****Update - For the 2024 Tomball ISD School Board Election, Brandon has decided to step down from running and endorse Amanda Bass for position 5, Justin Unser for position 6, and Coco White for position 7.
Brandon plans to run again in the 2026 Tomball ISD School Board Election.
Brandon Batchelor has 11 years committed to the development and facilitation of excellent educational opportunities in Tomball ISD and neighboring CyFair ISD. While serving in the classroom, Brandon was mentored and a participant in counseling, campus creation, and administration operations for secondary educational institutions. There is a great need for intentional empathy, transparency to all stakeholders, and the inclusion in our education system. The whole community; teachers, administration, and most importantly the students, are all partners in the greatest work occuring every day, education.
The Trustees of Tomball ISD have strived to advocate and represent the needs of the community in many highly effective and long-lasting ways. I commend them for their time and roles in those positions, with anything the best way to share in life is to be engaged and active. As a hopeful member of that body, I champion deep values of collaboration and inclusivity of ideas they aim for while also engaging in empathy based leadership and reflective communication practices with our community. To be engaged means to care, and to care means to have conversations and practices of empathy to better our community for all.
Born and raised in Hurst, Texas, completing his initial education at Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD, then graduating from Stephen F. Austin State University in 2010 with a Bachelor of Composite Social Studies with a minor in Secondary Education. Relocated to the Greater Houston area to served as a public educator interacting with over 1500+ middle, junior and high school students in Tomball ISD and CyFair ISD. On a weekly basis Brandon can be found serving as mentor, connection team collaborator and Deacon at Houston Northwest Church. Last, but not least, he is happily married, establishing new traditions, and learning the complex and beautiful role of being a father to a future graduate of the class of 2040.
About halfway through my career in education, I was nominated and chosen by colleagues in CyFair ISD to have my classroom and personal learning philosophy featured at an award ceremony.
While this resource is a bit dated now, it may prove meaningful to see a potential candidate for the role of Board Trustee in actively advocating and supporting the learning environment.
Over the last several years the climate of healthy discourse and communication has struggled immensely at all levels of our society. The need to model, demonstrate and exercise healthy communication is more important than ever. To expect everyone to agree is to lose the uniqueness that we have been crafted to be. To foster an attitude of openness and acceptance of our differing views is the best way to engage and facilitate the best future for our youth and community as a whole.
Let us lead in clarity, transparency, and empathy
As a former in classroom educator there are many practices that are extremely powerful and meaningful. They carry an importance that can't be emphasized enough, regretfully those imperatives are often sidelined because of the immediate day to day demands of any campus. It can be daunting to be a teacher today, to care for and empower one's students when many well-meaning but inhibiing outside influences create hinderances. These best of intentions can too often miss the mark for the real needs of the day to day learning environment and unique supports for our community. A doctor should be on all medical boards and the head of education should be an educator. You want a valid medical opinion? I'll let you reach out to Dr. Batchelor, my mother, a influential voice in medical practice in within Texas. Interested in business advice? You'll be directed to my father-in-law who is CEO of a company operating at the national level helping tens of thousands of patients and communities. What expertise do I have? The intentional, respectful, and empathetic care for our youth in education to become invested and participants in their own growth and development of our world. Everyone needs an advocate.
Tomball is a community of juxtaposed ideals. We are both innovators and respecters of traditions, knowledgeable of where we have been and pursuant of where we'll go, proud of who we are while simultaneously inclusive and desiring of rich fulfilling diversity.
As an advocate, I am cognizant of not just the current needs of our community but of the growing demands of what is to come. Helping to build a foundation of support to empower those our youth, who are not the future, but are the now. They matter now and have a vested interest of what is happening, not when they graduate but on every decision that is made.
Ask any educator about their grand plans in the months of July and August. They likely have this exciting and meaningful plan to connect with their students. They have the passion and drive, but far too often well-intended decision inhibit true leaning opportunities.
To be an educator in today's age is to be underpaid, to sacrifice yourself over and over again, to be verbally ridiculed by society, to be under-represented in their worth, to be misunderstood. Let us rebuild those bonds and garner that respect once more, to listen, build relationships and show compassion.
The prevalence of social media, connectivity to revolutionary technology, global pandemic consequences, deep abiding concerns about changing climate patterns, and what economic landscape will look like stand before all of us, but mostly our youth.
Generation Z and A are filled with some of the most promising members of our society that have passions and opportunities unlike any before them. They also face the most egregious hurdles that could have ever existed.
Listening, advocating, and bringing those students into the process is the best kind of engaging education possible.
However you feel about myself or others as a prospective candidate to represent you on the Tomball ISD Board of Trustees, I encourage you to do two things regardless: 1) Always ask Questions, 2) Go Vote.
The most valuable things we can have in our community are informed members that will always be engaged with the topics, discussions and ideas of the day. To stay invested in such a way is best done by asking questions. Even on ideas you naturally align with our own beliefs, I encourage you to still ask questions. Through inquiry we grow to be more informed with the further ability to inform our parts of a community.
Lastly, in whatever capacity 2025 brings I will always strive to represent this community, but the only way that community can truly be heard is through power and prevalence of the vote. To the best of your ability take time to go to the polling stations, to vote for my colleagues or myself. To have your voice heard, to dismiss stagnation, and embrace the gift that is participation in your governing body through elections. To find voter registration and polling information see below.
Texas law requires eligible voters by October 7th, 2024 for the November 5th, 2024 election date. Don't procrastinate and register today if you haven't already.
Find your Voter ID using Registration
Early voting takes place from 10/21/24 - 11/01/24
Election Day voting is 11/5/24