Lead with purpose
Lead schools, programs, and departments in a district striving to become a national model by empowering its leaders, instituting systemic change, and graduating every child.
Lead with purpose
Lead schools, programs, and departments in a district striving to become a national model by empowering its leaders, instituting systemic change, and graduating every child.
Benefits for leadership
SAISD recognizes that its best future leaders are already members of the SAISD community and has developed a number of programs to identify and prepare the next cohort of teacher leaders, school-based leaders, and district leaders.
The District of Innovation Designation allows autonomy from state-level regulations to deliver instructional and support services in novel ways that improve student educational outcomes. San Antonio ISD chose to pursue this designation to inspire innovative practices and empower educators.
Pathways for Leadership
District of Innovation
Empowered Educators
Monthly Leadership Meetings
Innovation is in our culture
San Antonio ISD knows that success is so much more than just traditional academics. With expanded fine arts programs, every single K-5th grade student in the district has art class. Outside of the classroom, expanded sports programs give students the opportunity to learn healthy habits.
Leadership Development
San Antonio ISD is committed to providing opportunities for the growth and advancement of staff members throughout the course of their careers in the District. The mission of the SAISD Leadership Development Programs is to empower leaders with knowledge and skills to lead colleagues in affecting transformational changes in an urban school setting. Examples of Leadership Roles:
- Aspiring Principal
- Aspiring Assistant Principal
- Academics Leadership
- Teacher Leadership
- Mentor Fellows
System of Great Schools
San Antonio ISD is one of the founding districts in the Texas Education Agency’s System of Great Schools (SGS) Network, a statewide collaborative of districts whose goal is to increase access for all students to high-quality, best-fit schools.
To do this work, SGS districts utilize the following levers in their strategic planning.
- Analyze school performance
- Expand great options
- Improve access to options
- Create new organization
District Leadership Team
The District Leadership Team (DLT) is established to advise the Superintendent acting as the Board’s designee. As advisors, various duties include the following:
- Establish and review the district’s educational goals and objectives
- Review major districtwide instructional programs identified by the Board or Superintendent
- Analyze dropout rates, dropout prevention plans, and graduation rates
- Review and approve the district’s Local Innovation Plan

Leadership Development
San Antonio ISD is committed to providing opportunities for the growth and advancement of staff members throughout the course of their careers in the District. The mission of the SAISD Leadership Development Programs is to empower leaders with knowledge and skills to lead colleagues in affecting transformational changes in an urban school setting. Examples of Leadership Roles:
- Aspiring Principal
- Aspiring Assistant Principal
- Academics Leadership
- Teacher Leadership
- Mentor Fellows

System of Great Schools
San Antonio ISD is one of the founding districts in the Texas Education Agency’s System of Great Schools (SGS) Network, a statewide collaborative of districts whose goal is to increase access for all students to high-quality, best fit schools.
To do this work, SGS districts utilize the following levers in their strategic planning to create high-quality schools:
- Analyze school performance
- Expand great options
- Improve access to options
- Create new organizational structures
District Leadership Team
The District Leadership Team (DLT) is established to advise the Superintendent acting as the Board’s designee. As advisors, various duties include the following:
- Establish and review the district’s educational goals and objectives
- Review major districtwide instructional programs identified by the Board or Superintendent
- Analyze dropout rates, dropout prevention plans, and graduation rates
- Review and approve the district’s Local Innovation Plan
SAISD leaders in the spotlight
Strong leaders, strong network help San Antonio ISD shine
The San Antonio district has 50,000 students, 110 school buildings and 7,000 faculty members. When Thompson arrived and was tasked
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K-12 Hunger Heroes
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Four Inspiring School Leaders on COVID-19 Planning
I am the proud principal of Fox Tech High School for Health and Law Professions. We are a small magnet