A PARTNERSHIP AS IMPRESSIVE AS IT IS IMPERATIVE.

Special contribution by Marc Rylander

Dr. Tom Maglisceau arrived in Celina as the new Superintendent of Schools as the world was dramatically changing. His onboarding process would have a much shorter trajectory than that which is normal for most superintendents. A global pandemic was about to uproot the traditional education system to which students and teachers in Texas and around the country were accustomed. With decades of hands-on leadership in education, the new leader of Celina schools would very soon find himself in empty hallways across campuses that would normally be bustling with teachers and students.

What was going to be a traditional spring break became an eternal spring. At first, the break extended. It extended some more, and eventually, in-person school was cancelled for the remainder of the year. State mandates would quickly shift, and virtual classrooms were established. Seemingly unknown terms like “distance learning” became the norm overnight. School districts were thrust into ramping up new learning modules that had never been a part of any strategic plan or taught at a conference. Students and teachers, from their homes, would meet via the internet for daily lectures, assignments, quizzes, and tests.

Meanwhile, Celina City Manager Jason Laumer had been working tirelessly to navigate the unprecedented North Texas growth that had its sights set on all things Celina. Developers, retailers, small business owners, and so many others were ferociously working to gain their place on the city’s Northern Collin County plains. One of his vibrant selling points for businesses was Celina’s decision from a few years earlier to mandate fiber internet to every household in the city. It was a bold and aggressive campaign that had started before his arrival here, yet one that would be critical as the world would soon change. So critical, in fact, Texas Governor Greg Abbott named Celina the first Gigabit City in Texas for this infrastructural ingenuity.

With children of his own enrolled in Celina schools, when the endless spring break unfolded and virtual learning emerged as the only option for school children in the city, Laumer quickly began to feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for what seemed to many as just another city technology initiative. Suddenly, that initiative would be a transformational component in the lives of every student and teacher in Celina. While other districts throughout the state struggled with connectivity and bandwidth issues, numerous homes in Celina were equipped for the moment.

Yet, other challenges still existed. Rural parts of the community lacked the fiber internet that neighborhood communities in the city limits now saw and appreciated as a lifeline. Maglisceau and Laumer had met together before, but it was time to connect with a desperate need and to work in tandem to find a solution. Could the Gigabit City help find a way to assist the district in reaching every home with internet access? The City not only was able to assist, but an entire generation of learners benefited from the collaborative effort. The City Manager made available to the district a large number of internet hot spots that it already possessed and others it was able to acquire so that no student or teacher in Celina would be beyond the reach of digital learning.

From this successful endeavor launched one of the most impressive city and school district partnerships anywhere. Much more than equipment that was exchanged for learning, trust was exchanged for growing forward as a team. A Celina Superintendent and a Celina City Manager realized that their shared efforts could make a dramatic impact on an everexpanding community. The partnership, birthed through the most challenging times, has sustained through the many better seasons that followed.

Life Connected. Magazine recently sat down with Dr. Tom Maglisceau and Mr. Jason Laumer at Celina City Hall. These leaders were asked about their partnership, its impact on their jobs and on the overall community, and how this partnership can be a catalyst for shared success as the city continues to grow.

Currently, in every sector, the word “partnership” is abuzz—maybe even cliché. How do you two leaders work to maintain a real and thriving partnership between the City of Celina and Celina I.S.D. in this critical time of expansion and growth in our community’s history?

TM: We both have one critical mandate and responsibility that we share, and that is to take care of this community and the people we serve. Since the day I first met with Jason and his team, that has always been the topic of every discussion and the goal of every agreement. Like any relationship or partnership, we are committed to working together, always thinking of the other person. It takes work, intentional communication. We meet regularly. We talk regularly, and in doing so, we know what helps the other succeed as they work to care for this place and our people.

JL: I agree. We both realize that we serve the residents of our community and work for the taxpayers whose hard work and sacrifice make everything we both do possible. A partnership between the city and the district is not only imperative, but it is important so that we can look for ways to help each other, both tangibly and intangibly. Tom can open his gymnasiums for our City basketball leagues. We can cut permit fees for all their new building projects. In the end, it’s a win for both of us, but more so, a win for the residents and taxpayers. That’s why we take this partnership so seriously.

What are some of those tangible impacts that this shared partnership between you two has yielded or can yield as we build forward?

JL: Regarding building forward, the single-most important way that the city can assist the school district is to make sure they have the proper infrastructure and safety in place for every site they are looking to build a school campus. Schools cannot open or impact the lives of kids in Celina if they don’t have streets, water, and public safety. Working with Tom on future school sites has been a catalyst for me, then, going to the developers around those future campuses and asking them to make sure that such infrastructure is in place, so that when they are ready to open another school, they aren’t held up by the city.

TM: Equally as important in this partnership are the memorable, fun moments, that come out of it. For instance, I cannot begin to tell you how incredible it is to be able to know that the Mayor and Jason’s team are always ready to provide a police and fire escort back into town when one of our teams or the band comes home with a state championship trophy. I love how the city shuts down our incredible historic Downtown Square for the annual Homecoming parade. I am grateful that the Mayor and Council always recognize our students and staff in their meetings. My team has never had to ask. This City knows what is best for our kids and our schools, and they do what is best for our schools.

If I asked you for the first thing that comes to your mind that proved to you, personally, the value of this partnership and that will have a lasting impact in the community, what would it be?

TM: Jason serves on the board of the Celina Education Foundation, so he understands the vital role of this foundation for honoring innovative ideas and student success. Jason and Mayor Terry began working with developers to financially commit to long-term funding that would be paid into our Education Foundation. Furthermore, Jason and the city work with developers to help secure sites for our schools, saving vital tax dollars for our citizens. His philosophy of “If you’re going to build here, you’re going to partner here” will have a dramatic long-term impact, and it will result in beautiful facilities for our students and teachers, better scholarships for our future graduates, and more grants for the innovative ideas of our staff team.

JL: On our Master Parks Plan, we have this beautiful linear park that will wind along Doe Branch Creek. It desperately needed a crowning piece where the public could gather, enjoy entertainment, and experience the best of Celina. Sitting at the top of this park was the old Bobcat Field where generations of teams played and won, and we dreamed of how this historic shrine could become that much-needed crowning piece. Working with the Ousley family, who originally donated the land for the stadium, Tom and his team worked to deed that property to the city so that we could achieve everything we wanted for our park and entertainment needs. The City not only gained the crown jewel of that park, but perpetual generations of residents and friends will get to experience the hallowed place that played such a historic role in our schools and in the community.

One of the ways you can greatly foster a partnership like the one you share is to be involved in the things that help the other to succeed. Are there ways that your involvement in each other’s areas have made the partnership stronger and the results better for people in Celina?

TM: Jason understands the principle that safe communities equal safe schools. Public safety is as high of a priority for both of us as anything we share. So, when it came time for us to identify and hire a new Celina Police Chief, Jason invited me to serve on the committee and gave me a chance to participate in the selection of the individual who would be tasked with keeping our community safe and also keeping our schools safe. Equally as important, when it came time to conduct a recent reunification drill, I leaned heavily into the Celina Fire and Police Departments for leadership, guidance, and assurance that our district can and will provide the best response for our students, teachers, staff, and their families should we ever need to evacuate one of our schools and reunify our students with their families. Partnership takes participation, and examples like these help us make each other better.

JL: Our relationship has been built on an understanding of our roles, but also an investment in each other’s areas of responsibility. I immediately looked for ways to be involved in the school district, beyond the fact that I am a parent of kids in our schools. I serve on the Celina Education Foundation Board. I work intricately with Tom on his Capital Committee and LongRange Planning Committee. I have worked with developers to secure for Celina I.S.D. nine potential elementary school sites and six potential secondary school sites. I understand that many people who move here do so because they are attracted to our schools. If, in my role as City Manager, I can help the district acquire land so that they can build beautiful campuses for generations of students and teachers to enjoy, then I feel like the city has done a small part in Celina I.S.D.’s future full of endless possibilities.

You both work for elected officials—the Celina City Council and the Celina I.S.D. School Board. Are they involved in this partnership as well?

JL: Our elected officials at the city and the school district are very involved in the partnership. Many of them are parents of students, and far beyond their elected responsibility, they have a personal investment in the success of our schools. City Council regularly discusses in their meetings and out in public, how their decisions will impact our schools. And the school board members participate and support so many of the initiatives of the city. They share their facilities and resources, and we share ours. If you look at the list of the best cities and best school districts in Texas, you will inevitably find that the best partnership exists between the two in each community. I think we have the best of the best in partnerships here.

TM: When I arrived here, the first message I heard was the motto, “Life Connected.” This idea resonated with my own beliefs that the community was so connected among our residents, businesses, schools. But Life Connected. is also evident between our Celina School Board and the Celina City Council. They work together, and they support one another. Life Connected. is also further evident as I hear of teachers and staff members from our District serving on Committees and Boards that impact our community. I personally attend every Planning & Zoning Meeting and City Council Meeting I can. To see the leaders across every reach of our community engaging and supporting each other, and our milestones is a gift that few outside of Celina ever get to experience.

Mr. Laumer, what is a high-impact project that you are currently working on with the School District?

We recently needed 20 acres of a 40-acre parcel for a public works project. I really liked the potential site, but the City just didn’t need or need to pay for the other 20 acres. I reached out to Tom to see if the school district had a need for 20 acres for any of their expanding facilities. He shared their desperate need for a parcel of land to develop a maintenance, food services, and facilities warehouse. We got our 20 acres and they got theirs. We both had a major win out of one phone call because of this incredible partnership.

Dr. Maglisceau, why is this partnership necessary for high-impact future initiatives of Celina I.S.D.?

Working together prevents us from wasting time or resources separately on things that will have a long-term benefit for both of us. For instance, by discussing and planning for the infrastructure and Capital Improvements Projects, it helps us to determine the next school sites to build and how we can effectively draw and redraw our attendance zones with the least amount of interruption. We are potentially going to be opening a new elementary school almost every year in the coming decade, and we want to limit the number of times our families have to change schools. Having strategic conversations and shared plans allows us to maximize what’s best for our families as we grow.