Familiar Face at the Helm Q&A with Interim Superintendent Travis Motal

by Charlotte Kovalchuk

With former Superintendent Steve Snell now serving as Williamson County judge, the Liberty Hill Board of Trustees has turned to a familiar face to guide the district forward. Interim Superintendent Travis Motal brings more than two decades of experience in education—including six years in Liberty Hill as principal, director, and chief of schools. The Digest sat down with Superintendent Motal for a conversation about the school year ahead and his vision for LHISD.

What inspired you to pursue a career in education?

Early on in high school I loved to help coach little league and youth basketball, and to help my high school coaches and teachers. In fact, I earned the “Teacher’s Pet” recognition my senior year. My first email address was even CoachMotal. After college I tried a few other things, but teaching kept calling me back and I have enjoyed every moment of it.

Over the past six years in LHISD, you have served as principal, director, and chief of schools. How do you feel your experiences in the district have prepared you for your role as interim superintendent?

I think this experience has been instrumental for my preparation in this role. Being able to understand the district’s growth and needs over the last several years in these different roles gives me a unique perspective many others do not have.

What do you see as the biggest challenges facing LHISD this year and how do you plan to address them?

Our biggest challenge is school funding. Last year we had over $10M in cuts that led to 70 positions being cut. With less support for students, more work is falling on classroom teachers. Even with less funding and many cuts, we are expecting more than 900 new students this school year. The board has approved a Tax Ratification Election, Prop A, this November that would raise over $10M in funding to restore some of the cuts that have been made. I encourage everyone to visit LHVotes.com for more information.

What are your top goals and overall vision for Liberty Hill ISD this school year?

Liberty Hill ISD’s vision is to build champions in academics, character, and community. My goal as interim superintendent is to keep this at the forefront of what we do every day in our schools for students. We have a focus this year to get our students talking about their learning. The more we encourage our students to talk about what they’re learning and share how they can apply that knowledge, the more confident I am that we’re headed in the right direction.

What have you enjoyed about serving LHISD in your various roles, and what are you most looking forward to as interim superintendent?

People! I’ve enjoyed seeing our students succeed, working alongside the best staff, and partnering with amazing parents and community members. I’m looking forward to carrying all of that forward as interim superintendent.