Ellis Departs HPISD Board, Stays Committed to Community

Outgoing Highland Park ISD board of trustees member Jae Ellis responded in writing to questions about his achievements as a board member, decision not to run again, and future plans.

Due to space limitations, we included a summary of the responses in the May issue of Park Cities People. Read Ellis’ complete responses below. 

*Please note that Ellis submitted the responses on March 26, 2025, before the Texas Legislature passed any school finance or school voucher legislation.

WHY I DECIDED NOT TO RUN AGAIN

I have loved every minute of my six years serving HPISD and our community as a school board trustee.

My youngest child graduated from Highland Park High School two years ago, and I have decided it is time to step aside so that someone with kids currently attending our great schools can have the opportunity to serve. 

Many HPISD parents and residents who were not raised in the Park Cities have told me that they do not always feel like they have a voice in our community, and I have always sought input from them so that I could be a voice for them.

For context, before I joined the school board, only three of the seven trustees were born-and-raised HP residents. When I was elected in 2019, I became the fourth HPHS graduate on the board of seven.

Then in 2023, when Pete Flowers and Blythe (Smith) Koch were elected to replace retiring trustees Stacy Kelly and Tom Sharpe, the number of HP graduates on the seven-person board soared to five. In our community, where more than 70% (probably more than 80%) of parents were not raised here, the school board should be more representative of our community.  Therefore, I think it would be an added bonus if someone who was not raised in the Park Cities replaced me.

We are blessed to live in a community where so many parents and community members are willing to serve in time-consuming volunteer roles. I encourage our community to focus on things that will unite us and always listen to, and speak up on behalf of, those whose voices might not otherwise be heard.

BOARD ACHIEVEMENTS SINCE 2019

The achievements I celebrate most are those accomplished by HPISD’s students, teachers, administration, parents, volunteers, and community members.

First, and most importantly, I am proud that so many parents report every year that their HPHS graduates were better prepared to succeed in college than their friends, roommates, and peers. You would not believe how many parents have had this revelation and shared it with me! While rankings based on standardized test scores may fluctuate over time, I believe that college preparedness is the best measure of the quality of education, and I continue to witness, first-hand, that HPISD accomplishes unparalleled success by this measure.

Second, I am proud of the HPISD teachers and staff who have been weathering a strong, divisive, and enduring national and state-wide attack on public schools and on professional educators, and who, nonetheless, continue to invest their time, energy, and emotions into delivering an excellent education for every HPISD student. I am so thankful that our teachers love our students so much that they continue to devote their lives to teaching, even in times where it may not feel like their expertise is being respected and appreciated. These educators are role models and heroes, and I am proud and thankful to know that HPISD students appreciate and love these selfless public servants.

Third, during my first five years of service on the school board (2019-2024), we worked with superintendents Dr. Tom Trigg and Dr. Mike Rockwood, and with the overwhelming support of the HPISD voters who approved the 2024 bond initiative and the 2021 golden penny election, along with the generous patrons who make substantial financial donations to our school district, we were able to develop numerous innovative ways to increase HPISD teacher salaries by more than 21% for new teachers and by almost 24% for teachers with ten or more years of experience. We achieved these results despite our state legislature’s refusal to increase public school funding (in the form of the basic allotment). The most recent raises for HPISD teachers were especially significant, given the unfortunate reality that the state legislature may continue to refuse to provide substantial additional funding and/or choose to deplete public school funding by creating a private school voucher system. 

Fourth, I am proud that the HPISD property tax rate decreased by more than 29% during my first five years of service on the school board.  During my time on the school board, I have had the honor of serving on the HPISD Finance Committee, and I am especially grateful to have served under the thoughtful and visionary leadership of finance chairmen Edward Herring and Doug Woodward and with assistant superintendent for business services, Scott Drillette.

Fifth, I was honored to have been appointed by my mentor, former school board president Tom Sharpe, to serve on HPISD’s Pandemic Response Committee for almost two years along with trustee Bryce Benson.  Despite difficult and stressful circumstances, we worked together with our community to minimize the detrimental effects of Covid-19.

Finally, I am thankful and proud that our students, teachers, families, and community continue to respect and celebrate differences, recognizing that all forms of pluralism, diversity, collaboration, and teamwork (1) strengthen and unify our community, our schools, our relationships, and our teams; (2) enrich our personal experiences; (3) empower us for even greater success in a changing and complex world; and (4) position us to enjoy more meaningful and joyful lives.

FUTURE PLANS

In the short term, I plan to substantially improve my Tuesday night rates of attendance at practice sessions for the Men’s Choir at St. Luke’s Community UMC and at Goff’s half-price burger nights. I also plan to find opportunities to re-engage in “Together We Dine” and other activities of Project Unity, and I hope to do a better job of exercising at the Moody Family YMCA.

And, of course, I will continue to be in the stands cheering for Lady Scots Soccer, HP Football, Lady Scots Basketball, HP Baseball, and many other HP athletic teams.

Also, I would like to cover HPISD school board meetings as a guest journalist for Park Cities People, from time to time, if they will have me.😀

In the long term, I will continue finding ways to advocate for our public schools and to give of my time to support our community.

GO SCOTS!