Mitigating Risk in Your School District

Behind every safe bus ride, every well‑maintained playground, and every sturdy gymnasium roof is a risk manager focused on the next challenge. 

For many Texas school districts, particularly smaller and fast‑growing ones, the role of risk manager is often added to an already full plate. A director of maintenance, for example, may find themselves responsible for navigating safety protocols, loss prevention, or emergency response plans. Those responsibilities can feel overwhelming. 

Kendra Estes remembers wishing for some kind of roadmap to navigate the sprawling responsibilities of school health, safety, and risk management when she started her role at Hutto ISD, a growing district northeast of Austin. 

“I distinctly remember the first day at Hutto and sitting down at the desk thinking, ‘Where’s the manual?’” Estes said. “There wasn’t a framework there.” 

A risk manager may be tasked with a range of duties, including managing property and transportation risks, navigating workers’ compensation, coordinating safety programs, and analyzing data to uncover risk trends in their district. 

Like many risk managers stepping into the role for the first time, Estes felt the weight of responsibility immediately. The importance of this role in Texas school districts and other educational settings inspired Estes to develop a solution to help new risk managers when she joined TASB Risk Management Services and became the manager of risk management resources in October 2024. 

The Risk Management 101 Training Program was launched last year to specifically support district employees who are new to the complex world of risk management and who work in districts that are members of the TASB Risk Management Fund (Fund). The program aims to help the cohort build foundational skills and professional confidence. 

Modeled after Grow Your Own teacher apprenticeships, Risk Management 101 is designed to meet people where they are, regardless of job title, to give them a framework. The program also gives them guidance on building a network of supportive staff throughout their districts because risk can be anywhere. 

Creating an Opportunity

Before joining TASB’s Risk Solutions division, Estes spent years in healthcare risk management as a nurse in Illinois. When her family moved to Texas in 2017, she became Hutto ISD’s director of health, safety, and risk management. That role expanded during her seven years in the district to include oversight of campus nurses and the safety officer, as well as districtwide risk management responsibilities. 

During the COVID‑19 pandemic, she leaned heavily on a group of nurse leaders organized through Region 13 ESC who shared information, experience, and moral support. That collaborative model stayed with her. 

“It was that peer‑based relationship that I wanted to emulate in the Risk Management 101 Training Program,” Estes said. “Everyone needs that safe space to share information and support.” 

Participants of the training program commit to monthly online meetings and must attend at least 75% of the sessions. The 30‑member cohort stays together throughout the training program, building relationships and trust along the way. The training is free, with no prerequisites, and will culminate in recognition at the Fund’s Members’ Conference in April. 

The goal for this inaugural cohort, Estes said, is to educate and prepare them to be risk‑ready while building a network of support across Texas, as well as within their own district. 

Program Expands the Fund’s Work

The new program is part of the Fund’s overall efforts to help districts reduce risk. Formed under the Texas Interlocal Cooperation Act administered by TASB and overseen by a 21‑member board, the Fund provides a range of comprehensive coverage, including unemployment compensation, workers’ compensation, auto, liability, cybersecurity, and property programs. The Fund also offers loss prevention resources, training, and grant programs, among other services. 

“The ultimate goal of the Fund as a risk pool is to reduce risk as well as manage costs efficiently through sharing exposures across districts,” said Mary Barrett, associate executive director for TASB Risk Management Services. “One of the best ways to do that is to help the Fund’s members make informed decisions and mitigate risks where they can.” 

When the Fund’s Board raised concerns over turnover among district risk managers — and the loss of institutional knowledge that comes with it — the Risk Solutions team saw that as an opportunity to support and empower members through knowledge. 

Ellen Akers, director of employee health and wellness at Goose Creek CISD, is already experiencing the benefits of that empowerment. 

“Participating in risk management training is valuable because it directly strengthens my ability to protect both employees and the district,” Akers said. 

Being part of the Fund’s pilot program has impacted her work by reducing avoidable costs, improving employee safety, helping her navigate compliance, and providing operational consistency. She said the Risk Management 101 training has already given her “a strong grasp of risk trends such as injury patterns, leave usage, or health plan claims and helps me identify where strategic changes in benefits, wellness programs, or district procedures can reduce financial exposure.” 

Building a Community

The training schedule offers an overview of district risk management fundamentals, including liability basics, risk financing, workers’ compensation, cybersecurity, property and auto risks, and legal pitfalls. 

Each session includes expert‑led presentations and interactive conversations that allow participants to learn from one another. That sense of community is perhaps the most powerful thread running through the training program. 

“It is a tough position,” Estes said of the role of risk manager in a district. “Most risk managers are a team of one on an island of none.” 

New risk managers across the state often discover they are facing similar challenges of tight budgets, aging facilities, changing weather patterns, and competing demands on time. It can feel like risks are around every corner. 

“As a director, part of my role is anticipating problems before they grow,” Akers said. “Risk management training equips me with a proactive mindset, so I can help implement preventive measures and not just respond after issues occur.” 

This training has helped her promote a culture of awareness and prevention in Goose Creek CISD, a district of more than 21,000 students east of Houston. It gives participants the knowledge and confidence to build a community of risk‑ready employees across their districts. 

Building Regional Support

Bradley Berry is the director of school safety and security for Region 11 ESC, supporting school systems throughout the region in all areas of safety and security. His role includes overseeing school health initiatives and behavioral threat assessment processes for the public, charter, and private schools in the north central Texas region. The Risk Management 101 Training Program has been an opportunity for him to connect with others and gain insight into effective processes being used across the state. 

“This experience has enhanced my communication skills around risk‑related topics, allowing me to more clearly articulate both identified risks and the strategies we are implementing to address them,” Berry said. 

“It’s not just risk managers keeping students safe,” Estes noted. “Every district employee plays a role.” 

Berry agrees. “While one individual may lead and champion the overall process, it is essential for all employees to engage actively in maintaining a safe and secure environment.” 

To that end, Region 11 implemented monthly staff safety training. “We are working to embed safety, security, and risk‑management practices into the daily routines of every employee, empowering them to make informed decisions and contribute to a safer organization,” Berry said. 

Vanessa Turner, HR coordinator for Medina Valley ISD, a district of about 8,000 students west of San Antonio, believes risk management should involve the whole team. 

“I feel it is extremely important for campus administrators and supervisors to understand and help support mitigating risk,” she said. “It cannot be the sole responsibility of safety and HR to make improvements.” 

Through her Risk Management 101 training, she is working with district employees to increase awareness and change processes to streamline medical attention for all employees. 

Everyone Is a Risk Manager

The Fund membership includes community colleges, and Jessica Alaniz, executive director of administration at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, jumped at the chance to be part of Risk Management 101. 

“When I received communication that I was selected, I was excited at the opportunity to learn from experts and from my peers in the field,” Alaniz said. 

Although she has been over risk management at the college since 2016, Alaniz felt she had much to gain from being part of the cohort and gaining new insights into the ever‑evolving world of risk mitigation. 

“We all have the same goal of serving our students,” Alaniz said of her colleagues at Del Mar College. “And it is my job to share the knowledge that I have in risk management to contribute to the success of that goal.” 

Alaniz, like many risk managers across the state, needs her co‑workers to support risk mitigation through daily decisions. 

“I always tell my colleagues that my role is not to say no but to present the opportunity to find other ways of achieving the same goal without increased risk to others and the institution,” Alaniz said. “Mitigating risk is everyone’s responsibility in any workplace.” 

Risk Management 101 reflects the Fund’s belief that strong, confident leaders strengthen entire school systems. By equipping new risk managers with foundational knowledge, practical tools, and a statewide support network, the program is helping districts create safer environments for students and staff. 

“Effective risk management is complex,” said Barrett. “Resilient and proactive members strengthen the Fund. Informed decisions lead to fewer claims and fewer claims save all Fund members money in the long run.” 

Knowledge Is Priceless

Estes stresses the fact that all training through the Fund is at no cost to its members. “It’s one of the many benefits of being a member.” The Fund’s training offerings go beyond Risk Management 101, including online courses through a new platform with more than 400 compliance‑focused training courses. 

The focus of all training is on meeting members where they are in their risk mitigation and compliance journey, said Estes, which can include in‑person training customized to the organization’s needs. 

Akers, Berry, Turner, Alaniz, and the rest of the Risk Management 101 cohort will be recognized at the Fund’s April conference. That moment will reveal the arc of growth: newcomers becoming knowledgeable practitioners and, hopefully, mentors to the next Risk Management 101 group. 

Perhaps most importantly, all 30 members of the cohort will meet each other in person for the first time. As a member‑governed risk pool, the Fund depends on strong relationships across districts. Collaboration and sharing best practices are built into the mission.

“We want this program to grow with the emerging needs of our members,” Estes said. “We want longevity, innovation, and, most importantly, community.” 

While risk managers across the state may be a staff of one or have risk management as one of many varied responsibilities, in the Fund and its membership, they have the support they need to help their districts become safer for everyone.

“The Risk Management 101 Training Program is one part of a greater strategy to help members make informed decisions, mitigate risks where they can, and steward their district’s financial resources,” Barrett said. “The Fund thrives when its members are safer. That takes everyone, everywhere making solid risk management decisions every day.” 

This article first appeared in the Feb/Mar 2026 issue of Texas Lone Star.