At a special called Board meeting on Tuesday, April 27, the BISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved the selection of Dr. Gayle Stinson as the lone finalist for the superintendent of schools. She will replace Dr. Darrell G. Brown who is retiring at the end of the 2020-21 school year.

Dr. Stinson has served as the Lake Dallas ISD (LDISD) superintendent since 2007. During her tenure, she has steered the district to focus on providing high-level educational opportunities and extracurricular activities while maintaining a small-school community atmosphere.

Prior to joining Lake Dallas ISD as superintendent, Dr. Stinson served as superintendent for Atlanta ISD and assistant superintendent for Texarkana ISD. Notably, she is also a former Lake Dallas ISD teacher and coach, having spent multiple years earlier in her career at the district. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin, her master’s degree from the Texas A&M system, and her doctoral degree from Lamar University.

Dr. Stinson began her career in education in 1992 and has served at nearly every level in the profession. She started her career as a teacher and coach before moving into administration, where she has served as an assistant principal, principal of all levels K-12, and assistant superintendent.

Under her leadership, Lake Dallas ISD and its schools have undergone several advancements and earned many accolades. Highlights of the district under her tenure include:

• Revitalizing Schools: Through the community support of bond elections, Lake Dallas ISD has replaced two aging campuses and modernized its remaining campuses to ensure students have access to high-quality educational environments.
• 1:1 Technology: Every child in Lake Dallas ISD has access to a Chromebook, providing students with the resources needed to succeed in an increasingly technology-driven world both in their day-to-day lives and in their professional careers upon graduation.
• Leadership Academies: By implementing the “Leader in Me” program at all three district elementary schools, children began their academic journeys in Lake Dallas ISD, focusing on leadership skills and working well with others. 
• Fire Academy: In 2015, the district partnered with the Lake Cities Fire Department and North Central Texas College to open the Lake Dallas High School Fire Academy, providing students with an educational path into a first-responder career at a fire department or EMT organization.
• University Partnerships: Lake Dallas ISD partnered with the University of North Texas to accept the top 20% of Falcon junior class members and Texas Woman’s University to accept the top 25% of Falcon junior class members.

Throughout her career, Dr. Stinson has earned several top professional honors. In 2003, the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals named her Principal of the Year. In 2011, Dr. Stinson earned the honor of Region XI Superintendent of the Year, an award given to the top school district leader in an area encompassing more than 75 school districts. She went on to be named one of just five State Finalists for the Texas Superintendent of the Year award. She has also been recognized by her alma maters, earning the Outstanding Young Texas Ex from the University of Texas at Austin in 2007 and the 2013-14 Outstanding Doctoral Student from Lamar University following the completion of her doctorate in 2013.

Serving her local and state communities has remained a priority for Dr. Stinson throughout her time at Lake Dallas ISD, representing the best interests of public schools and the community. At the statewide level, she currently serves as president of the Texas Association of Suburban/Mid-Urban Schools and is the president-elect of the Texas Association of Mid-Sized Schools. She is a past president of the Texas Association of School Administrators, the top organization for superintendents and education administrators in the state. At the local level, Dr. Stinson serves on the board of DATCU and is an active member of the Lake Cities Chamber of Commerce, which named her its Citizen of the Year in 2018.

Her feedback has been sought by state leaders, as she serves on the Texas Education Agency Commissioner’s Cabinet and the Governor’s Superintendent Advisory Committee. Advocating for the interests of students and educators on these bodies as well as through other avenues is her overriding passion.

Dr. Stinson is married to Trent Stinson, and they have three children, all of whom attend LDISD schools.

As the new school year begins, I want to take this opportunity to address my top two priorities as superintendent of Birdville ISD. They are staff and student safety, and student achievement.

Over the past four years, BISD has been addressing safety concerns on our campuses. This includes: additional security personnel, security cameras, securing all exterior doors, and adding buzzer systems to the front doors of all elementary and middle school campuses. With the passage of the bond referendum in November 2014, additional measures are being addressed, including adding security fencing around all play areas at elementary campuses.

We make every effort to keep our students and staff safe while they are at school. Yet, it is everyone’s responsibility to help keep our children safe as they travel to and from school.

Safety education is one of the best defenses in protecting our children. Schools remain among the safest places for our children. However, we must continue our efforts to educate our children about personal safety whether they are on or off campus. Child safety issues concern us all. BISD supports your parental efforts and asks you to take the time to go over the following safety tips with your children:

• Walk to and from school in groups.
• Never accept a ride without first getting permission from parents.
• Never take shortcuts. Always stick to routes selected by parents, and stay on main roads.
• Never advertise that you are going home alone. If you wear a house key, keep it under your clothing.
• Have plans for emergency situations and practice them at home with your parent(s).
• Have your parent(s) help you make a list of safe places you can go to for help along walking routes.
• Report all suspicious behavior and “new adults or older friends” to parents.
• Never leave school with anyone before checking with school officials.

* These safety tips were taken from the Run*Yell*Tell, Ltd. anti-victimization program founded by Diana Jones, a national leader for child safety issues.

Working together, we can provide a safe environment for our children.

My second priority is to focus on student achievement. I am proud that our students showed improvement on state and national tests again this year, however, there is still room for improvement. BISD is, therefore, committed to continuous improvement as we focus on student learning.

I want to celebrate some additional academic successes from this past year. They include:

• ACT scores for 2015 were released, and BISD’s composite score of 21.5 for English, mathematics, reading and science is higher than the state composite of 20.9 and the national composite of 21.0. (SAT scores will be released later this fall.)

• The Texas Education Agency announced the 2015 district and school accountability ratings under the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) tests. Birdville ISD and all 31 regular education campuses earned a rating of Met Standard, and Shannon High School earned a rating of Met Alternative Standard. These are the highest ratings available in the state’s accountability system.

No matter how successful our students are, we must continue to focus on my highest priority of student and staff safety. If they do not feel safe at school, how can they learn? So as we look forward to great things happening this school year, I once again ask parents, staff and the Birdville community to be diligent in helping keep our community and schools safe.