Rockwall ISD Trustee attends program on advocacy

(AUSTIN, TX – March 15, 2016) Linda Duran of Rockwall ISD was among a group of school board members gathering in Corpus Christi Feb. 25—27 to learn the latest on 21st century challenges to leadership and the implications of those trends for educators.

The session theme for this, the third of five training sessions of Leadership TASB (LTASB), was “Where Leadership Happens through Embracing Change.” Trustees began activities Thursday with a tour of Driscoll ISD, a K-8 district that is completing its first building project in more than 30 years. Driscoll ISD is a Texas Education Agency (TEA) Recognized district that remains committed to small class size and the use of technology in every phase of the instructional day. The group also welcomed Kelly McDonald, CEO of McDonald Marketing, as the featured guest speaker on Thursday, who spoke about discovering discernable trends in the federal census and what implications can be drawn by school leaders.

Friday’s activities included tours of Santa Gertrudis and Premont ISDs. At Santa Gertrudis ISD, LTASB members toured the elementary and secondary campuses. Academy High School was originally established as the secondary school for children living on the King Ranch. Now it is a year-round school located on the campus of Texas A&M University— Kingsville and offers a vast array of university parallel courses for its students. Since receiving a letter from TEA informing the district of pending closure, Premont ISD has implemented broad measures and experienced a dramatic turnaround in its academic program as well as district finances, and the LTASB Class was impressed with the efforts the district has made.

Selected by TASB, the group of 35 trustees is participating in a year-long education leadership study program. The LTASB class of 2016 represents Texas school districts of all sizes and reflects an equally diverse range of school district property wealth. Participants who complete all required elements of the study will graduate in June with a unique designation recognized by TASB. Each session has a specific theme that builds on the previous session and features state and nationally recognized experts in the fields of leadership development and education. Teams also work on extended learning assignments between meetings throughout the year.

Created in 1993, Leadership TASB is a nonprofit association established in 1949 to serve local school boards, and has almost 700 graduates to date. TASB School board members are the largest group of publicly elected officials in the state, with the districts they represent serving more than 5.3 million students.

Story and photo submitted by Alyssa Suniga, RISD Communications Coordinator.

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