range of experience that I believe will benefit the students, teachers, and community
of Mansfield. As a former elementary, middle, and high school teacher, I understand how hard our
teachers work each day to meet the needs of each student. As a central office administrator and former
principal, I understand how to support our teachers so that they are able to be successful every day. I
will not only be a voice for our students and parents, but I will be a voice for our teachers and staff
members as well. Together we will work to ensure success for our students and teachers.
All responses are published as received, and have only been edited for format, not content. Publication of this survey is not an endorsement of any candidate by United Educators Association.