Election Information
About the Board
The Board of Trustees consists of seven members elected to serve, without compensation, for overlapping terms of three years each. Candidates receiving the highest number of votes for the number of positions with expiring terms shall be elected. Elections are conducted annually in May. Following the election, the board elects a president, vice president, and secretary to serve for one-year terms.
Election Details
During this time of uncertainty, on March 18, 2020, Governor Abbott issued a proclamation authorizing local political subdivisions to postpone their elections scheduled for May 2, 2020, to November 3, 2020.
We are contracting with the City of Godley and they chose to move their elections to November 3, 2020. The GISD board of trustees voted on Monday, March 30, 2020, and we will move our elections as well.
Candidate filings will remain the same, however, the new election dates are as follows:
Voter registration deadline: Oct. 5,
Early Voting will be from Tuesday, October 13th-Friday, October 30th.
Tuesday, October 13, 2020-Friday, October 16, 2020, 8 am - 6 pm
Monday, October 19, 2020-Friday, October 23, 2020, 8 am - 6 pm
Monday, October 26, 2020-Friday, October 30, 2020, 7 am - 7 pm
Hours for additional weekend early voting will be extended at the early voting location to include:
Saturday, October 24, 2020 7am-7pm
Sunday, October 25, 2020 11am-4pm
Election Day Tues, November 3 - 7 am - 7 pm
Polling Place:
Godley City Hall, 200 W. Railroad St, Godley, TX 76044.
Godley City Hall, 200 W. Railroad St, Godley, TX 76044.
Election Highlights
Election date: Tuesday, November 3, 2020
Early voting begins: Monday, October 13, 2020
Last day of early voting: Friday, October 30, 2020
Last day of early voting: Friday, October 30, 2020
Election location: Godley City Hall, 200 W. Railroad St, Godley, TX 76044
Notice Of Drawing For Place On Ballot
Godley ISD will hold a drawing Monday, February 24, 2020, to determine the order of candidate names on the ballot for the May 2, 2020, School Board Election. The drawing will be held at 9:30 am at the Godley ISD Administration Building located at 313 N. Pearson.
There are four candidates, Graig Fancher, Greg L. Miller, Jeff Pate, and Craig Stevenson, running for two positions on the GISD Board of Trustees.
The first day to file for a place on the ballot is January 15, 2020, at 7:30 am.
The last day to file for a place on the ballot is February 14, 2020, at 4 pm.
Application forms may be obtained and filed in the superintendent secretary’s office located in the GISD Administration Building, 313 N Pearson, Godley, TX 76044.
Below are the Board of Trustees candidates for this year's election, as well as a bio that was provided by each candidate.
Craig Stevenson
"As most of you know, the Godley ISD School Board of Trustees election was scheduled for May
2020 but was postponed until November due to the pandemic. Many of you may already know
me, but since Godley is growing, I would like to introduce myself to those that have recently
moved to the area and/or I have not had the pleasure of meeting yet.
My name is Craig Stevenson and I have lived in Godley for 16 years. My family and I moved to
the area in 2004 after purchasing property and building our house. One of the main reasons for
moving to Godley was the small-town atmosphere and the excellent school system – we wanted
our children to experience those values and culture. My children, Breanna and Landon, had the
pleasure of attending Godley ISD schools from Kindergarten through 12 th and graduated from
our great school district. This afforded my wife, Derinda, and I the privilege of volunteering at
every campus and participating in or leading many school events during that time. In 2011, I
was elected to the Godley School Board with one objective – to help our school system continue
its level of excellence in education.
Since moving to Godley, I have seen the district grow from a 2A to a 4A district. During my time
serving on the School Board, I have supported many teacher pay increases as well as
numerous teacher stipends. I have supported multiple Bond programs that have resulted in the
expansion of the current Middle School Campus (then High School), the addition of our state-of-
the-art Band Hall, the addition of the Horticultural AG facility, the additional wing at the current
GIS 2-4 Campus, the addition of our new High School, and the addition of the new AG building.
I have also served on multiple District Improvement Committees, 2 Strategic Design
Committees as well as a founding board member of the Godley Education Foundation.
Just as we adults are all different, I have learned that children learn at different paces with
different learning styles and from different teaching techniques. This has influenced my support
for a variety of teaching methods while teaching same material. As a School District, I believe
we should offer our children the best learning opportunities and experiences available and that
all our board decisions should be made with the teacher’s and children’s best interests in mind.
On a personal note, when I started attending athletic or band competitions, both indoor and
outdoor, I would clap for the Godley Wildcats and Lady Cats. In my mind, when supporting
Godley, the louder the better; therefore, I would clap long and loud. This started to get attention
from the Wildcat crowd and they would join in. It was then noticed by the opposing crowd and
they would start imitating. Because of this, I ended up with the nickname – “The Clapper”.
I ask for your continued support by voting for me in the upcoming election. I look forward to
continuing to serve and support the Godley Independent School District."
2020 but was postponed until November due to the pandemic. Many of you may already know
me, but since Godley is growing, I would like to introduce myself to those that have recently
moved to the area and/or I have not had the pleasure of meeting yet.
My name is Craig Stevenson and I have lived in Godley for 16 years. My family and I moved to
the area in 2004 after purchasing property and building our house. One of the main reasons for
moving to Godley was the small-town atmosphere and the excellent school system – we wanted
our children to experience those values and culture. My children, Breanna and Landon, had the
pleasure of attending Godley ISD schools from Kindergarten through 12 th and graduated from
our great school district. This afforded my wife, Derinda, and I the privilege of volunteering at
every campus and participating in or leading many school events during that time. In 2011, I
was elected to the Godley School Board with one objective – to help our school system continue
its level of excellence in education.
Since moving to Godley, I have seen the district grow from a 2A to a 4A district. During my time
serving on the School Board, I have supported many teacher pay increases as well as
numerous teacher stipends. I have supported multiple Bond programs that have resulted in the
expansion of the current Middle School Campus (then High School), the addition of our state-of-
the-art Band Hall, the addition of the Horticultural AG facility, the additional wing at the current
GIS 2-4 Campus, the addition of our new High School, and the addition of the new AG building.
I have also served on multiple District Improvement Committees, 2 Strategic Design
Committees as well as a founding board member of the Godley Education Foundation.
Just as we adults are all different, I have learned that children learn at different paces with
different learning styles and from different teaching techniques. This has influenced my support
for a variety of teaching methods while teaching same material. As a School District, I believe
we should offer our children the best learning opportunities and experiences available and that
all our board decisions should be made with the teacher’s and children’s best interests in mind.
On a personal note, when I started attending athletic or band competitions, both indoor and
outdoor, I would clap for the Godley Wildcats and Lady Cats. In my mind, when supporting
Godley, the louder the better; therefore, I would clap long and loud. This started to get attention
from the Wildcat crowd and they would join in. It was then noticed by the opposing crowd and
they would start imitating. Because of this, I ended up with the nickname – “The Clapper”.
I ask for your continued support by voting for me in the upcoming election. I look forward to
continuing to serve and support the Godley Independent School District."
Graig Fancher
"If you live inside the school district, you will have the opportunity to vote for two spots on the board. I am running for one of those spots.
For those that don't know me, I have lived in Godley for over 8 years. I have three children, one at the high school, one at the 5-6 campus, and one at the 2-4 campus. My wife is a teacher at the high school, and I am a shareholder at a law firm in Fort Worth that specializes in helping businesses and individuals grow and be successful in whatever field they enter. I have tried during my 8 years here to support this community, my church, and local organizations as much as possible. I have been a part of the Godley planning committee for the last bond election, and I am one of the founding members and an officer of the Godley Education Foundation. I have sponsored youth baseball/softball leagues, and I have sponsored the Wildcat Observer for multiple years.
My dad was a coach at a small school district, and my mother was the librarian. My wife was raised by a principal and an English teacher at that same school district. In short, I have grown up surrounded by those involved in the education system. I know what a supportive school board can do for a community, and as a coach's son, I know what a school board looks like that has their own self-interests in mind.
If I am elected to the Godley School Board, my primary goal will be to support our teachers. Did you know that Godley is at the very bottom of teacher pay in the surrounding area? While our administrators do an amazing job of hiring smart, talented teachers every year, we can't keep these teachers because they can make significantly more money in neighboring school districts. Each year we have significant turnover across all of our campuses. We need to KEEP our amazing teachers. By supporting our teachers and keeping them in Godley, our students will be taught by experienced professionals that are excited about and willing to buy-in to this community for the long haul.
I certainly don't have all the answers, but I do believe that supporting our teachers should be priority number one to be able to fully support our students. Because I have three children in this district, I am personally invested in the success of our schools.
I was asked to fill out a questionnaire on why I am running and my views for the district. I have included the link to the questionnaire as follows: [https://www.tarrantvotes.com/.../godley-isd-school-board.../](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tarrantvotes.com%2Flocal-governments%2Fschool-districts%2Fgodley-isd%2Fgodley-isd-school-board-trustees%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1tElx_79_iImM4MTuhwioCrZONEEyjX7sA-ApHXd-XjASx7BS4EXUxrH0&h=AT1GAPjBe0zbjKMyC_Pdz0oF9RJkHp4SRDpcc4-zdWffeJQv3chINyP1GWPIYDkopzUfhoL6Jn0jPTw8pcgzDa4t6hdiGDs0oL48wZPnZX6BPB44DNO7ZYMEb-d_yinT&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AT2sHLOlsKNbgmXq8Pn0fl1-lGEtuVV1zddL3kbH_SXHnRHJI5HxdIT4_QNyaVkBoiTUgNVzyzyBUcKxaP9Yn6l4Gju87Ne6IJ-HwiXjiJB8ZIDTFnPyIAJHWk445dhPKQtUZNVNrRHbUlkYYqZEJFMPBwYt10XSM9iTJ_ApaONUhHK4UaSZ6XgCag)
Godley is fortunate that there are four men that are running in this election that I am sure want nothing but the best for this community. I have nothing bad to say about any of these men. The good news is you get to pick two. Due to luck of the draw, I am fourth on the ballot, so please remember me when voting during this time. I'm the one with the weird spelling of his first name at the end of the ballot. Thank you and God bless you all."
For those that don't know me, I have lived in Godley for over 8 years. I have three children, one at the high school, one at the 5-6 campus, and one at the 2-4 campus. My wife is a teacher at the high school, and I am a shareholder at a law firm in Fort Worth that specializes in helping businesses and individuals grow and be successful in whatever field they enter. I have tried during my 8 years here to support this community, my church, and local organizations as much as possible. I have been a part of the Godley planning committee for the last bond election, and I am one of the founding members and an officer of the Godley Education Foundation. I have sponsored youth baseball/softball leagues, and I have sponsored the Wildcat Observer for multiple years.
My dad was a coach at a small school district, and my mother was the librarian. My wife was raised by a principal and an English teacher at that same school district. In short, I have grown up surrounded by those involved in the education system. I know what a supportive school board can do for a community, and as a coach's son, I know what a school board looks like that has their own self-interests in mind.
If I am elected to the Godley School Board, my primary goal will be to support our teachers. Did you know that Godley is at the very bottom of teacher pay in the surrounding area? While our administrators do an amazing job of hiring smart, talented teachers every year, we can't keep these teachers because they can make significantly more money in neighboring school districts. Each year we have significant turnover across all of our campuses. We need to KEEP our amazing teachers. By supporting our teachers and keeping them in Godley, our students will be taught by experienced professionals that are excited about and willing to buy-in to this community for the long haul.
I certainly don't have all the answers, but I do believe that supporting our teachers should be priority number one to be able to fully support our students. Because I have three children in this district, I am personally invested in the success of our schools.
I was asked to fill out a questionnaire on why I am running and my views for the district. I have included the link to the questionnaire as follows: [https://www.tarrantvotes.com/
Godley is fortunate that there are four men that are running in this election that I am sure want nothing but the best for this community. I have nothing bad to say about any of these men. The good news is you get to pick two. Due to luck of the draw, I am fourth on the ballot, so please remember me when voting during this time. I'm the one with the weird spelling of his first name at the end of the ballot. Thank you and God bless you all."
Greg Miller
"Honesty, Integrity, and Hard Work are three of my core values, and exactly what I would bring to the Godley ISD School Board.
I come from a family of educators with both parents retired from the Burleson ISD. I have been a resident of Godley for 17 years, but my family has been life long residents. My wife and 3 boys have all been apart of Godley ISD. My wife is an alumna and a current employee of Godley Elementary, my oldest, also a graduate from Godley is now attending Texas Tech University. My two younger sons are enrolled in Godley High and Middle School and are active in both Athletics and FFA.
I am the owner and operator of Trinity Utilities & Boring, with crews working locally and all across the nation. With 30 years of experience working in the industry, I understand the importance of hard work and honesty. Jennifer and I take pride in working with both the Godley FFA Booster Club and the Godley Athletic Booster Club. I have served as a board member for the National Utility Contractors Association of North Texas for 7 years, currently as incoming President, also as a director on the Texas Southdown Association for another 2-year term.
Understanding and being involved in the community is important for someone who is serving on any school board. Being a business owner, I can bring a unique mindset to the school board and help take Godley ISD to greater heights."
Jeff Pate
"I have been married to my wife for 17 years. We have two children, a daughter in 7th and a son in 3rd. My wife is an Instructional Support Specialist for a large district nearby where she works with teachers to help them grow as educators. Both children are active in competitive sports and keep us on your toes. Our oldest plays in the middle school band and serves in the New Found Leaders.
In 2017 we started building our home and planting our roots in Godley. We fell in love with the small town atmosphere. For us 2018-2019 was a bit of a blur. My wife was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Our community and neighbors showed an outreach of support and generosity during a very difficult time. That is just one of the things we truly love about this town. With their support, she is now in remission.
I am a small business owner. I run an air condition and heating company that also does other home improvement/handyman projects. I have been a licensed contractor for 5 years now and ran another company before branching out on my own. I got my entrepreneurial spirit from my father who was also in the air conditioning business. We worked together until he decided to retire.
I have anticipated the growth that is happening in Godley and I am excited that my family is a part of it.
Your school board trustees are entrusted with making some difficult decisions in order to ensure that our Wildcat students are achieving at the highest level possible. Each and every one of the decisions is just as important as the other. I am aware that Godley teachers are compensated in the bottom 20% of the metroplex. This paired with the lack of a consistent rigorous, researched based curriculum across grade levels is an ongoing struggle that needs to be addressed. Our students growth should not be measured by just one test but should be supported by a strong academic foundation that will help them to succeed in higher education opportunities.
As a baseball fan and youth baseball coach, I would like to see the district partner with the youth association to provide facilities for our youth sports. This partnership would be sure to set a strong foundation in our youth while building relationships within the city."
In 2017 we started building our home and planting our roots in Godley. We fell in love with the small town atmosphere. For us 2018-2019 was a bit of a blur. My wife was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Our community and neighbors showed an outreach of support and generosity during a very difficult time. That is just one of the things we truly love about this town. With their support, she is now in remission.
I am a small business owner. I run an air condition and heating company that also does other home improvement/handyman projects. I have been a licensed contractor for 5 years now and ran another company before branching out on my own. I got my entrepreneurial spirit from my father who was also in the air conditioning business. We worked together until he decided to retire.
I have anticipated the growth that is happening in Godley and I am excited that my family is a part of it.
Your school board trustees are entrusted with making some difficult decisions in order to ensure that our Wildcat students are achieving at the highest level possible. Each and every one of the decisions is just as important as the other. I am aware that Godley teachers are compensated in the bottom 20% of the metroplex. This paired with the lack of a consistent rigorous, researched based curriculum across grade levels is an ongoing struggle that needs to be addressed. Our students growth should not be measured by just one test but should be supported by a strong academic foundation that will help them to succeed in higher education opportunities.
As a baseball fan and youth baseball coach, I would like to see the district partner with the youth association to provide facilities for our youth sports. This partnership would be sure to set a strong foundation in our youth while building relationships within the city."