Members of the SISD Board of Trustees govern and oversee the school district. Trustees set the vision and goals for the district, oversee the superintendent (who they can fire and hire), and adopt the annual tax rate and operating budget. This is an unpaid, nonpartisan position. The district currently enrolls 47,300 students and adopted a budget of $479.6 million with a $22 million deficit for this school year.
SISD District 2 encompasses the area roughly north of Vista del Sol and east of Loop 375 and Zaragoza Drive. Click HERE for map.
Who’s running for this seat?
Ryan Reid Woodcraft, 41, is a network integration planner
Phillip Shawn Ollis, 47, is self-employed
Candidate Questionnaires
Candidates were asked to limit their responses to 100 words. Responses have been lightly edited for grammar.
What is your short- and long-term vision for the district, and how would you measure success?
Ryan Reid Woodcraft: Over the past decade, SISD has made significantly poor financial decisions that have put a strain on our families and on our educators. We must ensure a culture of sound fiscal management, beginning with a balanced budget in the short term.
Long-term success can be defined as continuing to produce graduates who are successfully prepared for higher education and the trials of adulthood; fund and cash on hand balances at 120 days; and a culture that doesn’t tolerate consistent deficit spending.
Phillip Shawn Ollis: My short-term vision is to ensure financial stability, support educators and improve student achievement across SISD. In the long term, I want to enhance career readiness, expand educational programs and strengthen community partnerships. Success will be measured through student performance metrics, graduation rates, teacher retention and parent satisfaction.
What experience do you have with curriculum, overseeing budgets, or setting and implementing policy?
Ryan Reid Woodcraft: Prior to my retirement from active duty, my penultimate assignment was as a certified instructor, training manager, and instructional system design facilitator serving on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I was previously a substitute teacher for SISD, currently serve on the city of El Paso’s Bond Overview Advisory Committee and am the executive director for Manna Church El Paso.
Phillip Shawn Ollis: With over 20 years of leadership experience, I have managed large-scale budgets, improved operational efficiency and led teams in strategic decision-making. My role at DATAMARK and past leadership at Prudential Financial and ADP have given me expertise in resource management, performance oversight and policy implementation — skills that translate well to the needs of SISD.
What are your budget priorities and how would you balance funding those priorities while keeping property taxes in check?
Ryan Reid Woodcraft: A balanced budget at the no-new-revenue tax rate is my immediate goal. I advocate for a school budget that prioritizes direct classroom needs, ensuring teachers have access to necessary resources without using personal funds or relying on fundraising methods. The farther away from the classroom we spend money, the higher the risk of it being removed from the budget.
Phillip Shawn Ollis: My priorities include increasing teacher support, investing in classroom resources and expanding student programs while maintaining fiscal responsibility. I will push for transparent budgeting, cost-cutting where necessary and seeking additional funding sources such as grants and partnerships to reduce the burden on taxpayers.
What strategies do you propose to make your district schools a more attractive option for families who might be thinking about enrolling their children in other school systems?
Ryan Reid Woodcraft: Parents and staff who have decided to leave SISD for other opportunities have not done so because of academic or extracurricular opportunity shortfalls. They left because of poor financial stability, lack of discipline or hostile/toxic working conditions. We must fix the culture of SISD, and that starts with the board of trustees and the superintendent. Who the voters elect on May 3 and who the trustees hire as the next superintendent are vitally important.
Phillip Shawn Ollis: I will focus on strengthening academic programs, increasing extracurricular opportunities and improving school facilities. Expanding dual-credit and career-focused pathways, ensuring smaller class sizes and fostering a strong culture of parental engagement will make SISD schools more competitive and desirable.
How would you promote transparency and accountability in board decisions?
Ryan Reid Woodcraft: School board members and district staff should provide detailed accounts of revenue and expenditures. Listening to open forum comments at monthly board of trustees meetings is not sufficient. I look forward to hosting regular public forums and establishing clear communication channels with members of our community. I will participate in community events and work closely with local elected officials to establish a relationship of trust and cooperation.
Phillip Shawn Ollis: I will advocate for clear communication with the community through regular town halls, open meetings and publicly accessible financial reports. I believe in making data-driven decisions and will ensure that parents, teachers and stakeholders have a voice in board policies.
What’s the next big challenge for SISD following the layoff plan and how would you address it?
Ryan Reid Woodcraft: We must make a collaborative effort to work closely with local elected officials. From addressing urban sprawl to establishing cross walks, the city and county of El Paso need to be stakeholders in SISD.
Second, every contract and interlocal agreement needs to be examined to ensure we focus funding on our basic responsibilities and priorities. We need ethical leadership as it pertains to the budget.
Phillip Shawn Ollis: SISD must rebuild trust with educators and families while maintaining financial stability. I will work to restore morale among staff by prioritizing retention strategies, investing in professional development and ensuring that budget cuts do not negatively impact classroom learning. My goal is to foster a long-term strategy that prevents future financial crises.
The post Q&A: SISD District 2 Trustee Candidates in May 3 Uniform Election appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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