In its quest to molding its district into a “world class academic organization,” the Palestine ISD Board of Trustees has been named as the Region 7 Education Service Center’s 2014 School Board of the Year and will serve as the regional representative in this year’s Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) School Board Awards Program.
“Anytime you’re honored it’s a humbling experience, but a honor like this means more than just having a great school board,” said Palestine ISD’s school board president, Stanley Sokolowski. “It also means having a great superintendent, administrative team, and school district that are all working together to make the school board special.”
The TASA School Board Awards Program recognizes school boards whose dedication and ethical service have made a positive impact on Texas students. Of the regional nominations submitted, the state awards committee will select five school boards to serve as this year’s Texas Honor Boards. One of those five school boards will then be named as the Texas Outstanding Board at the TASA/TASB convention in Dallas Sept. 26-28.
“The Palestine ISD school board has certainly proven to be a tight-knit group that puts the needs of its students, staff and community first,” said Region 7 ESC Executive Director Elizabeth Abernethy. “The board members and their superintendent deserve to be commended for their efforts in bettering the learning environment and educational opportunities for their district. We are proud to have this group represent the Region 7 area.”
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Palestine ISD Superintendent Jason Marshall |
Palestine ISD Superintendent Jason Marshall nominated the board for the award stating that they “are as good as any school board in the country.”
“Three things jumped out at me quickly about the Palestine ISD Board of Trustees including their commitment to student success, their responsiveness to the needs of Palestine, Texas, and their desire to adhere to their five-year strategic plan,” Marshall said of the board in regard to first signing on as superintendent in 2011. “I can honestly say that when confronted with a difficult decision, they resoundingly respond, ‘If it’s best for students, we will support it.’”
All of which Marshall agrees is needed in order for Palestine ISD to continue on its path to becoming a “world class academic organization.”