The school board training superintendents keep coming back to

Texas trustees do not lack for training. What they rarely get is three days in the same room as their superintendent. Holdsworth’s Texas School Board Institute creates space for learning, building relationships and getting on the same page for the benefit of kids.

The way Dallas ISD Board President Joe Carreon sees it, public school boards cannot afford to waste time going in different directions when students’ futures are at stake.

“When trustees are divided in a district, it just slows down the work of educating students,” he said. Boards do not have to agree on everything, he said, but they do have to give their superintendent clear direction.

That’s why coming to The Holdsworth Center’s Texas School Board Institute is key for him and Dallas ISD Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Elizalde.

“There is no other trustee school that gives you this type of clarity around how to think through these important issues, and how to have those conversations with seven or nine board members and come to alignment,” Carreon said.

At the institute, trustees and superintendents not only learn together; they share meals, swap stories and get to know each other on a deeper level.

“Our most valuable commodity is time,” Elizalde said. Spending time at Holdsworth building trust “changes the way in which you work together, which will change the way we transform our district.”

Thinking big for kids

The Institute is a three-day training at The Holdsworth Center’s Campus on Lake Austin where superintendents and their elected trustees learn side by side about governance, core beliefs, theory of change and goal setting – all in an environment built for the kind of thinking that’s hard to do at home.

They learn through case studies that tap into the typical challenges and opportunities public schools face. The scenarios allow them to talk through how they would navigate in different situations, guided by their district’s values.

The institute also pushes teams to think big for kids – their role isn’t to rubber stamp the status quo but to move districts to the next level through “transformational governance.”

“That can be a really daunting kind of idea, but Holdsworth breaks it down into practical steps,” said Dr. Aaron Peña, Superintendent of Burnet CISD. He and his trustees left feeling “energized” and with “a clear path in how to move forward.”

Purpose-driven and intentional

Katy Duke has served on the Burnet CISD board for about three years and has been to her share of school board member trainings.

“This has been very different – it’s less fragmented, very purpose-driven and very actionable,” Duke said.

At many trainings or conferences, trustees and superintendents said, they will go off to different sessions, grab nuggets of information and come back together to compare notes.

Holdsworth is different, said Dr. Jennifer Blaine, Superintendent of Spring Branch ISD near Houston.

“I feel like Holdsworth puts it all together for you in this very strategic, planned experience over three days. Everything they do is intentional. And I think it’s to build spirit, to build community, to build relationship, because that impacts the work you’re going to do on behalf of kids.”

‘You’re not in this alone’

The upcoming year is again looking like a challenge for those trying to govern public schools with heart and hope. Nearly all districts are facing enrollment loss and budget deficits, and a legislative session is just around the corner.

For Courtney Anderson, board president of Spring Branch ISD, Holdsworth has been the boon she needed.

“This weekend has reminded me, ‘You’re not in this alone,’” she said. “I’ve met so many new colleagues and new faces that I can call.”

‘I needed this’

Cedar Hill ISD Superintendent Dr. Maria Gamell has attended the Holdsworth Texas School Board Institute twice with school board members. And she plans to come back next year with those who have yet to experience the training. Why?

“Trustees get so much training in the state of Texas. What they don’t always get is an opportunity to understand it from the lens of the superintendent,” Gamell said. “My job is to unify multiple people from different backgrounds around one thing – students. The institute gives me the opportunity to build those relationships around what’s best for our kids.”

Dr. Jacquetta Haygood, a second-year trustee in Cedar Hill ISD, agreed.

“I needed this. I needed to know what my role was,” Haygood said. “I needed to make sure that I am doing what I should be doing when it comes to governance.”

Thinking about bringing your board?

The Texas School Board Institute is a three-day institute at The Holdsworth Center’s Campus on Lake Austin where superintendents and their elected trustees learn side by side — on governance, core beliefs, theory of change and goal setting — in a setting built for the kind of thinking that is hard to do at home.

Eligibility: Texas school districts with 2,500 or more students. Express interest and get notified when registration opens in October.

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