The cover features the names and communities of the first 72 superintendents who joined TASA (then called the TSTA Section of Superintendence) in 1925. See the full list at https://bit.ly/tasa-charter-members
DEPARTMENTS
INSIGHT EDITORIAL STAFF
Executive Director Kevin Brown
Deputy Executive Director, Charles Dupre Member Engagement & Support
Director, Communications Amy Francisco & Marketing
Coordinator, Graphics & Multimedia Marco A. De La Cueva
TASA’s mission is to promote, provide and develop leaders who create and sustain studentcentered schools and develop future-ready students.
We envision innovative, future-focused leaders for every public school student.
TASA values the strengths, contributions, and varying perspectives of all educational leaders. Our goal is to intentionally equip and support school districts and leaders as they foster a culture in which all students and adults are valued for their unique gifts, supported academically, socially, and emotionally, and empowered to reach their full potential.
OFFICERS
Martha Salazar-Zamora, President, Tomball ISD
Chris Moran, President-Elect, San Angelo ISD
Roosevelt Nivens, Vice President, Lamar CISD
LaTonya Goffney, Past President, Aldine ISD
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Rene Gutierrez, Region 1, McAllen ISD
Sharon McKinney, Region 2, Port Aransas ISD
Robert O’Connor, Region 3, Edna ISD
Walter Jackson, Region 4, La Porte ISD
Stacey Brister, Region 5, Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD
Darol Hail, Region 6, New Waverly ISD
Carnelius Gilder, Region 7, West Sabine ISD
Jason McCullough, Region 8, Mount Vernon ISD
Brad Owen, Region 9, Burkburnett ISD
John “JJ” Villarreal, Region 10, Rockwall ISD
Jeremy Thompson, Region 11, Denton ISD
Bobby Ott, Region 12, Temple ISD
Steven Snell, Region 13, Liberty Hill ISD
Jonathan Scott, Region 14, Albany ISD
Aaron Hood, Region 15, Robert Lee ISD
Sheri Blankenship, Region 16, Hereford ISD
Scott Harrell, Region 17, Sudan ISD
Jay McWilliams, Region 18, Big Spring ISD
Jeannie Meza-Chavez, Region 19, San Elizario ISD
Burnie Roper, Region 20, Lackland ISD
AT-LARGE MEMBERS
Sanée Bell, Katy ISD
Paula Patterson, Crosby ISD
Diana Sayavedra, El Paso ISD
Tiffany Spicer, Buna ISD
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Dana Bashara, Professional Learning
Roland Hernandez, Advocacy
Donny Lee, Member Engagement
Michelle McCord, Legislative
EDITORIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Roosevelt Nivens, Lamar CISD, Chair
Dana Bashara, Alamo Heights ISD
Roland Hernandez, Corpus Christi ISD
Donny Lee, Wichita Falls ISD
Michelle McCord, Frenship ISD
Michael O'Malley, Texas State University
TASA Professional Learning Calendar
Martha SalazarZamora
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF TASA
Ihope this message finds you well. I am deeply honored and truly humbled to serve in the role of TASA president, especially as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of this incredible organization. This achievement speaks volumes about the dedication, resilience and vision of all those who came before us — and of each one of you who continues to carry forward our mission to promote, provide and develop leaders who create and sustain student-centered schools and develop future-ready students in Texas with pride and passion.
By obtaining such a milestone, it’s hard not to reflect on a legacy that spans generations. For 100 years, TASA has been a steadfast advocate for Texas public schools, empowering educators and shaping a brighter future for the students of our great state. It’s remarkable to think about the countless lives touched by your work — students inspired, families uplifted, and communities strengthened.
As I have said before, educators are the backbone of our mission. They are the ones who wake up each day ready to inspire curiosity, nurture potential, and instill a love of learning in students. Across Texas, in bustling cities and rural towns alike, educators are making an undeniable impact. They are champions of equity, opportunity and hope — ensuring every child, regardless of circumstance, has access to quality education. We thank them and support them.
Reflecting on the legacy of leadership was a top highlight of an inspiring TASA Midwinter Conference in January, and I found it to be a testament to the strength of our shared commitment. The conference was a celebratory space where we not only reflected on an amazing 100 years, but exchanged ideas, forged partnerships, and grew as leaders. The energy and passion there fueled our collective resolve to continue advocating in support of our future.
Being able to share in the celebration of 100 years through our celebratory gala was a resounding honor and success, bringing together key figures who helped shape who we are today. (Don’t miss the photos on pages 11-17.) A special thank-you to TASA Executive Director Kevin Brown and the entire TASA team for creating such an incredible event that also featured the commemorative magazine, “A Century of Inspiring Leadership,” by TASA Executive Director Emeritus Johnny Veselka. It highlights the contributions and support of our amazing organization. (View it online at https://bit.ly/TASA-History.)
But as we celebrate the great milestone of 100 years, let us also look forward. The challenges facing public education in Texas are significant, but so too are the opportunities. A key part of our work in this milestone year will focus on continuing to innovate, collaborate and advocate as we revisit our visioning document for our future success. (Learn more about that on pages 24-25.)
I am confident that together, we will honor our past by making meaningful strides toward a brighter future for students, educators and families.
Thank you all for your commitment and trust. I am proud to work closely with each of you, and I am excited to see what we can accomplish together during this extraordinary year. Here’s to 100 years of excellence, and to the limitless possibilities that lie ahead. I’m excited for the work we have ahead of us!
Martha Salazar-Zamora TASA President
Superintendent, Tomball
TWO THINGS SET TASA APART
Kevin Brown EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S VIEW
Two of the biggest needs that humans have are to be part of a community and to be engaged in something bigger than themselves. For those who attended the 2025 TASA Midwinter Conference, my hope is that you got to feel both in a big way.
At the conference in January, a TASA corporate partner who travels the United States and the world to various educational conferences said to me, “There is no place in the world that has as strong a sense of community and professionalism as TASA [Midwinter Conference]. I don’t think people realize just how special you have it here in Texas. The bonds we see among leaders are the strongest I have ever seen. It is my team’s favorite event every year because people are so kind and welcoming and inspiring.”
Being part of a community of learners is so important to all of us in our professional lives. The saying “iron sharpens iron” rings true. The quality of leaders, learning and relationships make all the difference, especially when you are seeking innovation during challenging times. Relationships and community matter a lot, and we are all so fortunate to be in this unique community.
Celebrating TASA’s centennial, as we plan to do all year long in 2025, is so important for so many reasons. It reminds us that we stand on the shoulders of the leaders who came before us. We are the recipients of a strong organization that took decades to build. We can see the difference TASA has made over the past century for both the public school leaders in our state and the children we serve.
Also, with the fulfillment of the TASA Strategic Framework (see pages 24-25), we are reminded that each of us is both a contributor and a beneficiary of TASA’s work. In a special video we produced that focuses on the framework’s fulfillment (see it on page 25), TASA Executive Committee Member Carnelius Gilder says, “We came running, not just with ‘I’m hungry or I’m thirsty for the new knowledge,’ but so many people came to the table ready to share.”
Each of you who are engaged in TASA are contributing not only to our current success but also to that of future generations of leaders. You are the difference makers, and while you may benefit during your career, you are also ensuring that TASA thrives for another century.
Thank you all for your friendship and support, for your servant hearts, and for your missiondriven leadership. And thank you for the strong bonds of community and the inspiration of being part of something bigger than ourselves.
Kevin Brown TASA Executive Director
TASA turns 100 in 2025, and we kicked off a yearlong celebration of the organization's centennial at the TASA Midwinter Conference in late January! In the following pages, you'll see photos from the TASA Centennial Anniversary Gala.
TASA Presidents (sitting, left to right): Martha Salazar-Zamora, 2024-25; Jeff Turner, 2012-13; John Horn, 1987-88; Gayle Stinson, 2018-19; Michael Hinojosa, 2004-05; Darrell Floyd, 2013-14; Virginia Collier, 1999-00; Kay Waggoner, 2006-07; Karen Rue, 2015-16. Standing, left to right: Kevin Brown, 2016-17; Brian Woods, 2020-21; Doug Williams, 2021-22; Rod Townsend, 2011-12; Leonard Merrell, 2001-02; Harold Ramm, 1995-96; Stan Paz, 1997-98; Thomas Randle, 2007-08; Rick Howard, 2008-09; John Folks, 2009-10; Don Hooper, 1994-95; John Fuller, 2010-11; Buck Gilcrease, 2017-18; LaTonya Goffney, 2023-24; Greg Smith, 2019-20; Alton Frailey, 2014-15; Gonzalo Salazar, 2022-23.
TASA Executive Director Kevin Brown thanks the gala sponsors, acknowledges TASA's past executive directors, and recognizes TASA staff, past and present, during the gala program.
TASA President Martha Salazar-Zamora introduces TASA Executive Director Kevin Brown, TASA Deputy Executive Director of Advocacy Brian Woods, TASA Deputy Executive Director of Professional Learning Jill Siler, TASA Deputy Executive Director of Governmental Relations Amy Beneski, and TASA Deputy Executive Director of Member Engagement & Support Charles Dupre.
WINTER 2025
TASA Honorary Life Member Michelle Carroll Smith, Elgin ISD Superintendent Jana Reuter, Lubbock-Cooper ISD Deputy Superintendent Macy Satterwhite, and Elgin ISD Deputy Superintendent Molley Perry
TASA President Martha Salazar-Zamora welcomes guests to the TASA Centennial Anniversary Gala.
Gala planners Charles Dupre, TASA Deputy Executive Director, Member Engagement & Support, and Maria Cruz, TASA Learning & Events Coordinator, celebrate a successful event on the dance floor.
Waco ISD Superintendent Tiffany Spicer, Lancaster ISD Superintendent A. Katrise Perera, Crosby ISD Superintendent Paula Patterson, Beaumont ISD Superintendent Shannon Allen, Tomball ISD Superintendent (and TASA President) Martha Salazar-Zamora, and Aldine ISD Superintendent (and TASA Immediate Past President) LaTonya Goffney
What Texas gala would be complete without a little line dancing?
TASA President Martha Salazar-Zamora and Immediate Past President LaTonya Goffney enjoy the music of musical guests Password.
Guest Gene Shaw, TASA Accounting Coordinator Stephanie Shaw, TASA Executive Assistant Lizet Benites, TASA Member Services Director Jenny
Graphics & Multimedia Coordinator Marco De La Cueva, TASA Member Engagement & Support Specialist Jessica Arceneaux, retired TASA receptionist Marita Rogers, and TASA Conferences & Events Director Sheri Hicks
Corpus Christi ISD (CCISD) Deputy Superintendent of C&I Sandra Clement, Curriculum Associates VP of Strategic Partnerships Elda Garcia, CCISD Chief Communications Officer Leanne Libby, and CCISD Assistant Superintendent Bruce Wilson
The ladies take the stage with members of the live band, Password.
Terrell ISD Superintendent Georgeanne Warnock and friend
TASA President Martha Salazar-Zamora, TASA Executive Director Kevin Brown, TASA Learning & Events Coordinator Maria Cruz, and TASA Immediate Past President LaTonya Goffney hit the dance floor.
Jones, TASA
TASA President Martha Salazar-Zamora invites other gala guests to the dance floor.
Anderson-Shiro CISD Superintendent Sarah Borowicz and A-SCISD
Assistant Superintendent Stacey Zielonka
The TASA Centennial Anniversary Gala would not have been possible without the support of TASA Corporate Partners Centegix, Corgan, DLR Group, Curriculum Associates, Edmentum, Frontline Education, Imagine Learning, Milliken, N2 Learning, NWEA, New Tech Network, PBK, Stantec, and TCG, a HUB International Company.
Veronica Sopher with VV Sopher LLC and Snook ISD Superintendent
TASA Past President (2014-15) Alton Frailey spins some "classic tunes from across the eras" and visits with gala guests during the reception prior to the TASA Centennial Anniversary Gala.
TASA Vice President Roosevelt Nivens (center) with members of his Lamar CISD team: Deputy Superintendent Alphonso Bates, Chief Learning Officer Christi Cottongame, Chief Student Services Officer Marlon Waites, Chief Communications Officer Sonya Cole-Hamilton, Chief Operations Officer Greg Buchanan, and Executive Director of Business Development Kevin Phillips
Megan Pape
Guest Trevelyn Everitte-Gyure and Campbell ISD
Superintendent Denise Morgan
TASA Past President (1997-98) Stan Paz lifts his glass for a "Toast to a Century of TASA," alongside other TASA past presidents.
TASA Executive Committee members Bobby Ott, Carnelius Gilder, Sharon McKinney, Jeannie Meza-Chavez, and Roland Hernandez with Corgan representatives Malissa Jeffreys and Erin Bossart, as well as Corpus Christi ISD Director for Elementary Teaching and Learning and Library Media Services Cynthia Hernandez
TASA Past President (2006-07) Kay Waggoner and TASA Executive Superintendent Steve Flores
TASA Past President (2009-10) John Folks and TASA Past President (2021-22) Doug Williams
TASA Past President (2010-11) John Fuller and TASA Past President (1987-88) John Horn with their spouses
Texas Curriculum Management Audit Center Director Opal Core and TASA Associate Executive Director, Professional Learning and Member Engagement & Support, Brandon Core visit with TASA Past President (1999-00) Virginia Collier and TASA Deputy Executive Director, Member Engagement & Support, Charles Dupre.
TASA Past President (1994-95) Don Hooper and TASA Past President (2008-09) Rick Howard
Margret Montgomery Sheffield, founder of the Texas Council of Women School Executives (TCWSE), a TASA partner organization since 1989, with retired TASA Associate Executive Director Ann Halstead, a member of the TASA staff from 1986 to 2023 and longtime TCWSE executive secretary/treasurer
Then and Now: Midwinter
Conference
TASA hasn’t always been the host of the Midwinter Conference. It goes way back — more than 90 years — to 1934, when Dr. L.A. Woods, who served as the elected State Superintendent of Public Instruction from 1932 until 1950, initiated it. In its early days, it was called the Mid-Winter School Administrators Advisory Conference on Education.
Then ...
From 1934 into the 1990s, the Mid-Winter School Administrators Advisory Conference on Education was hosted by the state, specifically by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), once that body was created in 1949 after the passage of the Gilmer-Aikin laws.
Prior to the 1993 conference, TASA entered into an agreement with TEA to assist with the conference by processing registration fees and managing on-site registration. The next year, TASA launched Education Expo94, the conference’s first exhibit hall. Nearly 10 years later, in 2003, Commissioner of Education Robert Scott officially transitioned responsibility for the “Administrators’ Midwinter Conference on Education,” to TASA due to budgetary and philosophical concerns at TEA. The first TASA Midwinter Conference in 2004 coincided with the 150th anniversary of the founding of Texas public schools.
And now ...
In the years since TASA assumed responsibility for the TASA Midwinter Conference, it has become the most popular conference for Texas school leaders and one of the largest annual conferences for school leaders in the country.
Honorary Life Centennial Class
Each year, TASA recognizes the organization's newest class of Honorary Life Members at the TASA Midwinter Conference. In January, the following retired school leaders, who have at least 10 years of membership in TASA, at least 25 years of experience in education, and a record of outstanding service to the education profession, were honored. They are listed below along with the position from which they retired and their total years of service in education.
Clark Ealy Superintendent, Schertz-Cibolo -Universal City ISD
32 Years
Steven Ebell Deputy Superintendent, Clear Creek ISD
30 Years
Shane Fields Executive Director, Region 14 ESC 33 Years
Diane Frost Superintendent, Corsicana ISD 41 Years
Richard Grill Superintendent, Sabinal ISD 41 Years
Karin Holacka Chief of Special Projects and Governmental Relations, Duncanville ISD 30 Years
James Hopper Superintendent, Venus ISD 39 Years
Jennifer Johnson Superintendent, Rains ISD 28 Years
M. Chad Jones Superintendent, Decatur ISD 33 Years
David Kennedy Superintendent, Westhoff ISD 50 Years
Carl Key Superintendent, New Diana ISD 40 Years
Susan Kincannon Superintendent, Waco ISD 34 Years
Richard Kolek Superintendent, Johnson City ISD 31 Years
Lane Ledbetter Superintendent, Carroll ISD 32 Years
Jerry Maze Executive Director, ESC Region 12 37 Years
Keith McBurnett Superintendent, Burnet CISD 30 Years
Steven Moody Superintendent, Iowa Park CISD 42 Years
Michelle Carroll Smith Superintendent, Lytle ISD 39 Years
Gordon Taylor Executive Director, Region 10 ESC 36 Years
Annette Tielle Superintendent, Del Valle ISD 33 Years
Thomas Trigg Superintendent, Highland Park ISD 49 Years
Lloyd Verstuyft Superintendent, Southwest ISD 33 Years
Maria Vidaurri Superintendent, Sharyland ISD 39 Years
Carla Voelkel Superintendent, Dickinson ISD 45 Years
Christie Walker Assistant Superintendent, Bowie ISD 28 Years
Jamie Wilson Superintendent, Denton ISD 34 Years
Kevin Worthy Superintendent, Royse City ISD 31 Years
David Young Superintendent, Abilene ISD 29 Years
Honorary Life Members, whose memberships must be approved by the TASA Executive Committee, receive a variety of TASA member benefits. Learn more at https://bit.ly/tasahonorary-life Nominations for the next Honorary Life class are now open.
100 Years of Inspiring Leaders
In November 1925, during the Texas State Teachers Association (TSTA) Convention in Dallas, the “Section of Superintendence” of TSTA, which would grow into the Texas Association of School Administrators, held its first meeting in Dallas.
As
for
Years later, in 1939, the TSTA “Section of Superintendence” became the Texas Association of School Administrators. The name was changed to parallel the name of the national organization. (In 1937, the National Education Association’s Department of School Superintendence became the American Association of School Administrators, a department of NEA.) TASA remained a department affiliate of TSTA until 1978 when the TASA Executive Committee voted to disaffiliate from TSTA following TSTA’s unification with NEA.
Over the past 100 years, TASA has become a trusted source of support and resources for school leaders and a vital advocate for Texas public schools.
In the next few pages, you'll find a timeline of major events in TASA history. Want to read more TASA history? View or download the TASA Centennial Commemorative Magazine, "Texas Association of School Administrators: A Century of Inspiring Leadership (1925-2025)." Researched and written by TASA Executive Director Emeritus Johnny Veselka, the magazine tells the stories of TASA’s first 100 years. View it online at https://bit.ly/TASA-History
we mark TASA's centennial year, we honor the legacy of those who helped to build TASA. Their commitment has paved the way
our organization’s growth and for advancements in Texas schools. Don't miss this video on TASA's history, which features a few of TASA's key leaders over the years. The video debuted at the TASA Centennial Anniversary Gala during the Midwinter Conference.
Charles F. Mathews became TASA's second executive director upon the retirement of R.E. “Emmett” Harris.
TASA broke ground on its first headquarters building.
TASA developed its first legislative program independent of TSTA in time for the 65th Texas Legislature to convene.
Virginia L. Collier, superintendent of Brenham ISD, became TASA’s first female president.
The TASA Executive Committee voted 18-3 to disaffiliate from TSTA following the group’s unification with NEA.
TASA finalized a formal partnership with the Texas Council of Women School Executives (TCWSE) to provide management services to the group.
Stan Paz, superintendent of El Paso ISD, became TASA’s first Hispanic president.
TASA established the Corporate Partner Program, which provides education-related companies with opportunities to sponsor TASA programs and connect with TASA members, and helps TASA further its mission.
TASA launched the association’s first website
TEA turned over to TASA the “Administrators’ Midwinter Conference on Education” and it officially became the TASA Midwinter Conference Also in 2004, TASA launched the TASA Daily e-newsletter.
INSIGHT debuted as TASA’s professional journal.
Johnny L. Veselka became TASA’s third executive director upon the retirement of Charles Mathews.
TASA partnered with TEPSA and TASSP to establish what is now the Texas Leadership Center
TASA purchased the association’s current headquarters at 406 E. 11th Street in Austin. Also that year, the association unveiled a new logo
TASA’s focus on school transformation began when 35 superintendents from across the state came together as the Public Education Visioning Institute
Thomas E. Randle, superintendent of Lamar CISD, became TASA’s first African American president.
2007
2008
The TASA Visioning Document, Creating a New Vision for Public Education, was published.
TASA launched the Superintendents Leadership Institute (FRSLI) as well as TASA on iT
The TASA Executive Committee approved the association’s Statement on Equity and Excellence Also that year, TASA renamed the annual Leadership Summit event in honor of Past President John D.Horn
2022
TASA building was renamed
LaTonya Goffney, superintendent of Aldine ISD, became TASA’s first female African American president.
2023
TASA moved toward fulfilling its Strategic Framework aspirations by launching several new “purposeful networks” with participants engaged in “participant-led experiences”: the Small Schools Network, the redesigned School Transformation Network (established in 2011), and the TASA Executive Coaching Network
TASA established the Future-Ready Superintendents Leadership Network (FRSLN.)
2015
2017
TASA organized the Texas Performance Assessment Consortium — now the Texas Public Accountability Consortium (TPAC).
Also that year, TASA entered into a partnership agreement with the Texas Alliance of Black School Educators (TABSE)
Martha Salazar-Zamora, superintendent of Tomball ISD, became TASA’s first female Hispanic president. Also that year, TASA fulfilled the organization’s final “TASA 2025” Strategic Framework aspiration by launching a “Living Library” called TASA Connect.
TASA held the association’s first-ever virtual conference, TASA Virtual SummerCon, in the midst of global pandemic.
TASA marks its 100th anniversary with a yearlong celebration!
TASA held its first-ever TASA txedFest summer conference.
How Has TASA Inspired You?
As we celebrate TASA's centennial year, "100 Years of Inspiring Leaders," we want to know how TASA has positively affected or inspired YOU.
Tell us in your own words by completing this short form: https://bit.ly/TASA-inspired-me.
Your submission could be included in a "100 Ways TASA Has Inspired School Leaders" feature in a 2025 issue of INSIGHT, on social media, and more.
Sept. 12-14, 2025 • Houston George R. Brown Convention Center
TASA Fulfills Strategic Framework
During the January 2025 TASA Midwinter Conference, TASA Executive Director Kevin Brown announced that TASA has fulfilled all the aspirations of the TASA Strategic Framework developed by the TASA 2025 Task Force (https://bit.ly/TASA-2025-Task-Force), a committee of TASA members from across the state that Brown chaired in 2017 while serving as TASA president. (Prior to becoming executive director Brown was superintendent of Alamo Heights ISD and a volunteer leader for TASA.)
The TASA Strategic Framework — the result of more than a year of work by the task force — was launched in 2018 and laid out TASA’s aspirations and outlined the long-term strategies the association would use to reach them by TASA’s 100th anniversary, which the association is celebrating in 2025.
“Here we are, seven years later,” Brown said. “We have fulfilled this document in a great way, and I’m really proud of our team and all who played a part.” Brown then introduced the following video, which features TASA leaders sharing how TASA has used the longterm strategies outlined in the framework to achieve the aspirations laid out by the task force — and how TASA members have benefited from that work.
"Even though this is a celebration of the completion of the TASA Strategic Framework and of TASA achieving 100 years as an organization, we also know we have to get this next century going in the right direction, and we've got to work together to do that."
Brown shared that in 2025, TASA will convene a group of TASA leaders to work on a "refresh" of the visioning document, Creating a New Vision for Public Education in Texas (https://bit.ly/tasa-visioning-document).
That document, published in 2008 by TASA's Public Education Visioning Institute (https:// bit.ly/visioning-institute), was the inspiration for the TASA 2025 Task Force's 2018 -released TASA Strategic Framework.
What's Next for TASA
At the conference, Brown recognized several groups of TASA members as well as the TASA staff for their work in fulfilling the framework then turned his attention to TASA's future and how TASA plans to determine what the next steps will be for the association.
"We'll refresh the visioning document," Brown said, "then we will pull people together again and develop another strategic framework. We're going to want you [TASA members] to be involved in this work."
Long-Term Strategies
Meet TASA’s Inspiring Leaders
Now more than ever, Texas public school staff members are looking to leaders to inspire them in their day-to-day work as we all cope with an ever-changing educational landscape. TASA’s “Inspiring Leaders” tagline is not just a reminder of TASA’s commitment to leadership development — it describes our members themselves. In this and future issues of INSIGHT, you’ll meet some of those Inspiring Leaders, and it’s our hope that they will guide you and invigorate you in the work that you do. To nominate a leader for inclusion, email drivers@texasschoolbusiness.com.
Guillermo Mancha
Since 2022, Guillermo Mancha has served as superintendent in Roscoe Collegiate ISD. Previously, he held the same position in Brackett and Natalia ISDs for a combined total of more than eight years. Mancha’s peers in school administration see him as a man of integrity and a true educational leader.
“When Guillermo gives you his word or his advice, you can rest assured it is seasoned with reason and experience,” says John Sherrill, superintendent of Panhandle ISD. “Roscoe CISD has flourished under his leadership and they are lucky to have him.” Mancha is proud of his district, especially the way the entire community comes together to protect and serve students in the area.
“Roscoe Collegiate ISD is aggressively progressive by opening vast innovative opportunities for our students' benefit,” Mancha says. “At RCISD, the focus on safety and student achievement is paramount. I am exceptionally proud that our faculty, board of trustees and community place a focused effort on our students' future by providing resources for student success.” While the role of superintendent is never simple, Mancha finds the job more inspiring than challenging.
“I genuinely find my experiences working at my school district personally gratifying,” he says. "I view the opportunity to work alongside talented professionals to develop young minds as a reward. I take full advantage of the privilege to be part of a team that concentrates their efforts to make students successful and provide students with an equal life opportunity to accomplish their dreams.”
Many who have watched Mancha at work also find the experience inspiring. “Interactions with Dr. Mancha challenge me to be a better educational leader and husband/father,” Sherrill says. Mancha says that working alongside other leaders is crucial to an administrator's success. He feels fortunate for the mentors who have worked with him throughout his career and aims to give back in that capacity as much as he can.
“I have had many truly gifted administrators take a personal interest in my development. My mentors have provided me with guidance that has shaped me into a better person, educator, and family man. I owe much to a lot of people. The relationships nurtured over the years with my mentors are protected and cherished as I am in awe of them. I believe by being able to provide guidance to future administrators, we can contribute to the well-being of students and future generations that will transcend time.”
Inspiring leader from TASA history
N.S. Holland: First superintendent to serve as president and author of TASA early history book
In 1928, after having served three years as Secretary-Treasurer, N.S. Holland became the first school superintendent to serve as president of the Section of Superintendence of the Texas State Teachers Association. (The Section of Superintendence was founded in 1925 but changed its name to the Texas Association of School Administrators in 1939.) Holland had previously served as superintendent at Stamford, and was superintendent at Breckenridge during his tenure as president. Later, he would serve as superintendent at Baytown.
In the second half of the 1930s, Holland served the Section of Superintendence as its director of research. Much of his research was focused on taxation in response to the serious financial difficulties schools were facing at the time due to the drop in income from the general property tax. He even spent a year’s leave of absence at Columbia University where he earned his doctorate studying under noted school finance experts John K. Norton and Paul R. Mort.
In 1953, Holland published a history of the first 25 years of TASA. “A Brief History: First Quarter Century, 1925-1950, Texas Association of School Administrators” documents the commitments by the association’s earliest leaders regarding significant decisions on matters of education policy and constructive actions that affected the direction of public education in the years leading up to the 1949 passage of the historic Gilmer-Aikin legislation.
TASA is indebted to N.S. Holland for his service to the association and his diligent attention to chronicling the early history of the association.
For more on N.S. Holland and TASA's history, be sure to check out "Texas Association of School Administrators: A Century of Inspiring Leadership" by TASA Executive Director Emeritus Johnny Veselka at https://bit.ly/TASA-History.
AP Seminar has created a broader context for reading informational texts, but more importantly, the performance tasks have pushed students to explore the world around them for a deeper understanding of how it all works. “ ”
JAMES WSZOLEK
ENGLISH TEACHER (AP SEMINAR) AND DEPARTMENT CO-CHAIR
Build a Strong Foundation with English 10: AP Seminar
AP® Seminar helps students build a strong foundation for critical and transferable research skills, including investigation, collaboration, writing, and presentation. Schools across the country are choosing AP Seminar as their English 10 course because it provides students with cross-curricular exposure through evidence-based reading, writing, and speaking. It also allows teachers flexibility to incorporate state English standards.
This course has no prerequisites and can serve a broad group of students by giving them the opportunity to pursue their own individual interests. Taking even one AP course can improve students’ first-year college GPA and on-time college graduation rates.
Meet TASA's newest executive superintendent
TASA's executive superintendents serve as an extension of the TASA staff and are on hand to support TASA members in a variety of ways, with an emphasis on helping new superintendents navigate the role. As seasoned administrators, these superintendents are able to listen and provide support based on their own experiences.
Our executive superintendents are highly regarded former superintendents who are experts on public school leadership. They are your “go-to” on matters related to public school leadership, career pathways, and the transformation of Texas public education.
In this issue of INSIGHT, we introduce Robert McLain, who became the newest TASA executive superintendent in January. He serves TASA members in regions 16 and 17.
For a complete list of TASA’s executive superintendents and their contact information, visit https://bit.ly/exec-supes.
TASA’s newest executive superintendent, Robert McLain, will retire from the superintendency in Plains ISD at the end of the 2024-25 school year, following 40 years of service in Texas public schools. McLain began his career as a teacher and coach in Phillips ISD, and also served as a coach in Happy ISD.
In 1996, he decided to go into administration and served as a principal and then superintendent in Channing ISD. After 11 years leading Channing, he moved to take the role in Plains ISD, and is now retiring after six years in the office.
McLain says his passion for education was sparked by two of his high school teachers in Amarillo ISD — coach James Kyle and English teacher Mary Ross. “They took an interest in me and made me feel comfortable with education,” McLain says.
Looking ahead to his retirement, McLain has known he wanted to stay active in school business and give back to the field he loves. He was inspired watching Larry Coffman, who served as a TASA executive superintendent until his passing in the summer of 2024. “I wanted to give back to the profession that I feel has been good to me,” McLain says. “I felt like being an executive superintendent is a good way to do that.” In his role as executive superintendent, McLain sees himself as a mentor, ready to lend an ear to any administrator who needs advice, or just needs to vent.
“I’ve gotten to the stage in my career where I want to see other people grow and I want them to be successful,” he says. “And if I’m helping a superintendent, then I’m helping the kids in those schools.” McLain also points to several other TASA leaders as his own mentors, including John Horn, Rod Schroder and Johnny Veselka. By dedicating themselves to mentoring superintendents, including McLain, they inspired him to want to do the same in his own retirement.
“I really want to give back to TASA and help the organization continue to grow,” he says. Public education is a passion in the McLain household; McLain’s wife Connie was an educator for 30 years before retiring, and he cites her support as one of the main factors that has kept him going in his professional life.
As an executive superintendent, McLain is ready to use the knowledge he’s gathered in his 18-plus years of district leadership to help others who are new to the field.
“I love the energy young superintendents have,” he says. “And if I can help anybody along the way, then I’m just happy to do it.”
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HIGHER EDUCATION
Setting a new standard for teacher wellness
by Forrest Kaiser
Harry Wong, author of The First Days of School (2018), states that “Students want a safe, predictable, and nurturing environment — one that is consistent.” It’s no surprise that students want to know we care about them before they are willing to hear what we have to say. In a similar way, teachers need to feel both valued and cared for to be successful. It makes little sense to expect a professional to pour themselves into the lives of students when their own cups are empty.
There is little debate that teacher quality has a meaningful impact on student learning, yet schools find it ever more difficult each year to ensure their students have access to high quality instruction provided by a skilled educator. Even before the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on workforce availability, increasing numbers of veteran teachers were leaving the field prior to retirement. Exasperating this, traditional teacher preparation programs are noting a significant decrease in enrollment (Will, 2023).
While Texas schools have been hit hard by teacher attrition, this is a nationwide issue. In a recent survey by the National Center for Education Statistics (2022), 44% of participating schools shared a concern with unfilled teacher positions. Over half of these vacancies were the result of early resignations. Although the current trend of teacher attrition may seem dire, we can begin to address it based on what we already know about student engagement and ownership.
The importance of care
Not unlike other fields with high expectations, demanding customers, and the potential for long hours, the job of a teacher is rife with opportunities for stress and anxiety. Between interactions with students, parents and administrators, teachers also feel pressure for their students to perform well on standardized tests and benchmarks linked to rigorous state standards. Combine this with a shifting social and political environment that is actively questioning the value of public education as a common good, and teachers have little shelter.
Although the external factors that cause teachers stress and anxiety are not easy to change, it’s possible for school leaders to help teachers manage and mitigate the impact of these factors. Even more on point, it’s important for school leaders to look toward the organizational factors they can change that can improve the health and well-being of their faculty. Personal health and emotional wellness have become major factors in teachers’ decisions to leave the classroom.
Providing space and time for teachers to form and nurture collegial relationships is an essential first step in promoting teacher wellness. Research has shown that social connections can reduce levels of stress that lead to burnout and attrition (Madigan & Kim, 2021). Similarly, when teachers feel supported and connected to their leaders, they are less likely to seek other opportunities for work. As the Wong quote mentions above, a collaborative and consistent environment can go a long way to reducing the feelings of isolation, helplessness and disappointment that lead to leaving the classroom.
The unspoken issue
The business world has been tuning into the importance of employee mental health and wellness for some time. Through employee assistance programs, free counseling, fitness benefits and mental well-being supports, companies are actively seeking ways to keep their workforce healthy and engaged. Allowing jeans on Fridays or placing candy in the mailbox are nice thoughts but do little to address the underlying concerns that cause workplace stress and anxiety. Gone are the days when teachers are willing to “fake it until they make it” in the classroom. They need support through an authentic and intentional culture of care to give students their best.
Spend any time in common areas where teachers visit outside the classroom and discussions of frustrating or stressful encounters with students, parents or administrators are sure to be heard. While some teachers are able to easily move past such interactions, others are less able to do so. Prior experiences, personal confidence, expertise and collegial resources all play a part in how someone reacts to a stressful event (Lazarus, 2006). Everyone is different. Ongoing job-related stress can lead to exhaustion, feelings of inadequacy, declining health, poor home relationships and ultimately a decision to quit as a means to achieve relief (Kaiser, 2023). A lack of formal supports and positive social connections within the school can multiply the impact of stressful encounters.
Culture and wellness
Culture has a meaningful impact on how teachers view their school and the work they do (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2020). When teachers feel heard by leadership and see issues addressed when shared, they are more likely to take personal ownership in their environment, stay in the classroom, and help others to do the
same. Although often mentioned as an important topic in leadership textbooks, the influence of perceived culture cannot be understated. It can play a larger role in decisions to stay than school demographics, class assignment, or even salary.
Students suffer when experienced and effective teachers leave the field (Holme, et al., 2018). Quality veteran teachers who return year over year can have a positive influence beyond their own classrooms, providing mentoring, support, and encouragement for new teachers joining the school. The impact can be exponential, as schools with little turnover often have well-defined cultures, norms and values that are desirable to new faculty. Unfortunately, schools serving students with the greatest need can find themselves having the most difficulty hiring and retaining the best teachers (CarverThomas & Darling-Hammond, 2019).
When leaders make efforts to engage teachers in shaping school culture, those teachers actually increase their opinion of the workplace and their role in improving it. This can have a secondary impact as well when time comes to recruit new teachers, as happy faculty act as advocates for the school and share positive stories of their experiences at home and in the community.
Taking action
Taking care of teachers does not need to be complex. The best strategies are those that can easily be woven into the school day and become part of the regular organizational culture. Wellness is not often mentioned in faculty meetings, teacher teams or professional developments. The idea of personal care needs to come into the open. To break feelings of isolation and anxiety, teachers need to know they are not alone. While not exhaustive, here is a list of potential activities to explore:
Identify and address common drivers of stress
Discovering the needs of teachers can be a challenge. Individuals may not want to be identified, or they may feel they are alone in their frustration. It’s essential to provide a safe environment that emphasizes the importance of personal care and allows individual issues to come to the surface. Gaining feedback should also be ongoing. As the context of education continues to change, so will the needs of teachers.
• Consider using anonymous surveys or focus groups to gather information about what specific concerns teachers have. Collect the information and share it with the faculty to open a dialogue.
• Work with teams to develop a campus plan to prioritize and address common areas of stress. Communicate this work frequently and transparently.
• Develop mentoring and support groups for teachers at various stages of professional experience. Mentoring is beneficial for all teachers, not just those new to the field.
• Provide opportunities for non-work related social interaction during the day. This could include after school celebrations, shared meals, or even interest groups such as a walking club, book group, or other activity.
• Create calm and quiet places to work and collaborate when not in the classroom.
Encourage a culture of care and support
School culture sets the foundation for how students, teachers, and other stakeholders operate together. A positive and collaborative culture can help increase feelings of agency, solidify ownership in the school, strengthen collegial bonds, and reduce the impact of stress. By emphasizing the importance of personal health and wellness, the school places value on the difficult work teachers do.
• Create clubs, connections, and care groups for faculty. Provide space on campus for them to meet.
• Start the year or semester with an off-campus retreat to discuss future goals and give teachers an opportunity to interact and give feedback.
• Regularly encourage a structured sharing of stories during group meetings. These should include successes as well as frustrations. Provide guiding questions to allow shared problem-solving.
• Provide training on stress management. This could include more active learning such as books study, guided reflective journaling exercises, and role-play through structured scenarios.
• Listen to teachers when they share needs both at school and at home. Allow them to take time to take care of themselves when they need it without added guilt. It is more difficult to find a new teacher than a substitute for a day.
The decision to leave teaching is a difficult one. It represents the culmination of multiple factors both under our control and those that are not. By focusing on wellness and care, school leaders highlight the value that teachers bring. Ignoring the issues that cause stress and anxiety will only serve to continue the current trend of teacher attrition. If we want our students to have the best learning opportunities, we need to start by ensuring our teachers feel cared for, safe, and essential to what we do. n
Forrest Kaiser currently serves as an assistant professor in the School of Education at the University of Texas at Tyler. With more than 20 years of experience in education serving in the classroom, campus administration, and higher education, Dr. Kaiser is passionate about growing a new generation of school leaders that will hire, support and retain an effective teaching faculty.
References
Carver-Thomas, D., & Darling-Hammond, L. (2019). The trouble with teacher turnover: How teacher attrition affects students and schools. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 27(36). https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.27.3699
Holme, J. J., Jabbar, H., Germain, E., & Dinning, J. (2018). Rethinking teacher turnover: Longitudinal measures of instability in schools. Educational Researcher, 47(1), 62-75. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X17735813
Kaiser, F. J. (2023). #TeacherQuitTok: A content analysis of how current and former teachers navigate attrition on TikTok. School Leadership Review, 17(2) Article 7. https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/slr/vol17/iss2/7/
Lazarus, R. S. (2006). Emotions and interpersonal relationships: Toward a Person‐Centered conceptualization of emotions and coping. Journal of Personality, 74(1), 9-46. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2005.00368.x
Madigan, D. J., & Kim, L. E. (2021). Towards an understanding of teacher attrition: A meta-analysis of burnout, job satisfaction, and teachers’ intentions to quit. Teaching and teacher education, 105, 103425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103425
National Center for Education Statistics. (2022, March 3). U.S. schools report increased teacher vacancies due to COVID-19 pandemic, new NCES data show. https://nces.ed.gov/whatsnew/press_releases/3_3_2022.asp
Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2020). Teacher burnout: relations between dimensions of burnout, perceived school context, job satisfaction and motivation for teaching. A longitudinal study. Teachers and Teaching, 26(7-8), 602-616. https://doi.org/10.1080/1 3540602.2021.1913404
Will, M. (2023, August 30). What teacher-preparation enrollment looks like, in charts. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/ teaching-learning/what-teacher-preparation-enrollment-looks-like-in-charts/2023/08
Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (2018). The first days of school: How to be an effective teacher (5th ed.). Harry K. Wong Publications.
TSPRA VOICE
Ten resolutions to becoming a better school communications leader
by Wendy Sledd
2025 is here. What does the year ahead hold for you as a communications professional? No matter your role, here are several leadership skills that are essential for us to lean into in the new year. Here are the top 10 to get you started.
1. Prioritize self-care and the well-being of yourself (and your workforce).
Self-care is a leadership skill. We can’t lead at our best and hold the strongest “container” for those we love and lead if we're burned out, exhausted, unhappy, unkind to ourselves, and not fully resourced.
2. Be present and prioritize people.
Our (true) presence is one of the greatest gifts we can give each other. Your people feeling seen will give you more. Period. Prioritize the human, be present with them, and see them, and create guardrails, agreements for performance, and clear expectations. Then set them free to do their magic.
3. Get clear on your intention and purpose, lead from love, and be “in service of.”
Intention is at the root of creating impact. Moving fast and navigating the demands around us, it's easy to forget or disconnect from intention (or not to have one to begin with). Pausing to consider intention and to get clear on purpose — why we’re doing what we’re doing, who it impacts, and what it’s all for — clarifies actions and decisions, points energy in the right direction, creates clean yeses and nos, and makes those hard decisions easier.
4. Tend to the “soft stuff” — the unspoken and intangible — and the cost of negative energy in your organization.
Negative energy is costing us billions of dollars a year in the US — a recent Gallup study put us at $483 to $605 billion a year in lost productivity due to actively disengaged employees.
“Actively disengaged” has everything to do with the energy in your organization. While it’s been easy and tempting to skip dealing with the "soft stuff" in leadership and culture, you can’t. Leaders and organizations who want to go further faster and better will lean into it.
5. Work on your first impression.
You have one-tenth of a second to make a first impression. 93% of your impact is in how you’re showing up, and you’re contagious. The energy and presence you bring into a room will be felt and likely taken on by others (just as you may take on theirs). You can set the tone, or you can be clobbered by it.
6. Cut the baloney. Tell the truth.
If your intentions are clean and you’re focusing on the right things, the truth works just great. Save yourself a ton of time, energy and bandwidth to focus on the right things — as opposed to posturing, pretending and evading hard truths. We're all doing the best we can. We’re human. So be human. Be humble. Ask for help. Lean into vulnerability. And create space for others to do the same.
7. Get comfortable with your discomfort.
If you really want to lead and create impact, you’re going to have to get comfortable with your discomfort — comfortable with confronting the things you may not want to address head on, comfortable saying no to things that don’t line up, and comfortable with saying yes to things that do but that stretch you. Your comfort with discomfort is proportional to how far you can lead. Lean in.
8. Take 100% accountability for your experience, your leadership and your results.
You are the author of your life — what you create is totally up to you. You have zero control over anyone else or anything, but you do control you. Take the time to set yourself up
well through your self-talk, intentions, and planning. Create boundaries and take a minute to hear yourself think.
9. Prioritize and focus on the right things.
You can have it all — if you must. And that may mean you’re exhausted or doing subpar on all levels. Prioritize meaning, show up, do it well, lead well, stay well, and bring all of you to what’s most important. And then move to the next thing when you’re ready.
10. Hold a solid container for yourself and others.
This means seeing the best in yourself and your people, getting curious about what’s possible for you in your growth (and for them), seeing, and believing. Challenge people to step up — give them productive feedback and commit to being in service of their growth than you are to being liked (or comfortable).
2025 is here! Let's lead.
Cybersecurity experts serving
Wendy Sledd is TSPRA regional vice-president, West Central Region, and communications coordinator in Waco ISD.
TECH TAKE
Real-life compliance with the SCOPE Act
by the TETL Next Digital Shift Committee
The Securing Children Online Through Parental Empowerment “SCOPE” Act was passed in Texas House Bill 18, on June 13, 2023. Effective Sept. 1, 2024, the SCOPE Act requires digital service providers to protect children under 18 from harmful content and data collection practices. The act places requirements on data service providers (DSP) and, in turn, school districts that leverage the applications of DSPs to ensure that parents have visibility and control over their children’s data and content access.
The primary purpose of the SCOPE Act is to protect minor children (under 18) from harmful, deceptive or unfair trade practices from digital services and electronic devices, including the use and transfer of electronic devices to students by a public school. The act aims to provide parents greater transparency and visibility into their children’s online activity. It does this by granting verified parents the ability to control and monitor the minor’s activity and privacy through parental tools provided by the DSPs and placing additional requirements on the DSP.
It also requires that the DSP for social media platforms enter into an agreement with the parents before use of the services by a known minor. Due to the requirements placed on DSPs, school districts must also provide transparency, consent and visibility into the applications and software they use to collect a student’s personally identifiable information (PII). Districts need to have a clearly defined procedure for implementing student access with verified parental consent so they do not allow content that the parent might deem inappropriate.
For Texas school districts, this translates to careful consideration of our technology vendors and data storage solutions. The SCOPE Act intersects with several critical areas that come under the responsibilities of Texas school districts. SCOPE requires DSPs to limit the collection and use of minors’ personal information and prohibits the sharing or selling of the data. School districts must ensure digital applications comply with these regulations to protect student data privacy. Compliance is essential as school districts collect and manage student data as part of their regular operations.
Additionally, the SCOPE Act emphasizes the role of parental involvement through parental consent of their children’s usage of digital resources. This lays the foundation for trust development between the district and parents and proactively allows parents to be involved in their child’s digital life. Finally, the SCOPE Act mandates that digital service providers implement measures to protect minors from harmful content. This includes filtering and blocking material related to suicide, self-harm, substance abuse, and other dangerous behaviors. Districts must ensure that students have digital resources or devices that comply with this requirement.
Under the SCOPE Act's restrictions, districts must ensure they correctly store and process student and staff data. SCOPE mandates that schools limit student data collection to only what is necessary for educational purposes. This reduces the risk of unnecessary exposure to sensitive information. However, it also necessitates having staff resources and time to vet and review digital applications. Compliance with the SCOPE Act requires additional administrative efforts to manage consent forms, implement consent usage, monitor data usage and ensure that all digital tools meet the new standards. As such, SCOPE generates many increased administrative responsibilities without providing additional funding.
The Texas Education Technology Leaders (TETL) Next Digital Shift Committee elected to use a collaborative research framework as a structured approach to report on compliance with the SCOPE Act. This article aims to share practical experiences from districts across the state and provide actionable insights and recommendations. Participating districts were Corpus Christi ISD (33,387 students), Cypress-Fairbanks ISD (118,155 students), Prosper ISD (28,118 students), and Schertz-Cibolo Universal City (15,528 students). The authors shared experiences, conducted interviews, gathered survey information, and shared case studies.
The SCOPE Act provides for several safety measures around social media platforms. Parents must consent to minors creating social media accounts and mandate that the social media platform verify the user's age and obtain parental consent before allowing minors to access services. The bill encourages the development of tools for parents to monitor and control their children’s online activities. Vendors must provide transparency regarding such tools and assist parents with usage. The bill also provides for stricter data privacy standards for minors, limiting the collection and sharing of personal information unless it is essential for service. It calls for stateled initiatives to educate parents, children and educators about online safety, digital citizenship and the potential risks of the internet. SCOPE also establishes a mechanism for enforcement, including possible penalties for vendor noncompliance with requirements for parental consent and age verification. Collaboration between social media platforms, law enforcement and other entities is promoted. The intent is to establish reporting mechanisms for cyberbullying, online harassment and exploitation.
Paula Ross, assistant superintendent of technology services and information systems for CFISD states, “To comply with
the SCOPE Act, organizations need clear guidelines, strong technological systems and continuous training. Effectiveness hinges on building a compliance culture supported by leadership and proactive monitoring.”
The authors’ findings indicated that common difficulties faced by school districts included:
• developing a process for evaluating digital resources
• identifying and vetting all relevant vendors and service providers for compliance
• monitoring vetted applications for privacy/security updates or changes
• difficulty having service providers respond with completed Texas data privacy agreements
• navigating complex ownership structures of technology companies
• discussions with digital resources companies regarding noncompliance criteria
• balancing compliance with budget constraints and existing contracts
• having staff resources and time for application vetting
• ensuring continuity of services while transitioning to compliant providers
The goals of the SCOPE Act can be summarized in a single word: trust. School districts are expected to provide transparency regarding the tools used in the education process and the specific data elements for each student that may be shared through digital resources. These disclosures of particular products will also enhance financial accountability and curricular understanding. From the
perspective of technology leadership in Texas districts, we aim to achieve compliance by fostering a culture of shared trust between parents, students and, ultimately, the vendors who will need to handle any of our students’ data.
Our primary goal is safeguarding our students' and staff's personal information. This means thoroughly vetting our technology stack, ensuring data sovereignty, and having vendors sign our data protection agreement.
Several Texas school districts have implemented measures to comply with the SCOPE Act. The following case study shows “real-life compliance with the SCOPE Act.”
CFISD set the following criteria for student software and technology. This criteria was used to develop the districtapproved lists for the 2024-25 school year.
1. Software should include a published privacy policy, published terms of services and published age limitations.
2. Software should not include chat, published profiles, social sharing or advertisements.
3. Software applications must not conduct mental health assessments or other assessments unrelated to educational curricula without direct and informed consent.
4. Complaints or concerns regarding student use of electronic devices should be reported to campus administration or through the CFISD Tipline located on the district website.
In CFISD, software orders come in via a service ticket through the technology department and software order requests must verify that the requested item is on the approved list. Additionally, the district’s purchase requisition approvers redirect all customers back through the service ticket portal for digital resourceapproved verification.
CFISD has streamlined obtaining parental consent by using digital tools and platforms. Parents were sent a communication before school started explaining the SCOPE Act and a new student software website went live after the parent notification. The site included a brief video, general overview, grade-level software links, and opt-out information. Parents could opt out of using the CFISD-approved digital resource list (organized by grade levels) through the parent online portal. Parents who opted out were contacted by their school to explain the implications and confirm the parent’s choice. Additionally, a parent can access the portal at any time and change their selection.
At CFISD, training was also provided to teachers and staff on the requirements of the SCOPE Act and how to implement them effectively. Resource tools were also offered to principals and schools. After the district notification, a one-page document was provided to schools for parents who enrolled their students. Slide decks were given to campus principals for staff training and campuses regularly run a report listing which students have opted out of the CFISD technology and software. The report also identifies students enrolled in a high school credit course requiring technology with the course names listed on the report. The district provides training and directions to schools on how to run these reports.
Because the opt-out was an all-ornothing opt-out, staff members called
parents to verify that the parents understood the implications of opting out. The district provided scripts and talking points for these phone calls and schools alerted teachers as to which students have opted out. Students who opted out were required to return their Chromebooks and not access technology while on campus except for online assessments.
If, after the phone call verification, the parent continued opting their student out, students in high school credit courses requiring technology were removed and placed in a different course. All students take required assessments online (campus, district, state and assessments for college readiness), even if the parent has opted the student out of technology.
CFISD is currently reviewing digital resources for the 2025-26 school year. The department uses 1EdTech’s TrustEd Apps Management Suite (TAMS) for resource review. 1EdTech, formerly IMS Global Learning Consortium, is a member-based, nonprofit organization. Their mission is to enhance learning experiences by fostering the development and adoption of open standards for digital learning tools and resources. The review committee has identified rubric elements (data collection, security, third-party data, and advertising)
that align precisely with the SCOPE Act or Texas Education Code 32. TAMS rates rubric area criteria as either met, partially met, or unmet. If all review criteria meet compliance, the application passes the preliminary review. It is added to the approved list. Each application on the approved list is reviewed by a committee with a district-defined rubric (instructional needs, technically supported). If there are no concerns from the districtdefined rubric, applications are moved to the approved list for the 2025–26 school year.
The initial TAMS review denies the application if any requirements are marked as partially met or unmet. The committee then works with the appropriate district personnel to initiate the NDPA process with the application vendor. If an NDPA is obtained for a denied resource, then the application also undergoes vetting by each technology team with a district-defined rubric (instructional needs, technically supported).
CFISD Director of Information Services and Applications Jennifer Grimm states, "Real-life compliance with the SCOPE Act is a marathon, not a sprint. It demands an ongoing commitment to adapting and
evolving our practices as technology and the digital landscape change."
Last year, CFISD piloted a product from Lightspeed Systems called Digital Insight. This allowed CFISD to capture apps used across different devices and OS platforms. Over the course of the pilot, CFISD found that they used many other applications that performed the same function. Hence, by using this tool and TAMS from 1EDTech, the district is building a standardized digital resource library that is in the best interest of students.
In reviewing the participating district’s processes, a key finding among the four school districts was that all districts had a deep concern for implementing processes compliant with the law, providing resources in the best interest of students, and deepening trust with parents in this endeavor.
Partnerships with parents, school staff and vendors ensure districts provide viable and secure student digital resources. Some of the common barriers identified are time and staffing resources. It takes a considerable amount of time to vet an application and concerns were raised about monitoring changes for digital resource compliance status.
Districts working toward compliance with the SCOPE Act will recognize certain stakeholder groups impacted by the process, beginning with the most critical group: Texas students. Districts can expect community-driven changes to curriculum-supporting tools to be emphasized or deemphasized based on parents’ tailored requests.
While this can have a positive impact, allowing a more excellent voice in the education of the community’s students, these changes must also be balanced with the expectations laid out by the TEA for
student learning and growth. In determining which tools can appropriately handle student data, either by district review or parent inquiry, the students may also shift to learning with different digital tools.
School and district administrators in the areas of technology and curriculum must work together increasingly to confirm through valid data that student growth is continuing. Reviewing student assessment data compared to digital resource utilization should help determine if these tools are progressing student learning as expected.
In the cases where individual tailoring has taken place, data reviews will need to change to isolate the student’s or group of students’ variances from those caused by the changes in resources leveraged. This additional complexity is expected to provide greater clarity on the strength of digital resources. Still, it may also inhibit
districts from reaching those conclusions quickly and with certainty after implementing compliance.
The local community will better understand the tools available to teachers and students for engagement and learning. As districts work toward compliance, parents may review these tools and ask for more information about how they are used or how their students’ data is used. This can positively increase parents’ involvement in their students' education process. As further steps are taken to achieve compliance, parents may also directly tailor their students’ learning process. Focusing on individual needs can sometimes lead to a fragmented curriculum, limiting students' exposure to diverse perspectives and shared knowledge. This can hinder their ability to collaborate effectively, solve complex problems, and become well-rounded citizens. Each district must implement a process to inform parents of the reasoning behind each tool and the data used previously to confirm student growth through these tools.
Implementing the SCOPE Act represents a significant advancement in protecting minors from harmful digital content and practices. Key findings indicate that the act enhances parental control over children’s online activities and fosters a culture of transparency and accountability within school districts. The collaborative research framework employed by Texas Education Technology Leaders (TETL) has highlighted effective compliance strategies and the importance of fostering trust among all stakeholders — parents, students and digital service providers. Notably, the case studies from districts such as CFISD demonstrate best practices such as rigorous educational software vetting, streamlining parental consent processes, and ongoing educator training. These efforts have provided a roadmap for other districts navigating the complexities of
compliance, underscoring the vital role of communication and collaboration in successfully implementing the SCOPE Act.
Several areas warrant further research and potential development to enhance compliance and address ongoing challenges. First, the evolving nature of digital services necessitates continuous monitoring of technological advancements and their implications for student data privacy. Developing adaptive compliance frameworks that can keep pace with rapid changes in technology will be crucial. Second, there is a need for more extensive training programs for educators and administrators focused on the practical application of the SCOPE Act, ensuring that all stakeholders are equipped to handle compliance effectively.
Further research could also explore the long-term impacts of parental control measures on student learning outcomes and engagement. Understanding how these tools shape educational experiences will be essential for balancing parental oversight with the need for a diverse and rich learning environment. Moreover, policy recommendations may emerge that seek to refine the SCOPE Act based on real-world experiences, ensuring it meets its objectives without imposing undue burdens on educational institutions.
In conclusion, as school districts adapt to the SCOPE Act, ongoing dialogue among educators, parents and policymakers will be vital in shaping an educational landscape that prioritizes student safety and privacy while promoting meaningful learning experiences. n
Kim Bowlin is the assistant director of technology support services/purchasing for Cypress-Fairbanks ISD.
Chris Cannon is the director of information systems for Prosper ISD.
Brandon Manrow is the coordinator of business information systems for Corpus Christi ISD.
References
Texas House Bill 18, Securing Children Online Through Parental Empowerment (SCOPE) Act, 88th Legislature, Regular Session (2023). Retrieved from https:// capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/pdf/ HB00018H.pdf
Glossary of terms
Digital services: A website, application, program or software that collects or processes personal identifying information (PII) with internet connectivity.
Digital service providers (DSPs): Owner or operator of a digital service; determines the purpose of collecting and processing the personal identifying information of users of the digital service; and determines the means used to collect and process the personal identifying information of users of the digital service.
Known minor: A person that a DSP knows to be under the age of 18.
Minor: A person under the age of 18.
Personal identifying information: Information linked or reasonably linkable to an identifiable individual.
Verified parent: Parent or legal guardian of a known minor whose identity and relationship to the minor have been verified by a DSP.
Steve Barnwell is the director of technology for Schertz-Cibolo Universal City ISD.
A “chainsaw” cautionary tale: avoiding the allure of heroic turnaround
by Quintin Shepherd
The superintendency: political without being a politician
Most veteran business leaders remember the era of “Chainsaw Al” Dunlap, a once-celebrated CEO known for ruthless cost-cutting and headline-grabbing turnarounds. At companies including Scott Paper and then Sunbeam in the late 1990s, Al Dunlap was touted as a heroic figure. He was the unstoppable force who would swoop in, take drastic action, and produce miraculous shortterm results. His scrupulous layoffs and plant closures were hailed as part of a “magic formula” for boosting profits.
That formula, however, was fraught with hidden risks. Dunlap’s leadership style often alienated employees, and his obsession with short-term stock value led to questionable accounting practices that eventually caught up with him and the company. Sunbeam collapsed under the weight of those decisions … leaving tarnished reputations and broken promises in its wake.
While it might be tempting to read these headlines as a relic of 1990s corporate culture, the themes that drove “Chainsaw Al” to infamy transcend a particular industry. School and district leaders, too, can fall prey to the allure of quick wins and the myth of a “heroic turnaround.” When we romanticize a single figure’s ability to magically fix long-standing systemic issues, we risk overlooking the collaborative, long-range approaches that yield sustainable results.
The evolution (and romanticization) of school turnaround
Poignantly, this is vital work in rather challenging times. School turnaround and district turnaround initiatives are essential when student performance indicators, graduation rates, or teacher retention metrics consistently lag. For instance, federal programs such as the School Improvement Grants (SIG) of the 2010s poured billions of dollars into struggling campuses, aiming to spark rapid gains in test scores and other key markers. According to the U.S. Department of Education, more than 1,300 schools were funded by SIG at the program’s peak, with many communities championing the idea of bold, transformative leadership to rescue failing schools.
In theory, the necessity of turnaround is compelling. Communities desire effective leaders who can quickly address underperformance, low morale, and resource deficits. Elected boards and superintendents are under immense pressure to demonstrate evidence of improvement. This climate fosters an appetite for “superstar” school leaders who promise dramatic improvements on a compressed timeline.
How turnaround became romanticized
Romanticization happens when a concept is glamorized to the point that its complexities and inherent risks are downplayed or ignored. In school districts, this often emerges in the narrative of a singular, heroic principal or superintendent who can rewrite an entire system’s fate by sheer force of will. Media attention, board endorsements and community hopes can feed into this storyline.
The impulse is understandable. After all, quick success stories feel good, are memorable and stories are easy to repeat, and district stakeholders yearn for reassurance that real change is possible.
Yet, as the cautionary tale of “Chainsaw Al” shows, heroic narratives about turnaround often gloss over deeper, systemic issues. In education, these might include entrenched inequities in funding, persistent teacher shortages, or community challenges outside the school’s control.
The obvious lessons from “Chainsaw Al”
1. Short-term vs. long-term: Dunlap’s fixation on near-term shareholder returns parallels how some schools chase immediate test score bumps without addressing core instructional or cultural needs.
2. Hero CEO (or principal) myth: Just as Sunbeam’s stakeholders put too much faith in one person, many school turnaround efforts center on a single dynamic leader rather than building sustained capacity across the faculty and staff.
3. Eroding trust: When the results don’t last (or seem manipulated) stakeholders lose faith. Opaque decision-making or toxic work environments in education can erode trust faster than any short-lived academic gains can restore it.
Transformative lessons for education leaders
Genuine school turnaround is rarely a solitary endeavor. Rather than hinging on a single heroic figure, effective change emerges when teachers, administrators, families, and students collaborate toward common goals. This systemic, collaborative approach acknowledges the complexity of educational ecosystems and
recognizes that distributed leadership, targeted coaching, and ongoing professional learning communities (PLCs) can have a cumulative impact over time. When these stakeholders work together, there is a stronger collective commitment to improvement, and innovative ideas are more likely to take root. Top-down mandates alone are not enough; it’s the synergy of shared ownership and continual feedback that produces enduring progress.
Another vital lesson for education leaders is to balance short-term indicators of success with long-term institutional growth. In the same way that a CEO might deliver a short-lived surge in profits through cost cutting, a school leader may witness a temporary rise in test scores by focusing exclusively on quick instructional fixes. However, this can obscure more systemic issues, such as insufficient resources, inequities among student groups, or misaligned teaching practices. Sustainable success calls for leaders to set carefully considered goals that encompass academic outcomes alongside broader measures of school culture, equity, and student well-being. Data remains an essential tool, but it should be interpreted within a holistic framework that values genuine learning and healthier communities over immediate, and perhaps fragile, gains.
Clear, transparent communication underpins all of these endeavors. When teachers, parents and students suspect that key decisions are made behind closed doors or that unfavorable data is being hidden, they quickly become disillusioned with the leadership’s agenda. If turnaround leaders aim to build authentic trust, they must be open about both the challenges they face and the strategies they plan to implement. Inviting community members into the conversation, whether through town halls, faculty advisory panels, or student input sessions helps dispel feelings of
uncertainty and fosters a shared sense of responsibility. The more that leaders articulate how and why changes are occurring, the greater the willingness of the school community to rally behind these improvements.
Ultimately, capacity-building is what distinguishes a fleeting turnaround from long-lasting organizational progress. Leaders who prioritize teacher development, invest in robust leadership pipelines, and institute continuous improvement systems are planting seeds of success that will outlive their own tenure. These investments ensure that once an effective leader departs, a school or district will not regress to previous performance levels, but rather continue to thrive. By empowering educators and strengthening collective capacity, these school systems become more adaptive and resilient, avoiding the pitfalls of overreliance on any single, charismatic leader.
1. Systemic, collaborative approaches: True improvement emerges from system-wide collaboration: teachers, staff, families, and students co-labor in the endeavor. Instead of leaning on one “heroic” figure, districts should focus on distributed leadership models, continuous coaching, and PLCs.
2. Short-term data vs. long-Haul progress: Temporary spikes in test scores might placate a community or a school board for a season, but are they masking deeper issues? Sustainable growth comes when leaders set strategic goals that integrate academic outcomes, culturebuilding, equity initiatives and student well-being.
3. Communication and transparency: Like Sunbeam’s
stakeholders, teachers and parents grow wary if they feel shut out or misled. Turnaround leaders succeed when they prioritize transparent communication, are open about challenges, and invite genuine input from the entire community.
4. apacity-building over complacency: The best turnaround leaders aren’t just focused on short-term goals; they also invest in teacher development, leadership pipelines, and continuous improvement structures. When that leader eventually moves on, the system is stronger than they found it.
A final note: pacing for real change
Our greatest danger in romanticizing turnarounds is that we might forget the marathon nature of true educational reform. Turnaround remains essential, but it must be undertaken with care, collaboration, and a steadfast eye on the long-term health of the institution.
The sign of a true turnaround is not how fast you cut the fat, but how well you build the muscle that sustains growth.
If nothing else, that is the lesson we must remember … because every child, every teacher, and every community deserves more than a glamorous short-term fix. They deserve a future built on honest, enduring transformation.n
Dr. Quintin Shepherd is the superintendent of Pflugerville ISD. He works as an adjunct professor at University of HoustonVictoria and has served as a superintendent for the past 19 years in three states.
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