Trish Hanks spent eight years as an educator at Texas City ISD before joining Friendswood ISD in the ’80s . Hanks has served as the superintendent for the last 15 years.[/caption]Friendswood ISD Superintendent Trish Hanks said she did not intend to be an educator. Instead, she first set out to be a speech pathologist at a private clinic before getting into public education four decades ago.
“I was getting married so I decided not to do that,” Hanks said about becoming a speech pathologist. “I took a job in a public school, kind of as a default until we got married and decided where we were going to settle. Then, I was going to get my master’s and go to work in a clinic.”
Hanks, a Galveston County native, said once she began working in public schools, however, she quickly found out her calling was in education.
“That first year, special education was just beginning in public schools,” Hanks said. “Teachers didn’t know how to handle some of these kids. I had a lot of really good training for that. That first year of working in schools, I realized that’s where I was really being called.”
Since then, Hanks has put together a resume that spans 40 years, two school districts and several titles, including counselor, teacher, assistant superintendent and superintendent.
Following an eight-year stint at Texas City ISD, Hanks moved to Friendswood to become a special education teacher at Friendswood High School. Over the next 17 years, she served several roles before becoming superintendent in 2002.
FISD board of trustees President Rebecca Hillenburg said 15 years is not an accomplishment that should be taken lightly.
“The average longevity of a superintendent is somewhere around three years,” Hillenburg said. “To think that she has been here five times that in the role of superintendent has allowed us to push ourselves forward not only on a state level but on the national level.”
Since then, she has steered FISD in the direction of the future, focusing on technology and a stronger understanding of what is happening outside of Friendswood.
“One word sort of sums up Trish: excellent,” Hillenburg said. “She has brought a confidence level to Friendswood ISD that we could always reach excellence. Her leadership has really developed that sense of excellence in our community and in our schools.”
Preparing students for the future is what FISD trustee Tony Hopkins said he will remember as part of Hanks’ legacy.
“She’s leaving the district in phenomenal shape—academically, financially and just all-around,” Hopkins said. “What we’ve well known has been one of the top districts in the state, she’s only improved it over her 15 years and made our job as a school board much easier.”
With the end of the school year a few short months away, Hanks said she is looking forward to some rest, relaxation and family time with her grandchildren.
“I have never not worked, so I’m not really sure [what is next],” Hanks said. “I have four little grandchildren that I want to spend more time with. I want work to fit into my life, rather than my life fit around my work.”
As Hanks transitions into retirement, the school district is searching for a new superintendent. Although the school board is ready to find another superintendent to lead the district, Hopkins said it will be sad to see FISD’s longtime superintendent depart.
“The Friendswood ISD motto is, ‘Leading to achieve excellence,’” Hopkins said. “I think there is no one that epitomizes that motto better than Trish Hanks.”
