What to know: Midland ISD District 5 voters (generally north Midland) will choose between La’Toya Mayberry, Nickolas Jasso, and Karl Boroski in the Nov. 3 election. A MISD trustee is one of seven elected board members who set district policy, oversee the $468.5 million budget and tax rate, establish academic goals, and hire and evaluate the superintendent.

The Permian Press asked the candidates the same three questions focused on academic performance, superintendent accountability, and the school board’s oversight of the district, and asked candidates to respond in 150 words or fewer. Answers are published in alphabetical order by the candidate’s last name. Candidate responses are presented as submitted. Early voting runs Oct. 19-30. Election Day is Nov. 3.

Why it matters: The election comes as MISD is working to improve academic performance after receiving a C accountability rating for the 2025-26 school year and meeting or exceeding the state average in only five of 20 STAAR-tested subjects.

Question 1: MISD recently received a C accountability rating from the TEA for its 2025-26 performance. What specific academic results would you expect the district to achieve during your term, and how would you hold the superintendent accountable if MISD does not reach them?

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Karl Boroski: A C is not good enough for Midland’s kids. By the end of my term, I expect MISD to earn a B rating and to meet or beat the state average at the “Meets Grade Level” standard in most STAAR subjects. I also want our graduation rate brought up to the state average, and chronic absenteeism to fall every year, because a child who isn’t in the seat can’t learn.

The board holds the superintendent accountable by setting clear, measurable goals and tying her evaluation to them. I would ask for progress reports every quarter, not only when the annual ratings come out, and I would want that data shared publicly. If we fall short, I would expect a written improvement plan with deadlines. If the goals are still missed after that, it should affect the superintendent’s evaluation and contract.

Nickolas Jasso: By the end of my term, I want every campus at a B or better and our third graders meeting or beating the state average in reading and math. I want clear yearly targets so parents can see whether we’re making progress.

If we miss a goal, I want to know why, what we’re changing, and when we should expect improvement. The superintendent’s evaluation needs to reflect those results. The board also has a responsibility to make sure teachers have the support and resources to do their jobs.

If we keep missing those goals after providing support and a fair chance to improve, I would be willing to vote for a change in leadership. Setting expectations means being willing to follow through.

La’Toya Mayberry: My goal is for Midland ISD to increase its rating during my term. I also expect the district to improve early literacy and math results each year, close the gap in every STAAR-tested subject and meet or exceed the state average.

The Board must adopt measurable annual targets and review the results publicly throughout the year. Parents should know what the district expects students to achieve, where we stand and what changes are being made.  The Board’s job is to set expectations, provide the needed resources and hold the superintendent accountable for results.

Question 2: MISD trailed the state average in 15 of 20 STAAR-tested subjects in 2025-26. What do you believe is driving that gap, and what should the board do differently to close it?

Boroski: Test scores are the last step, not the first. Before a child can learn, they have to be in school, fed, and connected to an adult who believes in them. More than half of MISD students are considered at risk, and many come to school hungry or don’t come at all. For seven years I have fed kids through ROPE Youth, and I have seen what hunger and absence do to a classroom.

The district deserves credit for improving or holding steady in every grades 3–8 subject this year. Still, the board should: Treat attendance as an academic priority by strengthening truancy programs and reaching families early. Make sure no child learns hungry, through meals, weekend food bags, and paying off lunch debt. Expand mentoring and after-school tutoring through community partners. Prevention works better than correction.

Watch these early warning signs all year long, not just once a year when test scores arrive.

Jasso: I believe part of the problem is that we aren’t closing gaps in reading and math early enough. But I’m not going to pretend the same explanation fits every school. We need to look at attendance, staffing, classroom support, and whether students are getting help that actually works.

Teachers need time to teach, time to plan, and support when discipline problems interrupt the classroom. Students who are behind need extra help, and parents need to know early when their child is struggling.

I would push for spending that supports those needs and expect the superintendent to show whether it’s making a difference. If something is working at one campus, we should understand why and see where else it could help. If something keeps falling short, we need to change it.

Mayberry: Learning gaps often begin before children reach a STAAR-tested grade. My 17 years in early childhood education have shown me how strongly kindergarten readiness, early reading and early math affect everything that follows.

The Board should study the results by grade, campus, subject and student group to identify where students begin falling behind. We also need to examine attendance, teacher retention, curriculum consistency and whether intervention programs are producing the results students need.

I would ask teachers and campus staff, our proximity experts, what they are seeing in their classrooms. Their experience should help guide the district’s response. The Board should direct resources toward early instruction, retain experienced teachers and require regular reports on student progress. Families should receive useful information about what their children are learning, where they need help and how the district is responding.

Question 3: Where has the current MISD board exercised effective oversight, and where has it fallen short? Identify one decision or issue from the past year that you would have handled differently.

Boroski: The board used real oversight when it voted unanimously to end the lease with IDEA Travis after three straight D ratings, and then made sure those families had better options. That is accountability working the way it should.

Where it fell short is focus. Board time and community energy are limited, and too much of both went to issues that didn’t move student achievement while our scores trailed the state. I would have kept academics, attendance, and student needs at the top of every agenda.

Jasso: I’ll give the board credit where it’s earned. Adopting a balanced budget was a positive step, and public bond updates help people follow how their money is being spent. One issue I would have pushed harder on is planning for summer construction. The district’s own August update identified restroom projects needing more time, better communication with principals, and clearer expectations for cleanup before school started.

Before work begins, I want a realistic schedule, clear responsibility for keeping it on track, and a backup plan if it runs late. Principals need enough notice to prepare, and families should know how the work will affect their school.

I would expect the superintendent to bring problems to the board early and explain how they’re being handled. That’s part of protecting both taxpayer dollars and classroom time.

Mayberry: The current Board deserves credit for adopting academic goals, monitoring the 2023 bond work and supporting progress that has increased the number of A- and B-rated campuses. Those gains should continue.

The Board can improve how it connects academic data to action parents can see and understand. Families need regular information about which goals are being met, where students are struggling and what the district is doing in response.