“I have deep roots here in HP and the highest respect for our community, and I am grateful for the foundation that the Highland Park Independent School District provided me. I am running because I want to ensure the same great education I received will be available to our children and to future generations of Scots.”
– Michael Denton
Why Vote For Michael?
I have deep roots and the highest respect for our community, and I am grateful for the foundation that the Highland Park Independent School District provided me. I am running because I want to ensure the same great education I received will be available to our children and to future generations of Scots.
Committed to excellence
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 Board 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.
Priorities
As a Trustee, I will push for the following priorities:
- Addressing the recruitment and retention of the highest quality teachers and educators.
- Finding additional ways to increase teacher compensation.
- Continue to work alongside our PTA, PTO, Dads Club, HPEF and other District volunteer groups to perpetuate the successful legacy of serving our community with their time, talent and treasure.
- 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.
- Ensuring academic rigor and a reliance on time-tested, classic methods of teaching.
- Encouraging open and direct communication with parents, teachers, and the broader Park Cities community.
- Supporting fiscal responsibility and accountability making the very best use of the financial resources with which the district has been entrusted.
about Michael
I was raised in the Park Cities and attended UP Elementary School, McCulloch Middle School and Highland Park High School, where I graduated in 1989.
Following graduation from HP, I attended the University of Oklahoma, where I graduated in 1993 with a BBA in Finance and an MBA in 2015. I work with our family businesses in the energy industry, beef cattle production and retail sales, operations, and investments.
My wife Maryann and I have three children, Barrett (HP ’23 / Auburn University ’27), Madeleine (HP ’25), and Natalie (HP ’27). Maryann and I are celebrating 25 years of marriage this year.
Involvement
HPISD Involvement
- Highland Park Education Foundation (“HPEF”)
- 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”)
- President – 6 Years
- President-Elect – 1 Year
- Bradfield Dads Club – President & Executive Board – 4 Years
- HPISD Safety and Security Committee – Member (Current) – 2 Years
- HPISD 2024 Bond Committee – Community Advisory Committee – Chairman, and Scots4Scots PAC – Chairman – 1 Year
- HPISD Boundary Rezoning Committee – Member
- HPISD Building Design Committee – Member
- HPISD 100 Years – Legacy Event Committee – Member
Community Involvement
- Park Cities Presbyterian Church – Member & Deacon
- Safety & Security, City Missions, Disaster Response Committees
- Mission To North America – Board Member
- Practice Ministries – Board Member
- City of University Park “Leadership UP”- Participant
- Town of Highland Park “Leadership HP” – Participant
- City of University Park 100th Centennial CelebrationCommittee – Member
- Dallas Petroleum Club – Member
- Beta Gamma Sigma Society – Member
Join Us!
ENDORSEMENTS
Former HPISD Trustee Endorsements
Jeff Barnes
Cynthia Beecherl
Michael M. Boone
John R. Bunten, Jr.
John Carpenter
Sam Dalton
Bob Dransfield
Edward Herring
Houston Hunt
Paul Lee
Tom Sharpe
Joe Taylor
Kelly Walker
Bob Abbott
Lynn Abbott
Kamela Aboussie
Kenneth Aboussie
Kate Adams
Trey Adams
Brynn Allday
Ashley Allen
Marcus Allen
Court Alley
Mary Clare Alley
Carl Anderson
Simone Anderson
Brian Andrews
Laura Andrews
Chris Axley
Carole Anne Axley
Blair Baker
Stephanie Baker
George Ball
Monet Ball
Kloe Barcus
G.T. Barden
Gayle Barnes
Jessica Bateman
Kelly Beall
Taylor Beall
Rebecca Beasley
Stacey Beck
Charlie Beck
Megan Beckner
Thad Beckner
Tyler Beeson
Whitney Beeson
Debbie Begert
Debbie Begert
Alex Bell
Amy Benson
Ashley Biffle
Katherine Binns
Greg Binns
Robert Blount
Chris Bonfield
Marla Boone
John Bowen
Toni Bowen
Chris Boyd
Kevin Brack
Nicole Brewer
Lewis Brown
Wynne Brown
Jeff Brown
Angie Brown
Brad Bunnett
Andrea Bunnett
John Bunten
Dana Lou Bunten
Jane Butler
Carter Butler
Joseph Cahoon
Zach Carnahan
Cassie Carnahan
Benjamin Carpenter II
MacKenzie Carpenter
Blake Cecil
Melinda Cecil
Sam Chantilis
Cheryl Chantilis
Andrea Cheek
Heath Cheek
Carey Clancy
Drew Clancy
Bobby Clark
Meredith Clark
Gail Clark
Bob Clark
Mandy Clark
Ben Clark
Haylie Crouch
Clint Coe
Bruce Collins
Brad Cooper
Lauren Cooper
Leo Corrigan III
Harlan Crow
Kathy Crow
Stuart Cullum
Rochelle Cullum
John Dalton
Margaret Jenna Dalton
Dwayne Danner
Elise Danner
Kristen Dauphinais
Todd Dauphinais
Divia Dayalji
Shamir Dayalji
Ashley DeArman
Billy DeArman
Lloyd Denman
Kristin Denman
Jack Denman
Patti Denman
Barrett Denton
Madeleine Denton
Maryann Denton
Mary Ann Denton
Mike Denton
Natalie Denton
Bowen Diehl
Lale Dielhl
Ben Doramus
Lindsey Doramus
Jana Dransfield
Andy Edmondson
Danielle Egan
Shane Egan
Eli Ellis
Dansby Erwin
Mary Evans
Will Evans
Sue Fair
Britt Fair
Liz Farley
Ashley Ferguson
Brant Ferguson
Hugh Ferguson
Judy Ferguson
Corby Ferrell
Meredith Ferrell
Todd Fidler
Madeleine Fidler
Missy Finger
Jon Finger
Eric Fleiss
Robb Flint
Tracy Flint
Ellen Flowers
Paul Flowers
Katherine Fullam
Shawn Fullam
Heather Gallas
Mark Gallas
Elizabeth Gambrell
Eric Gambrell
Martin Gill
Mary Katherine Gill
Doyle Glass
Somer Glass
Margo Goodwin
Bill Goodwin
Judy Gray
Jacque Green
Kyle Green
Gina Gregory
J. Scott Gregory
Chuck Griege
Karen Griege
Dallas Groth
Nicole Groth
Carroll Gurganus
Casey Gurganus
James Hairston
Ellery Hall
Mollie Halpin
Bobby Halpin
Derek Harvey
Megan Harvey
Joseph Harwood
Louisa Harwood
Suzy Hastedt
Jennifer Hayes
Tim Hamick
Cade Hamner
Jennifer Hamner
Katie Head
Scott Head
Libby Hegi
Brian Hegi
Amy Hegi
Peter Hegi
Gretchen Henry
Brooke Herold
Rick Herold
Kay Herring
Adam Hickey
Janelle Hickey
Blake Holmes
Rebecca Holmes
Robert Holmes
Carson Hooks
Julia Hooks
Austin Hopper
Michelle Hopper
Thomas Hopper
Kamm Howie
John Howie
Jennifer Huff
Ashley Hunt
Taylor Hunt
Elizabeth Hunt
Betsy Hunt
Houston Hunt
Graham Irvine
Jennifer Irvine
Brooke Jackson
Jeff Jackson
Melanie Jackson
Paul Jackson
Anne Johnson
Clay Johnson
Doug Jones
Sarah Jones
Amanda Kalescky
Rob Kalescky
Douglas Kelley
Margaret Kelley
Cayce Kemp
Greg Kemp
Clayton Kennington
Sarah Kennington
Preston Kerr
Leslie Kibby
Rob Kibby
Matt Klein
Sarah Klein
Adam Koch
Amy Kovac
Olin Lane
Darrell Lane
Kami Lane
Caitlin Laughlin
Grant Laughlin
Karen Laughlin
Thomas Laughlin
Bryan Lawrence
Mary Lawrence
Christi Leinart
Marcus Leinart
Brian Lent
Allison Lent
Campbell Lewis
Chamlee Lewis
Katherine Lewis
Scott Lewis
Berkeley Litton
William Litton
Denise Livingstone
Bailey Lloyd
Renne Lokey
William Lokey
Matt Luedtke
Tiffany Luedtke
Korey Lynn
Marianne Lynn
Lisa Mallonee
Scott Mallonee
Mary Magers
Whitney Magers
Chae Marsh
Michael Marsh
Jeff Matthews
Tracy Matthews
Kathy Maxwell
Roger Maxwell
Meredith McBee
David McBee
Becky McCamey
Bob McCamey
Sandy McDonough
Susie McDonough
Don McKay
Janie McKay
Linda McMahon
Mike McMahon
Craig McNeil
Juliet McNeil
Amy McNulty
Daniel McVeigh
Elise McVeigh
Chris Miller
Elizabeth Miller
Greg Miller
Justin Miller
Lana Miller
Lindsey Miller
Sarah Miller
Stephen Miller
Lanier Monk
Ken Monk
Anna Moss
Ryan Moss
Charles Motsinger
Marney Motsinger
D’Ann Moxley
Rex Moxley
Sanjay Narayan
Jennifer Nash
Noble Nash
Ryan Newberry
Jason Nichols
Robin Nowak
Nick Nunley
Kate Nunley
Brian O’Boyle, Jr.
Jamie O’Boyle
Connie Blass O’Neill
Bill Ogle
Lisa Ogle
Honea Owens
Craig Owens
Allison Parks
Bob Parks
Greta Parks
Robb Parks
Catherine Pate
Matt Pate
Ross Patten
James Peel
Paige Peel
Nick Peters
Beth Peters
Brian Petet
Marty Petet
Jason Petty
Jenni Petty
Peter Pincoffs
Jacky Pincoffs
Lloyd Pope
Jamie Pope
Robert Prather, Jr.
Jennifer Prather
Jodi Pratt
Kenneth Pratt
Natalie Prieto
Douglas Prieto
Adrienne Pulliam
Clark Pulliam
Gary Redwine
Shauna Redwine
Darian Reichert
Dan Rhodes
Julie Rhodes
Burton Rhodes
Lesley Rhodes
Anna Kay Rice
James Rice
Doug Roach
Randa Roach
Bill Roberts
Claire Roberts
David Roberts
Jennifer Roberts
Scott Roberts
Lisa Roberts
J.D. Robertson
Robert Rowling
Bonnie Rowsey
Paul Rowsey
Joy Sanders
Todd Sanders
Melanie Schoenvogel
Scott Schoenvogel
Ashlie Schooler
Gary Schooler
Nancy Scripps
Ryan Scripps
Will Seale
Julie Seale
Danielle Sealy
Scott Sealy
Jeff Sears
Murphey Sears
Catherine Sharpe
Peter Shaw
Gretel Shipley
Justin Shipley
Ashley Shull
Justin Shull
Raven Shull
Vance Shull
Marcy Simmons
Chip Simmons
Addie Skinner
Robby Skinner
Michael Slaughter
Ellen Smith
Cindy Smith
Jon David Smith
Scott Smith
Joan Smith
Steve Smith
Betsy Sorenson
Tyler Sorenson
Brian Soukup
Drew Speicher
Elizabeth Speicher
Drew Steffen
Kristy Steffen
Rachel Stephens
Brad Stephens
Michael Stewart
Elizabeth Stewart
Tamara Swaldi
Michael Swaldi
Eric Swanson
Kara Swanson
Claire Swope
Tobin Swope
Diane Taylor
Tracy Taylor
Joe Taylor
Mary Taylor
Mark Tharp II
Liz Thrash
Ryan Thrash
Neely Thrash
Trent Thrash
Rachel Timmins
Ty Timmins
Chris Trowbridge
Rachel Trowbridge
Scott Trulock
Alex Trusler
Karla Trusler
Robert Turner
Josh Vahrenkamp
Jenny Vahrenkamp
Kristi Vanderwoude
Brian Vanderwoude
Kyli Vardeman
Ryan Vardeman
Tish Visinsky
Matthew Visinsky
Sarah Vogds
Tim Vogds
Kelsie Wagner
Price Wagner
Jane Wallingford
Nathan Walters
Katie Walters
Denisa Weber
Tristan Weber
Chart Westcott
Court Westcott
Rebecca Whitaker
Scott Whitaker
Andrew Whitcomb
Katie Whitcomb
Marty Wick
Page Wick
Caroline Williams
Ches Williams
Jana Williams
Kyle Williams
Bo Williamson
Megan Williamson
Jack Wilson
Kim Wilson
Rex Womble
Kathryn Womble
Jenny Wood
Nathan Wood
Chase Woodall
Leslie Woodall
Richard Woodward
Carrie Woodward
Carol Ann Zelley
Patrick Zelley
Political advertisement paid for by Michael Denton 4 HPISD Campaign. Bobby Clark, Treasurer.