Staff Report
DRIPPING SPRINGS — Dripping Springs ISD announced the appointment of Dr. Leanna Pesta as the next principal for Walnut Springs Elementary School after the DSISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved her hiring at the March 30 meeting.
Pesta brings seven years of experience in elementary administration and more than 15 years in education.
For the past two years, Pesta has served as principal of NYOS Charter School in Austin.
She has demonstrated strong instructional leadership, developing an instructional model to support targeted instruction and intervention using data analysis and MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) systems, stated a DSISD news release. She also fostered a collaborative culture that improved teacher retention and strengthened instructional practices through coaching and professional learning and expanded student leadership and family engagement by implementing Leader in Me and launching the Watch D.O.G.S. program.
Following years as a classroom teacher, Pesta began her administrative career in 2019 as an assistant principal at West Cypress Hills Elementary School in Lake Travis ISD. She later served as an assistant principal at Rutledge Elementary School in Leander ISD. In addition to the principal certification, Pesta holds certificates in English as a Second Language and Special Education.
A native of Buffalo, New York, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education from Mercyhurst University and a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Gannon University. She received her doctorate in Educational Administration from Concordia University in 2020.
