Joint Base San Antonio, TX –
January 2016 is School Board Recognition Month and the Fort
Sam Houston Independent School District joins other districts across Texas as
they honor the countless contributions of these local advocates for public
education.
“Our Fort Sam Houston ISD school board members truly care
about our students’ education,” said FSHISD superintendent Dr. Gail Siller.
“They are advocates for both our students and staff and have a huge impact on
virtually every aspect of our schools.
“Not only do they establish policies that provide the
framework for our schools, but they impact what our students learn, who teaches
them, and what kind of facilities house their classrooms,” Siller added.
Each year the Texas
Association of School Boards encourages communities to show
appreciation to school board members for their unfailing commitment to the
success of all students.
This year, we celebrate our “Super Heroes for Schools.”
While our board of trustees may not wear capes or have superhuman powers, their
decisions have an important impact on the lives of children as they govern the
district.
Our superheroes work as a team and include President Dr.
Eustace Lewis, Vice President Willie White, Secretary Jeanne Warren, and
Trustees Andrea Nicholas and Rebekah Sanchez.
As citizen leaders, they function as a team working toward a
common goal of helping FSHISD military students achieve. The board’s role is to
establish a vision for the education program, design a structure to achieve
that vision, ensure the schools are accountable to the community and strongly
advocate continuous improvement in student learning.
Lewis is an instructional systems specialist with the
Medical Education and Training Campus on Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam
Houston. Lewis joined the FSHISD school board in May 2000 and has served in the
roles of president, vice president and secretary. In September 2003, he was one
of only 36 board members from Texas to graduate from the Leadership Texas
Association of School Boards program, earning him the prestigious “Master
Trustee” designation. Lewis is a member
of the Bexar County School Boards Coalition, the National Caucus of Black
School Board Members, the National Alliance of Black Educators and the National
Association of Health Services Executives.
White is a management analyst for the U.S. Army Installation
Management Command at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston. Appointed to the board of trustees
in September 2015, White serves on the San Antonio
Chapter of President Barack Obama’s “My Brother’s Keeper”
initiative, the San Antonio Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and is a member of the Texas
Caucus of Black School Board Members.
Warren has been a board member since May 2001. Warren is the
JBSA-Fort Sam Houston Youth Services director. Her commitment and dedication to
the children of JBSA Fort Sam Houston military personnel has remained strong
and enduring. She has been with the Youth Services Program since 1989 and has
served on many advisory groups to include the Robert G. Cole Campus Improvement
committee, providing her insight into the dynamics of an educational
environment. Warren has a deep
understanding of the ever-changing needs of the military child.
Nicholas, a former graduate of Robert G. Cole High School,
is a training and curriculum specialist for JBSA Child and Youth Programs. She
joined the team 26 years ago and has been committed to age and developmentally
appropriate growth of children and youth in our community. She was appointed to
the Fort Sam Houston ISD Board of Trustees in September 2015.
Rebekah Sanchez is a Family Life Program educator at
JBSA-Fort Sam Houston and has supported the military community in various roles
for more than 10 years. Sanchez has most recently supported youth at Fort Hood,
JBSA-Lackland and now JBSA-Fort Sam Houston. She was appointed to the school
board in September 2015.
“We are thankful to have such a wonderful group of citizens
provide vision and leadership in their roles as advocates and volunteers, and
appreciate the countless hours they commit to our community,” Siller added.