Meet April

I am April Williams Moore and I will be proud to serve the citizens of Arlington as a Trustee on the Arlington school board in Place 4. I am an Air Force Veteran where I served in their finance department. From there my Bachelors Degree in business and Masters Degree in Supply Chain Management expanded to working in the corporate world in their finance departments.

As a mother of three children, a daughter in college and two sons, one in first grade and one in high school I made the decision to get my realtor’s license to expand my business horizons and give me more flexibility to be involved in my children’s lives. It has allowed me to do over 500 hours of volunteer service in Arlington schools and serve as a city council appointee on the Arlington Library Board.

Our children are our most important asset and in my volunteer work I have found many areas that we are not doing our best for our children and in some cases failing them. As a board member I will work with other board members and Dr. Smith to improve our schools and improve our children’s futures. My opponent has served two terms and when I am elected I will focus on the following issues that my opponent has not successfully addressed:

Budget 

AISD has a general operating budget that is nearing $700 million. For the past few years they have been beginning each fiscal year by approving deficit budgets. That is not the way to manage the budgeting process and unlike my opponent, I will not vote for deficit budgets. Yes, the district’s student base is about 10 thousands less than ten years ago, which has resulted in lost revenue from the state, however, I continue to advocate for zero-base budgeting. Many board members were unfamiliar with the concept and was unaware we currently employ this methodology in some departments and Dr. Smith hopes to expand it to all areas within five years.

Taxes

Our taxpayers do not require additional taxation, and we cannot place a greater burden on them by balancing the budget at their expense. Taxes for the Arlington schools constitute the largest tax entity in Arlington. Unlike my opponent, I will not vote to continue to increase your taxes. I will do my best to help lower them, not raise them.

Our Teachers

Teachers are the cornerstone of our schools, and it is essential that we provide them with comprehensive support. Under my opponent's tenure last year, the teacher attrition rate was 21.3%, a clearly unacceptable figure. Enhancing safety in our schools and significantly improving the level of service our campuses receive from the district are crucial to retaining our teachers in Arlington. 

Discipline in Our School

Dr. Smith and I share discipline as one of our top priorities. Discipline has been a problem in our schools for several years, to include the two terms my opponent has served. Many studies show that this is one of the reasons that teachers leave and why parents move their children to private and charter schools. Discipline isn't merely about punishment; it's a culture that embodies Respect, Responsibility, and Accountability. 

Student Achievement

Performance should be the ultimate outcome of all the aforementioned pillars. A recent Fort Worth Report article listed the 20 ISDs in Tarrant County and Arlington was ranked at seventeen. WHILE THIS CAN’T ALL BE BLAMED ON MY OPPONENT, IT HAS NOT IMPROVED IN HIS TWO TERMS. I will work every day to make our schools the premier schools in Tarrant County.