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RISD athletics leaders point to rising participation, academic gains and new initiatives as AD prepares to retire
Summary
Athletics staff told trustees April 17 that junior-high and high-school sports participation is increasing, student-athletes post higher GPA and attendance than nonparticipants, and the department will continue pre-athletics programs, leadership training and safety planning as longtime athletics director Leslie Slovak moves toward retirement.
Leaders from Richardson ISD's athletics program briefed the Board of Trustees on April 17 about participation, recent competitive results and plans for growth and student leadership. Assistant directors Kevin Pitts and Lindsay Ledford joined athletics director Leslie Slovak and Superintendent Tabitha Branham in presenting the update.
Slovak framed the program mission as "student first," emphasizing academics as a priority: "You are a student first. You've got to make the grades, academics are first, athletics are second," she said. The presentation showed participation figures that the athletics team used to illustrate scale and outcomes: roughly 2,489 students in junior-high/middle athletics and over 5,000 students participating at the high-school level across the district.
Staff highlighted measurable academic and attendance differences for students involved in athletics. The slide pack reported average GPAs of 90.2 for student athletes vs. 87.6 for non-athletes and attendance averages of 93.8% vs. 90.4% for nonparticipants.
Athletic officials credited bond-funded facilities and investments (weight-room staff, AV, uniforms and equipment) with boosting safety, training and recruitment. The athletics team also pointed to competitive results across schools (regional qualifiers, playoff runs and individual state qualifiers) and listed several campus-level achievements.
Planned short-term and long-term initiatives include expanding pre-athletics and preparedness for sixth graders, launching a middle-school-tailored sportsmanship campaign tied to the Texas Way initiative, increasing leadership training for junior-high and high-school coordinators and evaluating safety/security procedures for athletic events. Staff noted the importance of equity and access and described strategies to connect club/clinic opportunities to students who lack private club access.
Board members praised Slovak's leadership and community visibility; several trustees thanked Slovak for decades of service as she prepares to leave her central role while remaining in the district in a different capacity. Trustees asked for continued focus on equity in access and on expanding entry points for younger students so a wider pool of students can reach high-school programs.
No board votes or formal actions were taken during the presentation.
