Seguin ISD selected to help build STRONGER school principals

(Seguin) -- The Seguin ISD will soon have the right tools to help grow its own in-house principals. The Holdsworth Center, an Austin-based nonprofit focused on leadership in public education, has selected Seguin ISD to join the Holdsworth Partnership, a multi-year investment to build stronger principals and help the district create its own best-in-class principal pipeline system.

Seguin ISD is one of seven districts across the state selected to participate in Holdsworth's worldclass leadership development programs.

“This is a special honor. Not only to be chosen but to have an opportunity to hone leadership and service values in our campus administrators,” said Dr. Matthew Gutierrez, Seguin ISD superintendent.

As part of the partnership, Seguin ISD leaders will participate in the 2-year district leadership and campus leadership programs to receive the inspiration, tools and resources needed to grow their skills and drive positive change.

“Seguin ISD demonstrated a strong commitment to developing leaders and a growth mindset around learning new concepts,” said Dr. Lindsay Whorton, president of The Holdsworth Center. “The goal is to help the expert educators in Seguin ISD become skilled, visionary district and school leaders who can provide the support teachers and students need to thrive. Great leaders draw out the best in people and inspire them to achieve the unimaginable. Leadership is not a skill people are born with - it can be taught and honed through day-to-day practice.”

In the programs, superintendents, central office administrators, principals, assistant principals, teachers and other campus leaders engage with some of the nation's top experts in their fields from a variety of sectors, including K-12 education, academia, government and business.

Learning sessions are held on the campus on Lake Austin, a retreat-like setting that allows teams to step back from the day-to-day and see their district or school's challenges and opportunities more clearly.

In addition, Holdsworth District Support Team members will embed within district administration to help create a bench of strong principals. Every time there is a principal opening, the goal is for Seguin ISD to have at least two strong leaders ready to step into the role and make an impact for students from day one.

Research shows that effective principals can significantly impact student outcomes by creating the conditions for teachers to thrive. Because principals influence the working conditions and skill level of every teacher in the building, their impact is outsized.

“We don't believe there are any quick fixes in education. Investing in the skill and capacity of the people working in our schools is the only way we will see true transformation,” Whorton said.

In surveys, 100 percent of alumni respondents said they were stronger leaders because of the skills gained through Holdsworth and were more effective at leading change and delivering excellent and equitable outcomes for students. Similarly, 100 percent of superintendents surveyed rate their leadership pipeline as stronger after partnering with Holdsworth for at least three years.

Since its founding in 2017, Holdsworth has served 1,371 educators across 50 districts in more than 200 schools in Texas.

Hunger, continued.

“Now, is it going to take us a month to go through it? No. That’s not the point. That’s a lot of food and that’s a lot of food to sort and put on our shelves. But it’s a good amount of food and it’s some good work. Remember, we are a volunteer organization. A couple of weeks before this, I asked the community to kind of help us out. We were running short. The food bank didn’t have anything to purchase and the response to that was tremendous. I can’t give you the exact amount of food we garnered from that but it was enough to keep us going and nice size bags for our families. We give about 75 pounds for a family of four and if there are four more than that, it’s double that,” said Lee.

Lee says she is thankful to have such a supportive community. She says everyone does what they can.

“People are conscious of us being in the community and people are conscious of the need and it’s an ongoing thing. We are open definitely four days a week and sometimes five because we are open the first and third Saturdays. Memorial Day is coming up. We will be closed that Monday so the need is tremendous. There are those who have to work. They are barely scraping by. They are paying house notes, or rent or car payments. They are living life and guess what? Life is expensive and everything in life is expensive. So, sometimes you have to decide if you are going to have gas or if you are going to have food, and lots of times people end up having to put in gas. So, people aren’t being frivolous with the food they are given, and come on, who wants to go and ask for food? But it’s a basic, basic need of our society,” said Lee.

Lee reminds individuals that when they donate food to the Christian Cupboard, they are also helping those who are homeless. She says donating food is always a good way to support those living on the streets.

“They have to be taken care of also. They are taken care of on a different scale and in a different way because I’m talking about homeless people who have no place to cook it and who have no place to store food. So, remember those cans of Vienna sausages and Spam you have, those little fruit cups, crackers, and toiletries you get from the hotels -- even water, soda, and juice cans. And, don’t forget who wouldn’t like some chips once in a while or a bag of peanuts? All of it is important and all of it is used,” said Lee.

According to Feeding America, over 42 million people in the United States are food insecure, meaning they lack reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.

Donations to the Christian Cupboard are accepted Mondays through Thursdays from 9 to 11:30 a.m. A collection box located on the north side of the building is also available 24/7. The food pantry is located at 516 N. Camp St.