Dallas) –MaryAnn Weaver trustee Blanco ISD joined 31 other school board members from across Texas September 26-28 at the kickoff session of the Leadership TASB class of 2009. Selected by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), the group is participating in a yearlong education leadership study program. These trustees represent school districts of all sizes, with student populations of 543 to 82,000, and reflect a similar range of property wealth.

Participants who complete all required elements of the study will graduate next year by earning gold, silver, or bronze status. They are the highest designations recognized by TASB.

Meeting in conjunction with the Texas Association of School Administrators/ TASB convention in Dallas, the trustees heard featured speaker Peter DeLisle’s presentation on leadership and team building. He is Leslie B. Crane chair and director of the Posey Leadership Institute at Austin College. Board members also received training at convention sessions and attended the TASB Delegate Assembly, the Association’s annual business meeting.

Other Leadership TASB sessions are scheduled for Austin, November 14 and 15; Corpus Christi, February 19-21; El Paso, April 16-18; and Fort Worth, June 18-20. Each session has a unique theme that builds on the previous session and features nationally recognized experts in the fields of leadership development and education. Teams also work throughout the year on extended learning assignments between meetings.

Created in 1993, Leadership TASB has almost 450 graduates to date. Program sponsor is Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP.

TASB is a voluntary, nonprofit association established in 1949 to serve local Texas school districts. School board members are the largest group of publicly elected officials in the state. The districts they represent have combined annual expenditures of $43 billion, employ more than 610,000 people, and serve more than 4.6 million public school students.