Michael Cook
Non-Partisan | Texas
Candidate Profile
Leans Liberal
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Michael Cook
Party
Non-Partisan
Election Year
2023
Election
School Board
Race
Plano ISD Board of Trustees - Place 5
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Cornell University, Ithaca, BS, 2002
Cornell University, Ithaca, MBA, 2007
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
Race
ENDORSEMENTS
LIBERAL (3)
Collin County Democratic Party
Plano Area Democrats
Collin Texas Faculty Association (TFA)
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
LIBERAL
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (2)
ActBlue (2022)
Mihaela Elizabeth Plesa (2022)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (0)
SELECTED FINANCIAL SOURCE DOCUMENTS
OTHER INFORMATION
- Election Voting History for Michael Cook from the Collin County Elections Department during the time of residence in district and/or at current address:
- 2022 Primary election: Democratic
- 2020 Primary election: Democratic
- Voted in four General elections 2018 - 2022
**Voter history is not considered during panel evaluations.**
Please note: This information was received by iVoterGuide after panel evaluations occurred and is for additional educational purposes only.
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should be a resource for instruction or services in the school.
Choose not to answer
General health and wellness education should be an integral part of the school curriculum and is required to be taught by the Texas Board of education.
Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Choose not to answer
I am running for Plano ISD School Board Trustee. This question does not pertain to my office at all.
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Choose not to answer
I am running for Plano ISD School Board Trustee. This question does not pertain to my office at all.
School districts should be able to use taxpayer money for lobbying the state legislature.
Strongly Disagree
Taxpayer dollars should be spent on educating students. If any individual ISD has concerns regarding the state legislature, they should work with their local representative to advocate for changes or work with their community to raise separate dollars for their lobbying efforts. Every dollar allocated towards schools needs to be spent educating kids.
What is your position on government funding of public education from Pre-K through college?
Texas currently provides one of the lowest dollar per students to their public schools today. With a surplus of $32 billion plus and with a surplus of recapture dollars that did not go back to schools, Texas must put more money toward education. Every ISD, including Plano ISD is having trouble with teacher retention, student mental health, and aging classroom. Every dollar of property taxes should go towards funding schools and the state government should increase the overall allotment per child.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
At school, students should be able to speak freely and civilly about matters of conscience and faith, including Christianity.
Strongly Agree
Schools should be a place of discourse and education. Faith has played a large role in the development of many countries and cultures. All students should be able to discuss their faith and how it shapes their identity in the context of educating others.
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.
Choose not to answer
School districts must serve all children. Schools should make all kids feel safe and cared for.
EDUCATION
What is the function of the local school board?
The School Board should set measurable student achievement. They also set policy to for the school district, hire and evaluate the Superintendent, and set and manage the budget for the school district.
Who should have the authority to set curriculum and determine resources used in those curricula?
In Texas, the curriculum is set by the State. The individual school districts then work with various organizations to execute the curriculum set.
When should parents be restricted from speaking in school board meetings?
Parents should not be restricted from speaking. Based on time limits and the number of speakers, their time might be limited, but they should all be allowed to speak. Furthermore, they should additional ways to access the school board. Their should be one-on-one or small group opportunity for dialogue between the board and parents. Parents know their children better than anyone. In order for teachers, administrators or the School Board to be successful, we need strong buy in from parents. We also need them to tell us where there are opportunities or gaps in our system that might be letting them down.
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
As I noted above, Texas has a state curriculum that outlines what our students are expected to learn in our ISDs. As a board member, it is my job to ensure that we are meeting that standard curriculum.
Which more closely matches your view of America's founding principles? A) Liberty and equality. B) Slavery and racism.
I am running for School Board in Plano ISD. This question doesn't apply to my duties as a School Board Trustee.
What does "equity in education" mean to you?
Equity in education means ensuring all students have the access to the same educational opportunities. As an example, all students should have the right to take AP classes. It doesn't necessarily mean that all students will have the same outcome.
Written parental consent (opt-in) must be obtained before students are taught courses such as Comprehensive Sex Ed (CSE) or Social Emotional Learning (SEL).
Neutral
Whether its opt-in or opt-out, parents have a right to opt their children out of educational experiences that they don't feel is right for their child.
The loss of local control in education is too high a price to pay in exchange for federal dollars.
Choose not to answer
I am running for School Board in Plano ISD. This question doesn't apply to my duties as a School Board Trustee. We have to adhere to both State and Federal requirements.
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.
Neutral
I am strongly against vouchers, as it takes money from public schools that are accountable to both the state and the federal government and puts that money in the hands of charter and private schools that face fewer regulations and are not required to accept all children. Putting less money into public schools, while requiring them to serve all children and adhere to more stringent regulations makes public education worse. Vouchers have failed every where they have been implemented.
School boards are accountable to parents and taxpayers.
Strongly Agree
Parents know their children better than anyone. In order for teachers, administrators or the School Board to be successful, we need strong buy in from parents. We also need them to tell us where there are opportunities or gaps in our system that might be letting them down.
Do you believe students should have access to materials that graphically depict and describe sexual acts?
No
With the exception of sexual health education and parents should have the right to opt-in or out if they choose.
All print and digital material available or presented to students should be easily accessible for public review.
Strongly Agree
Transparency is very important in building trust with parents and the community.
VALUES
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am running for School Board Trustee. This question does not apply to my office.
I support allowing public high school students to participate in athletic competition based on the gender with which they identify instead of biological sex.
Neutral
This has not been an issue in our ISD and the School Board doesnt have authority over this.
No school official should be involved in the sexual transitioning of a student, including the use of alternative names and pronouns.
Choose not to answer
I strongly agree that no school official should be involved in the sexual transition of a student. That is between the child and their parents. Schools should be safe and affirming place. However, if a child wants to be called an alternative name or pronoun the school should honor that. That is no different than a child named Francis wanting to be called Frank.
No healthcare diagnosis or treatment, whether mental, reproductive, or otherwise, should be given to a child without first receiving written consent from the parent.
Choose not to answer
I am running for School Board Trustee and this does not apply.
Who is responsible for teaching sexual education to children, and what is the appropriate age when it should be taught?
Texas has a state curriculum that dictates this.
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
Texas has a state curriculum that dictates this.
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality that is necessary for our system of limited government.
Choose not to answer
I am running for School Board Trustee and this does not apply.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Choose not to answer
I am running for School Board Trustee and this does not apply.
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.
Choose not to answer
A candidate must be focused on doing what is best for all kids under his / her care. Additionally, regardless of their moral values, a candidate must follow state and federal guidelines.
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?
Moderate
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
You can find more information on my Facebook pages. www.facebook.com/cookforplanoisd
Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?
We chose Plano for the school system and the community. We have always invested in both. Over the past five years, I have served Plano ISD in a number of ways. I worked on the Plano ISD Future Funding Commission, the Huffman School Based Improvement Committee, and the Special Education Advisory Board for Plano ISD. As a parent of three Plano ISD students, I am running to keep the focus in Plano ISD on student achievement. Students in Plano have experienced significant learning loss post Covid. Coupled with the additional stresses placed on teachers and parents, students' test scores continue to lag behind their pre-pandemic levels. I want to focus on three specific areas of improvement: - Improving the academic outcomes of all students. - Improving the parent-teacher relationship to better serve students, reduce stress on teachers and reassure parents that their children continue to receive a high-quality education. - Provide more mental health resources to aid students, teachers and parents as they continue to deal with mental health challenges in and out of school.
2ND AMENDMENT
Teachers who are licensed to carry should be allowed to carry guns at school.
Strongly Disagree
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
Under what circumstances (if any) should schools be allowed to require vaccinations?
Schools have been requiring vaccinations for a very long time. The current process allows for parental exemptions. This process has worked well in Plano ISD.
I support mask mandates.
Neutral
We have not had mask mandates in Texas for quite sometime. This question no longer seems relevant, as this is not been an issue for well over a year.
All official open meetings should be live streamed, recorded, and have transcripts available online for public access.
Strongly Agree
All votes should be roll call votes and recorded in meeting minutes.
Strongly Agree
