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Announcing the Two Directors of Student Services

BISD is pleased to announce that Maria Kuffel and Annalisa Sanchez have been selected to serve as Directors of Student Services. 

The hiring team was impressed with Maria’s and Annalisa’s qualifications, vision for the Student Services Department, and unwavering commitment to all students. 
Maria Kuffel 
  • Maria has worked at BISD since 2008 and served as a school psychologist for various BISD schools and as the BISD preschool coordinator before taking on the role of Special Services Coordinator at the District Office in 2021.  
  • Maria has master’s and bachelor’s degrees in school psychology and is on track to receive her school administrator certificate in July. 
  • When applying for the position, Maria shared, “We must continue to invest time and resources to train both general educators and special education educators in educational practices that build inclusion, awareness and acceptance of individual differences, and social-emotional safety and resiliency.”
Annalisa Sanchez
  • Prior to joining BISD in 2019, Annalisa served as a reading intervention and learning strategies teacher and an inclusion teacher. During her time at BISD, she worked at Blakely Elementary as an Integrated Learning Center teacher and, most recently, as the associate principal at Woodward Middle School and the BISD Social Emotional Learning Coordinator.
  • Annalisa has a master's degree in special education, a bachelor's degree in communication disorders and a school administrator certificate.
  • When applying for the position, Annalisa shared, “I prioritize communicating compassionately and preserving the dignity of students. Education is an emotional space in which all stakeholders are deeply invested. In this space, we need to actively monitor our personal biases and never give up on learning how to understand our students better.”
Maria and Annalisa will begin their new roles on July 1, 2023. In the meantime, BISD will soon begin the process of hiring an associate principal for Woodward Middle School (the role currently held by Annalisa).  
Congratulations, Maria and Annalisa!