Coppell Chronicle Vol. 6, No. 9
Coppell ISD Trustees Back Different Candidates • District Officials Celebrate Deficit Reductions • DART Adds Quiet Zone on East Side of Town • Old Town Landlord’s Zoning Request Denied
This edition includes a Business Briefs section that begins with breaking news about a popular fast-food chain coming to Coppell. That news is behind the paywall. If you’re a paid subscriber, and somebody mentions this restaurant to you in the coming months, you’ll be able to say with an air of superiority, “Oh, yeah, I read about that in the Coppell Chronicle back in April.”
Coppell ISD Trustees Back Different Candidates
I can’t remember a previous Coppell ISD election that featured endorsements from multiple sitting trustees, but this year’s does.
Coppell ISD voters have only one choice to make over the next two weeks: Should Kevin Chaka or Khanh Windham succeed David Caviness? On April 15, Caviness suggested they choose Windham.
“Above all, what has stood out the most is how she engages. Khanh listens. She seeks to understand before forming conclusions,” Caviness said in a Facebook endorsement. “And she approaches difficult topics with a level of respect and composure that helps move conversations forward rather than divide them further.”
One day later, Trustee Jonathan Powers said he’s voting for Chaka.
“Kevin grew up here, is raising his family here, and has already given years of service to this district — as Co-Chair of the District Educational Improvement Committee, on the Bond Oversight Committee, and more,” Powers said in his own Facebook endorsement. “That’s what stands out to me most: Kevin put in the time to understand this district before asking to help lead it.”
These dueling statements are interesting not only because of their very existence but also due to who issued them. The only other endorsement by a sitting trustee that I can recall happened last year. That’s when Caviness endorsed Powers in his campaign against Julie Waters, who had challenged Caviness in 2023.
Chaka and Windham both have long lists of other endorsements on their websites — Chaka4CISD.com and Windham4CISD.com — and each of those lists features at least one former Coppell ISD trustee. He’s backed by Tracy Fisher, and she has support from Judy Barbo and Thom Hulme.
Here’s something else Chaka and Windham have in common: They both responded to a short questionnaire from the Coppell Chronicle. You can review and compare their answers in this PDF.
I also sent questionnaires to the four candidates for the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD Board of Trustees — because a portion of that school district is in Coppell — and to eight candidates vying for three seats on the Irving City Council, because a big chunk of Irving overlaps with Coppell ISD.
I had not received answers from all of those candidates by the time I published this edition. If I receive them after this edition is published, I’ll update the PDFs on the Chronicle’s website accordingly.
Dallas County residents can preview their ballots by entering their personal details here. Denton County residents can do the same thing here.
Early voting for local elections will begin on April 20, pause on the state holiday known as San Jacinto Day (seriously), resume on April 22, and continue through April 28. Election Day is May 2.
District Officials Celebrate Deficit Reductions
Spirits are high at Coppell ISD’s headquarters because the school district’s deficit has been lowered.
During an April 13 workshop, administrators told the Board of Trustees that more than $8 million has been shaved from the budget since February. That amount was attributed to zero-based staffing, continued evaluation of enrollment and class sections, and position reductions achieved through attrition and early-resignation incentives.
“That represents a lot of hard work and a lot of dedication by this group here to get us into the right direction,” Superintendent Leanne Shivers said.