Leader proud of shared vision
“Are there other things we can be doing like leverage technology in some way?” for example. So we went and actually are going to be bringing on a new system called Talk About It. ... (The students) can use an app they can get on their phone, or they can use their computer to fill that out and push it out to a person they trust on campus. ... We’re also dipping our toe in the water of Bring Your Own Tech — that’s what we’re calling it. For years, our schools had the big signs in front that said “cellphones” with a big red slash through it: Leave your cellphones at home. We recognize that we now have more computer power in our pockets than we had on our desktops 10 years ago. So instead of trying to provide a device for every student, why not leverage the resources students already have? ... We have done a mass improvement to our wireless network for that effort.
The average term for a superintendent is a few years. Where do you see yourself three years from now, and what goals do you have, both short term and long term, for the district?
Three years from now, I certainly see myself still here. I’ve been part of this system 19 years, and I love this system. I love Leander ISD. I love this community. I love the parental support and the community support we get. We have terrific teachers and kids. Bigger than that, though, I love where we’re going as a school district. One of the things I’m incredibly proud of is our common shared vision that we have now, which is ensuring our students exit the system with the same passion for learning they had when they entered our system, without economics determining success. ... It’s a challenging job. But whenever you can get a superintendent to stay and a board like we’ve got with a true focus on student learning, and staff rallying around a common vision, we can really do some transformation within the world of public education. That’s really what we’re after with our focuses on closing the achievement gap, ensuring our kids are college- and career-ready, our focus on the whole student with our anti-bullying efforts, along with a whole lot of other things. And finally — and this is very education-ese — our focus on student learning behaviors. ... Shifting that focus and seeing: What are students really learning, and how are they learning it?