Veronica Kortan, with her pink notebook in hand, conquers motherhood and professional organization without breaking a sweat.
“I have about eight or nine completely filled pink notebooks out home,” Kortan said. “I use them to write my schedule, to-do lists, ideas, work and general notes. I have this almost everywhere I go.”
Kortan, the director for staff development at the Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District, and her department are charged with professional development and leadership building across the district.
“We set our expectations for the year to support everyone in the district and the development of HCISD,” Kortan said. “With anything our department does we want to impact the teaching and learning in classrooms.”
Kortan and the staff development department have played an important role in the transformation of the district, and have worked with multiple administrators, directors and departments to organize and support initiatives such as project based learning and digital classrooms.
“Its exciting to be a part of the initial development and to see these concepts evolve,” Kortan said. “It’s a constant learning experience to work with directors and teachers and to get them ready for these new ventures.”
Kortan has worked at HCISD for 12 year, and has worked as an administrator at Early College High School and Vela Middle School, and a coordinator for Gear Up at Gutierrez Middle School.
“Coordinating events for campuses to benefit students assured me that this is what I should be doing,” Kortan said. “I should be organizing programs and initiatives to help individuals succeed, and make certain they have the tools to get from point a to point b.”
Kortan is already putting her notebook to work for next year, and continually prepares for the future of HCISD.
