Rucker Preston
Belton ISD Trustee at Large
EARLY VOTING APRIL 20-24 / 27-28
Views and Priorities
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The safety of our children in our schools so that they may achieve academic success continues to be my highest priority. Ensuring a safe environment for students in classrooms, bathrooms, locker rooms, and playgrounds is more important than ever. Over the last three years, Belton ISD has taken several steps to enhance campus safety across the entire district.
Professionally, the safety of children is also my #1 priority. As the Executive Director of Family Promise of Bell County, ensuring that hundreds of children are safe with their parents each year is paramount to our work: empowering families to move from a state of homelessness to independence and self-sustainability. Since 2023, I’ve completed two capital campaign projects without any public tax dollars. The two projects created shelter and temporary housing for dozens of families facing homelessness on the Family Promise campus. Each unit for the families served includes state-of-the-art security and safety measures.
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The centrality of public school education should be the readiness for college, the workforce, and/or the military upon high school graduation.
As a Trustee for Belton ISD, I am deeply committed to advancing academic achievement and building on the district’s continued success. Our students thrive when high expectations and support for teachers are prioritized, and Belton ISD has made meaningful progress in preparing students for college, careers, and life beyond the classroom. By focusing on student outcomes, accountability, and innovation in education, I will continue working to ensure every student in Belton ISD has the opportunity to reach their full potential and that our district remains a source of pride for our community.
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Personally, I am extremely conservative with finances and strongly believe in avoiding debt, unless it is absolutely necessary. As a member of the Belton ISD Board of Trustees, I remain committed to strong fiscal conservatism and responsible financial stewardship of taxpayer dollars. This includes a balanced budget each academic school year. Every budget decision should reflect careful planning, transparency, and a clear focus on student success without placing unnecessary burdens on families in our community. By prioritizing accountability, long-term sustainability, and efficient use of resources, I will continue working to ensure Belton ISD remains financially sound while supporting high-quality education for our students, teachers, and staff.
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Retaining and recruiting outstanding educators is a top priority because great students deserve great teachers. As parents of two children in Belton ISD, my wife and I have witnessed our children learn from many amazing educators. Competitive pay for faculty and staff who work directly with students has increased over the years, but we must continue to increase the resources and pay that our community’s teachers deserve.
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I believe that listening to parents and involving them in decision making processes is essential to the success of our schools and community. Parents are vital partners in their children’s education, and their perspectives help guide thoughtful, student-centered decisions. As Trustee, I attend school events and engage with our parents every week of the year. I will continue to maintain open communication, welcome feedback, and engage families in meaningful dialogue, as I am committed to listening to our parents and community members, empowering them to be a part of the decision-making process for our community.
Meet Rucker
Rucker and his wife, Kim, moved to Bell County in 2006, and have been married for nearly 20 years. Their two sons have attended Belton ISD schools since kindergarten. With a decade of teaching experience as a Texas public school teacher and as a faculty member with Baylor University, Rucker believes in our students and teachers, and that high quality education is key to growing our community in the right direction.
Rucker’s faith has led him on a lifelong journey of service. After earning his bachelor’s degree in biblical studies from Dallas Baptist University, he served two years (2003-2005) in West Africa as a journeyman with the Southern Baptist’s International Mission Board in rural Mali. Rucker then returned home to Texas to teach 4th and 5th grade students math, science, and foreign language for Temple ISD at Jefferson Elementary. In February 2007, he was recognized by the Temple ISD Board of Trustees as the outstanding teacher for the school district.
Desiring to impact the community further, Rucker and his wife, Kim, began volunteering with Helping Hands Ministry of Belton. He was called to become the Executive Director in 2011. During his six years as Executive Director, Rucker retired 100% of Helping Hands Ministry’s building debt, created two new organizational initiatives that encompassed seven new programs for low-income families in Belton ISD. In 2014, Helping Hands Ministry of Belton was recognized by the Texas Homeless Network as the Outstanding Community Organization of the Year. In 2016, Rucker was named the Central Texas Impact Champion by the United Way of Central Texas for his leadership at Helping Hands Ministry.
In 2016, Rucker finished his master’s degree in social work from Baylor University. He taught Nonprofit Administration at the graduate level for Baylor University from 2016-2023. From 2017-2020, Rucker led the Texas Christian Community Development Network as Executive Director, where he organized and directed training conferences in Houston, San Antonio, Waco, and Fort Worth.
In 2020, Family Promise of Bell County hired Rucker as the new Executive Director to lead the organization through an enormous time of growth and change. In his first five years, Rucker added four new programs for homeless children and families, increased the number of people served annually by more than 800%, and completed two privately funded capital campaigns (the Promise House and Promise Homes) totaling $3.1 million, without using any public tax dollars or any debt. Ensuring that the organization is 100% debt-free is one of Rucker’s strong personal convictions.
Rucker has presented professionally at twenty-five conferences, written for three publications, advocated for the rights of veterans and served on the following boards and committees: City of Temple Police Chief Hiring Community Committee, United Way of Central Texas, Belton Education Foundation, Central Texas Housing Consortium, Bell County Homeless Coalition, Belton ISD Educational Improvement Council, City of Belton Park Naming Committee, Belton ISD Long Range Planning Committee, Belton ISD Health Advisory Council, City of Belton Capital Improvements Committee, City of Belton Ethics Commission, City of Belton Zoning Board of Adjustments, Bell County Health Advisory Board, Body of Christ Community Clinic, Family Promise of Bell County, Helping Hands Ministry of Belton, Belton Ministers’ Fellowship, and Leadership Belton.
