Frisco Independent School District (ISD) Trustee Stephanie Elad appeared on the July 9, 2026 episode of The Building Texas Show, titled "Frisco's Population Boom: What's Really Happening?" hosted by Justin McKenzie. The episode delves into the challenges facing one of North Texas's most prominent school districts as it becomes landlocked and experiences declining enrollment after years of explosive growth. Elad, a corporate HR executive and two-term trustee, shared insights on teacher retention, workforce development, and the importance of community engagement in school board decisions.
Elad recounted a pivotal moment in April 2021 when a board president remarked, "this is our meeting, not the community's," which sparked a standing ovation and statewide press coverage. That incident motivated her to run for office in 2022. "I realized that what I really wanted to talk about at that point was what he had just said," Elad said, emphasizing the need for transparency and community involvement.
To address teacher retention, Elad introduced a confidential, third-party employee engagement survey, a tool she used in her HR career. She believes that understanding staff concerns is crucial for improving working conditions and keeping quality educators. The district also aims to prepare students for careers less susceptible to automation by expanding career and technical education (CTE) programs, including plumbing, electrical, and HVAC apprenticeship pathways alongside existing tracks like medical terminology and e-gaming.
Elad highlighted the stigma around trade careers, noting that a neighbor who owns a plumbing business clears a couple hundred thousand dollars a year but cannot find apprentice plumbers. She argued that Frisco high schoolers should be able to enter apprenticeship programs earning $60,000 to $70,000 within a year or two of graduation, without debt or a four-year degree. McKenzie connected this to his advisory work with Founding Up and PTECH welding programs in San Antonio, where students graduate with up to 60 college credit hours through community college partnerships.
The episode also covered Elad's optimism about the district's new superintendent, hired roughly a month before taping. She encouraged families to vote in typically low-turnout school board elections, stressing that these decisions directly impact the quality of education and local tax dollars.
For more details, the full episode is available on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
