Waco Independent School District General Counsel Keith Guillory swept to a second three-year term on the Waco school board Saturday, defeating challenger Lauren Caldwell by a nearly 3-to-1 margin.
Guillory received 1,944, or 75.3 percent, of the 2,583 total votes cast and Caldwell received 639 votes.
The overall race was the only race contested Saturday for Waco ISD. District 2 Councilwoman Stephanie Korteweg, the current board president, and District 1 Councilwoman Jeremy Davis were unopposed in their re-election bids.
“It's a relief to have it behind me,” Guillory said Saturday night. “I am grateful for the trust and confidence that the community has shown in me.”
In his campaign, Guillory pointed to the work the Waco ISD board had done over the past few years to recover from the pandemic, build new schools, improve school safety and increase student literacy. Waco Fire Department Lt. also emphasized career training programs for students.
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The issue that turned out voters, he felt, was trust in him and his trusted colleagues. Guillory received more votes in her re-election than in May 2021 when she won the at-large seat with 1,190 votes to Robin Houston's 723.
“It came down to trust — the work I do in the community, the work the board does and my family. It spoke volumes in this particular race,” Guillory said. He added that he felt the attacks on “perversion” in Waco schools made during the race had insulted many who have children in Waco ISD or work in its schools.
In her next term, Guillory plans to continue focusing on student literacy and test scores, as well as the district's career programs that get students career ready.
Caldwell was heartened by the loss, noting that roughly 25 percent had voted for a candidate for the first time and one whose family had moved to Waco just two years ago.
Lauren Caldwell
“The Lord asked us to lead and that's what we did,” said Caldwell, worship director at Mercy Culture Church. “Obedience for us was running the race and we ran.”
He had campaigned on the need to listen to teachers and work with students to help them regulate their emotions. She felt that those who voted for her had agreed that there were deeper issues in school safety and student behavior issues, such as mental health, that needed to be addressed.
Caldwell intends to get involved in student mentoring programs and found running for the school board seat to be a positive experience.
“We learned a lot. I was unapologetically a spiritual leader in this race. We're starting to intentionally save money to campaign,” she said, considering whether to run for the next at-large seat up for grabs. elections or that. for district 5 where he lives.
