Arlington ISD trustee once heard his job called thankless. But he’s nothing but grateful

Arlington ISD trustee once heard his job called thankless. But he’s nothing but grateful

Arlington ISD trustee Aaron Reich sits for a portrait March 21, 2024, at the district’s Administration Building. Reich will retire from the school board at the end of this academic year after 15 years of service. (Dang Le | Arlington Report)
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It’s a thankless job. 

Aaron Reich remembered hearing those words when he ran for Arlington ISD school board in 2009.

Reich understood the sentiment, he said. He would be working unpaid to handle two things that matter most to people: their children and money. His life changed — his wife worked more hours, he spent less time with his family, and Reich sometimes missed out on his children’s special occasions. 

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For the next 15 years, Reich worked 20 to 60 hours a week as a school board member on top of being a pharmacist. He became a driving force to serve all students, strengthen the district’s future and set Arlington ISD on a path for a better future. 

“Every now and then, it hits me that I have been truly responsible for hundreds of thousands of lives and their families,” Reich said.

His time as trustee ends May 2. 

‘It’s a half-a-billion-dollar organization. Why not?’

When Reich ran, Arlington ISD was at a crossroads. The district had become stagnant without any strategic initiatives to improve outcomes, he said. 

“My friends and acquaintances were literally either leaving the district or leaving Arlington,” he said. “My wife and I have two businesses in Arlington. We love Arlington, and we did not want to see that trend continue to grow because that only leads to negative outcomes for Arlington.”

Reich’s personal work experience drove him to push the district to develop a strategic plan. The district is now in its third five-year strategic plan. When he first ran, he was told public education didn’t need strategic planning. 

“It’s a half-a-billion-dollar organization. Why not? How do you know where you’re going? How do you know how to get there?” he said.

Arlington ISD trustee Aaron Reich listens at the board meeting Feb. 8, 2024, at the district’s Administration Building. Reich announced his retirement from the school board in January. (Dang Le | Arlington Report)

The strategic plans planted a seed for Reich to grow the district. From a $198 million bond in 2009, which Reich called a “duct tape and rubber bands bond,” voters approved a $663 million bond package in 2014 that was focused on opening new schools, safety and security, transportation and more. In 2019, voters approved a $966 million bond. 

Arlington ISD trustees received the 2014 outstanding school board honor from the Texas Association of School Administrators. In 2015, H-E-B awarded the district’s board of trustees with the outstanding school board award.

Successfully getting those bond projects to voters requires someone like Reich who knows how Arlington works and how money flows, said Javier Najera, an Arlington parent and business owner. 

“It comes from just his natural ability to relate to people, to lead and to just use all his talents for that purpose,” Najera said. 

Najera and Reich met at the Dads’ Club at Pope Elementary, a version of PTA. They bonded out of wanting to improve the school. They’re still friends, and they live within walking distance from one another. 

“Just mentioning his name to people automatically almost makes me a new friend,” Najera said. 

Arlington ISD trustee Aaron Reich attends an event to kick off Hispanic Heritage Month on Sept. 15, 2023, at Wimbish World Language Academy. (Courtesy photo | Trustee Brooklyn Richardson)

The mission to serve all students

The 2014 bond also allowed the district to open the Arlington ISD Arts and Athletics Complex and the Dan Dipert Career and Technical Center. 

“Quite frankly, it’s the greatest honor in my life for that to happen,” said Dan Dipert, an Arlington businessman, former trustee and the namesake of the career and technical center. 

Reich listens to people’s opinions before adding his own, Dipert said. But he doesn’t add an opinion just because — he does so to create solutions to move the community forward.

“We’re not just serving one small segment of the youth population,” he said. “We have a wide range of languages, cultures, religions.”

Across the highway from the career center, located in the International Corridor area of east Arlington, is the shopping center Asia Times Square, where Matthew Loh serves as the CEO. 

Whenever Asia Times Square holds cultural events, Reich is there engaging with attendees. The transparency and honesty in those conversations make Reich special, Loh said. 

“He’s a white Caucasian guy, and yet he comes to celebrate with the Asian community and Asia Times Square on mid-autumn festival (or) Lunar New Year festival,” he said. 

Arlington ISD trustee Aaron Reich talks to Lena Rodriguez, wife of late Joey Rodriguez, a beloved soccer coach at Sam Houston High School, at the April 18, 2024, board meeting at the district’s Administration Building. At the meeting, the board of trustees unanimously approved naming the district’s newest school Joey Rodriguez Junior High School. (Dang Le | Arlington Report)

The hopes after Reich’s tenure

Reich announced his retirement around the same time the school board hired a new superintendent. The timing was the hardest part because people may think Reich is not a fan of Superintendent Matt Smith. Reich sees his decision more strategically. 

“I really wanted to serve with him and help him grow,” he said. “But, if I were to run again, I also knew that I would be going into it knowing that this was my last term and maybe I should do some other things. I didn’t think it was very appropriate if I were to be reelected to start off in a term just having that attitude.” 

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Board President Melody Fowler said she officially learned about Reich’s retirement around the same time he told the public. 

When Reich thinks he needs to do something, he jumps in and makes it happen, Fowler said. 

“We’re really going to miss his institutional knowledge,” she said. “He’s been around for 15 years and served on committees in the district before that, so he’s just a wealth of knowledge.”

The feelings of leaving the school board haven’t fully set in just yet, Reich said. Maybe by August, when everybody returns for district business, it’ll sink in. 

He is confident that Arlington ISD is in a better place compared to when he first started 15 years ago. The district now has a gifted and talented program to support students. It also offers more than 30 certification programs to prepare students for the workforce. More people have come up to him to express appreciation throughout his tenure than showed up to complain, he said. 

His daughter has two degrees from overseas and has traveled to 60 countries. His son is a mechanical engineer at Lockheed Martin. Reich and his wife have businesses in Arlington. 

Reich doesn’t get paid as a trustee — but he doesn’t see it that way. 

“I’m in it for ‘the pay’ when those kids walk across that stage at graduation time,” he said.

Reich, for now, feels thankful. 

Dang Le is a reporting fellow for the Arlington Report. Contact him at dang.le@fortworthreport.org or @DangHLe. At the Arlington Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

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