Meet Your Board of Trustees Candidates: Michael Denton, Jr.

The Highland Park ISD board of trustees will get a new face this year. 

Jon Altschuler and Michael Denton, Jr. will appear on the ballot for Place 4 on the board of trustees. The new member will replace Jae Ellis, who is not running for reelection.

See below for the candidate questionnaire Denton submitted to People Newspapers. Election Day is Saturday, May 3, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Early voting runs from April 22 to April 29. 

• What is your occupation?

I work with our family beef cattle production, retail sales operation, and manage investments in the energy industry. I provide operational and growth governance to restaurant groups. 

• Why are you running for the Board of Trustees?

Over the years, I have had the honor of serving our District in many capacities, which has prepared me to better understand the needs, challenges, and responsibilities of our District serving as a Trustee. With a readiness to continue to serve our community through hard work, listening to all opinions, and working collaboratively with fellow Trustees and our Administration, together we can ensure that HPISD remains the best public school district in the state. While HPISD stands apart, there is always room to identify areas for improvement, and I will continue to push for best practices in instruction, a focus on the fundamentals of education and financial stewardship, and a #ScotsFindAWay attitude.

• What will your priorities be if elected?

• Address and continue to work on the recruitment and retention of the highest quality teachers by providing premier compensation in the marketplace while right-sizing staffing levels commensurate with student population. 
• Continue to work alongside our PTAs, PTOs, Dads Clubs, HP Education Foundation, and other District volunteer groups to perpetuate the successful legacy of serving our community with their time, talent, and treasure.
• Ensure continued academic rigor and reliance on time-tested, classic methods of teaching by ensuring a focus on and a direct, explicit approach to the fundamentals of education — reading, writing, arithmetic, science, and civics.
• Continue to evaluate the extent and use of technology in instruction across all grade levels.
• Encourage open and direct communication with parents, teachers, and the broader Park Cities community.
• Support fiscal responsibility and accountability making the very best use of the financial resources with which the district has been entrusted.

• What experiences or skills have prepared you to serve as a board member?

HPISD Involvement

• Highland Park Education Foundation (“HPEF”) 501c3
  • Lead for Tomorrow Endowment Co-Founder & Committee Member (Current)
  • President – 2 Years
  • President-Elect – 1 Year 
  • Committee Member: Executive, Planning, Finance (Current) – 3 years
  • Planning Committee – Chair
  • Mad For Plaid – Co-Chair
• Park Cities Dads Club, Inc. (“PCDC”) 501c3
  • President – 6 Years
  • President-Elect – 1 Year
  • Bradfield Dads Club – President & Executive Board – 4 Years
• HPISD Safety and Security Committee – Member (Current) 
• HPISD 2024 Bond Committee – Community Advisory Committee – Chairman, and Scots4Scots PAC – Chairman
• HPISD Boundary Rezoning Committee – Member
• HPISD Building Design Committee – Member
• HPISD 100 Years – Legacy Event Committee – Member

• Please describe your connections to HPISD. If you are an HPISD graduate, include your graduation year. Please also include whether you have children who are students in the school district or are HPISD graduates, and their grades or graduation years.

I was raised in HPISD and attended UP Elementary School, McCulloch Middle School, and Highland Park High School, where I graduated in 1989. My wife Maryann and I have three children, Barrett (HP ’23 / Auburn University ’27), Madeleine (HP ’25), and Natalie (HP ’27). My sister, Mary Meier-Evans is also a graduate of HPHS, Class of ‘86, my brother-in-law Will Evans, Class of ‘77, and all four of their children graduated from HPHS.

• What do you believe HPISD has been successful in accomplishing, and to what do you attribute this success?

First and foremost, HPISD has been successful because of a dedicated community and due to high parental Involvement.  HPISD enjoys a tradition of deeply invested parental involvement of time and financial support, beginning in kindergarten, continuing until caps are thrown at graduation, and well beyond graduation.  Likewise, our community at-large is resolute in its support of our students and has a ‘can-do attitude’ when approaching any obstacle or opportunity. We are a community of volunteers and doers.  Because of this support and the high standards of excellence expected by our students, parents, and administrators, HPISD has a legacy of high-quality teachers who are well-trained, motivated, and supported in their professional development. Furthermore, our K-12 curriculum is aligned with students’ needs, interests, and future job market trends, a direct, explicit approach to the fundamentals of education — reading, writing, arithmetic, science, and civics, thus ensuring that students are prepared for higher education and the workforce. HPISD graduates are widely recognized by Colleges and Universities to be well-prepared for any institution of higher learning.  

• What are the greatest challenges facing HPISD, and what do you see as the board’s role in addressing these challenges?

No matter how great you are, there is always room for improvement. HPISD needs to right-size its teacher and staff levels commensurate to student population, continue to address the recruitment and retention of the highest quality teachers and educators, and increase teacher compensation competitively in the marketplace. Additionally, maintaining the highest level of campus security through continued collaboration through the Security Committee, with the Town of Highland Park, the City of University Park, Southern Methodist University, and with other stakeholders across our community. Lastly, the Board should continue to encourage close relationships with and alongside our PTAs, PTOs, Dads Clubs, HPEF, and other District volunteer groups, ensuring we align our efforts to maximize impact and improve efficiency. 

• What do you think HPISD’s budget priorities should be? Are there areas where you would make cuts?

Any budgeting process requires a thoughtful, strategic approach to ensure that essential functions and priorities are still met while reducing expenses.  A key priority will be continuing to address the recruitment and retention of the highest quality educators by providing premier compensation in the marketplace while right-sizing staffing levels commensurate with student population. My goal is for HPISD to continue engaging the best educators available along with first-class facilities, encouraging the development of our incredible population of students so that they are ready to “launch” upon graduation. Further alignment amongst all our contributors to the budget is an important objective.

• When you complete your board service, which achievements do you hope to be remembered for?

I hope to be remembered for the tangible difference I made in strengthening our District for the here-and-now as well as preparing for generations of future Scots, and for having served with kindness, empathy, dedication, and persistence. I also hope people will remember the personal connections I made with others—whether it’s the administration, parents, staff, or community members. In humble service to our community, I hope to be remembered as a servant leader who always placed others first and served our District and Community well.  

• Is there anything else that voters should know about you?

Simply stating again, I have had the honor of serving our District in many capacities, which has prepared me to better understand the needs, challenges, and responsibilities of our District serving as a Trustee. With a readiness to continue to serve our community through hard work, listening to all opinions, and working collaboratively with fellow Trustees and our Administration, together we can ensure that HPISD steers through the headwinds that arise. I believe HPISD should be the finest public school district in the nation, and I will continue to push for best practices in instruction, a focus on the fundamentals of education and financial stewardship, and a #ScotsFindAWay attitude.