Lacey Merrifield leads technology at Bosqueville ISD in Waco, Texas, a district of around 750 students with a technology team of just two people.

Together, they manage approximately 1,300 Chromebooks, 165 Microsoft devices and 60 iPads, along with the district website, social media, printers, technology support and whatever else needs attention.

In this episode of Strategic Syncing, Lacey joins James Symons to talk about what leadership looks like in a small K-12 district where there is very little separation between strategy and frontline work.

Lacey shares how COVID accelerated her move into technology, how she balanced full-time work with further study and online teaching, and why those experiences shaped the way she approaches difficult problems today.

She also reflects candidly on a technology rollout that did not go to plan.

After spending two years trying to make the platform work, Lacey eventually changed direction. The second rollout was much smoother because she applied everything she had learned from the first experience.

The conversation also explores perfectionism, control and one of the hardest lessons Lacey has learned as a leader: giving someone responsibility means allowing them to approach the work differently.

Different does not automatically mean wrong.

For Lacey, leadership is less about hierarchy and more about being willing to work beside the people around you, listen to different perspectives and help solve whatever needs solving.

This episode is a candid look at K-12 IT leadership in a small district, where everyone wears multiple hats and the work still has to get done.