Dallas ISD has been fortunate in recent years to see bright young leaders come forward and win school board seats.

We count outgoing District 4 Administrator Karla Garcia among those and strongly encourage voters to elect her for a second term.

The district is at a critical juncture, with Superintendent Michael Hinojosa set to retire and a new leader to be chosen. Keeping an administrator like Garcia can help ensure that the progress the district has made continues.

Garcia, 25, is a graduate of DISD and attended the Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School. She understands the needs of the district, from the student to the superintendent level.

We agree with her statement in our voter guide that she has seen “first-hand the impact of policies, access, outcomes and initiatives.”

Specifically, she acknowledges that the district’s focus on targeted resources for underperforming schools, expanding schools of choice, and rewarding excellent teacher performance has begun to change outcomes for students.

She rightly noted that the most serious need of the students she represents at Pleasant Grove and other points south is career preparation, although she has introduced a policy to help ensure that graduates leave high school ready to go to college.

Garcia is also a major proponent of extending the school calendar in schools that have experienced profound learning loss. We hope more schools in his district take advantage of this opportunity, but appreciate Garcia’s willingness to let parents decide what’s best for their children.

His opponent, Camile White, 56, lacks Garcia’s deep knowledge of effective policies and practices that can move DISD forward. She cites vague concerns on a variety of topics, from COVID-19 policies to school renovations. But it lacks clear ideas to move the district forward and would push back the DISD on the responsibility of teachers.

Garcia beat White in 2019, so the race represents rematch. Over the past two years, Garcia’s understanding of the neighborhood has deepened and his ideas for improving it have also grown stronger. White’s ideas remain the same.

Garcia has demonstrated that she is a leader for the future in an area where we need excellent representation to improve outcomes for students from low-income homes.

Voters should return her to power with confidence.