Frisco ISD Trustee Stephanie Elad on Enrollment Decline, Teacher Retention and T

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Stephanie Elad and how did she end up on the Frisco ISD board?

Elad is a corporate HR executive who relocated to Frisco from California 13 years ago for a job promotion. After speaking up at an April 2021 board meeting about the president's remark that it was the board's meeting, not the community's, her comments went viral statewide. She looked for someone else to run, could not find anyone, and ran herself in 2022, winning reelection last year to a term through 2028.

What did Elad do to address teacher retention in Frisco ISD?

Drawing on her Fortune 100 HR experience, Elad proposed and advocated for a confidential, third-party employee engagement survey, something corporations routinely run but the district had not done in a formal way. The survey launched around the time she joined the board and is ongoing. She says turnover has since decreased and retention has improved, though teacher retention remains an issue statewide.

Why is Elad pushing plumbing, electrical, and HVAC apprenticeships in high schools?

Elad argues students can enter apprenticeship programs and earn $60,000 to $70,000 a year within a year or two of graduating, with no college debt or four-year degree required. She points to a neighbor who owns a plumbing business, makes a couple hundred thousand dollars annually, and cannot find apprentices. She also notes AI cannot replace a toilet or stop a water main leak.

What enrollment challenges is Frisco ISD facing now?

Frisco ISD is landlocked and built out, and enrollment is now declining rather than growing. Elad describes this as a new life-cycle stage for the district, one that creates challenges the board has not faced before. She says the district must work through it and hopes to eventually reach a steady state somewhere between the boom years and continued decline.

What CTE and corporate partnership programs already exist in Frisco ISD?

Elad says career and technical education tracks in the district include medical terminology, legal assistant training, and a sports gaming or e-gaming program. She sees CTE centers as the natural place for corporate partnerships to form, and she is working with district leaders to embed trades programs like plumbing and HVAC alongside them, starting earlier than community college.

How does Elad want community members to engage with the school board?

She urges residents to vote in every school board election, noting early voting takes five to ten minutes and municipal turnout is low. She also encourages joining PTA or booster clubs, volunteering on campus, attending or streaming board meetings, and knowing all seven trustees, how they vote, and what they stand for, because if you do not fill the gap, someone else will.