 John Bass has 35 years of experience in public education. He previously served as a superintendent of schools for two Texas school districts: Plemons-Stinnett-Phillips CISD and Mart ISD. He has also served as a high school principal, secondary math teacher, football coach, and girls’ basketball coach.
John moved on to work for the Region 16 Education Service Center in Amarillo, Texas for 20 years. He served as their executive director for 12 years. Region 16 ESC serves 62 school districts and two charter schools in the Texas Panhandle. Covering over 27,000 square miles, Region 16 has a staff of approximately 340 employees. Region 16 ESC provides numerous direct services to school districts. Examples include business manager services, federal program specialist services, technology specialist services, curriculum specialist services, counseling services, nursing services, and librarian services. Region 16 also provides staff development opportunities for bus drivers, nurses, teachers, administrators, school board members, and numerous others. Region 16 also operates a large Head Start program for disadvantaged students and also serves as the fiscal agent of an Early Childhood Intervention program for special needs students. After concluding his tenure at Region 16 in August 2016, joined the Association of Educational Service Agencies (AESA), where he served as Chief Operating Officer for nearly a decade. In this role, he played a pivotal part in overseeing AESA’s operations and advancing its strategic initiatives. Effective July 1, 2025, John transitioned into a new role as Senior Advisor. While stepping back from day-to-day responsibilities, he continues to offer strategic counsel and share his deep institutional knowledge with AESA leadership. His focus is on advising key initiatives and supporting leadership continuity. Though his involvement in now more limited and consultative, John’s insights remain a valued asset to the organization. John currently lives in Katy, Texas which is in the greater Houston area. He is married to Christi, another lifelong educator, and has two daughters. More importantly, John has four grandchildren – and they all live in the Houston area. |
