Conroe - Montgomery Edition | February 2024

Education

BY EMILY LINCKE

Mark Run takes over as Montgomery ISD superintendent Jan. 1 Montgomery ISD started out the new year with a new leader as Mark Run began his role of super- intendent on Jan. 1. Run had served as super- intendent of Normangee ISD since 2018 as well as an assistant principal in Humble ISD and a special education and math teacher in Centerville ISD. What are your priorities for MISD? I would say that one of the things that I have been very intentional about is being visible and ... starting to build relationships with everyone from our sta to PTO groups to our school board to our faith-based leaders. That is something that is an immediate priority for me is to make sure that, if nothing else, our sta knows ... I’m there to support them. ... Then there’s a funding side of this ... that is denitely going to be in those priorities within the next 12-18 months. ... Within the realm of public education, one of the most dicult parts of the work that we do is we don’t get to set our revenues. ... So because of some of the inactivity and lack of progress through our last legislative session, ... we’re still left trying to gure out how we ll the needs of our students and of our teachers eec- tively with the resources that we have. How will you help MISD prepare for expected enrollment growth over the next decade? The great news is the district has positioned itself really well with the passing of the last bond, not just looking at a short-term need, but the district has done a great job of planning for future needs also. ... We’ve got the seventh elementary school that’s

Mark Run previously worked as the superintendent for Normangee ISD, a role he held since 2018.

COURTESY MONTGOMERY ISD

going up right now. ... In the last bond, funds were set aside and earmarked to purchase land for [and design] the third junior high. ... The goal is not to get to a point where we have to have a knee-jerk reac- tion to enrollment growth. We see it’s coming, and the district’s done a great job of planning for that. What strategies do you have to help the district ll challenging open positions, such as bus drivers? When it comes to trying to ll spots, obviously compensation is a big part of that. Couple that with nancial challenges, and that’s a predicament. ... I’ve had teachers and administrators and folks telling me, ‘I left higher-paying districts that are neighboring to us just so I can be a part of the MISD family.’ So I think one thing that is a value-add to the recruitment and retention of folks is continuing to make MISD special and unique and to continue to foster the values that are here.

What would you say sets MISD apart from other districts? Our campuses, the way that our sta are treated by our administrators, the culture that they’ve created on our campuses, the environment for the kids that they’ve been able to foster and nurture—it doesn’t feel like this is part of this big giant system, and I think that is very unique to MISD. That’s something that’s a priority of mine. ... As we do grow ... there’s things which we don’t want to lose. We don’t want to lose the small-town feel.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. For a longer version, visit communityimpact.com .

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