Twenty six school districts have been invited to apply at Holdsworth Center, a training institute for developing educational leaders, and Round Rock ISD was one of the districts selected. The institute plans on working with six school districts starting June for a course of five years. These districts will find out who have been selected to participate in the program by March.
Last month, CEO of HEB, Charles Butt announced his $100 million investment into the Holdsworth Center. The institute will provide training for an estimate of 1,200 public school leaders in Texas who plan to become anything from a principal to a superintendent.

Round Rock ISD, one of the districts invited to apply for the Holdsworth center, has already been using a similar program that aims to helps employees work towards becoming a principal.

Although this time around, the program is invitation only, the Holdsworth Center will allow other Texas school districts to apply. The program is looking for school districts with developing talent and a strong vision to participate in the development of educational leaders.

“I think it empowers the teachers,” counselor Kasey Misner said. “We need to empower the teachers more so than counselors and administrators, only because they are the ones that directly affect our students.”

Although Misner hasn’t heard about the training center, she believes it is a great opportunity for teachers in the district, seeing it as a way for leaders to use their voice to speak up about the concerns of their students to those with the power to make decisions.

“Being a leader through education is your own voice for education,” Misner said. “I am a voice for my students. It’s just to be a person who is passionate about a situation and having the ability to stand up and speak.”