but citizens of character. “Our five core values are integrity, accountability, cooperation, respect, and perseverance,” says Brown, noting how these principles shape students into well-rounded leaders. “We set up a booth at the county fair and collected character traits that most people felt were valuable among young adults,” notes Brown on using direct community input to help shape the district’s core values.“The district wanted to ensure that we were helping our kiddos be the kinds of young people as new graduates that we would all be proud of,” he adds. To reinforce these values,AUSD invested strategically in the Boys Town Social Skills Program, allocating $250,000 in COVID relief funds to train staff and students in positive behavior reinforcement. “We spent a good amount of time working on character development,” Brown says. “When the COVID money came out I made it very clear that we were not terribly interested in building statues, that we should use this money to do some things that might have otherwise been difficult to do that would have an impact on teaching and learning for years to come,” he adds. The program extends district-wide, with administrators certified as trainers to ensure consistency from classrooms to school buses. Holistic support systems further strengthen this focus. Every building has dedicated counselors, while initiatives like “mindful minutes” and Boys Town’s evidence-based techniques help students navigate social and emotional challenges. We make sure that all of our students and all of our employees, bus drivers and everybody is trained on how to encourage the right kinds of behaviors among kids,” Brown emphasizes. This comprehensive approach ensures that character development isn’t just taught but lived, preparing students to lead with the same values that defined Eisenhower’s legacy. EARLY LEARNING INITIATIVES Recognizing that strong foundations begin early, AUSD has made significant investments in its youngest learners. The district has expanded its preschool program from two to four classrooms for four-year-olds in response to growing community demand.“We implemented preschool in the district during Mr. Brown’s first year, which would be six years ago” explains Assistant Superintendent Dana Sprinkle. “We know the demand is there within our community.” A key driver of this success is the district’s Early Education Coalition, which brings together diverse stakeholders to create a seamless support system. “We implemented an early education coalition that brought together service providers across the district,” Sprinkle says. This network includes preschools, childcare centers, Parents as Teachers 3 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 09 ABILENE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
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