From a Small Village in Southern Italy to the Boerne ISD Boardroom: How One Trustee's Family Story Shaped a Commitment to 11,200 Students

When Rich Sena's grandparents left their small village in Southern Italy and came to America, they carried one conviction above all others: education was the path forward. Neither of Sena's parents spoke English when they started school. Formal education was something his grandparents never had. But they understood, with the clarity that comes from sacrifice, that learning was what would give their children and grandchildren a life in this country.

That belief shaped everything that followed.

Today, Rich Sena serves as Secretary of the Boerne Independent School District Board of Trustees and is seeking re-election in the May 2 school board race. He has held the position since 2014, a span during which the district has grown from 7,200 students to more than 11,200. He is running alongside Board President Kristi Schmidt, who holds Place 6.

"My grandparents, despite their lack of formal education, were constantly stressing the value of education and learning because that was the meal ticket to get ahead in our great nation," Sena said. "I learned two things from my parents that stand out above all else: always be grateful, and always give back to the nation and community that has given us so much opportunity."

Sena's own children attended Boerne ISD schools from kindergarten through 12th grade. His daughter still lives in the community. His grandchildren will soon begin their own years in the same classrooms. For Sena, this is not an abstract policy position. It is personal in the most literal sense.

"I feel as my fellow trustees feel - that I have 11,200 children, because that's the number of kids in our district and I care about their future," he said. "No amount of time dedicated to this volunteer position is adequate to support them in achieving their dreams."

That sense of obligation extends well beyond the boardroom. Sena has served as President of the Boerne Sunrise Rotary, as a Sunday School teacher at Currey Creek Church, as a board member of the Hill Country Pregnancy Care Center, and as a conservative columnist for the Boerne Star. He has led civic organizations and volunteered across the Hill Country for more than three decades.

But public education remains his deepest commitment.

"A community can have beautiful parks and great roads, but it cannot truly thrive unless it has strong public schools preparing the next generation," Sena said. "Public education is the great equalizer."

Under the leadership of the current board, Boerne ISD has maintained its top A-rating from the Texas Education Agency every year since the accountability system was established, a distinction shared by only 31 of the more than 1,200 districts in the state. The district is the only medium-large district in the San Antonio area to hold that status. Its students graduate at a 95 percent rate of readiness for college, career, or military service, well above the state average of 82 percent.

Sena points to those results not as personal accomplishments but as evidence that the community's investment in its schools is working.

"It starts with a supportive community, people that believe in the value of education. We have that here in Boerne," he said. "Standards are not what we state. They're what we accept."

When his oldest child started at Fabra Elementary in 1992, the district enrolled roughly 3,200 students. It has nearly quadrupled since. Managing that growth while preserving the traditions and culture families count on - the Homecoming Parade, the Boerne Outdoor Academy, the close-knit campus communities - has been one of the board's central challenges.

"We are one of the most beautiful communities in the most incredible state in the greatest nation in the only world that we know of," Sena said. "We are blessed and lucky to be here."

Early voting for the May 2 election begins April 20. Early voting locations include the Fair Oaks Ranch City Police Department headquarters and the Kendall County Annex across from Boerne High School. On Election Day, voters may cast ballots at Boerne City Hall or the Fair Oaks Ranch Police Department.

For more information, visit https://www.senaforbisd.com/.