Big Day for Mansfield ISD. Their own Michele Trongaard received the International Eagle - ASBO's top individual honor. Then, the district received a Pinnacle Achievement Award for design and implementation of the innovative Jandrucko Early Learners Academy.
ASBO International honored Michele Trongaard and Mansfield ISD at its Best in School Business Awards Ceremony. The event took place during the 2024 ASBO International Annual Conference & Expo in Nashville earlier in September.
First, Mansfield ISD was named a Pinnacle Achievement Award recipient for design and implementation of the innovative Jandrucko Early Learners Academy. Both Mansfield ISD Superintendent Dr. Kimberley Cantu and Associate Superintendent, Facilities Jeffrey Brogden accepted the award.
After a visit to a regional service center that utilizes experiential learning, Brogden sketched the initial design for the prototype for the early learner's academy on a paper napkin. Mansfield district leaders and stakeholders collaborated to establish an early learners academy that engages pre-K students in a full time curriculum of experiential learning and immersion on a daily basis. The district encourages others to visit and observe. “It is our district’s goal to improve all public education opportunities,” Brogden says.
Then Mansfied ISD’s Michele Trongaard received the International Eagle Award - the highest honor in school business, recognizing outstanding and unique contributions made by school business officials to their districts and the profession.
Before joining Mansfield ISD, Trongaard served for 17 years in Wylie (Texas) ISD, becoming the district’s first female CFO. She came to Mansfield at the onset of COVID-19 and made a point of visiting all 48 campus principals throughout the year, explaining that “it was essential in building relationships and ensuring the success of Mansfield ISD.”
COVID was just one of the challenges Trongaard has faced with resilience and perseverance. She also navigated her district through $55 million in hailstorm damage, a school shooting with multiple injuries, and a cyberattack on the fourth day of school in 2022 that resulted in the loss of financial records.
An active member of ASBO International and a Certified Administrator of School Finance and Operations (SFO), Trongaard has led her districts to the Meritorious Budget Award and the Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting. In 2019, she achieved the Pinnacle of Achievement Award for ingenuity and resourcefulness. She has attended and presented at various ASBO International and Texas ASBO conferences and events.
The 2025 ASBO International Conference & Expo is scheduled to take place next year in Fort Worth, October 21-24, 2025. TASBO staff and board helped spread the word, inviting school business professionals from around the world to visit Texas next year.
