The Mineola ISD school board has been named board of the year by the Region 7 Education Service Center.

The board will be among 20 regional winners to compete for state honors in September.

The Region 7 Center serves 95 school districts and seven charter schools in 17 East Texas counties. 

“Leadership starts at the top and trickles down to all other areas in our school,” Superintendent Cody Mize said. “Their leadership is driven by love for our community, appreciation for our faculty and staff, and high expectations for our students.”

Board members include Glen Dossett, Rodney Watkins, Jill Quiambao, Jay McGough, Janice Etheridge, Todd Morgan and Robbie Ballard.

The application for the honor was dedicated to Dr. John Abbott, who passed away April 21 after serving as a school board member since 2011 and board president since 2018. He was unopposed for a fifth term at the time of his passing.

“Over the past year, the board of trustees has worked diligently to advocate to the community for improved district facilities, tackled policy issues impacting safety and security, and supported the expectation of academic excellence for our students, faculty and staff members,” said Mize.

Texas school superintendents who are members of the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) and meet other criteria may nominate their boards of trustees for the TASA School Board Awards. Committees of TASA members organized by Texas’ regional education service centers review the nominations and select up to two school boards for consideration for the state-level awards: one with fewer than 1,000 students and one with 1,000 or more students.

ESCs submit regional winners to TASA. TASA’s School Board Awards Committee, appointed by the TASA president, reviews the regional winners’ entries and selects up to five boards to be recognized as honor boards. Then, in the fall at the TASA/TASB Convention, the School Board Awards Committee interviews each of the honor boards to select the Outstanding School Board, which is named during the convention.

In announcing the award, Region 7 pointed to the board’s advocacy in several areas, including safety and preparedness, transparency and accessibility, academic progress, fostering a sense of community and service, and nurturing student talents.

Among highlights was the passage of a bond issue in May 2022 to build a new primary campus and achieving the top A accountability rating from the state.

Board member Glen Dossett, who served was a district ag teacher for 50 years, said, “The Mineola ISD board of trustees has a varied but harmonious blend of personalities and talents. The working relationship is effective because the board is focused on providing for the educational and safety needs of the students, faculty, administration, and district staff. I am proud that the board is supportive of all school programs. Board members are free to express their opinion without the environment becoming contentious.”