Principal Information
Kathy Bieser
Kathy Bieser, principal of the Advanced Learning Academy (ALA) and SAISD’s only PK-12 school, has more than 25 years experience in education, including 15 in the principalship.
A native Texan, Kathy graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Trinity University in 1997 and then continued her studies at Trinity, completing an academic internship at the International School of the Americas (ISA) in NEISD while she earned a Master of Arts degree in Teaching.
After her second Trinity graduation, Kathy formally joined the ISA faculty, where she taught World History and World Geography for nine years. During her classroom journey, she was instrumental in the development of multiple student travel experiences and reinforced the school’s international education focus. Kathy was awarded a 2004 Fulbright-Hays Fellowship, which she used to journey to South Africa and study the role of youth in the democratization of the country and, in 2007, was named the H-E-B Excellence in Education Rising Star Teacher in Texas. Most importantly, Kathy’s classroom experience deepened her belief in global studies, the importance of public education in the development of healthy democracies, and the transformational impact of travel and cross-cultural experiences on students and communities. All of those learnings became instrumental in the design of ALA.
A constant learner, Kathy returned to Trinity to earn a Master of Education degree in School Administration while still teaching. Soon after, she served ISA as assistant principal before being named the campus’ principal, a role she held for nine more years. During her tenure at the helm of ISA, Kathy was fortunate to have the opportunity to visit some of the most innovative schools in the United States. The ideas she gleaned from those experiences were equally important in her vision for rethinking teaching and learning at ALA.
After nearly two decades in three roles at the only school she had professionally called home, Kathy realized it was time for a new challenge and sought to find a place to develop her vision for schools and learning. Although there were opportunities to do this in other cities and states, Kathy felt strongly that she wanted to do this work in San Antonio, specifically the urban core of our city where she had lived for many years.
The perfect opportunity came when SAISD announced the creation of a new, downtown PK-12 campus intended to explore innovative creative approaches to a community school. Once named the leader of this exciting new campus, Kathy worked closely with a design team of district leaders, local community Partners, and colleagues at Trinity University to craft a vision for what would become ALA. In a period of only four months, the team held meetings with parents and local community stakeholders, designed core principles for the campus and faculty, and created the structure for an entirely unique type of school while also hiring a dedicated team of staff, teachers, and administrators to build upon the vision of ALA.
During those early conversations and meetings before the school even opened, Kathy was inspired by the hopes and dreams ALA students, families, and teachers shared. Their aspirations further fueled her work and merged with her core beliefs in the power of student voice, the shared commitment of parents and teachers, and the value of strong cultural bonds to the larger local and global community as the foundation of the campus. What began as an idea and a challenge to create something important, purposeful, and transformative for San Antonio and SAISD became ALA, the school Kathy is proud to have both launched and led.
In the time since, ALA has grown to well over 1,000 students across fourteen grades. The campus thrives on student voice, continued exploration of both the San Antonio and global community, and a dedicated cadre of collaborative parents and teachers. In 2019 , Kathy was again honored by the H-E-B Excellence in Education program when she was named a Principal Finalist for the second time in her career. Her essays and interview were testament to the shared commitments toward teaching and learning among ALA’s students, parents, staff, and teachers, not just during foundation, but also throughout the pandemic. She saw this honor as recognition of the power of collective work of the ALA community and is proud to continue to serve as first among equals.
In her spare time, Kathy continues to learn from travel as she explores communities and cultures with her husband, Kristopher, who is also a former public educator and is now a Talent Leader at H-E-B. While at home, Kathy and Kris explore San Antonio while riding their bikes or walking their beloved dog, Roo, around the city. They are proud residents of SAISD.