Highland Park ISD school board vice president Kevin Sawyer’s tenure on the board began because of a request from his grandchildren seven years ago. Now, he’s one of 25 board members from around the state chosen as part of the Texas Association of School Board’s Leadership Class of 2027.
“Just to be selected is kind of humbling and I'm very glad and very honored to do it,” Sawyer said.
The TASB Leadership Class is an opportunity to meet with other leaders, tour various school districts, and collaborate with people.
“I'm going to be meeting people from as far south as Brownsville all the way up to Dallas,” he said. “So, the diverse amount of people that I'm going to meet, the experiences that I'm going to have, and the places that I'm going to visit, I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
The application process opens up in May each year. The applications are then reviewed by TASB, which chooses participants based on “demonstrated leadership in their local school district and communities,” according to a TASB press release.
“Over the next year, these trustees will grow in ways they never anticipated as they expand their knowledge of board governance, education policy, and board leadership all with the goal of advancing excellent academic outcomes for the more than 5.5 million public school students in Texas,” according to the release.
The 2027 LTASB Class will kick off in October in Houston. Participants will travel to Houston, Abilene, Austin, and Corpus Christ before the conclusion of the yearlong training in June 2027. The Leadership Class visited Highland Park ISD earlier this year as part of the 2026 Class program. Board members who complete LTASB receive a Master Trustee designation. The HPISD board currently has two Master Trustees, president Tonya Detten and member Cindy Spanel.
School board training benefits school districts because there’s an atmosphere of collaboration. The idea for the Buffalo Highlands neighborhood and The Cube came from a school board conference.
“It's mind-blowing that you find all of these different subjects and are able to use them at your location,” Sawyer said. “It's not just everybody tending to themselves, it's everybody sharing their ideas.”
What began as a request from his grandchildren to fill a seat on the school board has resulted in getting to hand high school diplomas to those grandchildren and a continued investment in the future of HPISD. Sawyer said he would like to see the district and the community continue to grow.
“I'm hoping with all the new advancements and things that we're doing that the school (district) is going to get much bigger,” he said.
Those ideas for innovation start with collaboration. Sawyer said he’s grateful that he was selected as part of the TASB Leadership Class of 2027.
“I look forward to the entire year that I get to go to these different places and visit the different environments,” he said.
To be part of this exciting future, led by highly qualified leadership, visit hpisd.net for more information.