Allen ISD's Leadership Academy opened its 2026-27 cohort with a first meeting that brought community members face-to-face with district leaders, the district announced Oct. 5.

Acting Superintendent Kim McLaughlin, Allen ISD Board of Trustees members and representatives from the Foundation For Allen Schools addressed participants at the session. The group then visited Boyd Elementary School, where Principal Dr. Julie DeLeon walked them through what students and staff are doing on campus.

The academy meets once a month for seven months. Each session takes participants to a different campus or facility, where they sit down with principals, students, board members and administrators. The program spans every grade level across the district's roughly 20,000 students and nearly 3,000 employees.

Graduates join a network of community members who can participate in district planning efforts. Those opportunities include strategic planning committees, campus improvement teams, focus groups and other committees.

The district has run the program for multiple years. The Allen ISD Board of Trustees recognized the outgoing 2025-26 cohort at its May 26 meeting. That class of 27 graduates spent seven full days visiting campuses including Allen High School, Lowery Freshman Center, the STEAM Center, Ereckson Middle School, Boyd Elementary, Olson Elementary and Anderson Early Childhood School. They also toured the Administration Building, Service Center and Eagle Stadium.

The outgoing cohort's final session included an overview of school finance with Dr. Kyle Penn, assistant superintendent for business and technology, and a tour of the Technology Department led by Dr. Nelson Orta, executive director of technology services. The group completed a volunteer project at Boyd Elementary, fixing desks and organizing storage rooms.

McLaughlin has emphasized community engagement as a district priority. "We need to hear from you so we know where to take our students," she said Sept. 23 at the Allen Chamber of Commerce's State of Education event, as reported by Community Impact.

The district has not announced the size of the new cohort or specific dates for upcoming sessions.