New Member Spotlight

CHRISTINA COURSON HAYS CISD

Christina Courson joined Hays Consolidated Independent School District on May 15 as the new chief human resources officer for the district, which is located south of Austin in Hays County.

Ms. Courson worked for 11 years at the Texas Juvenile Justice Department in roles including delinquency prevention specialist, educational trust funds administrator, communication specialist, grant writer, performance accountability specialist, and legislative liaison. Inspired to make a difference in the lives of youth earlier in the continuum of services, she left the state agency to enter public education, serving as the communication specialist for Hays CISD for four years. Ms. Courson then joined Lockhart ISD, where she continued to grow in her leadership as public information officer, executive director of communication and community services, and most recently, the chief of staff. In that role, she led the communication, human resources, community education and parent liaison departments. She was excited to return to Hays CISD in her current role as chief human resources officer.

“Public education is under attack, and it is ever more important to ensure that we can retain and recruit highly qualified staff to serve the children of Texas. Our students deserve the best foundation for success, and in human resources, we have the privilege and responsibility of ensuring our districts have the right people to provide it.”

Ms. Courson has a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from The American University in Washington, D.C. She also earned a Master of Science in Leadership and Change from St. Edwards University in Austin and is a graduate of the District Leadership Program by The Holdsworth Center.

WHAT SIZE IS YOUR DISTRICT?

Hays CISD serves approximately 22,000 students at 26 campuses across 221 square miles in northern Hays County. The district has 3,000 staff.

WHAT CHALLENGES ARE YOU CURRENTLY FACING IN YOUR DISTRICT?

Like school districts across Texas, the delay in decisions about public education funding by the legislature and governor during this legislative year has caused the district to dip into its general fund balance this budget year. While Hays CISD was able to weather this storm this year, this is not sustainable in the long run. In terms of taking care of our employees in the face of this challenge, our school board well-positioned our staff with generous pay increases and benefits over the past several years, so even with smaller pay increases this year, we are still a regional leader in compensation.

WHAT ARE YOU HOPING THAT TASPA WILL PROVIDE YOU AS A MEMBER AND HOW DO YOU FEEL YOUR RECENT CONFERENCE/WORKSHOP ATTENDANCE BENEFITED YOU?

I am grateful for the resources and support TASPA provides its members. Whether a rookie or a veteran, everyone can benefit from the continuous learning opportunities TASPA offers. I recently attended a Certification Training in Manor, which was packed with excellent information and updates. Also, the TASPA law conference and annual conference in Round Rock in July created opportunities to network and learn best practices. I really loved the case studies in investigations presented by the investigation unit team from the Texas Education Agency.