EISD Superintendent, Dr. Tom Leonard
EISD Deputy Superintendent, Dr. Jeff Arnett
Texas School Finance: The Impact on Your Business, Students and Our Community
Understanding the state's public school funding formula is not easy. Hear from Eanes ISD Superintendent, Dr. Tom Leonard and Deputy Superintendent Dr. Jeff Arnett, about how the current Recapture System for school funding, informally known as Robin Hood, impacts businesses, students and stakeholders in our community. In 2018-2019, businesses and residents in Eanes ISD lost nearly twice as much in recapture ($101.7 million) than they kept ($59.5 million) for our local Westlake schools. As the 86th Texas State Legislature continues its work, property taxes and school finance reform are a critical priority for taxpayers at every level to understand and address.
Dr. Tom Leonard is the Eanes ISD Superintendent. Since joining the EISD in July of 2014, Dr. Leonard has focused on transparency, building relationships and communication with the many constituents throughout the district. Under his leadership, the District has been named one of the top school districts in the country. A native of Chicago, Ill., Dr. Leonard served as superintendent in the Barrington 220 School District in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago for seven years. Prior to taking the helm in the Barrington school district, Dr. Leonard served as principal of the nationally-recognized Barrington High School from 2001 to 2007. He also served as assistant superintendent for Secondary Education for four years, before being named superintendent of schools. Dr. Leonard spent 20 years in numerous roles around the Greater Chicago area, including classroom teacher, coach, math department chair, assistant principal and high school principal. He was an assistant principal at Deerfield High School in Township High School District 113 and math department chairperson at both Highland Park and Libertyville High Schools.
Dr. Leonard holds a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Loyola University of Chicago, a master’s degree in secondary education and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Northern Illinois University of DeKalb, Ill.
Dr. Jeff Arnett joined Eanes ISD as Deputy Superintendent in August 2016. Prior to that, Dr. Arnett served as Chief Communications Officer for Barrington School District for six years. Before serving in the Barrington School District, Dr. Arnett was Director of Communications, Education & Public Programs for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. He began his career in public education in the state of Missouri, where he served various school districts as Director of Communications, Director of School and Community Relations, and as a classroom teacher.
Dr. Arnett holds a Bachelor of Science degree in both Education and Communications from Evangel University, a Master of Education degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Master of Science in Corporate Communications from Lindenwood University, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Phoenix. His endorsements include Certification in Administrative Leadership and Accreditation in Public Relations.