Lubbock ISD Board of Trustees Welcomes New Members, Elects New Officers
Today (May 14), the Lubbock Independent School District (Lubbock ISD) Board of Trustees welcomed two new trustees, Mitzi Ziegner and James Perrin, swearing both in alongside Trustee Jason Ratliff, who has been reappointed for another term on the board. All three ran unopposed for their respective seats earlier this year.
The trustees also voted on officer positions at the meeting. At-Large Trustee Nancy Sharp, who was selected in the fall to serve as board secretary, has been selected to serve as the new board president. District 1 Trustee Lala Chavez was selected to serve as the new board secretary.
Jason Ratliff reappointed as District 3 Trustee
Jason Ratliff was sworn in and will continue as the Lubbock ISD District 3 Trustee, a role he has held since being appointed in March 2021. Ratliff has served as vice president since being selected by the board on Sept. 9, 2025, and will continue in this role after being re-selected at the current meeting.
Ratliff thanked Trustees Ryan Curry and Beth Bridges for their service, welcomed the new trustees and said he was excited about the future of the board and their work.
“We’ve done a lot the past few years – we’ve worked well together,” Ratliff said. “We have a lot of work left to do, and I look forward to serving with each of you. With the limited amount of time I have, I want to make the biggest impact I can throughout our district for our students and educators. I look forward to stewarding the resources of our district while continuing to advocate for our educators and strengthen our programming and instruction.”
James Perrin named District 4 Trustee
James Perrin, founder of Perrin Law Injury & Accident Lawyer, was sworn in as the Lubbock ISD District 4 Trustee. He fills the seat most recently held by Curry.
Originally from Corpus Christi, Perrin has spent more than 20 years practicing law, including at his first firm, The Law Offices of James F. Perrin; at San Antonio’s Wyatt Law Firm, Ltd.; and at Fargason, Booth, St. Clair, Richards & Wilkins, LLP, in Lubbock. He founded his current firm in 2018, concentrating on personal injury and wrongful death claims.
Perrin serves on the local board for Lubbock Young Life and has spent time volunteering as a youth basketball coach. He is also a member of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, American Bar Association, Association of Trial Lawyers of America and South Plains Trial Lawyers Association.
Perrin earned his bachelor’s degree in business marketing from Southern Nazarene University and his law degree from the Texas Tech University School of Law. He and his wife, Robin, have one child, Elizabeth, a fifth grader at Roscoe Wilson Elementary School who will be at Evans Middle School this fall.
Perrin said his family’s support was crucial to him seeking a seat on the board.
“Elizabeth and I had a conversation when the opportunity arose for me to put my name in the hat for this – she asked, ‘Dad do they need you? Then I think that’s what you need to do,’” Perrin said. “I look forward to working with each and every one of you and serving the community by being on this board.”
Mitzi Ziegner sworn in as At-Large Trustee
Mitzi Ziegner, the associate director for Texas Tech’s Teaching, Learning & Professional Development Center, was sworn in as a Lubbock ISD At-Large Trustee. She fills the seat most recently held by Bridges.
Ziegner said her belief that strong public schools create strong communities led her to seeking a seat on the board, and she is honored and grateful to serve as a trustee.
“At its heart, public education is really about relationships, between home and school, teachers and students, and communities and their schools,” Ziegner said. “It requires collaboration, support for educators and safe, well-resourced facilities. Public education is facing some real challenges, which demand experienced and compassionate leadership. I will do my very best to bring an informed educator’s perspective to an already very strong Board of Trustees and to advocate effectively for students, for teachers, for paraprofessionals and staff with a supportive hand and caring heart.”
Ziegner brings a wealth of experience in education to her new role as a trustee. In addition to previously teaching in Head Start and elementary classrooms in Lubbock ISD for nearly a decade, she has served as an independent professional development training and educational consultant for Lubbock, Frenship and Lubbock-Cooper ISDs.
She has spent the past 25 years teaching and leading at Texas Tech, including serving as associate chair in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences. As a faculty member, she has taught in the College of Health & Human Sciences, the College of Education, the Honors College and the RaiderReady program.
Ziegner is also heavily engaged in the local community, including serving as PTA president at multiple Lubbock ISD schools, as past President and an Executive Board member for the YWCA of Lubbock, and on the board of the Foundation for Excellence, which funds grants and scholarships for Lubbock ISD staff and students.
She earned a Bachelor of Science in human development and family studies from Texas Tech and a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction from Wayland Baptist University, with specialization in reading and early childhood education. She also holds a lifetime Texas teaching certificate. She and her husband, Jonathan, a Texas Tech alumnus and licensed civil engineer, are the proud parents of two Lubbock High School graduates: Nathan, who graduated from Texas Tech and is a student at the Texas A&M University School of Law, and Viviana, who just completed her first year at Texas Tech.
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