From his days teaching music to now being the superintendent of the Midlothian School District, David Belding has maintained one focal point.
Making a positive difference in the lives of others, notably students who can then go into the world and make their own differences and the adults helping shape those young lives.
In other words, doing his part to make this a better world.
“When I was a band director, I had the privilege of impacting the students in my program. When I thought about going into administration, I saw the potential to make that positive difference in the lives of everyone on-campus – students and staff,” Belding said. “As a district-level leader, that same motivation is there with the hope that I can make a difference in the lives of all our students, teachers, staff, and our community.”
This is Belding’s third superintendent gig. He came to Midlothian this school year after seven years of guiding the Aubrey School District. Before that, he was in Millsap as superintendent for several years.
“Midlothian ISD and the community have a great reputation. When I began to research the area, I could tell people were very proud of their schools and community,” Belding said concerning Midlothian’s appeal to him and his family. “The area is growing, and still MISD has maintained its feeling of a small town. I am excited about the opportunity to serve the district and community as we continue to grow.”
Strong growth can come with some big challenges. Belding understands this and comes into the job with his sleeves rolled up and ready to do whatever is necessary for continued success.
For example, he acknowledged some facility needs that are present now. He said the district is working to analyze its enrollment trends in order to stay ahead of the enrollment growth so campuses do not become overcrowded.
In addition, growth necessitates the addition of teachers and staff to support students and help them succeed, he noted.
“This is a major focus as we work to predict future enrollment growth and the impact this has on our classrooms,” he said. “Operations in MISD are also impacted by growth. We will continue to need more bus routes and other support staffing to ensure our students, teachers, and staff have everything they need to succeed.”
Teacher and staff compensation is also a major area of importance.
“We hope the state legislature will provide additional assistance via the basic allotment in the school funding formulas at the state level in order for us to cover operational costs that are increasing due to inflation and provide a salary increase for our teachers and staff,” he said.
The district has been using a hybrid calendar this school year. Belding said work is underway to develop the school calendar for 2024-25, including feedback from parent and staff surveys, and whatever formula works best for all is what the district will go with.
“We will consider some options and work through those to select the best calendar to meet the needs of our students, families, teachers, and staff,” he said.
Belding discussed some of his major goals over the next five to 10 years, including:
1. Addressing the growth that is happening in the district.
2. Continued the strengthening of academic achievement for all students. “Our students perform well overall, and we will continue to implement proven instructional strategies to meet the needs of every child and support them to be highly successful Pre-K through 12th grade.”
3. Strengthening and expanding the AP and dual credit programs to ensure students are fully prepared for college, career, and/or the military when they graduate.
4. The support and expansion of Career Technology Education (CTE) programs. “The MILE (Midlothian Innovative Learning Experience) is a great program, and we will plan to expand our course offerings in CTE. We want to increase the support of and the partnerships we have for CTE programs. Presently, we have agreements with TSTC and Navarro College for students to take courses that lead to an industry-based certification. We want to expand those programs and partnerships.”
5. Expand and support extra-curricular and co-curricular programs. There is a wide range of activities students can participate in at all our campuses. “We have a strong athletic, fine arts, UIL academic, and a plethora of clubs for students to connect and be involved.
Keeping great teachers and expanding those opportunities will be a major goal.
“My wife (Angela) and I are very excited to be part of the community. Midlothian has welcomed us with open arms, and I am excited about the future of MISD and our community as a whole.”
