Kevin Carswell
Non-Partisan | Texas
Candidate Profile
Conservative (Conditional)
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Kevin Carswell
Party
Non-Partisan
Election Year
2023
Election
School Board
Race
San Marcos Consolidated ISD Board of Trustees - District 2
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
San Marcos CISD, San Marcos, Graduated, 1984
Texas State University-Formerly SWT, San Marcos, Business, Completed 59 hours
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
San Marcos Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors and Board Chair, Greater San Marcos Partnership
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
Race
OTHER INFORMATION
- Election Voting History from Hays County Elections & Voter Registration Department for Kevin Carswell during time of residence in district and/or at current address:
- 2022 Primary election: no record
- 2020 Primary election: Republican
- Voted in four Republican Primary election 2014 - 2020
- Voted in eight General elections 2009 - 2022
**Voter history is not considered during panel evaluations.**
- Application for a Place on the Ballot
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should be a resource for instruction or services in the school.
Disagree
These types of services are already provided in most communities and questions about these issues should be addressed and answered by the parents.
Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Agree
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
School districts should be able to use taxpayer money for lobbying the state legislature.
Strongly Disagree
What is your position on government funding of public education from Pre-K through college?
Currently Pre-K through College is already publicly funded. For Pre-K through the 12th grade, I don’t see this changing at the legislative level. However, for post-secondary I don’t believe this should be free to the students. Completing any type of post-secondary school is a choice and one each one of us needs to make for ourselves. And which ever choice you make it will require a trade off which each person will decide for themselves.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
At school, students should be able to speak freely and civilly about matters of conscience and faith, including Christianity.
Agree
School districts should not discriminate against individuals, organizations or small businesses because of their belief that marriage is only a union of one man and one woman.
Agree
EDUCATION
What is the function of the local school board?
Our role as a school trustee is to set goals/vision for the school district by working together with the other members of the board. Direct the superintendent to implement and measure these goals for success and then communicate the results to our community. Long term strategy for our community’s and school district’s growth. Work with the board, superintendent and staff on a five-year growth plan and monitor to ensure the matrix are correct based on our historical data for the school district. Revise every five years to keep up to date and accurate information on the growth projections.
Who should have the authority to set curriculum and determine resources used in those curricula?
Currently the TEA states that curriculum is set by the State Board of Education, after extensive input from educators and other stakeholders. I would hope that stakeholders include parents. As a parent, I believe that my wife and I always made the best decision for our kids. And parents need to have a say in our curriculum.
When should parents be restricted from speaking in school board meetings?
If parents are professional and civil then why would we restrict them from speaking. I would encourage parents to speak at our school board meetings. If I’m elected to our school board, I look forward to open discussions with our parents.
Please list in order the following priorities in relation to the role of a K-12 public school (omitting any that do not apply): Mathematics, Information Technology, Science, Political Activism, Personal Finances, Gender Identity, Physical Fitness, American History, Critical Race Theory, Language Arts, Art & Music, Vocational Learning, Sexuality, Foreign Language, Social Emotional Learning
Language Arts, Mathematics, American History, Information Technology, Science, Art and Music, Vocational Learning and Basic Personal Finances/Accounting.
Which more closely matches your view of America's founding principles? A) Liberty and equality. B) Slavery and racism.
Our founding American principles are of liberty and equality.
What does "equity in education" mean to you?
It’s a nice sounding phrase, but you cannot guarantee outcomes by the use of equity in our schools. Equality gives everyone access to the opportunity, what we decide to do with that is up to each one of us.
Written parental consent (opt-in) must be obtained before students are taught courses such as Comprehensive Sex Ed (CSE) or Social Emotional Learning (SEL).
Strongly Agree
The loss of local control in education is too high a price to pay in exchange for federal dollars.
Strongly Agree
Parents are the ultimate authority in their child’s education and should be able to freely pursue whatever educational options they deem best for their child.
Strongly Agree
School boards are accountable to parents and taxpayers.
Strongly Agree
Do you believe students should have access to materials that graphically depict and describe sexual acts?
No
I don’t believe they should have inappropriate material (depict and describe sexual acts) provided by tax payer funds in our schools. Parents can decide for their children if this material is appropriate at their home.
All print and digital material available or presented to students should be easily accessible for public review.
Strongly Agree
The public which includes the parents. Parents are the best monitors of their child’s educational material.
VALUES
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I describe myself as a Christian, one who follows Jesus Christ.
I support allowing public high school students to participate in athletic competition based on the gender with which they identify instead of biological sex.
Strongly Disagree
No school official should be involved in the sexual transitioning of a student, including the use of alternative names and pronouns.
Strongly Agree
No healthcare diagnosis or treatment, whether mental, reproductive, or otherwise, should be given to a child without first receiving written consent from the parent.
Strongly Agree
Who is responsible for teaching sexual education to children, and what is the appropriate age when it should be taught?
Sexual education should be taught at home by the parents. Our public schools are failing, our education focus in public schools needs to be on English Language, STEAM and vocational studies.
If you support the teaching of Sex Ed, please answer the following question: Sexual education should include these topics (list all that apply and add your own, if needed) -- Physical and emotional health outcomes; contraceptive methods; consent; abstinence; sexual orientation and gender identity; human anatomy/the reproductive system; abortion methods and side effects; stages of pregnancy and fetal development; sex acts and pleasures of sex
Sex education should be taught at the home.
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality that is necessary for our system of limited government.
Strongly Agree
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
ABOUT YOU
Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized in either civil or criminal court for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.
NO.
A candidate's personal moral values are relevant when considering a candidacy for elective office.
Strongly Agree
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?
Lean Conservative
I lean more conservative because they are more align with my values. Less government with more personal responsibility. In my opinion we need to reduce the control from the federal government and give that control back to the states where it belongs.
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
I'm not sure where I would access this information. I don't post much on social media and don't recall any intervies or media reports on this subject. To see how I vote would be the best resource for confirmation.
Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?
I’ve been married to my wife for 32 years, have two adult children which we adore. Grew up in San Marcos, graduated from SMCISD in 1984. I’ve been working in the restaurant industry for most of my career, the past twenty as the owner/operator of a small chain of coffee shops/cafes. Served on two boards, San Marcos Chamber of Commerce and GSMP. I believe that my background in the private sector along with my board service will lend itself to be a successful board of trustee for the San Marcos school district.
2ND AMENDMENT
Teachers who are licensed to carry should be allowed to carry guns at school.
Strongly Agree
And for licensed to carry teachers we should have a continuing gun safety and training for these teacher every year.
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
Under what circumstances (if any) should schools be allowed to require vaccinations?
Vaccination for public schools in Texas is set by DSHS and should remain at the state level. Schools should not be allowed to require vaccinations.
I support mask mandates.
Strongly Disagree
All official open meetings should be live streamed, recorded, and have transcripts available online for public access.
Agree
All votes should be roll call votes and recorded in meeting minutes.
Strongly Agree
