At the Mon., Aug. 14 regular board meeting, the DeSoto Independent School District Board of Trustees approved the recommendation and hiring of two district leadership positions.
Interim Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Cheyrl Ensley was named Assistant Superintendent of State and Federal Programs.
Dr. Ensley received her bachelor's degree Grambling State University, a master's from Louisana Tech University and a doctorate from Texas A&M University-Commerce.
Dr. Ensley has worked at all levels of public education including higher education during her long-standing career in education. Ensley has served DeSoto ISD for 20 years starting as an assistant principal and rising to fulfill appointments as an elementary and high school district principal, director, executive director and interim assistant superintendent.
As a high school principal, Dr. Ensley expanded opportunities for students to recover credits during the school day as well as after-school and helped to design and develop the academy concept allowing students to matriculate in a field of their choice.
Additionally, she implemented common assessments, core planning times, and targeted interventions within the day to address student needs. During her tenure, Dr. Ensley improved academic ratings and standards at DeSoto High School.
The Board also appointed Dr. Michelle Schwind as the district’s Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction.
Dr. Schwind has more than 24 years in education during which she previously served as the Keller Independent School District Director of Response-to-Intervention and Section 504 and, most recently, as Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction in Robstown Independent School District that transitioned all campuses from “improvement required” to “met standard” in four years. Those campuses also earned distinction designations for various areas of student academic achievement--two of which were identified among 400 campuses across the state earning all possible academic distinctions.
Dr. Schwind has a doctorate from the University of North Texas (2010), a master’s degree from the University of Texas at Arlington (1998) and a bachelor‘s degree from the University of Texas at Austin (1992).