SHEPHERD — Shepherd ISD continues to focus on growth and academic excellence, and new Superintendent Dr. Todd Davis is bringing his extensive experience to the district headed into this new school year.
Aside from academics, teacher retention and accountability has been a huge focal point for Shepherd ISD even before the retirement of former superintendent Dr. Jason Hewitt. Now, Davis takes on the responsibility of leading the district to achieving its goals.
Originally from the Houston area, Davis spent 31 years at Aldine ISD before coming to Shepherd.
“I spent a short period of time with the TEA (Texas Education Agency), but the majority of my career was in the district, mostly leadership roles, billing, principal, elementary, middle school principal. I was at district level area superintendent and the chief academic officer at Aldine before I went to TEA,” Davis said.
Growing up in a family of educators, Davis experienced some challenges during his school years that inspired him to pursue a career in education.
“I had a series of elementary school teachers that really looked out for me, kind of took me under their wing, made sure that I was staying on track, and it was focused on my academics and all the right things,” Davis said. “So I always had this pull or this kind of desire to give back the same way that they did for me.”
Like most small school districts in Texas, Shepherd ISD is no stranger to challenges against state funding and budgeting. Davis stressed the importance of prioritizing the district’s financial resources.
“We need to make sure that we're driving our spending based on identified needs,” Davis said.
The district should be dialed into the student’s academic needs opposed to making frivolous financial decisions. In addition, Davis expressed the importance of Shepherd ISD being a safe environment for its students.
“We have to make sure that we have environments where students can feel safe and that they're welcomed and that they're valued in our schools,” Davis said.
Since the district will not be funding unnecessary programs, Davis said that targeted and strategic data will be a key factor in determining how funds are spent.
“The efficiency in terms of the resources that we have to procure is really important,” Davis said.
Davis expresses the importance of making sure that Shepherd ISD is leveraging all sources of revenue that they can through state grants, philanthropic support, and other opportunities that can be useful.
While discussing the Shepherd ISD’s core focuses heading into the 2026/2027 school year, Davis said that there are four primary goals: high-quality instruction, leadership development, culture, and aligned systems.
Davis said that solid leadership is a cornerstone to ensuring that teachers have the necessary tools to thrive in the classrooms.
“I feel it's very important that teachers feel appreciated, valued, and supported, but that we also hold them to high expectations, and that we do expect results,” Davis said.
The value of having coherent processes and similar systems at Shepherd ISD also helps guarantee that academic goals will be met.
While speaking on Shepherd ISD’s current academic progression, Davis sings the praises of his predecessor Hewitt.
“The previous superintendent did a fantastic job of really setting the stage for me to come in and follow in his footsteps,” Davis said. “Academic performance is growing.”
Davis said that the graduation rate, College Career & Military Readiness, and academic accountability are primed to take the next step due to the district’s previous leadership. However, Davis said resources should be targeted wisely in order to see true progress.
“We have the goal set, we've got to make sure that we've got the systems that allow our goals to come to life,” Davis said.
In 2019, Shepherd ISD was overtaken by the TEA to improve the district’s performance. Many rural areas express concerns with TEA oversight; however, Davis believes that building a trusting relationship with TEA is crucial.
“There are certainly aspects of TEA that come off as being compliant, compliance driven, accountability driven,” he said. “That's a fact. But the reality is there's also some very, very strong support structures that are being built within TEA, that are available to districts.”
Davis said that there are resources that are being provided by the TEA that are aligned to Shepherd ISD’s needs and can help the district accelerate their goal, and that the TEA does not want school districts to rely on the fixed ways established by the agency, but to use the agency’s resources that are tailored to their own interests.
“I think that's what sometimes is the misconception that it is one size fits all, and that's really not the truth when it comes to TEA,” he said. “There are great resources, but the resources are intended for a district to take and then, of course, tailor to the individual needs.”
Aside from educational challenges, moving from a larger part of Texas to a smaller town can be an overwhelming adjustment for some. However, Davis feels no intimidation from the relocation.
“It's an interesting transition, but it really has been a smooth transition for me,” Davis said.
While working with the TEA, he was fortunate enough to discover what smaller cities in Texas like Shepherd has to offer.
“I did a lot of consulting throughout the state on curriculum implementation, and I really focused on learning more about the small rural districts throughout the state because I knew that that was an area that I hadn't had experience in,” he said.
Davis continually expresses how much he enjoys the city of Shepherd.
“I love Shepherd. Shepherd's a really special town,” Davis said.
He said that the community has a tremendous amount of pride and tradition that really keeps the people motivated, especially the school district.
When asked where he sees Shepherd ISD in five years, Davis said that he sees a perennial A-rated school district and a beacon in the state of Texas for others to look to for excellence.
“When that happens, that means that our students are excelling, that we have students that feel confident, safe, secure every day, that their academic progress is putting them on track for choices and opportunities in their future,” Davis said. “We're producing a generation of Shepherd graduates that are proud of their time here, that will look back at this time and want to potentially come back and serve in the community to be value adds and impactful residents.”
