Dear Key Communicators:

alief shadowJanuary is School Board Recognition Month throughout Texas, and I would like to take just a few minutes of your time to talk about the vitally important role that the Alief ISD Board of Trustees plays in our school district. Current members of the Board of Trustees are: Mr. Rick Moreno, president; Dr. John Hansen, vice president; Ms. Sarah Winkler, secretary; Ms. Tiffany Thomas, assistant secretary; Mr. Nghi Ho, trustee; Ms. Ann Williams, trustee; and Mr. Michael Bennett, trustee.

As you probably know, these individuals are elected to represent the Alief community’s education values. As the superintendent of Alief ISD, I can honestly say that the Alief community is fortunate to have a school board that genuinely cares about every individual student and represents the community. These dedicated public servants receive no pay for their duties and, trust me, put in many long hours in order to effectively serve in their role.

Generally speaking, the Alief Board’s major responsibility is to study issues facing the district, evaluate needs and resources, and, after working with the district and giving due consideration, vote in the best interest of all students. I am proud to say that Alief trustees are committed to their responsibility.

In addition, school board members have several key duties in the school district. Just a few of those responsibilities include :

  • Ensuring the creation of a vision and goals for the district and evaluating student, staff and district success.
  • Hiring a superintendent to serve as the chief executive officer of the district and evaluating the superintendent’s success.
  • Approving an annual budget consistent with the district vision. Our Board passed a surplus operating budget for the 2013-14 school year of $428.2 million with the majority of that budget going directly towards instruction and the education of our students. Alief ISD Trustees also lowered the district’s tax rate by three cents to $1.29 per $100. This represents an overall decrease of five pennies over the past three years.
  • Communicating the district’s vision and success to the community.

As you can see, Trustees put in many hours of service to the Alief community. I am proud to say that the Alief Board of Trustees enjoys a long tradition of providing students the necessary tools that they need to become successful. I am honored to be able to serve as superintendent of schools for Alief ISD and to work alongside the Board as we continuously strive to improve the future for all of our students and community. Please join me in thanking these seven individuals for their service to Alief ISD.

Also, there are more than 7,000 school board members across Texas; so, regardless of what school district you reside in, I would encourage you to make an attempt to let your local school board member(s) know that you appreciate their service.

Sincerely,

HD Chambers
Superintendent of Schools