Abilene ISD is making campus leadership changes at two elementary schools, according to a recent media release.
Leslye Roberts was appointed to serve as the principal of Martinez Elementary School effective Dec. 1, Dr. John Kuhn, Abilene ISD superintendent, announced in a media release. Roberts is now serving as principal of Taylor Elementary School and has held that position since 2021.
In addition, Taylor Elementary Assistant Principal Shanda Bourn will become interim principal at Taylor, also effective Dec. 1, Kuhn announced.
Outgoing Martinez Elementary Principal Kimberly McCutcheon will remain with the district, serving students in a different capacity, the media release said. A search for the next full-time principal at Taylor Elementary will finish in the spring.
A veteran campus leader with 18 years of experience, Roberts will spearhead putting in place innovative instruction and student experience models at Martinez Elementary, the media release said.
“I have complete confidence in Leslye Roberts and her ability to build school cultures that support great teaching and learning,” Kuhn said in the media release. “Leslye is a school leadership expert with a significant track record of success in achieving positive outcomes for Abilene ISD students and families.”
As for Bourn, she will lead the Taylor campus through the spring 2026 semester, and Roberts will serve as an advising principal to provide more leadership support during the transition.
Roberts said in the media release that she was honored to be appointed Martinez Elementary principal.
“I look forward to building relationships with the Martinez school community and working together to create the best learning opportunities for all students,” Roberts said in the media release. “I am also deeply grateful to have served the students, families, and staff at Taylor Elementary and will cherish the memories, growth and success we have achieved together.”
Roberts worked five years in Santo ISD before beginning her AISD career in 2012 as a teacher at former Reagan Elementary School — now the Hartford Center, the media release stated. She went on to serve in administrative roles in the district.
The 2005 graduate of Lubbock Christian University earned a master’s degree in education from Abilene Christian University in 2011, the media release stated. In 2024, she was named the Region 14 TEPSAN Principal of the Year by the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association.
Roberts was subsequently elected the current TEPSA Region 14 president, working to positively impact high-quality education for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade students in Texas, the media release stated.
Trish Choate is the executive editor for the Wichita Falls Times Record News, San Angelo Standard-Times and Abilene Reporter-News. Contact Trish with news tips at tchoate@gannett.com. Read her recent work here. Her X handle is @Trishapedia.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene ISD making leadership changes in two elementary schools
Reporting by Trish Choate, Abilene Reporter-News / Abilene Reporter-News
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