The Texas Association of School Administrators has named Denton ISD Board of Trustees one of the Top Five Honor School Boards of Texas for 2011.
The statewide Honor School Boards, listed with their superintendents and nominating education service center regions are:
Denton ISD, Superintendent Ray Braswell, Region 11. The trustees include Mia Price, president; Dr. Glenna Harris, vice president; Rudy Rodriguez, secretary; Dr. Jim Alexander, Dr. Curtis Ramsey, Dr. Jeanetta Smith and Charles Stafford.
- Barbers Hill ISD, Superintendent Greg Poole, Region 4
- Copperas Cove ISD, Superintendent Rose Cameron, Region 12
- Lubbock ISD, Superintendent Karen Garza, Region 17
- Ysleta ISD, Superintendent Michael Zolkoski, Region 19
The Honor Boards were selected by a committee of nine Texas school superintendents from a field of regional finalists based on specific criteria including: support for educational performance; support for educational improvement projects; commitment to a code of ethics; and maintenance of harmonious and supportive relationships among board members.
Gonzalo Salazar, superintendent of Los Fresnos CISD and chair of this year's selection committee, said narrowing the finalists down to five Honor Boards was difficult.
“Looking at these school boards, it's clear that there are a lot of good things happening in our public schools,” Salazar said. “There is a lot of innovation going on and everyone has student achievement at the forefront.”
Denton's school board impressed the committee with their involvement and dedication. Five of the seven board members are graduates of the Texas Association of School Board's program Leadership TASB, and all board members are active advocates for public schools, both in the community and among lawmakers. The board also demonstrated a commitment to academic excellence with 85 percent of Denton's graduates pursuing post-secondary education.
The selection committee will interview all five Honor Boards in person on Sept. 30 at the TASA/TASB Convention in Austin. The Texas Outstanding School Board will be announced at the convention's First General Session at 4 p.m. Sept. 30.
The board was nominated by Dr. Ray Braswell, superintendent, who stated that “even when facing difficult times, the board of trustees is always upbeat, with a positive outlook while always focusing on the well-being of the students and staff,”
“During the past year as the district faced huge cuts in Public School Funding, the Board conducted numerous budget workshops and often worked late into the night to prepare a balanced – and transparent – budget without cutting programs that directly affected our students,” Dr. Braswell said.
The following outlines some of the district's accomplishments under the current board's leadership that was part of the application process:
- Passed four bond elections in 12 years that total almost $700 million for new schools and renovations.
- Made a concerted effort to focus on the importance of pre-school education and opened a second early childhood center and redesigned the elementary school plans to include pre-school classrooms for new elementary schools.
- Support community involvement where the school volunteers donated 357,000 hours – a $6.43 million value during the past school year.
