Spring ISD Trustee Donald Davis
AUSTIN – Dec. 10, 2018 – Spring ISD Trustee Donald Davis joined 33 other school board members from across Texas on Nov. 15-17 for the second session of the Leadership TASB Class of 2019, held in Amarillo. Selected by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), Davis is currently participating in the yearlong education leadership study program along with other trustees from school districts of all sizes – ranging from student populations of 114 to 215,408 – and reflecting a similar range of property wealth.
Leadership TASB participants who complete all required elements of the study will graduate next year by earning Master Trustee status, which is the highest designation recognized by TASB.
During the session, entitled “Where Leadership Happens When Size Doesn’t Matter,” Davis and other Leadership TASB participants visited two school districts. Trustees toured campuses throughout Lefors ISD, which currently has a student enrollment of 16, and learned of that district’s unique program “Passionate Pirate Friday,” which allows students to create their own community service projects. Trustees also visited three campuses within Canyon ISD, with an enrollment of more than 10,000 students, and learned about that district’s unique flex time opportunity, which allows students to engage in clubs of their own interests.
“Visiting the smaller school districts in West Texas gave me a new perspective on teaching children with limited resources,” Davis said. “These districts have developed methods to enhance the success of their students with what they have available.”
In addition, trustees were able to hear from featured speaker Kelly McDonald, a recognized authority on understanding census data and demographic trends. McDonald spoke to the participants on how to lead people who are different from themselves.
Upcoming Leadership TASB sessions are scheduled for February 21-23, 2019 in Harlingen; April 11-13 in Tyler; and June 20-22 in Fort Worth. Each session has a unique theme that builds on the previous session, and features nationally recognized experts in the fields of leadership development and education. Teams also work throughout the year on extended learning assignments between meetings.
Created in 1993, Leadership TASB has more than 800 graduates to date. TASB is a voluntary, nonprofit association established in 1949 to serve local Texas school boards. School board members are the largest group of publicly elected officials in the state, representing districts which serve more than 5.3 million public school students.