BY MARC PUIG
Culberson County-Allamoore ISD Board Vice-President Angie Gonzalez along with Superintendent Marc Puig joined leaders from across the state at the Texas Association of School Boards’ (TASB) Winter Governance and Legal Seminar in Corpus Christi.
Presenting to a packed house, Vice-President Gonzalez and Superintendent Puig led a breakout session entitled Governance and Game Theory: How to use Perfect Information to Improve Board Decision-Making. The world of board-superintendent teamwork is both exciting and challenging, as ultimately the success of a district hinges on this relationship. To that end, Angie Gonzalez emphasized the importance of doing your homework as a trustee and being armed with good information to make tough decisions, adding that board members must “take up the responsibility to lead†and use board meetings to “deliberate, not debate†on critical matters.
CCAISD’s presentation concluded with a message of becoming a BEAR: Board Engaged for Achievement Results. Being a “BEAR†means creating a strong working relationship between trustees and the superintendent that leads to trust, unity and a common direction. “Being able to share this information with other school boards fits in with CCAISD’s direction of ‘having a growth mindset’,†said Gonzalez. “Training is crucial to the success of a school board, and CCAISD continues to strive to learn and improve as a board, progressing toward our vision of being the district of choice.†Gonzalez added that this seminar offered a great networking opportunity to share great practices that are working in CCAISD and to learn the best practices of others.
Board President Paul Uranga was also on hand as part of his ongoing Leadership TASB development program. Other training sessions led by new and seasoned board members covered a variety of topics, including advocacy, student achievement, communications, governance, leadership, accountability, vision, and teamwork. In-depth sessions for new trustees focused on fundamentals of their roles and legal responsibilities as elected leaders. A number of sessions also examined the specific needs of small and rural school districts.
