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Arlington ISD Board President Melody Fowler, left, will compete against Kendall Orr, an administrator of a small business, for a trustee seat in the May 4 election. (Courtesy photos | Melody Fowler; Kendall Orr’s campaign website)
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Arlington ISD Board President Melody Fowler will face competition for reelection. 

Fowler, who has been on the board since 2018, became president in 2022. She won her Place 2 seat with more than 72% of the vote in the 2021 election. Arlington ISD trustees are elected to serve a three-year term for each place. 

She is challenged by Kendall Orr, who, according to her campaign website, is an administrator of a small business. 

Orr declined to participate in the survey following multiple requests by the Arlington Report. 

The election is on May 4. Early voting begins April 22 and ends April 30. Polling places will be announced as the election approaches. April 4 is the last day to register to vote. 

Before the election, the Arlington Report surveyed candidates on their priorities and reasons to run for office. Answers may have been edited for grammar, length and clarity. The Report has not independently verified the statements’ accuracy. 

Melody Fowler

Name: Melody Fowler

Campaign website: https://www.melodyforschools.com/

Age: 60

Current occupation: VP of university advancement and professor of English at Arlington Baptist University

Family: I have been married to Larry Fowler for 29 years. We have a son, Brennan, age 24.

Why are you running for reelection? I am running for reelection because my work is not finished. I have served for six years and truly love my voluntary position in AISD. I look forward to working with our new superintendent, Dr. Matt Smith. 

What are your Top 3 priorities? (1) school safety — making sure our students, staff and campus visitors are safe; (2) retaining our outstanding teachers and making sure they feel valued while also attracting qualified teachers to join our AISD family; and (3) offering as many opportunities as we can for our students and making sure that all students have access to these opportunities.

Why should I vote for you if I were in your district? I want the citizens of Arlington to know that I will always have the best interest of the district in all of my decisions. I believe my experience of volunteering in this district for over 18 years, 12 of which were serving as PTA president of several schools, on Site-Based Decision Making teams, as a room mom, plus my last six years serving on the AISD board of trustees and as president for the past two years gives me the experience and knowledge needed to help AISD continue to grow and thrive as a premier school district.

Is there anything else you’d like to add? I strive every day to make the best decisions possible for AISD. Education is my passion, and I would like to continue giving to this district for another term. 

Kendall Orr

Orr is a Christian, wife, a daughter of immigrant parents and Arlington ISD mother of four children, according to her website. 

Her three concerns are the district’s parental involvement and engagement, enrollment, and discipline. 

“The lack of significant parental involvement, especially for students at risk, affects Arlington ISD enrollment, which has been declining every year at a rate of approximately 5%,” Orr said on her campaign website. “Declining enrollment directly affects school funding.”

Dang Le is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at dang.le@fortworthreport.org or @DangHLe. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.