DALLAS — There has been a recent rise in superintendents leaving the education industry in parts of the U. S. , forcing many districts to deal with shifts in their leadership teams.
North Texas is in the middle of its own transition period. From November 2021 through February 2022, 11 superintendents from 11 local school districts announced they would be leaving, resigning or retiring from their leadership positions. Three happened on the same day: Jan.
13, 2022. Since the time from November 2021 through February 2022, at least 5 more North Texas superintendents have also stepped down. RELATED: Getting to know the 10 new district superintendents in North Texas These 12 superintendents include: RELATED: In less than four months, 10 North Texas superintendents announce they are leaving In the wake of the early announcements, several North Texas school boards met to discuss COVID policies and teacher retention issues.
Some districts even asked parents to volunteer to cover classes because of extreme substitute teacher shortages. While some superintendent positions have been filled, other districts are still looking for the right candidates. Here is a closer look at where things stand at the moment.
Arlington Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Marcelo Cavazos announced he would be stepping down on Jan. 26, 2023.
Cavazos had been the district's superintendent for the past 11 years. In a news release, the district said Cavazos will leave Aug. 31, 2023.
Cavazos has worked in public education for over 30 years, the district listed some highlights from his work: improving test scores, implementing innovative programs and initiatives and making free pre-K for all 4-year-olds. Cavazos created the nation’s first district-wide STEM curriculum for 4-year-olds in pre-K. Over his career Cavazos has been recognized as Superintendent of the Year in Texas, spearheading two bond issues in support of building new facilities, and fostering partnerships with colleges and sports teams, including the Dallas Cowboys.
RELATED : Arlington ISD superintendent announces retirement On Sept. 19, 2022, Comal Independent School District , which is in New Braunfels, announced that the district's Board of Trustees named John E. Chapman III as the lone finalist in its search for a superintendent.
At the time of the announcement, Chapman was the current superintendent of Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD. With 17 years of experience as a superintendent, Chapman had worked for Chillicothe ISD, Comfort ISD, Ennis ISD and Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD. Chapman has been named Superintendent of the Year for both Texas Education Region 13 while with Comfort ISD and Region 10 when he worked for Ennis ISD.
He is a member of several professional organizations and serves in advisory roles as a mentor to administrators and educators. Chapman earned his doctorate of education degree in educational leadership from Texas Tech University. He also got his master’s degree in education and mid-management from Wayland Baptist University.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in education from McMurry University. On Oct. 13, 2022, the Carrollton-Famers Branch ISD Board of Trustees unanimously voted to name Associate Superintendent Brian Moersch as the district’s Interim Superintendent of Schools at a special board meeting.
Moersch has more than 33 years of administrative experience in district and municipal organizations with 25 years of experience as a cabinet member. Moersch has served as Associate Superintendent for the district since 2019. The district said he has provided direct support to the Superintendent, Operations, Human Resources, Safety and Security, and other departments.
Previously, Moersch served in Ector ISD for 12 years in various roles including Chief of Staff, Chief Business Officer, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources, Executive Director of Business Operations and Chief of Police. On Dec. 20, 2022, the Carrollton-Famers Branch ISD Board of Trustees announced it had launched a formal process to seek the next superintendent of our school district.
As part of the search process, the district said it would conduct a survey to gather input from parents, students, staff, and community members to identify the characteristics and traits of the next superintendent. Carrollton-Famers Branch ISD said it hopes to announce the next superintendent by mid-March 2023. Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Dr.
Michael Hinojosa is stepping down from the position after more than six years in his most recent stint in the role, according to a district press release sent out Jan. 13, 2022. Hinojosa, who will leave his post in December 2022, spent 42 years in public education and 13 years as Dallas ISD superintendent overall.
Hinojosa said he has had talks with the board and that they knew he couldn't be superintendent for another 10 years. The Dallas ISD Board of Trustees has begun a national superintendent search. After initially hiring two law firms to help find Hinojosa's replacement, the Austin-based law firm Walsh Gallegos is leading that change for the district.
From April 11-14, 2022, the district held sessions talking with parents and people from the community to talk about what they expect from the new superintendent. RELATED: Dallas ISD superintendent details his decision to resign from his post at the end of 2022 During a closed session on May 18, 2022, board members named Dr. Stephanie Elizalde as the lone finalist to become the district's next superintendent.
A native Texan, Elizalde is currently the superintendent of Austin ISD. She served as Chief of School Leadership for Dallas ISD before moving onto Austin ISD. Elizalde first joined Dallas ISD in 2011 as Director of Mathematics in the division of Teaching and Learning.
Throughout her education career, Elizalde has served students as a teacher, a principal, an assistant superintendent and other roles. Along with Dallas ISD and Austin ISD, she has also worked in Southwest ISD and San Antonio ISD. Elizalde was named one of four Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Hispanics in Education in 2014.
The Dallas Morning News also named her a "Point Person" for her work in the community in 2016. Elizalde has been awarded the UT-Austin Dr. Nolan Estes Leadership Ascension Award four times, most recently in 2017.
Elizalde is a third-generation public school educator, following in her grandmother’s and father’s footsteps. RELATED: Dallas ISD names Stephanie Elizalde as lone finalist for superintendent On Jan. 18, 2022, the Denison Independent School District announced that Superintendent Henry Scott would be retiring after 61 years in public education and 29 years as Denison ISD Superintendent.
Scott officially retired at the end of the 2021-2022 school year. On Feb. 16, 2022, the Denison Board of Trustees unanimously approved to name David Kirkbride as the lone finalist as the district's superintendent.
Kirkbride had spent 16 years with Denison ISD, which included nine years as the principal of Terrell Elementary School and then seven years as the district's Assistant Superintendent for Administration. Before moving to Denison, Kirkbride taught in Memphis, Tenn. The DeSoto Independent School District Superintendent D'Andre Weaver submitted his resignation on November 2021, and the school Board of Trustees voted unanimously to accept it during a November board meeting.
DeSoto ISD provided more details in December on what the superintendent search process would look like for the district's board. The district later announced the board voted to approve Dr. Larry Lewis as interim superintendent during a special called meeting on Dec.
15, 2021. On Jan. 28, 2022, DeSoto ISD posted on its website that district leaders are working with the O’Hanlon, Demerath and Castillo Law Firm to find the next superintendent.
The application and posting opened Jan. 25, 2022, through the law firm’s website. On Feb.
28, 2022, The district's school board held a closed session where members opened its "Superintendent Search application process. " On April 21, 2022, the district's Board of Trustees named Dr. Usamah Rodgers as the lone finalist for the superintendent position.
Trustees voted to approve the decision at a special called meeting held on April 20, 2022. Rodgers started in the education industry as a teacher before becoming Dean of Instruction, Assistant Principal and Campus Principal. She later transitioned to executive leadership roles as an executive director and, most recently, as the Deputy Chief of Strategic Initiatives in Dallas ISD, according to Desoto ISD.
“The Board’s hiring of Dr. Rodgers ensures that our kids’ needs are at the forefront of the district’s focus given her extensive work in shaping and preparing students for college and career readiness. As a Board, we are excited about the opportunity for Dr.
Rodgers to join DeSoto ISD and lead the work of improving climate, culture, safety, and security while increasing the rigor and standards of the district in an effort to continue our work of improving student outcomes,” DeSoto ISD Board President DeAndrea Fleming said. “Dr. Rodgers has demonstrated her ability to do this work at a high level throughout her proven tenure as a teacher, campus leader, and central office administrator.
” RELATED: DeSoto ISD school board accepts superintendent's resignation On Jan. 13, 2022, Fort Worth Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Kent Scribner announced that he is stepping down from his position.
His last day will be in August 2022. Scribner tweeted that he informed the district's Board of Trustees of his plans a month prior to his announcement. A district press release said he officially informed them on Dec.
16, 2021. His contract officially expires on Aug. 31, 2024.
Scribner has led the district since Oct. 15, 2015. Fort Worth ISD's board first discussed Scribner's retirement during a closed session of a Jan.
18 meeting. Later in March, Fort Worth ISD released the district's agenda for the Board of Education Special Meeting on Tuesday, March 29, 2022. The release said there would be a discussion about Scribner's retirement agreement and release as an employee during this meeting.
During this meeting, the board and Scribner agreed upon him officially stepping down as superintendent on Aug. 31, 2022. Under the board item unanimously approved by trustees, Scribner will continue to serve in an advisory capacity through February 2023.
On May 16, 2022, district leaders set up and hosted community events to get input about what should be expected from the next superintendent. They also created an online survey that was open until May 27, 2022. RELATED: Fort Worth ISD superintendent Kent Scribner stepping down On Sept.
20, 2022, Members of the Fort Worth ISD school board voted unanimously to name Dr. Angélica Ramsey as its superintendent. Ramsey signed a three-year contract with the district, making her the district’s 21st superintendent.
Ramsey was named the lone finalist for the position of superintendent during a special board meeting in August and then completed a 21-day waiting period as mandated by state law. Ramsey comes to Fort Worth from Midland, where she served as superintendent of Midland ISD. Prior to that, she spent nearly five years as superintendent at the Pleasant Valley School District in California.
Ramsey told WFAA her immediate top priorities are: Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Robin Ryan announced on Sept. 23, 2022, that he will retire after 38 years in the Texas public education system.
Ryan served 13 years as superintendent for Grapevine-Colleyville ISD. His last day will be Jan. 1, 2023, and he will remain an employee until Aug.
31, 2023, pending the approval of the school board. “I am making this announcement now so that the Board of Trustees can have time to begin the selection process for the new superintendent,” Ryan said in a press release. “The incredible level of community and district support we have experienced in GCISD has been a hallmark of our success.
Before his appointment as superintendent, Ryan served as chief academic officer in Dallas ISD and as the principal of Colleyville Heritage High School. In August 2022, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD faced both backlash and praise after its board banned the teaching of critical race theory, implementing a review of library books and not requiring or encouraging the use of pronouns that are not aligned with the gender assigned at birth. The school district also cut ties with the Scholastic Book Fair because the company didn’t provide a full list of every book it would sell at the fair.
On Oct. 24, 2022, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD announced deputy superintendent Dr. Brad Schnautz would become the interim superintendent.
The district's school board unanimously approved Schnautz during a meeting. "It's a time for us to serve, it's a time for us to support," Schnautz said at the meeting. "More importantly, I want to provide stability.
" RELATED: Grapevine-Colleyville ISD names current district leader as interim superintendent Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District Superintendent Steve Chapman sent out a press release on Dec. 14, 2021, that said he would be retiring at the end of the school year. Chapman has been in education since 1984, starting his career in San Angelo ISD before moving to Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD in 1986.
In March, the district released an announcement saying that the HEB Independent Board of Trustees named Joseph Harrington as the lone finalist for the district's superintendent position. Harrington has spent 35 years in education. He currently serves as the district's Deputy Superintendent for Educational Operations and previously served as the school district’s Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Administration.
“Every student, teacher, and supporting employee has a unique story and pathway to success," Harrington said in the district's press release. "HEB ISD is a special place because this community believes we all have a responsibility to enable students to thrive – we truly are better together. ” Before he joined Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD in 2013, Harrington taught science and high school biology, and coached students for 16 years in three states.
He eventually became an assistant principal and principal in Northwest ISD and Grapevine-Colleyville ISD. School board president Matt Romero said Harrington is a great fit to lead the district. “Joe understands that empowering every student to excel while maintaining our responsibilities to the local communit
