'TASB Talks' at txEDCON: Telling Stories That Demonstrate 'Our Future is Public'

Texas public education leaders have powerful stories to tell, and to make sure it's the most authentic version, they need to make sure they're the ones spreading the message. 

Dr. Marc Faulkner and Jeff Bradburn of China Spring ISD, along with Abilene ISD’s Taylor Tidmore, sat down for a conversation about it while at txEDCON in Houston. The three spoke about how their districts have taken innovative approaches to amplify their stories and connect with their communities.   

Faulkner explained how an ambassador-style program -- Champions for China Spring ISD -- helped the district through a Voter Approval Tax Rate Election by utilizing educators and community members to deliver its message. 

"It's about being advocates for China Spring, out students, and the community, but also the in the greater scheme of public education," he said. "We make them feel empowered so they can go out and tell the honest story of not only China Spring ISD, but public education in general." 

Faulkner said teams of educators and community members meet with administration four times per year to get relevant information about the district to disseminate throughout the public. He said the Champions played an integral role in the passing of the district's most recent VATRE election in 2025. 

"It has been a very powerful tool for us," he said. "I do not think we would have passed it had we not had the groups out there advocating for our students and staff members." 

Tidmore discussed how he became a better storyteller from a trustee’s standpoint, and how he shared his way with others to help Abilene ISD shape the views of the community it serves. After he was elected to the board in 2024, he said he wanted to make sure everyone was getting solid information about the district because he experienced first-hand that it didn't always happen. 

"I wanted to promote a more positive view of our district, because a lot of time, the community had a skewed an inaccurate view," he said. "We had a real need to take back the narrative." 

Tidmore said social media played a key role in shifting the community's view of the school board. 

"We flooded Facebook with positive stories about the district," he said. "We could see the change happen." 

Putting Storytelling Into Action 

Every trustee has an opportunity to help tell the story of their district and Texas public schools. A Toolkit to Champion Public Education: How to Share Your District’s Story and Build Community Support offers practical ideas, activities and real-world examples like China Spring ISD and Abilene ISD to help school board members share their district’s story, connect with their communities and build support for public education. 

Below is the full episode. You can watch the five other TASB Talks episodes from txEDCON, plus all previous ones, on our YouTube page.