Issuu

YEARS

The News Magazine for Public Education in Texas

Texas School Business

JAN/FEB

2026

Making the

most of a

Texas school administrators share their resolutions for 2026

new year

Also in this issue: TCASE President Jose Hinojosa TSPRA President Jordan Ziemer

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Johjania Nájera steps into second term as TASPA president

Texas School Business JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026

12 Making the most of a new year

Texas school administrators share their resolutions for 2026

TCASE President Profile Jose Hinojosa leads TCASE with a focus on kindness, community

18 TSPRA President Profile Humble, coachable Jordan Ziemer serves TSPRA as president

Columns

5 From the Editor by Dacia Rivers 7 The Law Dawg— Unleashed by Jim Walsh

Departments 10 Who’s News 24 Calendar 29 Ad Index

9 Digital Frontier by Gregg Burcham 20 Regional View by Adrian Ryder 29 The Back Page by Riney Jordan

The views expressed by columnists and contributing writers do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher or Texas School Business advertisers. The publisher also makes no endorsement of the advertisers or advertisements in this publication.

From the editor

elcome to 2026. I hope you all had a restful, peaceful holiday break and have returned to your offices ready for the year that lies ahead.

For this issue of Texas School Business, we reached out to several school administrators to hear their resolutions for the new year. I hope that you’ll find some inspiration in their words. As a reminder, TSB is your magazine. If you have an idea for a topic or a story you’d like to see covered in these pages, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at drivers@texasschoolbusiness.com. It’s my pleasure to put together each issue of this magazine, and I hope that the content you find within these pages helps you as you work each day for Texas’ schoolchildren. Thank you for all that you do, for your dedication and your commitment.

Dacia Rivers Editorial Director

Texas School Business

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026 Volume LXXIII, Issue 1 406 East 11th Street Austin, Texas 78701 Phone: 512-477-6361 www.texasschoolbusiness.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Dacia Rivers DESIGN

Phaedra Strecher Heinen COLUMNISTS

Gregg Burcham Riney Jordan Adrian Ryder Jim Walsh ADVERTISING SALES

Jennifer Garrido

TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Kevin Brown

DIRECTOR, COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING

Amy Francisco

Texas School Business (ISSN 0563-2978) is published online bimonthly with a special edition, Bragging Rights, in December, by the Texas Association of School Administrators. © Copyright 2026 Texas Association of School Administrators

Texas School Business JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

THE LAW DAWG – UNLEASHED

IDEA turns 50

by Jim Walsh

n Dec. 2, 1975, President Ford signed into law The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA). Fifty years later it’s clear that this law, later amended to become the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), has transformed public education. How so? I can think of at least three ways.

Zero reject In the early 2000s, President George W. Bush popularized the idea that no child should be left behind as he advocated for his signature stamp on public education, the No Child Left Behind Act. But the idea of leaving no one behind began in the 1970s with the EAHCA. In the 1970s our country had not made a serious legal commitment to serve all children and neither had any of the states. The EAHCA put into law the popular educator’s motto: “all children can learn.” This was new in 1975. It’s something our country should be proud of. The duty to teach every child is a moral duty that each generation faces. EAHCA transformed that moral duty into a legal one.

Individualization The most important letter in IDEA is the I. The law requires that each child’s education is individualized, crafted by parents and educators to address the unique characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses of each child. This also was new. Before 1975 students were clumped into stairstep grade levels, moving along in lockstep. Of course talented teachers often identified students with particular gifts, or special needs, and made adjustments for them. But there was no legal requirement to treat one student differently from another student. If they were in the same grade they got the same curriculum, the same instruction, the same behavioral plan. Fifty years later we can see how the concept

of individualization in special education sparked similar movements throughout public education. We now identify students and serve them in different ways through a variety of programs — Section 504, gifted and talented, Title I, Response to Intervention (RtI), Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), at-risk students, students who have struggled to pass our challenging statewide tests. There is much more individualization happening now than there was 50 years ago, and it all began in 1975.

Parent rights Schools have always expressed the goal of partnering with parents to serve their children well. But in IDEA, parental involvement is not just a worthy goal — it’s required by law. Parents of students with disabilities have a seat at the table for every important educational decision. The child’s education is developed through an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that is hammered out in an Admission Review and Dismissal Committee meeting (ARDC). Schools are responsible for making it possible for all parents to participate in these meetings and have a say in the decisions in a meaningful way. There are legal consequences for failing to satisfy that goal.

What needs fixing That last point leads right into what needs fixing in IDEA. Parents of students with disabilities have access to a dispute resolution mechanism that is not available to parents of general education students. But that mechanism is not working as it should. Disputes between parents and schools over how a child is served should be resolved quickly and inexpensively. It does little good to get a decision about the child’s third grade IEP when the student has moved on to fourth or fifth grade, but

that kind of delay is built into the current system. Besides being slow, the system is formal, adversarial, legalistic and expensive. Decisions about a child’s education are made by a hearing officer who is a lawyer, rather than by an educator with experience in a public school classroom. Efforts by Congress to reduce the role of lawyers in the process have failed. Special education due process hearings look and feel like full blown litigation, with all of the complexity and cost that comes with that. The School Superintendents Association (AASA) has recently published a document that I encourage you to study: https://www. aasa.org/resources/resource/rethinkingspecial-education-dispute-resolution-atidea-s-50th-anniversary. In this report, AASA describes the current system as one that “disproportionately benefits families with financial means, imposes unsustainable burdens on schools, and fails to deliver improved educational outcomes for students.”

President Ford’s prediction President Gerald Ford signed the EAHCA into law 50 years ago with some misgivings. He predicted that the law would never be funded adequately, thereby falsely raising expectations among parents of students with disabilities. He predicted the law would produce a “vast array of detailed, complex, and costly administrative requirements” that “would be used to support administrative paperwork, and not educational programs.” All true. Still, this 50-year-old law remains transformational and positive in its impact on public education and generations of students. Let’s celebrate it, and turn our attention to some much-needed fixes.

JIM WALSH is an attorney with Walsh Gallegos Treviño Russo & Kyle PC. He can be reached at jwalsh@wabsa.com. You can also follow him on X: @jwalshtxlawdawg. Texas School Business JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

Texas School Business

THE NEWS MAGAZINE FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION IN TEXAS

73 Years and Counting

Published since 1954 and now exclusively online, Texas School Business is the only bimonthly magazine for administrators in Texas’ 1,200-plus public schools. TSB is known for providing the “who’s news” in Texas public schools with coverage of industry events, engaging profiles of Texas educators, and personnel announcements from across the state.

TexasSchoolBusiness.com

Schools aren’t businesses, but let’s make the comparison anyway

DIGITAL FRONTIER

by Gregg Burcham, CETL

“R

un the school like a business.” It’s advice every school leader has heard countless times at board meetings, community forums, and budget hearings. The implication is clear: Schools are inefficient, bloated, and need to adopt private sector practices to do more with less. But what if schools are already performing far above their weight class? Let’s compare schools to businesses, dollar for dollar.

The $100 million comparison Take a typical school district with $100 million revenue. Using conservative estimates and standard business benchmarks, how does this district compare to a $100 million business across standard operational categories?

A network serving 20 times more people Start with the basics. A $100 million school district serves approximately 12,000 users, including students, staff, contractors, and substitutes. A comparable business? About 500 employees, based on typical revenueper-employee metrics. That’s 20 times more people to serve. But it’s not just the number. It’s who they are. Businesses serve selected, qualified adults. Schools serve everyone, from 3-year-olds to 21-year-olds, plus adults, regardless of readiness or ability. The technology infrastructure reflects this reality. A $100 million school district may manage 20,000 devices and more than 400 software applications. A comparable business might manage 1,250 devices and about 120 applications. This isn’t a $100

million IT operation — it’s more equivalent to a $1.5 billion business.

Managing the facilities footprint Then there’s the physical infrastructure itself. A $100 million school district typically operates 2 million square feet across 15-20 buildings, 10 times the footprint of a comparable business with 200,000-225,000 total square feet across four locations. Scale is just part of the story. The real challenge is operational intensity. School facilities run 12+ hours a day, with before and after school programs, evening activities, and weekend events, all while maintaining a broad variety of specialized spaces no typical business has: science labs, performance theaters, athletic facilities, special education rooms, and cafeterias serving thousands.

When we tell schools to “run like a business,” we should understand what we’re actually saying. We’re asking organizations operating at 20-40 times their budget complexity to somehow find efficiencies that allow them to do even more with even less.

By any business metric, this is a $2 billion equivalent portfolio.

Training 11,000 people daily Then there’s the core mission: education itself. A $100 million school district trains approximately 11,000 people every day. These aren’t brief onboarding sessions or periodic professional development. This is intensive, personalized instruction spanning ages 3 to 21, across all ability levels, provided to students from 20 or more language backgrounds, with legally mandated individualized learning plans for up to 1,500 students with special needs. A comparable business might offer training to 25-40 employees daily. The school district is operating at the scale of a $20 billion

▶ See Digital Frontier, page 23

GREGG BURCHAM, CETL, serves as executive director of technology for Liberty Hill ISD. He brings almost two decades of diverse experience within educational technology in teaching, technology support and leadership roles. Texas School Business JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

Who’s News Abilene ISD Shanda Bourn, former assistant principal of Taylor Elementary School, is now that school’s interim principal.

Now serving as principal of Martinez Elementary School is Leslye Roberts, former principal of Taylor Elementary. She joined Abilene ISD in 2012 after spending five years in Santo ISD. She is a graduate of Lubbock Christian University with a master’s degree from Abilene Christian University.

Aldine ISD The new director of the Aldine Education Foundation is Jermani Atkinson, who brings almost two decades of experience in education, nonprofit leadership and college and career readiness initiatives. She most recently was supervisor of federal grant programs at the University of Texas.

Apple Springs ISD Superintendent Cody Moree retired at the end of December, bringing to a close a 20year career with the district. He began his time in Apple Springs as a principal before taking on the top job.

Arlington ISD The district’s new chief financial officer, Norberto Rivas, has been serving in that position on an interim basis since July. He has more than 15 years of experience in the field, including over a decade as chief financial officer of San Elizario ISD. He is a CPA with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Texas at El Paso.

Bastrop ISD Kristi Lee has accepted the

role of superintendent of Bastrop ISD. She has spent the past 10 years of her 20-year career with the district, most recently serving as deputy superintendent. She previously was associate superintendent and executive director of communications and community relations and worked as a

Texas School Business JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

classroom teacher and principal at both the elementary and secondary levels. The new director of communications is Evan Moilan, who joins Bastrop ISD with 25 years of experience in the private sector. Most recently a partner in GSB Fundraising, he previously was CEO of the Lutheran Foundation of the Southwest. He is a graduate of Arizona State University.

Buna ISD Former Schulenburg ISD superintendent Julie Motomura now holds the top job in Buna ISD. The 34-year educator is a native of Buna and a product of Buna ISD schools.

Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Former Cypress Ranch High School assistant principal Johnathan Heefner is now principal of Aragon Middle School. He has spent his 15-year career in the district, initially as a teacher and coach at Fiest Elementary and Smith Middle School. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Concordia University Texas and a master’s degree from Texas A&M University at Commerce. Kristi Odom has been named

the district’s associate athletic director. She comes to her new position from Klein ISD, where she served as assistant athletic director. Her 24 years in education have included roles as a teacher, coach, head coach and assistant principal. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Sam Houston State University and her master’s degree in educational leadership from Lamar University. Joel Weckerly, who

since 2016 has served as the district’s director of communications, has been named assistant superintendent for communication and community relations. He has spent 19 years with Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, also serving as a communication specialist. The new principal of Cypress Springs High School, Plas Williams, is a 25-year educator who most recently led Truitt Middle School. He began his career in Houston ISD, joining Cypress-Fairbanks ISD in 2009. He is a graduate of Grambling State University with

a master’s degree in computing technology in education from Nova Southeastern University. His doctorate was conferred by Walden University.

El Paso ISD Murphree Pre-K-8 School now has Wanda Johnson as principal. Most recently the founding principal of Hartley Pre-K-8 School, she also served in the top position at Travis Elementary. Her master’s degree was awarded from the University of Texas at El Paso. Brian Lusk, now serving

as superintendent of El Paso ISD, comes to his new position from Dallas ISD, where he was deputy superintendent of academies and transformation. He began his now 30-year career in education as an elementary teacher, going on to work as a principal, executive director of schools and deputy chief of schools. He earned his doctorate in educational leadership and policy from the University of Texas.

Frost ISD The district has announced the appointment of Leroy Joffre as superintendent. An educator with 26 years of experience, 19 of those as an administrator and four as a superintendent, he most recently was a principal in Cedar Hill ISD.

Hays CISD Lehman High School’s new principal, James Cruz, served as the school’s interim principal since the fall. He was previously principal of McCormick Middle School and, prior to that, spent 14 years with Del Valle ISD. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University) and his master’s degree from Concordia University.

Howe ISD A new superintendent is in place for Howe ISD. Ritchie Bowling has been with the district for 10 years, serving as an assistant principal and principal at the middle school and high school levels.

Huffman ISD The new superintendent, Ángeles Perez, served as interim superintendent since April. Prior to that, she was chief officer of academics and student services and was a principal in Spring and Aldine ISDs. Her doctorate in educational leadership and administration was awarded from Sam Houston State University.

Humble ISD The district’s new chief of community engagement, Emily Conklin, comes to Humble from Sheldon ISD, where she was executive director of communications and community partnerships. She previously worked in Park, Northwest and Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISDs. She received her bachelor’s degree from Texas State University and her master’s degree from Tarleton State University.

Katy ISD Jeannette Rodricks has been

promoted from assistant principal to principal of Alexander Elementary School. Prior to that, she was assistant principal of Fielder Elementary and an instructional coach at Jenks Elementary and taught in Houston and Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISDs. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Texas and her master’s degree from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Keller ISD Sarah Guerrero has been

promoted from executive director of curriculum and instruction to assistant superintendent of secondary education. Prior to joining Keller ISD, she was superintendent of teaching and learning in the Olathe (Kan.) Unified School District. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi and her master’s and doctoral degrees from Baker University. Now serving as principal of Timberview Elementary School is Michael Keys, who was interim principal since the beginning of the academic year. The Dallas Christian University graduate earned his master’s degree from Western Governor’s University.

The new principal of Hidden Lakes Elementary School is Shannon Moss, who was interim principal of the school since August. She has been an employee of the district since 2019, when she was assistant principal of Hidden Lakes. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Texas at Arlington. Pamela Stranathan has

been approved as chief financial officer. She comes to Keller from Topeka Public Schools in Kansas, where she was executive director of operations and deputy superintendent. She previously spent eight years as superintendent of the Edgerton School District and as assistant superintendent of Emporia Public Schools, both also in Kansas. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Fort Hays State University and a master’s degree from Texas Woman’s University. She is at work on her doctorate.

Kermit ISD Oscar Muniz is Kermit ISD’s new superintendent. He most recently led Ralls ISD.

Killeen ISD The Killeen ISD board of trustees has named King Davis district superintendent. He had been serving in the position on an interim basis since August. Previously superintendent of Sheldon ISD, he also held the top position in Wharton ISD and was deputy superintendent of Everman ISD and assistant superintendent of Crosby ISD. LaBecca Thompson has

come out of retirement to take on the role of interim principal of Eastern Hills Middle School. She spent 27 of her 39 years in education with Killeen ISD, serving as principal of Mountain View Elementary from 2021 until her retirement in 2024.

Lago Vista ISD Mindy Curran is the district’s

new superintendent. She comes to her new job from Ingram ISD, where she was interim superintendent after serving as assistant superintendent and executive director of curriculum and instruction.

Lamar CISD The new acting principal of Lamar Junior High is Brent Watson, a 16-year educator who has spent the past nine years as a junior high and high school administrator. He received his bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Prairie View A&M University. He holds a doctorate in executive educational leadership from Houston Christian University.

Leander ISD Leander ISD’s Early College High School has welcomed Erika Cruz as principal. Most recently principal of Danielson Middle School, she previously worked as an assistant principal in Round Rock and Pflugerville ISDs. She is a graduate of the University of Texas with a master’s degree from Texas State University and a doctorate in educational leadership from Lamar University. Former Cypress Elementary School assistant principal Justin Gomez is now campus principal. The Texas State University graduate joined Leander ISD in 2013 as a fifth grade teacher. He holds a master’s degree in educational and community leadership, also from Texas State. Leander ISD’s new chief human resources officer is Rachel Mackey, who has been serving in that position on an interim basis since the fall. She joined the district in 2022 as executive director of human resources and previously worked as an administrator in Pflugerville and Taylor ISDs. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree from Texas State University. Stacy Steele is the new

principal of River Place Elementary School. Since 2020, she has served as dean of instruction at Vista Ridge High School, where she previously was an assistant principal. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas and her master’s and doctoral degrees from Lamar University.

► See Who’s News, page 15 Texas School Business JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

most new year

Making the

of a

Texas school administrators share their resolutions for 2026 12

Texas School Business JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

hile the calendar turns from one year to the next midway through a school year, the changing of the date offers many school administrators a chance to pause, reflect and center themselves for the second half of the year — the half that always seems to go the fastest, the half where we start with jackets and sweaters and end with 24/7 air conditioning, the half where you blink and it’s spring break, and if you dare to blink again, suddenly it’s graduation time.

We asked a handful of Texas school administrators, including several chosen by their colleagues as “TASA Inspiring Leaders,” to share their resolutions for 2026 with us. These might be related to their districts, their advocacy, or their personal lives, as they get ready to step into the office refreshed and renewed for the sprint toward spring. We hope you find their thoughts inspiring, especially if you are looking for a little winter reset for yourself.

“

Jeannie Meza-Chavez Superintendent, San Elizario ISD With intention this upcoming year, I will prioritize my health so I can lead with purpose to identify and pursue positive academic opportunities for the children I serve and foster strong bonds with parents by sharing the value of education to create lasting and impactful change for the community I serve. It’s amazing what a 60-minute walk can do to clear your mind. If I don’t make that a continued priority, then it limits what I can do for others.

” “ ”

“

Bobby Ott

Angela Dominguez

Superintendent, Temple ISD

Superintendent, Donna ISD

My resolution is to find the balance and distribute the right amount of time for being a champion for my family, for children of Temple, children across Texas and my colleagues supporting the same cause.

My resolution for 2026 is to nurture a culture where every day brings small steps forward for our students and staff. I want our teachers to feel supported and inspired, because their love and care for our kids is what makes our schools a place where children feel safe, valued, and ready to learn.

”“

Sharon McKinney Superintendent, Port Aransas ISD As superintendent of Port Aransas ISD, my 2026 New Year’s resolution is to keep leveling up while leading with clarity, courage, and just the right amount of salty resolve. In the year ahead, I’m committed to growing the leaders on our staff, enhancing the robust learning experiences for our students, and implementing our new community-based accountability system that reflects our island community’s needs and desires for our schools and our children.

► See Making the most, page 14

Texas School Business JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

“

◄ Continued from page 13

“

Quintin Shepherd

Darwin Spiller Executive Director Title IX Investigations and Compliance, Richardson ISD In 2026, my resolution is to slow down and be still enough to listen. To listen more deeply to the people I serve and to the quiet guidance that often gets lost in the rush of daily demands. I have learned that not every decision needs to be made quickly, but every decision should be made thoughtfully. This past year reminded me that when I pause, I lead with greater wisdom, patience, and compassion. Slowing down creates space for prayerful reflection, for discernment, and for responding with intention rather than reacting out of pressure or fatigue. As a leader, I want to be more present and more grounded. I want my decisions to reflect grace, humility, and care for people, not just outcomes. My hope is that in choosing to slow down, I can better serve others and remain faithful to the purpose that called me to this work in the first place.

“ ” ”

Superintendent, Pflugerville ISD

In 2026, my resolution is to spend less time chasing what is loud and more time listening for what is true. Public education does not need more noise … it needs more clarity, courage, and follow through. That is work worth resolving to do.

Christopher Moran Superintendent, San Angelo ISD

”

My new year’s resolution is to invest more time walking and hiking out of doors with my wife.

Your Texas School Business 2026 Resolutions Turn to page 24 for our calendar, full of professional learning events over the next several months. Find opportunities for learning, networking and more. Send us an email. Is there a topic you’d like to see covered in these pages in 2026? Send an email to drivers@ texasschoolbusiness.com with your thoughts. It’s not too early to nominate your district for our 2026 Bragging Rights edition. Nominations are open now at the following form: https://fs1.formsite.com/tasa/bragging-rights/index TSB is always looking for arts educators and public school students to write for us. Contact drivers@texasschoolbusiness. com for more info.

Texas School Business JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

Who’s News ◄ Continued from page 11 Katie Stewart has been

selected to lead Danielson Middle School as principal. She was most recently Leander Middle School’s lead assistant principal and previously was a testing coordinator and social studies teacher at Vandergrift High School. She is a graduate of the University of Texas with a master’s degree from Lamar University.

Lockhart ISD The new director of maintenance, Jeff Balandran, is a Lockhart High School graduate who joined the district in the maintenance department in 2002.

Longview ISD Longview ISD’s new chief of district safety is Benjamin Kemper, a product of Longview ISD schools who spent almost 25 years with the Longview Police Department, where he most recently was assistant chief. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Sam Houston State University and a master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Oklahoma.

Marlin ISD Former Lamar CISD deputy superintendent Alphonso Bates now holds the position of superintendent of Marlin ISD. He brings more than 25 years of experience to his new job, having worked as a teacher and campus and central office administrator in Lancaster and DeSoto ISDs as well as Lamar.

Mount Calm ISD Mount Calm ISD’s new superintendent, Jay Underwood, spent the past six years as deputy superintendent of Anna ISD. Prior to that, he was that district’s assistant superintendent of administrative services and executive director of human resources. He also was a principal in Kopperl ISD and athletic director of Palmer ISD. He is a graduate of the University of North Texas with a master’s degree in educational leadership and administration from Lamar University.

Northside ISD The district has announced the appointment of Patricia Gutierrez as director of adult and community education. She is the former associate principal of Marshall High School. Sara Mireles, former associate principal of

Burke Elementary School, is now principal of May Elementary.

Now serving as assistant superintendent for secondary administration (middle school) is Valerie Sisk. She previously was executive director of secondary administration. The district’s new assistant superintendent for secondary administration (high school) is Kara Trevino, who most recently led Killeen High School in Killeen ISD.

Pflugerville ISD Henry Castellanos has been

approved as principal of Delco Elementary School. A product of Pflugerville ISD schools, he most recently served as assistant principal of Hornsby-Dunlap Elementary. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas and his master’s degree in educational leadership from Concordia University. The district’s newly appointed assistant superintendent of operations, Brandon Evans, comes to Pflugerville from Leander ISD, where he was senior executive director of operations. Also in that district, he served as senior director of campus activities and support, assistant director of student support services, and principal of Wiley Middle School. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a master’s degree in educational leadership from American Intercontinental University. Daniel Garcia has been

named founding principal of Pflugerville ISD’s new Career and Technology Education Center, set to open its doors in August. He has been with the district for 24 years, working initially as a teacher and going on to serve as principal of Hendrickson High School. New district chief of police Tyler Smith brings almost 20 years of experience in law enforcement, fire, EMS and emergency management. Most recently, he served as a captain in the Amarillo ISD police department. He holds a degree in emergency management from West Texas A&M University.

University of Texas McCombs School of Business, where he was assistant director of outreach and scholarships.

Plano ISD The new director of digital learning and innovation, Ashley Jackson Ivey, joins the district from Garland ISD, where she began her career as a middle school teacher. She then became an instructional coach and district digital learning coordinator. Stefanie Ramos, newly

appointed director of character, attendance and restorative education, brings 30 years of experience to her new position, including serving as principal of Daffron and Wells elementary schools. Most recently, she was Plano ISD’s director of human services. Now serving as director of IT support services is Michael White, a 20-year veteran of technology administration who has worked in K-12 education, higher education and the private sector. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas Woman’s University and his doctorate in educational leadership from Liberty University.

Rockdale ISD Superintendent

Denise Monzingo has announced her upcoming retirement, which will bring to a close a 40-year career in education, the past 12 leading Rockdale ISD. Prior to coming to Rockdale, she was executive director of accountability and special programs at Pflugerville ISD.

Round Rock ISD The district has welcomed Stacie Bryan as executive director of Round Rock ISD’s Partners in Education Foundation. She has more than two decades of experience in management and operations, most recently serving as executive director of the Candlelight Ranch Foundation. She holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in management from Texas A&M University.

Karl Spencer is the new executive director

of the Pflugerville Education Foundation. He comes to his new position from the

► See Who’s News, page 22 Texas School Business JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

PRESIDENT PROFILE

Texas Council of Administrators of Special Education

Jose Hinojosa leads TCASE with a focus on kindness, community “We have to be kind to one another, and good things will happen. We don’t have to agree. But we can disagree with compassion, and listen as well as be heard.”

he Texas Council of Administrators of Special Education (TCASE) recently welcomed Jose Hinojosa, senior director of educational operations in Edgewood ISD, as its newest president. A veteran of Texas public schools, Hinojosa has worked in education for 25 years, concentrating on special education in particular. He says it’s a lifelong passion inspired by his grandfather, who suffered a physical disability after contracting polio following his service in World War II. “I grew up with the empathy of caring for others because it was just normal; it was just what we did,” Hinojosa says. “I want to see all students succeed, but it always goes back to my grandfather, who I saw was not always treated fairly at times, which really shaped my mindset and my thinking of how I can do more for others.” Not only did Hinojosa help care for his grandfather, he watched how his grandfather himself cared for others to his best ability regardless of his own challenges. Hinojosa felt inspired to also serve others in need, and does so through his work in special education. “My passion lies in being the voice for the voiceless,” Hinojosa says. “It’s advocating. It’s speaking up, and at the same time, helping our parents, caregivers, grandparents, with their own advocacy.” Starting his education career as a life skills teacher in Northside

Texas School Business JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

ISD, Hinojosa also served as a campus and department coordinator before moving into the central office. After 14 years in NISD, he made the move to Edgewood to serve as special education director, a position he held for nine years before stepping into his current role. In EISD, Hinojosa works with the superintendent to help support the families of students in the special education program. “A lot of times, it’s helping parents get through navigating a diagnosis, and then giving them all of the information, opportunities and the knowledge that just because a child has a disability does not make them different from anyone else.” Hinojosa also meets with community leaders, stays on top of legislation affecting special education, and works to educate parents, lawmakers and the community about the challenges such programs face. “I take great pride in the work I do,” he says. “I take pride in the community that I serve in Edgewood ISD, on the west side of San Antonio, a 16-mile square radius where I get to work around phenomenal people and an even better community. And that brings me great joy daily.” Right now, Hinojosa says that the biggest issue facing special

education in Texas is a lack of staffing. Much-needed roles remain unfilled, and districts are struggling to hire people to educate students. One way Hinojosa expands his advocacy is through his role as TCASE president. He joined the association when he moved into his first central office role and was offered the chance to attend a TCASE conference. From there, he was 100% on board. “When I went, I was overwhelmed with the knowledge of all these individuals out there in the field,” he says. “TCASE exposed me to so much of what was happening around the state and different colleagues so I could learn from others. It was eye-opening.” Thanks to the networking opportunities TCASE provides, Hinojosa says he has been able to build a pool of colleagues across the state who serve as resources and thought partners, helping him to grow in his career and as a leader. During his time as TCASE president, Hinojosa hopes to help maintain a balance and focus on what the special education community needs most. The last legislative session brought about several changes,

“

and he says it feels like things are moving fast, making it easy to get overwhelmed. Hinojosa is working so that TCASE can be a consistent, reliable voice for its members, while offering answers to the many questions they have about the current state of special education and upcoming changes. As challenges arise in the field, Hinojosa stays focused through a commitment to his overall goal, and his memories of his grandfather. Above all, his one hope for anyone working in Texas public education is that, especially when the environment becomes challenging, they remember the why, the purpose, the reason they got into the field in the first place. “We have to be kind to one another, and good things will happen. We don’t have to agree. But we can disagree with compassion, and listen as well as be heard. The most important thing for all of us in these times is just to love the teachers, the educators, the parents, the custodians, the personnel who keep the buildings clean, the police officers, all of it, because we’re all here for the kids.”

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”

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Texas Council of Administrators of Special Education Membership: TCASE membership is open to special education administrators as well as certified individuals working in special education-related jobs. Mission: TCASE’s mission is to inspire and empower special education professionals and to work on behalf of their members to help them achieve in their profession. Year founded: 1960 Website: tcase.org

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Texas School Business JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

PRESIDENT PROFILE

Texas School Public Relations Association

Humble, coachable Jordan Ziemer serves TSPRA as president

“I’ve found my career home and absolutely love getting to spread the word about great things happening in public schools in Texas.”

fter receiving his undergraduate and graduate degrees at Abilene Christian University, and his doctoral degree at Texas A&M (all in communications), Jordan Ziemer found himself comfortably ensconced in a tenure-track position at the University of Texas in San Antonio, where he thought he’d found the perfect career. “It’s the dream of every PhD student,” Ziemer says. “Get myself a tenure-track job, teach one class a year, then sip piña coladas on the beach while I write research papers.” Things didn’t quite turn out that way. Ziemer says he had an “existential crisis” one day when one of his master’s students asked him for his input on a practical public relations question about a project they were working on with a San Antonio-based nonprofit. “I had this moment where I thought, I don’t know how to answer this critical practice-based question with anything other than head knowledge, or textbook info.” That realization led Ziemer to take a long, hard look at his career. As a result, he found himself with an intense desire to stay in the education space but develop practical PR and communications skills in a way that would help local communities. At the time, Ziemer’s wife was a public school teacher (she is now an assistant principal). Both of his parents were also educators, and his

Texas School Business JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

grandmother was a special education teacher and director. Ziemer comes from a family of educators and thought that maybe public ed held a space for him. He reached out to his cousin, a Texas school superintendent, and was able to connect with a school district in San Antonio that needed communications support. “And so I jumped in,” Ziemer says. “Now I’ve found my career home and absolutely love getting to spread the word about great things happening in public schools in Texas. Right now my role has me doing that here in Abilene, and I love it.” Ziemer is in his sixth year in AISD, where he currently serves as executive director of communications. Recently, Ziemer was elected to serve as president of the Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA). He joined TSPRA after taking his first school communications job in La Vernia ISD, where the superintendent connected him with the association. Upon attending his first SASPRA meeting (the San Antonio regional TSPRA group), Ziemer found himself in a room among school PR veterans including Monica Faulkenberry, Patti Pawlik-Perales, Julie Ann Matonis and Kim Cathey. “I walked into that meeting and did not know a soul in the room, but some of the faces have become some of the most important mentors, encouragers, leaders and aspirational peers in my professional career,” Ziemer says. “I walked in and was like, ‘I don’t

know who I am yet, professionally, or exactly what I’m doing here, somebody help.’” In that room, Ziemer says he found a team of professionals who were at-the-ready to help him, and those relationships became the bedrock for a successful career. Over the years, Ziemer became more and more involved with TSPRA, volunteering to serve the association in any way needed, which eventually led to him being asked to join the board, and then nominated to run for the executive committee. Considering his evolution from an inexperienced newbie who walked into a room full of pros to the leader of the statewide organization, Ziemer attributes the growth to his ready ability to admit to what he doesn’t know. Before Ziemer took his first job in a public school, he asked his superintendent cousin what he needed to be most successful in his role. His cousin’s response: Be humble and be coachable. “I’ll just start up a conversation and say, ‘What can you teach me today? What can I learn from you?’” Ziemer says. By remaining coachable and open to input, Ziemer has reaped the benefits of TSPRA membership, especially the opportunities for mentorship and networking with other school communications and PR professionals

from across the state. As he’s grown in both his career and association leadership, he credits the support of his fellow TSPRA leaders. “Sometimes I sit at that board table with awe at the talent and dedication that’s around me and I have to pinch myself,” he says. “It’s a real opportunity for me, and it’s an incredible blessing and a privilege.” In his time as TSPRA president, Ziemer plans to use his higher education background to help the association create a professional advancement program for young professionals while giving veterans the opportunity to pour their expertise back into novice PR and communications professionals. “I would like to see our longtime veterans honored for the work they’ve put into the career and for TSPRA to become a professional learning and advancement organization in and of itself.” For anyone new to the field, as Ziemer himself once was, his advice follows what he has put into practice. “Just jump in the conversation. You don’t have to have a clear launching point. You don’t have to have an angle. You don’t have to show up with an agenda. Just show up and put humility and coachability in your tool belt.”

Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA) Mission: The Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA) is a professional organization whose members are dedicated to improving public education in Texas by: Promoting effective public relations practices Providing professional development for its members Improving communication between Texans and their public schools. Membership: TSPRA members include public school personnel, foundation staff and boards, education associations, and businesses that serve schools and foundations. Year Founded: 1962 Website: tspra.org

Save the Date!

Oct. 8-11, 2026 ■ George R. Brown Convention Center ■ Houston, TX Texas School Business JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

REGIONAL VIEW

Education service center programs & practices

The Region 9 Education Service Center Teacher Incentive Allotment team serves all 37 regional districts and is also a state hub for rural districts.

Region 9 ESC’s Teacher Incentive Allotment department

he Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA), originally established by House Bill 3, was developed to reward, retain, and recruit highly effective teachers. This funding is provided by the Foundation School Program, the primary source of state funding for Texas school districts, which makes it possible for all teachers in the state of Texas to earn six-figure salaries. TIA has been available since 2019 and is projected to award more than $1.7 billion to designated teachers by the end of the 2027-28 school year. In a message from Commissioner of Education Mike Morath, he states, “With skilled educators, strong school system leaders, and statewide policies passed by lawmakers that prioritize the needs of our students, Texas has taken significant steps to ensure that education is a pathway to success for all, regardless of ZIP code or circumstance.” TIA is an integral piece to the significant steps mentioned in this quote. Teachers can now increase their income anywhere from

Texas School Business JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

Transforming the process through the rural cohort hub by Adrian Ryder

$3,000 to $36,000 depending on these major factors: teacher observation ratings, student growth scores, and rural/high-needs status. When implemented effectively, the TIA system not only raises teacher compensation but also strengthens district culture, prioritizes student success, and reinforces instructional excellence. There are four designations with different compensation bands: Acknowledged, Recognized, Exemplary, and Master. If a district participates in TIA, teachers can be put up for one of these designations. But how does a district take the initiative to begin the TIA process? Many of them apply and implement their local designation system in-house, using employees such as curriculum specialists, administrative teams, district testing coordinators, and a stakeholder engagement team. However, the majority of rural districts do not have the capacity to implement such a system. In many cases, superintendents double as bus drivers, campus administrators serve as testing coordinators or classroom teachers, and let’s face it, curriculum specialists and instructional coaches don’t exist. Enter… the Region 9 TIA team!

Region 9 ESC — serving 37 districts, 34 of which are rural — is uniquely positioned to support rural schools, so one might call them small town experts. When the opportunity to serve rural districts across the state of Texas arose, it felt organic for the ESC to serve in this capacity. Micki Wesley, Region 9’s deputy director, jumped at the chance to participate in the Rural Cohort Hub. “We saw a great opportunity to serve districts that might otherwise face significant hurdles implementing the Teacher Incentive Allotment,” Wesley stated. “Our work, alongside Region 15 in the Rural Cohort, ensures that TIA is accessible and successful for educators, no matter how small or remote their district may be.” In 2022, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) appointed the Region 15 ESC as the first Rural Cohort Hub. In 2024, a surge in TIA applications required a more robust team, so the Region 9 ESC became the second Rural Cohort Hub. Since the inception of these two teams, more than 300 rural districts have applied, been accepted, or implemented a local designation system through TIA. Of these 300, the Rural Cohort has supported 116 over the past four years. As of the 2025-26 school year, 63% of rural districts in the state are participating in TIA in some fashion. What does participating in the Rural Cohort entail? Districts sign a letter of intent and begin the process by attending summer

introductory training. The following year, known as the “Application Year,” these districts commit to participate in Zoom trainings once a month with a face-to-face session in the fall, one-on-one visits with a Region 9 TIA specialist, and customized assistance filling out and submitting required documentation. The service center, throughout the next two years, supports the districts through implementation of their system, collecting teacher and student data, putting systems in place, analyzing data, submitting for data validation, and various other supports. The Region 9 TIA team has developed many turnkey resources, presentations, checklists, templates, and best practices when it comes to implementing a successful local designation system. Because of these supports, participating districts have experienced increased data validation success, stronger correlation between T-TESS scores and Student Growth Measures, clearer expectations and more transparent communication, and healthier cultures rooted in collaboration and growth mindset. Providing these measures alleviates some of the stressors associated with the TIA process and district representatives around the region have noticed the benefits. “Thank you to the Region 9 TIA team for all your help and expert guidance throughout the year. Your support, patience, and willingness to answer every question have kept me on track and confident in the

process. I truly appreciate your expertise and everything you do”, states Kristi Bufkin, principal of Munday Elementary. Chantilly Sweet, TIA lead at Vernon ISD, participates in sessions every chance she gets. “The TIA process was far more in-depth than I initially realized, and the Region 9 TIA team has been my lifeline. They have been instrumental in saving me from missing crucial steps and have provided fantastic ideas and feedback on our district’s plan. Without their support, being TIA lead would have been a much harder start, and growing our program would be incredibly difficult.” The best part about being on the Region 9 Rural Cohort team is building relationships with districts throughout the region as well as across the state. Helping district leads with the heavy lifts, cheering them on when they meet data validation, crunching numbers when submission is due, and celebrating when their eligible teachers are awarded for their diligent work as highly effective educators are just a few of the many perks enjoyed by the Region 9 TIA team. In districts where staffing shortages, limited resources, and geographic isolation often create barriers, the Rural Cohort model has shown that strong support can equal strong outcomes — no matter the ZIP code. ADRIAN RYDER is a TIA specialist for the Region 9 ESC.

This graphic represents districts participating in TIA throughout the years. There are two distinct groups: All Districts and Rural Districts. Texas School Business JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

Who’s News ◄ Continued from page 15

Royse City ISD Royse City ISD has welcomed April Soderquist as its chief communications officer. She brings 26 years of experience to her new position, 17 of those in administrative and communications roles.

Splendora ISD Dustin Bromley, recently

United ISD

Wichita Falls ISD

The district’s new director of grants administration, Karina Mendoza, joined United ISD in 2006 as a procurement officer and was named purchasing and construction procurement manager in 2012. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from Texas A&M International University.

Brittany Bailey has been named principal of the Career Education Center, where she was assistant principal since August. After beginning her education career as a science teacher, she was a counselor at Rider High School and assistant principal of Legacy High.

Waco ISD

The district has announced the appointment of Veronica Gomez as director of support personnel. She began her career in 2013 in Ysleta ISD’s human resources department and most recently was a coordinator in the employee relations department. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Park University. ◄

Ysleta ISD

appointed superintendent of Splendora ISD, comes to his new job from LaPorte ISD, where he was deputy superintendent of administration and support services. He began his career as a teacher and coach, going on to serve as a principal in Crosby ISD, where he also was executive director of operations. He holds a doctorate in education from Lamar University.

The district announces the appointment of Lanny Williams as director of athletics. He most recently held the same position in Manor ISD and has worked as a coach and educator for 26 years. He is a graduate of Texas College with a master’s degree in education administration from Lamar University.

Timpson ISD

Waskom ISD

Now serving as superintendent of Timpson ISD is Terry Everitt, a 29-year educator who has worked as a teacher, coach and administrator in Jacksonville, Bullard and Henderson ISDs.

The district’s new superintendent is Christopher Guastella. An educator for 17 years, he is a graduate of Florida State University with a master’s degree in educational leadership from Lamar University.

Who’s News

Send news items for Who’s News directly to news@ texasschoolbusiness.com

Texas School Business JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

Do you have good news to share about your district?

DIGITAL FRONTIER

◄ Continued from page 9

company’s training operation, and, unlike the business, this training isn’t a support function. It’s the entire purpose of the organization.

can’t simply increase prices or sell more products. They must wait months or years for budget cycles, elections, and legislative sessions.

The hidden infrastructure

Unlike businesses, schools cannot choose their customers. Every student in the district must be served, regardless of cost, need, behavior, or ability to pay. Schools cannot decline unprofitable customers. They cannot terminate service for difficult cases. They cannot refuse students whose services cost more than the funding they receive due to moral and constitutional obligations.

The comparisons continue across other operational categories: Transportation: delivering 4,000 individuals, door-to-door, twice daily, with professional drivers and safety monitors = $500 million equivalent Food service: preparing and serving 7,000+ meals daily with dietary accommodations, allergy protocols, and federal nutrition requirements versus 200 meals daily in a corporate cafeteria and sales dinners = $4 billion equivalent Healthcare: full-time nurses, counselors, social workers, and psychologists serving 11,000 versus one to two safety personnel = $2 billion equivalent Security: securing 15-20 campuses with armed officers, comprehensive visitor protocols, and child-protection requirements versus standard commercial security at four business locations = $1 billion equivalent Human resources: managing the needs of 1,500 employees across dozens of job classifications and hiring 250 new staff each year versus 500 total employees in 1015 categories = $1 billion equivalent Communications: engaging 5,000 families in multiple languages and upholding full public transparency, akin to the reporting obligations of a publicly traded company. A business with the same scale would typically communicate internally with just 500 employees = $1.5 billion equivalent On average, across these categories, a $100 million school district operates with the complexity of an organization 20-40 times larger.

The constraints no business would accept But the operational scale is only half the story. The other half is constraints. Unlike businesses, school districts cannot raise revenue without legislative or voter approval. When costs rise, districts

Show me a business with these constraints.

The regulatory maze School districts operate under a regulatory environment in which there are dozens of federal laws (IDEA, ESSA, Title IX, ADA, FERPA, COPPA, etc.), plus state education codes spanning thousands of pages, local board policies, and courtordered mandates. Every decision carries legal implications. Every service must meet multiple regulatory standards simultaneously. Businesses operate under standard commercial law. Schools operate under a web of mandates more complex than most regulated industries.

What the numbers actually tell us These comparisons don’t reveal that schools are perfect, that there’s no room for improvement in efficiencies, or that accountability doesn’t matter. They reveal that schools are already operating at extraordinary efficiency levels given their scope and constraints. They reveal that the casual comparison to businesses fundamentally misunderstands what schools do and how they operate. They reveal that the question isn’t whether schools can “run more like businesses”; it’s whether we’re providing adequate resources for what we’ve asked schools to accomplish.

Beyond the business model This isn’t about schools versus businesses. Both sectors have strengths, and both can learn from each other. The business community includes some of the strongest education advocates and most valuable partners. But this is about honest analysis. When we tell schools to “run like a business,” we should understand what we’re actually saying. We’re asking organizations operating at 20-40 times their budget complexity to somehow find efficiencies that allow them to do even more with even less. Schools are expected to do this while serving populations businesses would never accept and meeting mandates businesses don’t face.

The real question What we found should fundamentally change how communities think about school funding and operations. Schools are governmental institutions serving a constitutional mandate to educate all children. They’re not businesses, and they shouldn’t be. But if we’re going to invoke the business comparison, let’s be honest about what the comparison actually shows. The question before our communities shouldn’t be, “Can schools be more like businesses?” The question should be: “Are we providing adequate resources for the extraordinary scope, scale, and constraints under which we require schools to operate?” When a $100 million school district performs the work of a multi-billion-dollar enterprise while serving every customer regardless of profitability, the issue isn’t efficiency. We’re asking a featherweight to fight in the heavyweight division. Maybe the problem isn’t how schools perform. Maybe it’s the weight class we’ve put them in. ◄

A $100 million school district operates with the complexity of a $2-4 billion business, serves customers businesses wouldn’t accept, under constraints no business would tolerate, pursuing a mission no business would attempt.

Texas School Business JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

Calendar Professional development & events JA N UA RY January 15 TASA Superintendent Mentoring Program Mentor Training Online Event For more info, (512) 477-6361. https://bit.ly/tasa-mentor TASB Grassroots Meeting, Region 18 MCM Elegante Hotel, Odessa For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org TASBO Workshop: Verifying PEIMS Mid-Year Submission Online For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $85; nonmembers, $160. January 16 TASBO PEIMS Workshop: All About Attendance and Absences ESC 1, Edinburg For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $220; nonmembers, $295. TASBO Purchasing Compliance Workshop: Federal Fund Expenditures ESC 1, Edinburg www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $220; nonmembers, $295. January 19 TASB Virtual Safety Orientation in Spanish Webinar For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org January 20 TASB Workshop: Asbestos Designated Person Training TASB offices, Austin For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org

Texas School Business JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

TASBO Workshop: Budget and Financial Planning Cooper Liberty High School, Lubbock For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $220; nonmembers, $295. January 21 ED311 Workshop: Decoding the Student Behavior Crisis ESC 1, Edinburg For more info, (512) 4778-2113. www.ed311.com Cost: $199. Fast Growth School Coalition Lunch and Learn Online For more info, (512) 536-1206. www.fastgrowthtexas.org TASB Chemical Safety Compliance: How to Prevent the Call TASB offices, Austin For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org TASB Workshop: Integrated Pest Management TASB offices, Austin For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org TASSP Spring Meeting, Region 12 China Spring Middle School, China Spring For more info, (512) 443-2100. www.tassp.org January 22 TASB Grassroots Meeting, Region 3 Victoria College, Victoria For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org TASB Grassroots Meeting, Region 15 San Angelo ISD, San Angelo For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org

TASBO Internal Audit Academy Express Online For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $175; nonmembers, $250. January 23-24 TCWSE Annual Conference Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio For more info, (512) 477-6361. www.tcwse.org Cost: TCWSE members, $350; TCWSE honorary life members, no charge; nonmember educational entity, $400; nonmember company or organization, $475; January 25 TASA School Finance Template Boot Camp (before TASA Midwinter Conference) Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio For more info, (512) 477-6361. https://bit.ly/school-finance-bootcamp January 25-28 TASA Aspiring Superintendents Academy (concurrent with TASA Midwinter Conference) Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio For more info, (512) 477-6361. https://bit.ly/aspiring-atmidwinter TASA Midwinter Conference Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio For more info, (512) 477-6361. www.tasamidwinter.org Cost: Online registration (through Jan. 14): TASA members, educational entity, $515; nonmembers, educational entity, $615; TASA members, non-educational entity, $615; nonmembers, non-educational entity, $915; student members, $240. All rates (except student) increase by $70 on-site Jan. 25-26.

January 26-27 TASA/N2 Learning Principals’ Institute (session 4 of 6; held in conjunction with the TASA Midwinter Conference) Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio For more info, (972) 515-2268. www.n2learning.org January 27 TASA Small Schools Network (session 2 of 4, held in conjunction with the TASA Midwinter Conference) Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio For more info, (512) 477-6361. https://bit.ly/TASA-SSN TASBO Workshop: Teacher Incentive Allotment Essentials Online For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $85; nonmembers, $160. January 27-28 TASBO Workshop: Getting Things Done TASBO offices or online For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $175; nonmembers, $250.

F E B R UA RY February 2 TASPA Workshop: Maintaining Service Records Goose Creek CISD, Baytown For more info, (512) 494-9353. www.taspa.org February 2-3 TASB Texas Federal Advocacy Conference Willard Intercontinental Hotel, Washington, D.C. For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org February 2-4 TCASE Great Ideas Conference Marriott Hotel, Austin For more info, (512) 474-4492 or (888) 433-4492. www.tcase.org Cost: Members, $545; nonmembers, $620.

February 3 TASA/N2 Learning Assistant Principal Leadership Academy, Northwest Dallas area cohort (session 4 of 6) Northwest ISD, Justin For more info, (927) 515-2268. www.n2learning.org

TASBO Workshop: Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue (session 2 of 4) Online For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $550; nonmembers, $625.

February 4 TASA/N2 Learning Assistant Principal Leadership Academy, San Antonio area cohort (session 4 of 6) Northside ISD, San Antonio For more info, (927) 515-2268. www.n2learning.org

February 6 TASBO Workshop: Advanced Financial Concepts ESC 1, Edinburg For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $220; nonmembers, $295.

TASB Grassroots Meeting, Region 4 Pearland ISD, Pearland For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org

February 9 ED311 Workshop: Decoding the Student Behavior Crisis ESC 6, Huntsville For more info, (512) 478-2113. www.ed311.com Cost: $199.

TASBO Workshop: Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue (session 1 of 4) Online For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $550; nonmembers, $625. TASPA Workshop: Qualifying a Special Education Teacher Georgetown ISD, Georgetown For more info, (512) 494-9353. www.taspa.org February 5 TASA/N2 Learning Assistant Principal Leadership Academy, Austin area cohort (session 4 of 6) Georgetown ISD, Georgetown For more info, (927) 515-2268. www.n2learning.org TASA/N2 Learning Assistant Principal Leadership Academy, Dallas area cohort (session 4 of 6) Royse City ISD, Royse City For more info, (927) 515-2268. www.n2learning.org TASB Grassroots Meeting, Region 7 Henderson ISD, Henderson For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org TASB Grassroots Meeting, Region 18 Sul Ross State University, Alpine For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org

February 10 TASA/N2 Learning Assistant Principal Leadership Academy, North Houston cohort (session 4 of 6) Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, Cypress For more info, (927) 515-2268. www.n2learning.org TASB Grassroots Meeting, Region 5 West Brook High School, Beaumont For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org TASB Grassroots Meeting, Region 19 Ysleta ISD, El Paso For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org TASBO Workshop: Long-Range Planning ESC 1, Edinburg For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $220; nonmembers, $295. TASPA Workshop: Certification Essentials Terrell ISD, Terrell For more info, (512) 494-9353. www.taspa.org TASPA Workshop: Maintaining Service Records Terrell ISD, Terrell For more info, (512) 494-9353. www.taspa.org

February 11 TASA/N2 Learning Assistant Principal Leadership Academy, East Texas cohort (session 4 of 6) Tyler ISD, Tyler For more info, (927) 515-2268. www.n2learning.org TASBO Workshop: Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue (session 3 of 4) Online For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $550; nonmembers, $625. TASSP Spring Meeting, Region 6 Lake Creek High School, Montgomery For more info, (512) 443-2100. www.tassp.org February 12 TASB Grassroots Meeting, Region 12 Midway ISD, Waco For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org TASB Grassroots Meeting, Region 20 Northside Activity Center, San Antonio For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org TASB Student Solutions Webinar Series: Discipline of Students with Disabilities Webinar For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org TASBO Workshop: Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue (session 4 of 4) Online For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $550; nonmembers, $625. February 16-19 TSPRA Annual Conference Galveston Island Convention Center, Galveston For more info, (512) 474-9107. www.tspra.org Cost: Members, $550; nonmembers, $980.

February 17 TASBO State Aid Template Series (session 2 of 4) Online For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $200; nonmembers, $275. February 18 TASA/N2 Learning Assistant Principal Leadership Academy, virtual cohort (session 4 of 6) Online Event For more info, (927) 515-2268. www.n2learning.org TASB Workshop: Asbestos Designated Person Training ESC 20, San Antonio For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org TASSP Legal Issues Webinar Series (session 3 of 4) Webinar For more info, (512) 443-2100. www.tassp.org Cost: Members, $59 for all four sessions; nonmembers, $99 for all four sessions. TASSP Spring Meeting, Region 4 Lamar High School, Houston For more info, (512) 443-2100. www.tassp.org February 18-19 TASA First-Time Superintendents Academy (session 4 of 4) Austin Marriott North, Round Rock For more info, (512) 477-6361. https://bit.ly/ftsa Cost: TASA members, $245; nonmembers, $295. TASB Workshop: Service Record Management Online For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org February 18-21 Leadership TASB Class (session 3 of 5) Location TBA, Amarillo For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org

► See Calendar, page 26 Texas School Business JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

◄ Continued from page 25 February 18-22 TABSE Annual Conference Omni Las Colinas, Irving No phone number provided. www.tabse.net Cost: Through Jan. 20: Members, $450; nonmembers, $550; life members and retirees, $350; undergraduate students, $250; workshop presenters, $375; group of five, $2,000. After Jan. 20: Members, $550; nonmembers, $650; life members and retirees, $350; undergraduate students, $200; workshop presenters: N/A; group of five, $2,000. February 19 TASB Workshop: Cyber Trends Webinar For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org TASSP Spring Meeting, Region 5 Location and city TBA For more info, (512) 443-2100. www.tassp.org February 21 TEPSA Regional Meeting, ESC 4 Location TBA, Houston For more info, (512) 478-5268 or (800) 252-3621. www.tepsa.org February 23 TASSP Spring Meeting, Region 1 United High School, Laredo For more info, (512) 443-2100. www.tassp.org February 23-27 TASBO Engage Conference Gaylord Texan Resort and Conference Center, Grapevine For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $545; nonmembers, $625; associate members, $950; associate nonmembers, $1,200. February 24 TASA Small Schools Network Virtual Event Free Online Event For more info, (512) 477-6361. https://bit.ly/free-SSN TASB Grassroots Meeting, Region 9 Burkburnett ISD, Burkburnett For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org

Texas School Business JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

TASB Grassroots Meeting, Region 10 Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD, Carrollton For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org TASPA Workshop: Certification Fundamentals ESC 8, Pittsburg For more info, (512) 494-9353. www.taspa.org February 24-25 TASA/N2 Learning Executive Leadership Institute (session 3 of 4) Frisco ISD, Frisco For more info, (927) 515-2268. www.n2learning.org TASA/N2 Learning Principals’ Institute (session 5 of 6) Frisco ISD, Frisco For more info, (972) 515-2268. www.n2learning.org February 24-26 TASA Level 1 CMAT TASA offices, Austin, or virtual For more info, (512) 477-6361. www.tasanet.org Cost: Members, $800; nonmembers, $900. February 25-26 TASA Future-Ready Superintendents Leadership Network (session 3 of 3) Frenship ISD, Wolfforth For more info, (512) 477-6361. https://bit.ly/tasa-frsln February 25 TASB Grassroots Meeting, Region 11 Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD, Bedford For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org TASB Grassroots Meeting, Region 17 MCM Elegante Hotel, Lubbock For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org TEPSA Regional Meeting, ESC 14 Lytle Land and Cattle, Abilene For more info, (512) 478-5268 or (800) 252-3621. www.tepsa.org February 26 TASB Grassroots Meeting, Region 2 Corpus Christi ISD, Corpus Christi For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org

TASB Grassroots Meeting, Region 14 Colorado City ISD, Colorado City For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org TASPA Workshop: Essential Personnel Skills for Supervisors ESC 20, San Antonio For more info, (512) 494-9353. www.taspa.org

MARCH March 1-3 TASSP Symposium: Making Middle School Matter Hilton Airport, Austin For more info, (512) 443-2100. www.tassp.org Cost: Through Feb. 15, $315; after Feb. 15, $365. March 3 TASA/N2 Learning Assistant Principal Leadership Academy, North Houston area cohort (session 5 of 6) Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, Cypress For more info, (927) 515-2268. www.n2learning.org TASA/N2 Learning Assistant Principal Leadership Academy, Northwest Dallas area cohort (session 5 of 6) Northwest ISD, Justin For more info, (927) 515-2268. www.n2learning.org TASSP Spring Meeting, Region 3 Online For more info, (512) 443-2100. www.tassp.org March 4 TASA/N2 Learning Assistant Principal Leadership Academy, San Antonio area cohort (session 5 of 6) Northside ISD, San Antonio For more info, (927) 515-2268. www.n2learning.org TASB Workshop: Workers’ Compensation for HR Staff Webinar For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org TASSP Spring Meeting, Region 19 Online For more info, (512) 443-2100. www.tassp.org

TEPSA Regional Meeting, ESC 3 Vera Cruz Restaurant, Victoria For more info, (512) 478-5268 or (800) 252-3621. www.tepsa.org March 4-7 TASB Governance Camp Galveston Island Convention Center, Galveston For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org Cost: Early registration (Jan. 1428): $497; standard registration (Jan. 29-March 3): $547; on-site registration: $597. March 5 TASA/N2 Learning Assistant Principal Leadership Academy, Austin area cohort (session 5 of 6) Georgetown ISD, Georgetown For more info, (927) 515-2268. www.n2learning.org TASA/N2 Learning Assistant Principal Leadership Academy, Dallas area cohort (session 5 of 6) Royse City ISD, Royse City For more info, (927) 515-2268. www.n2learning.org TASBO Workshop: Activity Fund Accounting ESC 20, San Antonio For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $220; nonmembers, $295. TASPA Workshop: Certification Fundamentals Amarillo ISD, Amarillo For more info, (512) 494-9353. www.taspa.org March 6 TASA/N2 Learning Assistant Principal Leadership Academy, East Texas cohort (session 5 of 6) Plyler Complex, Tyler For more info, (927) 515-2268. www.n2learning.org March 10 TASB Workshop: Asbestos Designated Person Training Mount Pleasant ISD, Mount Pleasant For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org

March 11 TASB Workshop: Integrated Pest Management Mount Pleasant ISD, Mount Pleasant For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org March 12 TASB Student Solutions Webinar Series: SHARS Matters: Cost Report Reminders Webinar For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org March 19 TASB Workshop: Facility Safety and Injury Prevention Webinar For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org March 24-25 TASB Seminar: M+O Foundations Training TASB offices, Austin For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org March 24-26 TASA/CMSi Level 2 CMAT (Curriculum Management Audit Training) TASA HQ, Austin For more info, (512) 477-6361. https://bit.ly/cmsi-cmat Cost: TASA members, $800; nonmembers, $900. TASA Small Schools Network (session 4of 4) Murchison ISD, Murchison For more info, (512) 477-6361. https://bit.ly/TASA-SSN Cost: $250 per event per team member. March 25 TASA/N2 Learning Assistant Principal Leadership Academy, virtual cohort (session 5 of 6) Online Event For more info, (927) 515-2268. www.n2learning.org TASBO Workshop: Managing for Performance Excellence Pecos-Barstow-Toyah High School, Pecos For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $220; nonmembers, $295.

TASSP Spring Meeting, Region 9 ESC 9, Wichita Falls For more info, (512) 443-2100. www.tassp.org TASSP Spring Meeting, Region 17 New Deal High School, New Deal For more info, (512) 443-2100. www.tassp.org March 25-26 TASB Workshop: Managing Personnel Records Online For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org March 26 TASBO Workshop: Effective Communications Aledo ISD, Aledo For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $220; nonmembers, $295. March 30-31 TASBO Workshop: Leadership Fundamentals New Braunfels ISD, New Braunfels For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $550; nonmembers, $625. March 31 TASA/N2 Learning Assistant Principal Leadership Academy, Northwest Dallas area cohort (session 6 of 6) Northwest ISD, Justin For more info, (927) 515-2268. www.n2learning.org TASBO Workshop: Leadership Fundamentals (session 1 of 4) Online For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $550; nonmembers, $625.

APRIL April 1 TASA/N2 Learning Assistant Principal Leadership Academy, San Antonio area cohort (session 6 of 6) Northside ISD, San Antonio For more info, (927) 515-2268. www.n2learning.org

TASBO Workshop Fundamentals (session 2 of 4) Online For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $550; nonmembers, $625. TASSP Spring Meeting, Region 15 ESC 15, San Angelo For more info, (512) 443-2100. www.tassp.org TASSP Spring Meeting, Region 18 Permian High School, Odessa For more info, (512) 443-2100. www.tassp.org April 1-2 TASBO Workshop: Business Administration and the Law Online For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $220; nonmembers, $295. April 2 TASA/N2 Learning Assistant Principal Leadership Academy, Austin area cohort (session 6 of 6) Georgetown ISD, Georgetown For more info, (927) 515-2268. www.n2learning.org TASA/N2 Learning Assistant Principal Leadership Academy,, Dallas area cohort (session 6 of 6) Royse City ISD, Royse City For more info, (927) 515-2268. www.n2learning.org TEPSA Regional Meeting, ESC 18 Via Zoom For more info, (512) 4778-5268 or (800) 252-3621. www.tepsa.org April 4 TSPRA Regional Meeting, Gulf Coast area Gregory-Portland ISD, Portland For more info, (512) 474-9107. www.tspra.org April 6 TASBO Purchasing Management Workshop: Overview of Purchasing Requirements ESC 20, San Antonio For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $220; nonmembers, $295. April 7 TASA/N2 Learning Assistant Principal Leadership Academy, North Houston area cohort (session 6 of 6) Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, Cypress For more info, (927) 515-2268. www.n2learning.org

TASBO Workshop: Leadership Fundamentals (session 3 of 4) Online For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $550; nonmembers, $625. April 7-8 TASBO Finance + CTE Joint Academy Northwest ISD, Justin For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members and nonmembers, $345. April 8 TASA/N2 Learning Assistant Principal Leadership Academy, East Texas cohort (session 6 of 6) Plyler Complex, Tyler For more info, (927) 515-2268. www.n2learning.org TASA Texas Public Accountability Consortium (session 2 of 2) Clear Creek ISD, League City For more info, (512) 477-6361. www.tasanet.org Cost: $250 per session. TASBO Workshop: Leadership Fundamentals (session 4 of 4) Online For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $550; nonmembers, $625. TASSP Spring Meeting, Region 16 ESC 16, Amarillo For more info, (512) 443-2100. www.tassp.org April 8-11 Leadership TASB Class (session 4 of 5) Location TBA, Texarkana For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org April 9 TASB Student Solutions Webinar Series: 18-Plus Requirements and Planning Webinar For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org TASBO Workshop: Business Ethics ESC 6, Huntsville For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $220; nonmembers, $295.

► See Calendar, page 28 Texas School Business JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

◄ Continued from page 27 TASBO Workshop: School Nutrition Procurement ESC 4, Houston For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $220; nonmembers, $295.

April 15 TASA/N2 Learning Assistant Principal Leadership Academy, virtual cohort (session 6 of 6) Online event For more info, (927) 515-2268. www.n2learning.org

TSPRA Regional Meeting, San Antonio area ESC Region 20, San Antonio For more info, (512) 474-9107. www.tspra.org

TASB Workshop: Integrated Pest Management ESC 16, Amarillo For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org

April 13 TASBO Purchasing Management Workshop: Overview of Purchasing Requirements ESC 10, Richardson For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $220; nonmembers, $295.

TASBO Workshop: State Aid Calculations, Part II ESC 11, White Settlement For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $220; nonmembers, $295

TASBO Workshop: Supervisor Fundamentals Frisco ISD, Frisco For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Members, $245; nonmembers, $320. TASSP Spring Meeting, Region 2 Rockport-Fulton High School, Rockport, and online For more info, (512) 443-2100. www.tassp.org April 13-14 TASA/CMSi Curriculum Management Planning Workshop TASA offices, Austin For more info, (512) 477-6361. https://bit.ly/cmsi-cmat Cost: Members, $550; nonmembers, $600. April 14 TASB Workshop: Asbestos Designated Person Training ESC 16, Amarillo For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org TASBO Workshop: Converting Paper Records to Digital Grand Prairie ISD, Grand Prairie For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $245; nonmembers, $320. TASBO Workshop: State Aid Calculation, Part I ESC 11, White Settlement For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $220; nonmembers, $295.

Texas School Business JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

TASSP Spring Meeting, Region 10 Spring Creek Barbecue, Richardson For more info, (512) 443-2100. www.tassp.org April 15-16 TASB Workshop: Get a Grip on the Family and Medical Leave Act Online For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org TASBO Texas School Records Management Academy Grand Prairie ISD, Grand Prairie For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost : Members, $345 ; nonmembers, $420. April 15-17 TASA/CMSi Curriculum Writing Workshop TASA offices, Austin For more info, (512) 477-6361. https://bit.ly/cmsi-cmat Cost: Members, $550; nonmembers, $600. April 16 TASB Workshop: Planning Ahead: Emergency Management and Severe Weather Webinar For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org TSPRA Regional Meeting, Central Texas area Dripping Springs ISD, Dripping Springs For more info, (512) 474-9107. www.tspra.org

April 21 TASBO Workshop: Getting Things Done ESC 19, El Paso For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $375; nonmembers, $450. April 22 TASSP Legal Issues Webinar Series (session 4 of 4) Webinar For more info, (512) 443-2100. www.tassp.org Cost: Members, $59 for all four sessions; nonmembers, $99 for all four sessions. TASSP Spring Meeting, Region 13 Hendrickson High School, Pflugerville For more info, (512) 443-2100. www.tassp.org April 22-23 TASBO Workshop: Leadership Fundamentals ESC 19, El Paso For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $550; nonmembers, $625. April 23 Fast Growth School Coalition Lunch and Learn Online For more info, (512) 536-1206. www.fastgrowthtexas.org

TASBO Workshop: Navigating the Political Process ESC 1, Edinburg For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $220; nonmembers, $295. April 24 TSPRA Regional Meeting, Houston/Beaumont area Sheldon ISD, Sheldon For more info, (512) 474-9107. www.tspra.org TSPRA Regional Meeting, West Central area Troy ISD, Troy For more info, (512) 474-9107. www.tspra.org April 26-28 TASB Fund Members Conference Kalahari Resort and Convention Center, Round Rock For more info, (512) 467-0222 or (800) 580-8272. www.tasb.org April 27 TASSP Spring Meeting, Region 7 ESC 7, Kilgore For more info, (512) 443-2100. www.tassp.org April 28 TASBO Workshop: Board Policies and Administrative Procedures ESC 1, Edinburg For more info, (512) 462-1711. www.tasbo.org Cost: Members, $220; nonmembers, $295.

Where did you find that great conference? I found it in Texas School Business! Discover upcoming conferences and continuing education opportunities in the calendar section of each issue of Texas School Business and on our website. TexasSchoolBusiness.com

THE BACK PAGE

A few words about kindness … and a book you have to read

by Riney Jordan

was fortunate enough to be born to parents who exemplified kindness to others in virtually everything they did.

My mom had no more than a fifth or sixth grade education, but that didn’t stop her from doing things that would help or benefit others. She was always the first to volunteer if help was needed somewhere, and I cannot begin to fathom how many dishes of food she carried to folks who had lost a loved one or who were going through a rough time. My dad was the same way. I remember he would use a non-motorized push mower to cut the grass for the widow who lived next door to us. I asked him one day, “Dad, why do you mow Mrs. Boler’s yard every week? She never pays you a penny for all the work you do.” I never forgot his response. “Son, sometimes we do kind things for others just because it’s the right thing to do.” Teaching our children to be kind to others is one of the most valuable lessons we can ever teach them. I recently asked a local teenage boy if he would be interested in raking the leaves in my yard. He was excited for the opportunity and got right on the job. When he was nearly finished, I noticed that a young boy who also lived in our neighborhood had arrived and was helping him. When it came time for me to pay the teenager, I offered a small amount of money to the young boy as well. He reluctantly took it, but as the afternoon progressed, I began to feel that I should have given the young boy a bit more money. I called him up. Told his mom to have him come over because I felt that he deserved

more money than I had given him for the work that he had done. She laughed and said, “No, he felt bad about taking any money, and wants you to give the extra for the angel tree at our church.” Oh, the joy of kindness! What a great lesson that young boy has already learned! Albert Einstein once said, “Kindness is the highest form of intelligence.” I’m prone to agree with him. Did you know that kindness is actually contagious? In addition, there are now indications that it can improve your health and cause you to live longer. Furthermore, doing an act of kindness just makes you feel good. I want to recommend a new book that our daughter recommended to me. The book is entitled, “Theo of Golden.” Oh, my goodness! It just might be the second best book I’ve ever read! (I would not think of putting any book above the Bible, just so you know.) I simply cannot say enough good things about this book, however! And please be aware that I do not know the author and I’m not being compensated one penny for recommending this book. With all the headaches associated with being a school administrator, a teacher, or any other school employee, we all need to read this book. I have no doubt that it is going to do several things for you. It is going to touch your heart. It is going to make you laugh. It is going to make you cry. It is going to lift your spirits. And when you finish, you will be sad that it is over. So, until the next time we meet, be kind. Take care of yourself. Be an encourager. And be thankful for the opportunities you have been given to make a difference every day in the lives of others.

RINEY JORDAN is the author of two books and a frequent public speaker. To invite him to speak at your

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Texas School Business JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

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