INSIGHT—Spring 2019

TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS PROFESSIONAL JOURNAL

Create a future-ready district through networking, inspiration, transformation p. 10 Plus: TASA talking points 2018-19 p. 20

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INSIGHT

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INSIGHT

Volume 34 No. 1

FEATURE ARTICLES & COLUMNS

CREATE A FUTURE-READY DISTRICT THROUGH NETWORKING, INSPIRATION, TRANSFORMATION 10 TASA’s Future-Ready Superintendents Leadership Network

HIGHER EDUCATION

16

School district-university partnerships: promises and perils

Susan Holley, Carl Fahrenwald and Mario S.Torres SMALL SCHOOLS PERSPECTIVE

24

Cultivating powerful networks of teacher leaders: the emergence of teacher leader academies in South Central Texas

Jo Ann Bludau, Courtney Hudgins and Beverly Mikulenka

TCEA TECH TAKE Five action steps to growth gap innovation

28

Miguel Guhlin TSPRA VOICE Selling to the sellers: Engaging area real estate agents as district ambassadors and hosting a successful agent conference

31

Megan Overman TASA TALKING POINTS Useful information for administrators and legislators to discuss school finance during the 86th legislative session

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OFFICERS Gayle Stinson, President, Lake Dallas ISD Greg Smith, President-Elect, Clear Creek ISD

DEPARTMENTS

Brian T. Woods, Vice President, Northside ISD Buck Gilcrease, Past President

TASA Professional Learning Calendar

5

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

President’s Message

7

Max A. Thompson, Region 2, Banquete ISD

Executive Director’s View

9

Jeanette Winn, Region 3, Karnes City ISD Charles E. Dupre, Region 4, Fort Bend ISD Todd Lintzen, Region 5, Bridge City ISD Clark C. Ealy, Region 6, College Station ISD Stan Surratt, Region 7, Lindale ISD Judd Marshall, Region 8, Mount Pleasant ISD Curtis Eldridge, Region 9, Saint Jo ISD Kevin Worthy, Region 10, Royse City ISD David Belding, Region 11, Aubrey ISD

INSIGHT EDITORIAL STAFF

Executive Director

George Kazanas, Region 12, Midway ISD Kevin Brown

Assistant Executive Director, Services and Systems Administration

Ann M. Halstead

Amy Francisco

Director, Communications and Media Relations

Design/Production Marco A. De La Cueva

Editorial Director

Dacia Rivers

INSIGHT is published quarterly by the Texas Association of School Administrators, 406 East 11th Street, Austin, Texas, 78701-2617. Subscription is included in TASA membership dues. © 2018 by TASA. All rights reserved.TASA members may reprint articles in limited quantities for in-house educational use.

Articles in INSIGHT are expressions of the author or interviewee and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of TASA. Advertisements do not necessarily carry the endorsement of the Texas Association of School Administrators.

INSIGHT is printed by 360 Press Solutions, Cedar Park, Texas.

Jodi Duron, Region 13, Elgin ISD Aaron Hood, Region 15, Robert Lee ISD Donna Hale, Region 16, Miami ISD Keith Bryant, Region 17, Lubbock-Cooper ISD Ariel Elliott, Region 18, Greenwood ISD Jeannie Meza-Chavez, Region 19, San Elizario ISD Michelle Carroll Smith, Region 20, Lytle ISD

AT-LARGE MEMBERS LaTonya Goffney, Aldine ISD Scott Niven, Allen ISD Jamie Wilson, Denton ISD Roland Toscano, East Central ISD

LEGISLATIVE CHAIR Doug Williams, Sunnyvale ISD

EDITORIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE Brian T. Woods, Northside ISD, Chair David Belding, Aubrey ISD Fred Brent, Georgetown ISD Jodi Duron, Elgin ISD Stacey Edmonson, Sam Houston State University Doug Williams, Sunnyvale ISD

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TASA Professional Learning Calendar For details on our professional development events, please visit us at www.tasanet.org or call the TASA office at 512.477.6361 or 800.725.TASA (8272)

Date

Event

Presenter

Location

April 23-25

Curriculum Management Audit Training Susan Townsend Level 2

29-30

Academy for Transformational Leadership Schlechty Center Session 4

TASA Headquarters Austin, TX

Georgetown ISD Georgetown, TX

May 1-2

Future-Ready Superintendents Various Leadership Network (FRSLN) Event: Future-Ready Leadership

Georgetown ISD Georgetown, TX

June 23-25 UT/TASA Summer Conference on Education Various

Hyatt Regency Austin, TX

July 31-August 1

First-time Superintendents Academy Session 1

Austin Marriott North Round Rock, TX

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THE TIME IS RIGHT

W

hat a difference a year makes. The landscape in public education has been weathering seasons of change over the past few months. At this time last year, we were embroiled in a dogfight in the primary elections. The rancor over the dismissive attitude by the state leaders regarding public education spilled over into the summer months, and the disputes leading up to the November elections continued with increased acrimony rising from every rank of the public school system.

Gayle Stinson

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE When we say vote for the kids, we are not simply looking out for their interests; rather we are serving as their delegates, their protectors, their ambassadors.

Educational advocates from parents and teachers to school administrators found their voices. In the general election, pro-public education sentiments were heard by the elected officials, and as a result, the tide toward a more positive rhetoric about the futures of our schoolchildren began to rise. Throughout the process, we learned the value of some great partnerships — Pastors for Texas Children, Friends of Texas Public Schools and Raise Your Hand Texas offered models of support that helped catapult us to the next level. Couple their backing with a gargantuan effort from TASA membership, advocacy groups and a groundswell from the grass roots, I believe that we witnessed the development of a renewed energy around Texas public schools by some wonderful and supportive legislators and state officials who are aligned with TASA’s original visioning document and 2025 blueprint for success.

As the Capitol grew abuzz in January with the arrival of the 86th Legislature, hope and collaboration became key factors. Our hope rests in the campaign promises set forth by our elected officials to prioritize public education across the state. Legislators from both sides of the aisle have been open to hearing from TASA leadership regarding our legislative priorities.

Instituting and funding a teacher pay raise is crucial, but the work cannot stop there. We must continue to maintain our focus on the fight for every individual who is a part of our public education system, from the benefits for retired teachers to the fully funded programs for our pre-K children.

Creating the strongest educational environment for our kids and employees must include fully supported school safety initiatives, increased allotments for technology and instructional materials, valid student assessments and a meaningful accountability system.

We must assert that tax dollars directed to traditional, community schools are never diverted to homeschooled students, parents with no academic or financial accountability, or to private entities. Charter schools must be regulated and held to the same standards as traditional campuses.

We must persist in procuring additional funding for both new and aging facilities, as well as the existing debt allotment. Reserve resources must be in place for districts that experience catastrophic events, such as hurricanes. And finally, we must continue to work with legislators to help create an equitable and adequately funded formula-based school finance system once and for all.

In the midst of all of this legislative turmoil sits 5.4 million schoolchildren — and the vast majority of them cannot vote. As their proxies, we have the responsibility to create the strongest and most equitable system for them. When we say vote for the kids, we are not simply looking out for their interests; rather we are serving as their delegates, their protectors, their ambassadors.

Working with TASA leadership over the past several years has been a rewarding and enriching experience for me. I appreciate all of the camaraderie and support I have received from my fellow superintendents from every corner of the state. The determination of the membership to create a greater world for generations old and young is awe inspiring. Please continue the journey with us as we drive toward TASA 2025.

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THE BALANCE OF MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP

T Kevin Brown

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S VIEW Visionary leaders recognize that the demands of the workforce are changing, and therefore, the experiences we give our students must also change.

he varied and complex roles of administrators can generally be placed under two categories: management and leadership. The best superintendents do both very well.

Management matters. No one cares what your vision of leadership is if the roof is leaking, bus schedules don’t work, the bills don’t get paid and rooms aren’t clean. A big part of being an excellent leader is making sure all of the departments in a district run smoothly. School leaders have to be well versed in a huge array of areas and even turn to specialists for help when necessary.

Leaders are wise to use as many professional development opportunities as possible at service centers and through a variety of educational associations, including TASA, to make sure they can adequately master the management of a large organization.

Leadership matters, too. Communities hire superintendents because they want their schools to be the best they can be. Parents want their children to receive the best education possible, and that requires school leaders to constantly look for ways to improve their systems. Visionary leaders recognize that the demands of the workforce are changing, and therefore, the experiences we give our students must also change. This is no easy task, and it looks different in each unique community. However, when leaders collaboratively engage their local communities and staff in helping to define the needs, desires and dreams for their schools, great things can happen.

I know this because I see evidence of exemplary management and leadership as I travel across the great state of Texas.

One group of visionary leaders are those participating in TASA’s Future-Ready Superintendent Leadership Network (FRSLN). These dedicated leaders design three experiences in different school districts across the state each year and sometimes visit innovative companies. They don’t hire someone to come and give presentations where they would learn passively. Rather, they actively share the work they are doing with each other to help dramatically improve their own districts. This is a “community of learners” made up of practitioners who have anchored their work to the TASA visioning document. Whether it’s designing facilities for the 21st century, providing instructional coaching supports for teachers, figuring out how best to use or not use technology, or appropriately addressing social and emotional issues with students, these administrators are honing their craft and tailoring the best ideas they find to the unique needs of their schools.

For the past three years, FRSLN has thrived with more than 150 leaders taking part. Due to a large demand, we will look to expand membership in FRSLN next year. If you feel ready to learn from great, visionary leaders who are practitioners in the field as well as share the exemplary work you are doing in your district, FRSLN might be for you. It was one of the most powerful learning experiences I ever had as a superintendent—because I was learning from all of you.

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Create a future-read networking, inspirat

By Dacia Rivers

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INSIGHT

dy district through tion, transformation For more than a decade, TASA members have been setting their sights on the future, working to change the landscape of public education in Texas in ways that benefit the learners of today.

Beginning in 2006, 35 public school superintendents from across the state gathered as the Public Education Visioning Institute to create a new vision for public education. The result of the Institute’s work, “Creating a New Vision for Public Education in Texas,” published in 2008, has come to guide the school transformation movement in Texas.

In 2012 TASA designed the Future-Ready Superintendents Leadership Institute (FRSLI). It built capacity within a group of exceptional leaders to understand, design, and initiate innovative systemic changes locally and statewide.

In 2015 TASA developed the Future-Ready Superintendents Leadership Network (FRSLN) to provide the members of FRSLI and other school leaders committed to school transformation with opportunities to come together to learn from each other as well as experts in the field and gain the wisdom and inspiration they need to transform the path of public schools across Texas.

“These are participant-lead experiences that bring leaders from all over the state together to deepen learning and help further transformative change,” says Dr. Jill Siler, superintendent in Gunter ISD and chair of the FRSLN Design Team. “The network has been instrumental in bringing together superintendents from all different size districts, different types of districts, with one goal, which is to move forward all of Texas’ public schools.”

Siler was drawn to join the FRSLN when looking for inspiration on how to move forward in

her own district.When she realized the networking opportunities that joining the network would provide, she wanted to become involved.

“It was really about the people,” she says. “It was seeing superintendents who were gathering to talk about more than what was happening legislatively, about more than school finance, who were coming together to really push and challenge one another about how they could be leading their district in a different way.”

Dr. George Kazanas, superintendent in Midway ISD and a FRSLN member, also joined the group for the networking opportunities and the invaluable peer contacts it provides.

“You always have more than one person in the group who has knowledge, background knowledge and experiences they can share about a particular issue you may be facing,” Kazanas says.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for me to grow in my profession, to grow in my knowledge and to grow in my understanding of my job as a superintendent.”

While some administrators are looking for concrete support and suggestions from the FRSLN, Christi Morgan, assistant superintendent of Sunnyvale ISD, stresses that the group also addresses why schools need to change, not just how they might do so.

“For a lot of districts, if they come in new, the group helps explain why there’s a need for change and why our classrooms need to look different, why our instruction should look different,” she says. “As we’ve been able to listen to these people, it’s really helped encourage us to, I hate to say keep fighting the fight, but really, that’s what it is.”

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On a mission FRSLN is committed to the vision of school transformation. School transformation is no small concept, but what it really boils down to for network members is being able to see a different vision for what their school districts look like, and working together to find a way to get from here to there.

“We want to take our schools to a place where learning is individualized, not where student voice is disvalued, where students are empowered, where they are following their passions,” Siler says. “To do that systematically across a district is extremely challenging.”

In the face of such an arduous task, there is comfort in camaraderie, and members of the FRSLN, even those who come from small and rural districts, are never alone in their work. For many, hearing from other administrators who are working toward more progressive and innovative schools gives them confidence that they can do the same in their own districts.

“You can sometimes feel isolated as a superintendent,” Kazanas says. “Being part

12

Another FRSLN meeting in Dallas focused on inspiring curiosity and wonder in students. The group traveled to Waco Hoping to put away the status quo in to see how a school’s culture can support Sunnyvale and develop creative solu- a student’s freedom to learn. They vistions that benefit students, Morgan agrees ited an amusement park in San Antonio that the FRSLN provides much-needed that was designed for students with disabilities. Meeting topics are as varied as the encouragement.

Texas terrain, but always inspirational and “When we’re with the future-ready group, designed with an eye on the future. it’s almost a comfort because they’ve been through the trenches with us,” she says. “When we go out and do these learn“Sometimes you feel like you’re on an ing experiences, it challenges you to think island when you’re in the central office about how you can do things differently in and trying to make changes, but through your district,” Siler says.“It’s leaders coming this network, we know we have friends alongside one another and having deep and challenging conversations about what who have our backs.” schools could look like. of the network is inspiring, motivating and inspirational. It’s a no-judgement zone.”

Experience in action The FRSLN meets a few times throughout the year for networking and inspirational visits to Texas schools that are making transformational change work.

The group traveled to Lubbock for a meeting detailing social and emotional wellness, where they visited a school that focuses on student health and wellbeing, then heard from experts at Texas Tech University’s TWITR Project, an initiative bringing virtual mental health support to students anywhere in the state.

Get involved For more information on the FRSLN, visit www.futurereadytx.org. Interested superintendents can also contact Brandon Core at bcore@tasanet.org to learn more about the network and how to get involved. n

Dacia Rivers is editorial director of INSIGHT.

Jill Siler

Christi Morgan

George Kazanas

Gunter ISD

Sunnyvale ISD

Midway ISD

INSIGHT

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HIGHER EDUCATION School district-university partnerships: promises and perils

By Susan Holley, Carl Fahrenwald and Mario S. Torres

A

fitting place to begin a conversation on making a thriving school district-university partnership a reality is to take a deeper look into why these efforts seem to struggle so often to succeed and last. The thought of a mutually supportive relationship seems appealing and naturally advantageous for both parties. Problems do arise invariably. Momentum fizzles or resources disappear. These issues however may be symptomatic of a deeper cause — one which may be traced to differences in organizational behavior between schools and universities. Despite both institutions having elaborate organizational structures, a surfeit of administrative procedures and legal codes and implicit professional norms, these organizations go about their affairs in very different ways. Although governance and goals are characteristics of formal organizations that have endured for centuries, schools and universities share little in how these translate in their normal patterns of activity. Both differ in types of knowledge and levels of specialized expertise, academic freedom and respect for professional authority and autonomy (Birnbaum, 1988). Thus, it is easy to understand how the deck may be stacked against these well-intentioned initiatives when interests diverge.

Differences in the nature of work lead people in the field to draw assumptions and perspectives that are either inaccurate, misguided or skeptical. Two competing narratives seem to emerge. School personnel perceive university faculty as out of touch, self-absorbed and disinterested in the practicality of their research while academics groan schools are unreceptive to supporting research and innovation or care little about research. Typical concerns over the viability of such partnerships may include, for instance, understanding the details of how working together lends itself to academic improvement, expectations as to how researchers and practitioners will interface in the project, and preparing for “unintended consequences,” which may be undesirable (Coburn & Penuel, 2016).

While these viewpoints are valid, we argue that well-designed partnerships between school districts and universities have the potential to be mutually satisfying, especially in the realm of school leadership preparation. Research on promising partnerships has identified certain characteristics that may be predictive of their success. Some of these include: (a) agreement that theory when translated in a meaningful way can be very relevant to problems of practice; (b) the aims and scope of the partnership should meet the needs for both parties; (c) the goals of the partnership are clear and agreed upon; and (d) procedures on information sharing between the schools and the universities are established (Nelson, London, & Strobel, 2015). With greater awareness of the nuances in the process, these partnerships are more likely to succeed and thrive.

School districts and university educator preparation programs share a common vision — the transformation of our schools into learning organizations designed to provide a great education for every child. Their common mission to improve instruction and leadership to positively impact student outcomes also serves to bind schools and universities together. Yet, there is a pesky, lingering skepticism between practitioners and researchers, which is fed by the complexities of connecting research and its findings to the daily work in schools. Since research in isolation does not change school

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practice, the distance between schools and research findings can seem difficult, if not impossible, to bridge.

Schools need relevant and meaningful research to make its way into decisionmaking and successful implementation of school district improvement efforts.

This is happening in Texas through a growing number of research-practice partnerships (RPPs) where education leaders and researchers are joining to identify problems of practice that are currently facing school leaders in communities. These partnerships use their districts’ own schools, students and data, and they work collaboratively to study these issues with the intent of helping local school leaders improve student outcomes right at home. Contextualizing the findings and recommendations in this way is making the work and the results more relevant and accessible.

At Texas A & M University, there are ongoing efforts in research-practice partnerships. A multiyear project funded by the Kellogg Foundation is in progress now in a school district in Texas. The research is delving into the level of and capacity for inclusivity in the district for all students. Faculty use data to design immediate professional learning for campuses, and each year the research focus shifts to another dimension of inclusion, informed by the research to date. Another research partnership in Houston ISD produced results showing the positive effect of fine arts programs on overall student performance. Currently, there are two federally funded master’s programs for principal preparation, which seek students committed to leading districts and campuses with high concentrations of English language learners and students from poverty. The curriculum stresses special mindsets, skills and cultural sensitivities needed in leaders for our Texas campuses. Partnerships that include

ongoing practicums, consistent mentoring and leadership experiences during the summer months add value and benefit to research.

Research partnerships require a longterm commitment. Change is difficult, yet inevitable, and few school districts have the personnel, time or financial resources to engage in long-term research to enlighten practice on their own. What they do have is expertise and the commitment to the improvement of their schools’ practices and student outcomes. The promise of truly engaged, school districtuniversity research partnerships focused on real-world challenges can be realized by combining the collective knowledge and talents of all partners in studying and addressing real problems and development opportunities in real time, making necessary change efforts more informed, meaningful and intentional. Research designed and developed collaboratively and deeply embedded in the daily work in schools has greater potential to achieve school improvement and affect change.

University researchers have to take the initiative in reaching out to districts, clearly communicating the mutual benefits of partnerships. If there is an offer of help to define problems and issues in need of actionable research locally and an offer to seek funding to support the work, school districts can embrace the collaboration without the worry that they are being used as a crucible for a research agenda that has little connection or relevance to their needs. Making connections between the current struggles a district or school may be facing and the benefits of working together and learning from the research findings together is a powerful way to improve and solidify the practitioner/ university relationship.

In truth, professional educators face a wider gap between theory and practice compared to other disciplines because most people view themselves as education

experts based on their own unique school experience and perhaps the experience of raising school-age children.

Thus, the influence of personal opinion fueled by emotionally powerful anecdotal evidence can quickly overwhelm any education policy debate to the point of hopelessly blurring the line between research-based, data-driven decisions and simply “doing what works” as parents and practitioners. “Let those who have the facts (research-based evidence) pound the facts, leaving others without such evidence to simply pound the table,” as the old saying goes. All of us can attest to the crazy validity of “table pounding” in education, whether during school board meetings, parent interactions or within any number of other settings where improvised, pragmatic solutions based on powerful personal testimony carry the day.

Partnerships between K-12 schools and university graduate programs will continue to connect practitioners and researchers, because graduate students are both at once. The academic in the room who brings research-based testimony to the table cannot be dismissed as an “ivory tower” distraction because they are also the building principal. Ideally, practicing administrators would at least have the option to continue on a published research trajectory well beyond the years of their graduate school program, but sadly, the immediate job demands of the typical K-12 administrator role are not friendly to this hypothetical hybrid.

The historical separation, mistrust and misunderstandings between K-12 practitioners and university researchers arise from people’s own sense of reality and practicality, but the accountability movement will continue to drive or even demand new and more consistent theory/practice connections. Most of us become one or the other (researcher or practitioner) as we leave graduate school. Either we are driven away from

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the stimulating, theoretical world of research and research questions by the relentless, practical job demands of our career in administration or we are so captivated by the world of academia that we are compelled to pursue a full-time career path in higher education. We can do both at once. We can have the best of both worlds by building permanent, progressive K-12 school and university partnerships. n

References Bernstein-Yamashiro, B. (2004). Learning relationships: Teacher-student connections, learning and identity in high school. New Directions for Youth Development, 103, 55-70.

CoachU Personal and corporate coach training handbook. (2005) Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley and Sons. Sage Foundation Pub. Hasting, J.V. (2010). The next great awakening: How to empower God’s people with a coach approach to ministry.

Coaching4Clergy.

Karcher, M. (2005). The effects of developmental mentoring and high school mentors’ attendance on their younger mentee’s self-esteem, social skills and connectedness. Psychology in the School. 42 (1), 65-77.

Knight, J. (2007). Instructional coaching: A partnership approach to improving instruction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Knight 2011 Knight, J. (2011). What good coaches do. Educational Leadership, 69 (2), 18-22.

Leaders Lyceum (2015). Leaders Lyceum-Development Relationships. Retrieved June 16, 2015, from http://www.leaderslyceum. com/how-is-it-different/developmental-relationships/ Magelssen, S. (2016). Our academic discipline is making us sicker. Theatre Survey, 57 (3), 389-394.

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Designing the Student Experience Austin | Dallas | Houston

TASA talking points: School Finance According to a recent poll, Texans say education is the most important issue for the governor and Texas Legislature to address and that they bear the greatest responsibility for improving public education.1 School finance is consistently a top priority for members of the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA); this document is intended to provide useful information for administrators and legislators to discuss school finance during the 86th legislative session.

Facts on student enrollment Enrollment in Texas public schools increased by 18.8 percent between 2004 and 2014, more than six times the increase across the United States (3.1 percent) during this same time period. This dramatic increase in statewide public school enrollment was the second-highest in the nation, behind Utah (26.6 percent). 2

Facts on school funding •

Statewide taxable values increased from $1.712 trillion to $2.389 trillion from FY 2010 to FY 2018.

•

The number of school districts taxing at the maximum maintenance and operation (M&O) tax rate of $1.17 increased from 179 to 401 from FY 2010 to FY 2018.

•

Increases in the Basic Allotment have increased less than 1 percent each year — from $4,765 in 2009-10 to $5,140 in 2017-18.

•

School district property taxes recaptured by the state have increased dramatically — more than doubling since the 2013-14 school year. The state is collecting $4.5 billion from school districts in recaptured funds for the 2018-19 biennium.

•

•

•

20

State aid for the Foundation School Program (FSP) has decreased from $16.7 billion in the 2009-10 school year to $15.7 billion in 2018-19.

Student attendance (ADA) has increased every school year. (Note: Student enrollment is the total number of students eligible to attend school, and ADA is based on the how often the students actually attend a school.)

State aid per student (ADA) has dropped from $3,840 in the 2009-10 school year to $3,253 in the 2018-19 school year.

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Recapture – Robin Hood Two hundred thirteen school districts are expected to pay recapture in 2019, up from 125 in 2004. Recapture as a percentage of total M&O during this period increased to 6 percent from 4 percent.3

State’s Share of Foundation School Program The state share of funding public education through theFoundation School Program (FSP) has steadily declined since 2014 when it was 45 percent. The Legislative Budget Board projects the state share of public education funding through the FSP will be only 38 percent for FY 2019.

Charter school facts •

Charter schools are expected to receive 16.8 percent of state aid while only educating 6.4 percent of students in ADA in 2019.4

•

The number of charter campuses has increased from 558 in 2010-11 to 707 in 2017-18.5

•

I n 2017-18, enrollment in open-enrollment charter campuses increased from the previous year by 8.6 percent.6

•

The number of students enrolled in charter schools has increased since 2010, resulting in an increase in the state share of funding for these students.7

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Texas Public Education Perceptions Poll, Raise Your Hand Texas Fiscal Size Up 2018-19, Legislative Budget Board Fiscal Size Up 2018-19, Legislative Budget Board Fiscal Size Up 2018-19, Figure 157, Legislative Budget Board TEA Pocket Edition Enrollment in Texas Public Schools, 2017-18 (August 2018) PDF, Texas Education Agency Fiscal Size Up 2018-19, Legislative Budget Board Comptroller Statewide Property Value Study, amount of “total taxable value” School District Property Values and Tax Rates, School District Adopted M&O and I&S tax rates for 2006-2018, Texas Education

Agency. The number includes a few districts above $1.17 as well.

10. Texas Education Agency Update, February 2018 11. Fiscal Size Up 2018-19, Figure 156, Legislative Budget Board

12. Foundation School Program State Aid and Average Daily Attendance for School Districts and Charter Schools, 2010-19, Leg-

islative Budget Board. School District Students’ ADA and School District State Aid per Student ADA also are from the same chart.

Numbers for Fiscal Year 2017 are estimated and for Fiscal Years 2018-19 are projected, with NIFA funding shown as school district state aid because NIFA recipients were unknown at the time of the projection.

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INSIGHT

TRANSFORMATIONAL SPACES through TRANSFORMATIONAL SERVICES

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SMALL SCHOOLS PERSPECTIVE Cultivating powerful networks of teacher leaders: the emergence of teacher leader academies in South Central Texas

By Jo Ann Bludau, Courtney Hudgins and Beverly Mikulenka

O

ne of the benefits of being a member of the TASA Future-Ready Superintendents Leadership Network (FRSLN) is having an opportunity to learn from other successful school leaders across the state of Texas. Dave Plymale, superintendent of Goliad ISD, learned about the Teacher Leader Academy in Alamo Heights ISD during one of the FRSLN sessions held in the spring of 2018.

After attending the session, Plymale approached Region 3 Service Center Executive Director Charlotte Baker and Deputy Executive Director Mitzi McAfee about the possibility of developing a Teacher Leader Academy in Region 3 during the 2018-19 school year. Alamo Heights ISD and ESC Region 20 provided the model for the Region 3 Teacher Leader Academy. Beverly Mikulenka, leadership liaison at Region 3, and Plymale co-presented the Teacher Leadership Academy (TLA) new service offering at Region 3 during a curriculum network meeting in July 2018.

To save travel time and cost for her small, rural district, Jo Ann Bludau, superintendent at Hallettsville ISD, asked about the possibility of having a few teacher leaders from Hallettsville join the Goliad TLA through a virtual meeting format. Because the TLA was specifically designed as face-to-face meetings throughout the year, Beverly explained it was necessary to interact in person.

To share the cost of the TLA and reduce travel time for teachers living in rural areas in the northern part of Region 3, Courtney Hudgins, superintendent of East Bernard ISD, asked if Hallettsville, East Bernard and another neighboring district, Rice CISD, could form a northern cohort of teacher leaders in Region 3. As a result of this conversation, Teacher Leader Networks began to emerge in South Central Texas.

Mary Lea Pfenninger and Beverly Mikulenka, Region 3 specialists, co-facilitate the TLA in two areas of Region 3: the Southern Cohort (Goliad and Nursery ISDs); and the Northern Cohort (composed of four school districts including East Bernard, Rice, Hallettsville and Columbus ISDs).

Regional, participant-led experiences In 2008, TASA published “Creating a New Vision for Public Education in Texas: A Work in Progress for Conversation and Further Development.” The vision developed in 2008 is that, “Ultimately, we see schools and related venues that prepare all children for many choices and that give them the tools and attitudes to contribute to our democratic way of life and live successfully in a rapidly changing world.”

In 2017, the TASA 2025 Task Force developed long-term strategies as part of the TASA Strategic Framework including the following: • Cultivate purposeful networks of leaders engaged in meaningful work that advances the principles in the New Vision for Public Education.

• Encourage and support regional, participant-led experiences that increase access to learning and networking opportunities.

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The Region 3 TLA furthers TASA’s vision of creating schools that support and invest heavily in the continuous learning and development of all of their employees with a focus on substantive improvement, leading to enhanced student success.

The TLA is a comprehensive professional development course based on the National Standards of Teacher Leaders Model to develop teacher leaders who work in conjunction with administrative leadership to support effective teaching and promote student learning.

The goal of the Region 3 TLA is to take teachers from: “I’m just a teacher…” to “I can lead and help to make a positive difference!” Districts participating in the Region 3 TLA selected participants who serve in various roles, including: • existing teacher leaders who have not had leadership training.

• emerging teacher leaders.

• teachers in need of leadership development.

• “Grow Your Own” candidates for possible future leadership positions.

Teacher leaders participating in the Region 3 TLA receive and read the book, “Awakening the Sleeping Giant: Helping Teachers Develop as Leaders,” written by Marilyn Katzenmeyer and Gayle Moller, which focuses on teachers as leaders and the importance of teacher leadership to improved outcomes in our schools. They also utilize shared communication platforms to support continuous collaboration and reflections. During the TLA, participants have the opportunity to apply new learning on how effective teacher leadership skills can positively impact the school climate and foster student success through a Risk-Taking Opportunity (RTO). The

RTO is a yearlong principal-approved In addition to increasing leadership capacschool improvement project where par- ity across the district, the development ticipants put leadership skills into practice. of teacher leaders provides sustainability of change efforts in the district and RTOs for some of the Region 3 teacher increasing probability of accomplishing leaders include: long-term strategic goals.

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creating an online PLC forum where teachers comfortably col- laborate and share success, strat- egies, questions, ideas and more.

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coordinating fall and spring showcases using the arts to promote parental and family involvement.

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organizing a Super Outrageous Science Day for an entire campus to engage students in a variety of experiments and STEM challenges.

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“Within every school there is a sleeping giant of teacher leadership that can be a strong catalyst for making changes to improve student learning.” — Katzenmeyer and Moller The TEA’s strategic priority number one is to recruit, support and retain teachers and principals. Some of the teacher leaders view their participation in the TLA as an added employment benefit and one that provides an opportunity for career advancement.

However, rural, small schools often have limited resources/funding as well as leadimplementing campus-wide ership positions available for personnel team-building challenges to pro- to advance within their school district. In mote a positive morale and build some cases, this leads to quality teachers strong teams. leaving rural/small districts to further their careers. Developing teacher leadinitiating instructional rounds ers within rural school districts can give to promote positive and suc- district administration a way to provide cessful instruction and profes leadership roles and/or career advancesional learning. ment without losing quality classroom teachers to administration positions or other school districts.

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The benefits of developing teacher leaders include: • improving student performance.

• building positive morale and professional collaboration with peers and administration.

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promoting professional growth as aligned with T-TESS Domain IV, TEA Priorities and District Improvement Plans.

• providing support for recruiting and retaining teachers.

• aligning with “Grow Your Own” programs for teachers and administrators.

• empowering teachers and expanding the utilization of human resources within the district.

• increasing professionalism and amplifying a sense of value within participants.

Impact of the teacher leader districts. East Bernard ISD has embraced academy on participants this model to maintain a culture of excelThe TLA facilitators, Pfenninger and Mikulenka, polled participants to learn more about the impact of the academy. Below are comments from the participants: “TLA is making me think about my teaching and my school culture rather than getting complacent ….”

“This opportunity has given me the chance to connect with other teachers around my district and is opening doors for my future in education.”

“This experience has really broadened my views and has allowed me to see the role that teacher leaders play on a campus.

This has allowed me to see how teachers make a difference on their campus.”

Growth and sustainability of positive school culture The TLA model creates a culture of teacher leadership that promotes strong relationships between teachers and administrators and a positive school culture that is vital to rural, small school

lence to carry on the morals, traditions, work ethic and expectations of the district. With almost 50 percent of their staff nearing retirement, many of whom have been with the district their entire teaching career, the need to “pass the torch” is critical to future success. TLA is transforming current staff into leaders and mentors that are not only building instructional capacity in new hires, but learning how to build relationships, foster buy-in and carry on the expectations of our community.

“Teachers in leadership roles can expand their influence; advance their careers horizontally; and revitalize their careers through the challenge of leadership roles.”

— Katzenmeyer and Moller, p. 33

Plans for expansion of teacher leader academies in year two Region 3 is exploring the possibility of developing four more cohorts within the region to create a viable option for rural and small schools to promote teacher leadership within their school districts.

TLA facilitators are also in the process of developing teacher leadership microcredentials to be awarded for completion of Year 2 TLA. The Year 2 TLA model includes face-to-face sessions as well as an in-depth book study, expansion of participants’ RTO projects from Year 1, professional learning experiences and teacher leader coaching opportunities.

As Katzenmeyer and Moller assert in “Awakening the Sleeping Giant” (2009), teacher leaders can be strong catalysts for making changes to improve student learning. Likewise, participation in the FRSLN and the emergence of teacher leader academies in rural, south central Texas school districts is cultivating powerful networks of teacher leaders who are positively impacting student learning and shaping the future of the teaching profession. n

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Beverly Mikulenka is a former superintendent and current leadership liaison at the Region 3 Educational Service Center.

Courtney Hudgins is superintendent at East Bernard ISD. Jo Ann Bludau is superintendent of Hallettsville ISD and a member of the TASA 2025 Task Force and the FutureReady Superintendents Leadership Network.

References Creating a New Vision for Public Education in Texas: A Work in Progress for Conversation and Further Development. (2008).

Austin, TX: Texas Association of School Administrators.

Katzenmeyer, M., and Moller, G. (2009). Awakening the sleeping giant. Helping teachers develop as leaders. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

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TCEA TECH TAKE Five action steps to growth gap innovation

by Miguel Guhlin

R The reality is students today learn very differently and we need to continue to adapt practices to meet their needs.

eady to maximize your school technology investments? Try this approach with campus culture initiatives. The approach? Juxtapose new technologies with strategies that close the growth gap.

Innovation seems to elude us currently in education. Rich or poor, your school won’t be able to foster true innovation with fancy gadgets unless you take these action steps. Ask yourself, “Where technology abounds, does innovation flourish?” As a school leader, how can you make meaningful growth happen with digital technology?

Follow the money “If we scatter some technology, like fairy dust, will we see 10 points of growth? Only then is it worth the cost,” said a large, urban area superintendent. The problem? Innovation and growth don’t happen in isolation. Consider the cost of growth.

Against a $457 billion worldwide market of interconnecting devices, schools make their plans.

In 2015, U.S schools spent an estimated $6.6 billion on technology and Texas alone spent $1.5 billion. By 2018, that number had doubled as K-12 education spent $14 billion (GovTech. com). Is our mad pursuit for innovation working? The answer is, “It has stalled amidst competing priorities.” Even when we have the technology, we lack the innovative culture to close the growth gap.

The growth gap The growth gap, also known as the learning gap, is more than technology competence. It’s about juxtaposing new technologies with established cultural norms. The short-term superintendent spends money and forces technology in schools. This is first-order change. The culture engineer transforms the culture. She does this as she combines change and constructs technology infrastructure (Biggs, 2013). The preferred latter approach is second-order change (Marzano & Waters, 2009).

While first-order changes tend to be technical, second-order changes focus on attitudes and beliefs. Second-order goes to the heart of cultural norms and people’s shared values. It’s time for educational leaders to move beyond first order issues to second order.

Action steps to innovation in your school Open innovation thrives in spaces of juxtaposition. Create a space for diverse ideas to collide (Bokai, 2016). Put the right tools in place to capture what results. Build a platform for magic to manifest. Not sure what to do? Take these action steps to get started and then try it on your own.

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Action step #1: Build a platform for enhancing cultural competence Per the National Education Agency (NEA) (Alston, 2006), here’s one strategy to close the growth gap. They recommend valuing diversity by increasing cultural competence for staff.

They suggest (in a positive way) taking advantage of students’ culture and abilities. Aside from celebratory words from language sensitive parent gatherings, how do you do this?

Juxtapose real-life events with technologies that amplify positive experiences. Use technology to create a rich platform for celebrating and sharing student success. Adopt the #TxEdTuesday approach of Tell It, Tag It, Share It. Not familiar with that approach or how to get started? Explore specific strategies on how to showcase your school’s success online (TCEA, 2017).

Action step #2: Go digital to increase instructional time Increase instructional time for students who need higher intensity sessions by going digital. This doesn’t mean digital tutorials or drill-and-practice ad nauseum. Those approaches only yield short-term returns, but long-term headaches.

Those long-term headaches for children put in front of digital tutorials include several issues, such as difficulty organizing information and an impact on children’s ability to pay attention (Bhat, 2017).

Juxtapose real-world problems with digital solution making.

Use design thinking approaches (Staff, 2018) to perceive the world in new ways. Go digital with collaborative, inquirybased projects. Real-world learning works for students. It empowers learners to be hands-on, social problem-solvers and media-makers. Digital media, team-building, real-world problem-solving work well (Benner, 2018). Team building in small groups can lead to scaffolded instruction. This explicit, focused instruction aligns to student needs (Fisher, 2015).

Use technology to drive teamwork. Rely on one-on-one connections to scaffold a student’s learning.

Action step #3: Connect with cloudbased conversations At a time when connecting classrooms and culture via the cloud has never been easier, we often do not make those connections. Culture impacts student learning and their academic abilities. As technology can connect countries, juxtaposing cultures can occur in the classroom. Students will then walk away with different perspectives.

Juxtapose literature and students’ worldviews, making it possible to set up counter-culture literature. Have students create walk-and-talk podcasts of what they’re seeing or learning (Staff, 2018). Get them to compare that to what they’re reading. Do the same with adult learners to blend ideas that build towards a culture of innovation. Rely on tools such as Google Meet and Skype in the Classroom, Voxer and more.

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Action step #4: Speed learning with multimedia text sets

and ideas from a rich variety of media sources. Learn more online at http://ly.tcea.org/mmts.

How do you build the background knowledge that K-12 or adult learners need? One approach could be team learning focused on multimedia content. Engaging students with team learning methods has positive achievement results (Slavin, Karweit, 1981). The same goes for adult learners. In this way, you combine varied, effective strategies. How can you use technology to speed diverse learner instruction?

Action step #5: Make learning connections visible

For me, learning involves sense-making, mixing information and ignorance. You create an idea collider. What survives the force of many collisions is what results. Get faster learning with more content and learner interactions.

Several ways are possible. They range from inviting guest speakers to working with primary source documents. News stories sources abound online (http://ly.tcea.org/freenews).

Juxtapose team learning with multimedia text sets. Using Lisa Highfill’s multimedia text sets, you can accelerate learning. Even more so, you can scaffold team learners. Create Multimedia Text Sets (MMTS) to ease the introduction of new information. MMTSs help learners glean information

“Why does this matter? How is this going to be of value in my life?” Those are two questions that disarm most educators. In this final action step, make the impact of learning viewable to learners.

Many schools are working hard to show growth for each student. Use the action steps above to bridge the gap between learners’ present status and the future they are capable of. n

Miguel Guhlin is director of professional development at the Texas Computer Education Association.

References Alston, Denise (2006). “Closing Achievement Gaps: An NEA Association Guide.”

Benner, Diana (2018). “Five Culturally-Responsive Instructional Strategies.” Available at http://tinyurl.com/ycmpnhdh Bhat, Jyothsna (2017). “Attention Spans in the Age of Technology.” Available at https://tinyurl.com/y8d3ttye Biggs, Sharon M. (2013). “Superintendents’ Beliefs about Barriers That Can Influence Their District Technology Leadership Practices.” Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs). 1873. Available at https://tinyurl.com/y7qyle4o Bokai, Dina (2016). “Open Innovation Thrives in Spaces of Juxtaposition.” Available at https://tinyurl.com/ydghxmwt Fisher, Ossa (2015). “8 Proven Ways to Help Close the Achievement Gap.” Available at http://tinyurl.com/ybvp9m6p GovTech Navigator (2018). “Estimated 2018 Education IT Spend: K-12 vs. Higher Ed.” Available at https://tinyurl.com/y764jd5b Guhlin, Juan M. (2018). “Design Thinking Learning.” Available at http://tinyurl.com/y9l6pmwe Marzano, Robert J., Waters, Timothy (2009). “District Leadership That Works.”

Pusey, Stacey (2018). “How Does Culture Impact Our Ability to Learn?” Available at http://tinyurl.com/y8ngggrn Slavin, Robert E., Karweit, Nancy L. (1981). “Cognitive and Affective Outcomes of an Intensive Student Team Learning Experience.” The Journal of Experimental Education,50:1, 29-35. Available at http://tinyurl.com/y785lz6w Staff, TCEA (2017). “Showcase Your School’s Success.” Available at https://tinyurl.com/y95v8l2l Staff, TCEA (2018). “Walk and Talk Podcasts.” Available at http://tinyurl.com/yahn3zl5 30

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TSPRA VOICE Selling to the sellers: Engaging area real estate agents as district ambassadors and hosting a successful agent conference

By Megan Overman The media can be a powerful tool in helping to spread the great things happening within your school district.

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elen’s new elementary is a long way from her previous school in Saudi Arabia. But to her, it is already starting to feel like home.

A fifth-grader at Comanche Springs Elementary School in Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD (EMSISD), Helen and her parents transferred back to Texas in January. The family previously lived in a neighboring school district before moving out of the country for work. For the past three years, Helen has attended an American private school at the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia.

Helen’s parents, David and Khaliun Glass, knew the move back to the U.S. was going to be a big transition for their 11-year-old daughter. They wanted to make sure they found a school where she would make connections and continue her foundations for a high-quality education.

Like most involved parents, they did their research. They looked at test scores, compared programs and activities, read online reviews and compared neighboring school districts and communities.

But a primary decision point for where they bought their home ultimately came down to word of mouth. And their real estate agent was an influential voice in their decision.

“I don’t think there’s anything he could’ve done better for us,” said Khaliun Glass, Helen’s mother.

“He had good information and told us this is a good school district, it’s a safe community, and we would not do much better. That helped us make our decision.”

According to the real estate website Zillow, schools are the second most important consideration for homebuyers after location. Homebuyers look to their agents to provide accurate information and knowledgeable insight about the neighborhoods they are considering. With each interaction, real estate agents play a key role in establishing initial impressions and foundational perceptions of a school community. They can be pivotal ambassadors for a district because they are often the first introduction a family has to the local schools.

But they can’t sell what they don’t know, and they can’t share what they haven’t experienced.

Tony Perez, a Fort Worth-area real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, said that having a trusted bond with the local school district benefits everyone in the community.

“It’s important that Realtors understand the value that a strong and effective school district brings to area neighborhoods,” he said. “Conversely, the more exposure district staff have to what Realtors do in local communities, the better information and experience prospective residents will have when selecting their new homes and their new schools.”

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“The more we are connected with the school district, the easier it is for us to bring clients to the area,” said Trish Knight with Century 21 Judge Fite Lake Country Realty. “And I believe it would benefit the school district to have a knowledgeable advocate promoting you out in the field on a daily basis.”

Bring them in and coach them up Equipping real estate agents to be ambassadors for our district is integral to our strategic goals for making early connections with families new to the EMSISD community. Our district began hosting an annual appreciation luncheon for our local real estate agents more than five years ago. During a catered lunch, the superintendent would share district highlights as well as enrollment projections and bond progress updates. It was a popular event and provided an opportunity for agents to ask questions and share feedback with district leaders.

In EMSISD, local real estate agents are valued partners in fostering the culture of our growing school district community. We are a fast-growth district that spans 73 square miles across portions of three cities and unincorporated county lands. We currently employ 2,400 employees who serve more than 20,100 students and their families across 24 traditional campuses, a preschool and child care facility, and a districtwide career and technology center. We welcome approximately 800 new students each year and are in the middle of a bond program that will add three new elementary campuses, a sixth middle school and a fourth comprehensive high school to accommodate future growth.

At build-out, with current available land, we estimate enrollment will peak at about 40,000 students.

While growth is occurring in communities all across Texas, not every school district is experiencing the flood of housing starts and home closings that others are seeing. But that doesn’t diminish the impact real estate agents in a local community can have on behalf of a school district. Regardless of whether a district is fast-growth, slow-growth or in the “regreening” process, local real estate agents can be a powerful network to further a district’s reputation among its current and prospective stakeholders.

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Then, during the summer and fall of 2017, we began hearing reports that some of our local agents were having a harder time selling homes in our district. When we talked with them further, we realized that many of them were not aware of new programs and personalized opportunities that would be of interest to prospective families. This meant they were not equipped to provide up-to-date or complete information about our district and, as such, more and more homebuyers were not giving much consideration to our district as an option for their families.

We reached out to our real estate agent network to find out what information was needed and how we could better serve them.

Key takeaways were: 1. The information presented during the luncheon was helpful, but they wanted more details than we had time to share in just a lunch hour;

2. Real estate agents do not keep a regular schedule, so if they had a conflict during the lunch hour, they missed the whole presentation; and,

3. They wanted to hear from us more than once a year and have access to resources about the district year-round.

Using this feedback, we launched a targeted initiative to more consistently engage our real estate agent community and provide them with relevant resources to sell our district. This began with restructuring the format of our annual luncheon to

offer flexibility in the schedule, specified programming and opportunities to gain localized information.

We expanded the format from an hour-long luncheon to a half-day mini-conference to be held on location at our Hollenstein Career and Technology Center. The first session opened at 9:45 a.m., which gave real estate agents time before the sessions to check in with their offices, meet a client or finalize a closing. Each seminar presentation was 35 minutes, with an additional 10 minutes allocated for questions and answers and 15 minutes between presentations for email, phone or personal breaks.

Agents could reserve a seat for just one session, two sessions or all three, and tours of the career and technology center were offered during each time frame as an alternative to any of the sessions. Our award-winning culinary arts students catered morning refreshments as well as the lunchtime meal, and our high school campuses and EMS Education Foundation contributed spirit items for door prizes (because lunch is always more fun with prizes!)

Our revamped and expanded Realtor Symposium was held on May 10, 2018. More than 60 local agents reserved seats for the inaugural symposium, and we also were able to secure sponsorships from local businesses representing lending, property insurance, residential construction, inspection and HVAC that ended up underwriting the entire cost of the event.

The morning included informational sessions about current and potential local economic development presented by a regional economic development firm, local demographic reports and projections presented by the district’s independent demographer, and EMSISD district programming highlights presented by Superintendent Dr. Jim F. Chadwell, who served as the luncheon keynote speaker.

Realtor Kathy Pokluda, a colleague of Knight’s at Century 21 Judge Fite Lake Country Realty, said she and other agents were impressed to learn about all the variety and rigor of our programming, specifically in our STEM and CTE courses.

The new format helped expand her understanding of our academic, extracurricular and leadership offerings and experience some of our students in action.

“The new format of the Realtor Symposium gave more depth to subject matter being presented on their specialty,” Pokluda said. “Everyone always enjoys hearing from our superintendent and the food is always delicious from the future chefs of our district.”

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Perez added that the more detailed presentations on demographics and economic development trends provided valuable information for him both professionally and personally.

“Having the district demographer share information about current and projected housing growth and enrollment impacts was very important to me not only as a Realtor, but also as a parent of three students in the district,” Perez said. “It makes a great difference knowing which growth trends are happening and which to expect.”

This year’s Realtor Symposium is scheduled for May 9, 2019, and we are continuing with the conference-style format. Based on feedback from our attendees, we have added a government component to help agents understand how they can be supportive of districts and local school boards on matters of community and public education interest.

Maintain relevant touch points throughout the year In addition to the symposium, real estate agents told us they needed access to district personnel and information more regularly. Online resources are a great way to give agents access to the information they need, anytime or anywhere they need it.

In response, our team created a new Realtor Toolkit on the district website that provides access to materials including videos, printable district and campus fact sheets, archived presentations from the Realtor Symposium, and links to the most requested information for new residents.

“I love that EMSISD has the information for Realtors on the website,” Pokluda said. “I have been a Realtor for 28 years in our

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district. In years past, we would have to go to the administration building and pick up a packet for our clients. Now we can just print out or email all the information directly to our clients. Realtors are always looking for ways to keep in touch with past clients and this is a great way to send a short email to keep local clients informed.”

Maintaining an active relationship with local real estate agents takes research, planning and a strategic focus on partnering with those who sell your school district. While it requires a little effort to sustain, having your local agents as ambassadors for your district can be the difference for families looking to make a life in your community.

New resident packets also are made available to area agents to share with their clients. These include a district fact sheet, campus facts sheets, free tickets for four to a district athletic or fine arts event, a district flashlight and other district spirit items housed in an EMSISD-branded insulated lunchbox.

Helen says she loves her new school. Her favorite subject is science and her mom says that, strange as it may sound, she also enjoys homework. But when asked what she likes the most, she said without hesitation that the best part of moving here is how easy it has been to make friends and find a place to belong.

Online resources are great for quick access to information, but there’s no substitute for seeing and experiencing all a district has to offer by visiting schools and talking with teachers and students. We offer school tours to any real estate agent or prospective family who is interested in learning more about EMSISD. We also are considering scheduling minitours periodically throughout the school year to give agents an inside look at the culture and activities happening daily on our campuses.

Finally, our real estate agents asked us to keep in touch throughout the year, so we have added a quarterly newsletter targeted to local agents to help them stay up to date on district information, resources and opportunities.

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“I’ve heard you don’t buy a house, you buy a school district,” Khaliun Glass said. “Texas is experiencing a lot of growth; it sure is a great place. We were happy to come here, and we are pleased with our daughter’s new school.” n

Megan Overman CPC, is the director of communications for Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD. She has 19 years of experience as a communications and public relations professional in Texas public school districts. An active member of the Texas School Public Relations Association throughout her career, she is currently serving her first term as vice president of the TSPRA North Central Region, which represents Education Service Center Regions 9, 10 and 11. Additionally, she is a graduate of the Certified Public Communicator Program® at Texas Christian University and also serves on the advisory board for the program.

DESIGN THAT INSPIRES LEARNING As K12 architects, engineers, planners, and interior designers, we collaborate with clients and their communities to deliver dynamic, engaging, and motivating learning environments.

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TASA Corporate Partners

TASA is grateful to our 2018–19 corporate partners for their support.

Each level of the Corporate Partner Program is designed to offer our partners quality exposure to association members. Partners at the President’s Circle, Platinum, and Gold levels may customize special events and opportunities.

PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE 3P Learning Apple Dell DLR Group Edgenuity ETS Forecast5 Analytics Google for Education Huckabee K12 Insight Leader in Me NaviGate Prepared NWEA PBK Scholastic Stantec PLATINUM ClassLink College Board Discovery Education Edmentum Education Elements Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Indeco Sales itslearning LPA, Inc. Panorama Education Pearson Raise Your Hand Texas Scientific Learning TCG Advisors VLK Architects

Learn more about TASA’s Corporate Partner Program

GOLD Achieve3000 Altschool engage2learn ETS ProEthica Houston ISD-Medicaid Finance & Consulting Services Milliken Renaissance Schneider Electric Texas State Technical College Thoughtexchange Tomlinson Center for Leadership SILVER Cisco HEB JASON Learning Walsh Gallegos Treviño Russo & Kyle P.C. BRONZE ABM AlphaBEST Education AXA Advisors BetterLesson BTC Curriculum Associates Gaggle Gexa Energy Solutions Hewlett Packard Hilltop Securities Inc. iteachTEXAS Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP LoneStar Furnishings, LLC MasteryPrep MeTEOR Education MIND Research Institute Page Pogue Construction Steelcase Education Vanir Construction Management Virco WRA Architects

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