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Superintendent Pascal D. Forgione, Jr., Ph.D.
 Pascal D. Forgione, Jr., Ph.D. Superintendent The Public Trust
As I begin my tenth and final year as Superintendent of the incredible Austin school district, I've found myself to be more reflective about this foundation of democracy'our public school system. For each of us, education is a very personal and singular experience. We each have memories of our favorite, and perhaps life-changing, teachers. We also have memories of our best friends in school, our most embarrassing moments, and all those things that were at the center of growing up: the bus ride, the long walk home from school, pep rallies, turning in a paper late, Friday night football games, the school newspaper, the band trip, winning a prize in the Science Fair, being sent to the principal's office for some infraction, or walking up on stage to be recognized for making the honor roll. Our elementary school teachers are helping create those memories for 22 children every year. Our secondary school teachers are doing the same for about 150 students each semester. And, at the district level, we are responsible for a system in which 83,000 children are experiencing those important, formative moments of their lives. It's a daunting responsibility. So, while we make sure the buses are running, the air conditioners are up to speed, the technology is in place, and the new teachers are prepared to deliver quality education, we also always have to be cognizant of the 83,000 individual students who are navigating their way to adulthood every day. What can we do to help each one of them succeed? What can we do to improve the teaching and learning in all our classrooms every day? We will only succeed if we keep our eyes on the big picture and the little picture simultaneously. That's what makes urban public education so challenging. And that's what makes it so rewarding. As educators, we are responsible every day for living up to the public trust. We take that very seriously. We look forward to working with all our students and their families in the exciting, new school year.
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