Designed to strengthen relationships between the district and its community, Northside ISD implemented the Leadership Northside program, which forms cohorts of local residents and community stakeholders that take part in a series of meetings, tours and informational sessions led by district leaders and staff.

As NISD prepares to welcome a third cohort for the program, the NISD board of trustees received a briefing on the program and the nomination process during its Nov. 11 meeting.

The gist

Nicole Franco, NISD director of Leadership Development, said the goal of the program is to immerse participants in the life of the district, inform them about key issues, and prepare them to be effective advocates and ambassadors for NISD.

The leadership program includes:
  • Scheduled classes and informational sessions where participants learn about various aspects of NISD's operations, challenges and achievements
  • Interactions with board members, the superintendent and key NISD staff, providing opportunities for dialogue and Q&A
  • A bus tour of district facilities
  • Build relationships with community leaders and stakeholders that support the district’s mission
During the presentation, Franco said board members and the superintendent could originally nominate five individuals for the program, but in the discussion afterward, the board raised the number of nominees to eight.


District 2 Trustee Sonia Jasso said it was important to widen the scope of the nomination process to include those who reside outside the district but are interested in learning more about what the district has to offer.

“I think it's important that anyone that's interested in knowing about the great things we're doing in Northside could get the opportunity to be able to be part of this amazing group,” Jasso said. “... Yes, ideally it would be people that are in our district, but I also feel that there's value in [including] ... people out there that are connected to Northside in a way but might not be in the district.”

For nominations, priority will be given to individuals within each board members’ district, but nominations will also be allowed for individuals outside the district who have strong ties to NISD.

Stay tuned


The deadline for nominations is Dec. 5.