TACS President Profile
New Braunfels ISD Superintendent Mike Smith takes office

New Braunfels ISD Superintendent Mike Smith, who last month was inducted as the new president of the Texas Association of Community Schools, jokes that he may be the only person who actually entered college as a secondary education major and stuck to the plan. Yet, from a young age, Smith had felt that education was where God wanted him, and he wasn’t about to argue.

Smith did, however, explore different areas for his minor. He ultimately chose Spanish and physical education — two subjects that set him on a strong teaching and administrative path from the time he graduated from Texas Tech University in 1982.

Smith was a teacher and coach at a number of ISDs — including Levelland, Brownfield, Sudan and Dumas — before getting his master’s degree in education at Sul Ross State University in 1990. Upon graduation, he took a job as a middle school principal in Dimmitt ISD. He later served as a superintendent in Hart, Whitharral and Forney ISDs before landing in New Braunfels ISD in 2007.

“The lifespan of a superintendent in this day and age isn’t all that long,” he says. “Usually, you’re done after about three years, so anytime you can stay in place for longer than that, it’s notable.

“The problem always seems to be that you spend time telling people no when you’d prefer to be telling them yes. You become a lightning rod for conflict,” he admits.

As the new TACS president, Smith hopes to sidestep conflict in favor of concrete planning. He says the organization already has stability, thanks to recent presidents. Yet, he also believes it’s time to foster more forward-thinking policies and strategies.

One of the biggest challenges for TACS, much like other organizations, is keeping up with change, Smith notes. Technology and legislation are two areas in which Smith says the organization must drive change.

Smith is quite comfortable in the legislative realm. His journey with TACS began in the mid-1990s when he sought out the organization because of a local voting rights issue that came up during his early years as a superintendent.

“I was young, dumb and naive,” he recalls, with a laugh. But frustration over his lack of experience and knowledge with state legislation spurred his desire to serve on the TACS Legislative Committee, of which he became the chair within a few years.

Much has changed in community schools since he joined TACS, and Smith says the organization needs to reflect that.

“It’s an axiom of nature that everything is either growing or dying,” says Smith. “So, we need to focus on growth. It’s time for a new vision, and some discussion about where we go from here.”

One thing he’ll do is ask districts what they want to look like in 10 years, and how students can be served better in the future. He notes that the tactic is akin to that of a school board, which should be spending 70 percent of its time on future issues.

Preparing for the future is also a mindset Smith brings to New Braunfels ISD. Just before his induction to TACS, the H1N1 flu (better known as swine flu) prompted the shuttering of schools across the state, including New Braunfels ISD. Smith swiftly pulled together his teachers and administrators for a series of meetings on how to continue classes while students remained at home.

The solution, they posited, was to put lessons online, which allowed the students to stay on track with their studies rather than lose weeks of instruction time. Smith notes that the ad hoc remote-learning system is now being further developed as a permanent solution for home-based students of the future.

The system is just one more example of Smith’s positive influence on the district, which was struggling upon his arrival in 2007. The superintendent says he observed that teachers felt devalued and test scores were below average.

“And although people might think I wanted to make it better because I’m an old coach and I needed to get the numbers up, that’s not it,” Smith says. “The fact is, it comes down to the individual child. When he or she fails, it’s devastating. Success breeds success.”

Smith noticed that there were certain areas of the district’s curriculum that didn’t align with state requirements, such as a lack of early science education. He also noted there was an overall belief among administrators and educators that the state should fall in line with New Braunfels ISD, instead of the other way around.

“It just doesn’t work that way,” he says. “It doesn’t matter if you agree with the state accountability system or No Child Left Behind; it really comes down to raising expectations of the students so that they can rise to that level.”

Smith has demonstrated entrepreneurial spirit beyond his roles as an administrator and educator. From 1994 to 2008, he was owner and operator of Rafter S. Cattle Co., an operation he founded. From 1985 to 1989, he co-owned RiverSmith’s Rafting & Guide Service, which offered tours along the Rio Grande River.

With the days of cattle drives and rafting behind him, Smith only has more time to devote to New Braunfels ISD and TACS. With the support of his wife of 27 years, Cheryl, and two teenage sons, Travis and Clay, Smith has the solid ground he needs to keep building toward a better future for Texas schoolchildren.

“There are so many opportunities we can give our students, that we can extend to every child,” he says. “It’s the responsibility of leaders to continually think about what’s ahead, so that’s what I try to do.”