MEaP Makes a Strong Showing at SLI

For those who are locally elected school board trustees, you are very familiar with the requirement for ongoing training and opportunities to fulfill this requirement at TASB-sponsored conferences.  Most recently, trustees had an opportunity to attend one of two Summer Leadership Institutes, held in San Antonio and Ft.  Worth.  These conferences are a great opportunity for trustees to get together and discuss issues impacting public education across Texas.

As the President of Make Education a Priority, a 501(c) 3 launched in February of this year, I am especially proud of the efforts of our board members and members of our advisory committee for the work they put forth in presenting two key topics, one relating to school board governance (one of MEaP’s three primary strategies) and a separate session discussing the Framework for School Board Development. 

Presenters of each session included the following trustees:

• Framework for School Board Development – Gary Inmon (Schertz-Cibolo), Robert Seward (Mesquite), Dr. Aaron Reich (Arlington), Raul Gonzales (Mansfiled)
• Effective School Board Governance – Bobby J Rigues (Aledo), Rick Lambert (Garland); note that Bobby and Rick are both MEaP board members.

The collaborative efforts of these dedicated public servants were significant in that they provided a perspective on governance that has proven to be effective in districts across the state.  TASB training often focuses on the importance of governance but sessions led by trustees bring a first-hand exposure to the importance and impact of effective school board governance.

Make Education a Priority sincerely appreciates the continued dedication and commitments of each of the individuals noted above.  In a time of uncertainty and efforts by many to dismantle public education as we know it, this commitment is critical to the success of our collective efforts to promote the value of our public education system.  Thank you to each of these gentlemen for continuing to Make Education a Priority.  Well done!