The board unanimously approved hiring Dr. Joy Wilson as the new superintendent and approving the superintendent contract. The meeting adjourned amid applause for the new superintendent. Wilson signed the contract after the meeting ended and then stayed for multiple photographs, including one with Audrey Rayford, who was Wilson’s Head Start teacher in Bonham many years ago. read more

Bob was a principal in Laneville, Duncanville, and Desoto ISD, then became a Superintendent in Tyler, Elysian Fields (twice), Waxahachie, and Hallsville. Not known for always following the rules, he definitely followed his heart in serving people- especially kids. view article

James Hockenberry is now the lone finalist for the job of superintendent at Lufkin ISD, positioning him to be appointed once the state’s 21-day mandatory waiting period elapses. The Lufkin ISD Board of Trustees voted unanimously to nominate Hockenberry as the lone finalist during a special meeting Monday. Wayne Haglund, the Lufkin ISD legal counsel, said that based on state law the board must wait 21 days after announcing a superintendent candidate before entering into a contract. Hockenberry has served for the last four years as assistant superintendent of Longview ISD, part of his 29 years of work as an educator. He also served as superintendent of Center ISD and Chireno ISD for a total of 13 years, said Lufkin ISD Board president Kristi Gay as she introduced Hockenberry. She also noted his experience as a teacher — including four years as a high school science teacher. view article

Bonham ISD Board of Trustees named Dr. Joy Wilson as the lone finalist for Superintendent of Schools for Bonham ISD at their Mar. 20, 2024, meeting. After the state-required 21-day waiting period, Dr. Wilson is set to become the district’s next leader following the retirement of current BISD superintendent, Kelly Trompler. Dr. Wilson is delighted to return to Bonham ISD where she began her education, attending kindergarten at Stephenson School. Her mother, a class of 1969 Bonhi graduate, is thrilled to have her daughter serve as the next superintendent at her alma mater. view article

Acting Brenham ISD Superintendent Clay Gillentine was named as the lone finalist for the Superintendent position at the Brenham School board meeting Thursday night. Trustees voted at their last meeting on February 19th to reopen the search for superintendent to internal applicants only. The School Board now has 21 days to wait before it can vote to formally name Gillentine as the next Superintendent of Brenham schools. view article

A total of 89 top school administrators take home salaries of $300,000 or more.  Last school year, 77 superintendents received taxpayer-funded salaries above $300,000, with five making $400,000 or more.  During the 2021-22 school year, 60 superintendents scored salaries at or above $300,000. view article

During its April 15 meeting, the Magnolia ISD board of trustees approved naming Jason Bullock as the lone superintendent finalist, according to an April 16 news release. The details Bullock will replace outgoing Superintendent Todd Stephens, who announced his retirement in late March after serving since 2009. “I am incredibly honored to be chosen as [the] lone finalist for the superintendent position here in Magnolia ISD,” Bullock said via news release. “This is a special community filled with great people. I look forward to continuing to work with our board as we strive to be the best district in the state of Texas.” view article

Dr. Casey Whittle is the lone finalist for the position of Whitehouse ISD superintendent, the Whitehouse ISD board of trustees announced Monday.  This comes after former Whitehouse ISD Superintendent Dr. Christopher Moran headed to West Texas in January to serve as superintendent of San Angelo ISD. The move was announced in November about Moran, who was with the school district for eight years.  “He left us in really good shape,” Whitehouse ISD Board President Dr. Todd Raabe said. “He did a wonderful job for us, so we were able to attract a number of really qualified applicants.” view article

KERMIT, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – According to the school district’s Facebook post on Monday, April 15th, ‘Kermit Independent School District is pleased to announce the selection of our Interim Superintendent, Dr. Rodney Schneider.’ In March, the former Superintendent, Dr. Joe Lopez was announced as the lone finalist for Superintendent of Greenville ISD. Per the district, ‘Dr. Schneider has over 34 years of experience in Education. Over twenty of those years were spent in the role of Superintendent. He has many years of experience leading districts similar to Kermit ISD. He has a proven track record of improving educational outcomes, leading his last school district, Dublin to an “A” rating.’ view article

The Board of Education for New Home Independent School District proudly announces Mr. Toby Tucker as the new Superintendent of Schools. This action was taken at a Board meeting after the state-mandated 21-day waiting period was met. Mr. Tucker was then officially hired as Superintendent. Mr. Tucker and his family are looking forward to becoming part of the New Home community.

The Board of Education for Ropes Independent School District proudly announces Mr. Dade Cosby as the new Superintendent of Schools. This action was taken at a Board meeting after the state-mandated 21-day waiting period was met. Mr. Cosby was then officially hired as Superintendent. Mr. Cosby has 14 years of experience in Texas public schools and is currently the Superintendent at Cross Plains ISD. Prior to that, he served as a principal at Cross Plains ISD and served at Lubbock Cooper ISD and Knox City-O’Brian ISD. He and his wife, Laura, have an 18-month old son, Deacon. Laura is in the retail business. The Cosby’s are looking forward to becoming part of the Ropes ISD community. read more

Whitehouse ISD on Monday named the lone finalist for its superintendent position. During a special board meeting, trustees approved Dr. Casey Whittle as the top candidate for the role. This comes after former Whitehouse ISD Superintendent Dr. Christopher Moran left the school district to become superintendent of San Angelo ISD. Moran had been superintendent since 2016. view article

Willis ISD approves $1,500 teacher raises  Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect WISD Superintendent Kimberley James will be approved by the board at a special meeting on April 22. This story has also been updated to clarify which positions will receive the $1,500 salary increase and that the increase will be applied to the district's pay scales.   At its April 10 meeting, the Willis ISD board of trustees unanimously approved a $1,500 salary increase for teachers, counselors, librarians and registered nurses for the 2024-25 school year. The raise will be applied to each level on the pay scales for the applicable positions. view article

A new report reveals Republican State Rep. Gary VanDeaver of New Boston was a paid consultant for a lobbying firm. A 2022 personal financial statement, first reported by the Dallas Express, shows that VanDeaver was employed by Powell Law Group from 2020-2022. According to the firm’s website, the group offers “turnkey public policy and governmental affairs programs for school district leaders and businesses in the education space who want to influence local and state legislative and regulatory matters.” While VanDeaver claimed the Powell Group “is not a lobby firm,” the group’s own website states that their government relations services include lobbying. view article

The Whitehouse ISD Board of Trustees approved Dr. Casey Whittle as the lone finalist for Superintendent of Schools during its April 15 meeting. With nearly twenty-five years dedicated to public education, Dr. Whittle brings a depth of experience and knowledge to WISD. Dr. Whittle has served as Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources at Wylie ISD since 2020. view article

The Rains Independent School District Board of Trustees unanimously named Mr. Joe Nicks as the Lone Finalist for Superintendent of Schools. “It was very apparent throughout this process how deeply the board cares about the community and the school district,” Mr. Nicks said. “I am extremely humbled and honored by the trust that they have placed in me, and I am excited to join the Wildcat family.” Mr. Nicks is the current Asst. Superintendent of Academics for Kaufman ISD. Nicks is a former high school principal at Canton High School 2008-13, and at Lamesa High School 2002-08. He and his wife Jamie have been married for 32 years and have three adult children. view article

Lorenzo ISD Board of Trustees is excited to announce the Lone Finalist for Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Greg Nelson. Dr. Nelson started his 32-year career as a classroom teacher in in Midland ISD and has served as an administrator for over 28 years. Dr. Nelson’s administrative career includes serving an elementary assistant principal and principal, as a K-8 Charter School Director, and as an assistant and associate high school principal. Dr. Nelson also served as High School Principal for Fort Stockton High School and for Odessa High School. He was an Assistant Superintendent in Ector County ISD and currently serves in the same role in Lamesa ISD.

In a special board meeting held Monday, April 1 at 3 pm, Willis ISD Trustees, in a unanimous vote, named Dr. Kimberley James Lone Finalist for the Superintendent of Schools position. Dr. James is the Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction for Corpus Christi ISD, a district with a student enrollment of 33,107 students, a role she has held since 2021. Before that she was the Chief of Staff and a high school principal in Corpus Christi. Dr. James has also served as a special education teacher, dance team director, assistant principal and principal at all secondary levels in Humble ISD, Aldine ISD and Aransas County ISD. view article

Humble ISD trustees voted Tuesday to accept the retirement of the superintendent's husband, Troy Kite, and to release the findings of a lengthy Title IX investigation that, alongside multiple related Title IX cases, cost the district more than $500,000 to mediate. Kite, Humble ISD’s executive director of UIL and fine arts, is married to Humble ISD Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen. A Title IX complaint was first filed by assistant athletic director Jana Williams against Kite nearly a year ago. Kite made two complaints in response: his own Title IX complaint and a general grievance. Discussion of these complaints has been held in closed session by the Board of Trustees over the course of months. ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad VIOLATION ALLEGED: National law firm says Humble and Angleton ISD are violating Voting Rights Act Parents have been asking in recent meetings for the district to bring to light the allegations and why more than $500,000 was necessary to litigate the process with outside counsel. Trustees answered this call Tuesday, voting 4-3 after a lengthy debate to make the documents regarding the Title IX investigations public. "At some point, you as our elected leaders have to ask yourself how many dollars we can pay – knowing that every dollar spent on these investigations could have been invested in our teachers and students," said Oscar Silva, a parent who serves as an administrator of Humble ISD's parents social media group. Three trustees disagreed vehemently with the call to make the reports public before all of the relevant Title IX investigations are completed and before the Attorney General's decision. But the majority voted for immediate transparency, although it is not clear yet when the documents will be released to the public. “We spent a lot of money and that’s your money, you deserve to know where it went,” said trustee Michael Grabowski, which was met with audience applause. ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad Trustee Ken Kirchofer noted that the outside counsel fees may have soared as high as $800,000 as of Tuesday. Another agenda item stated the board could take action regarding the employment duties of the superintendent, which some trustees said caught them by surprise when the agenda was posted over the weekend. The board took no action on that agenda item, after accepting Kite's retirement. Trustee Martina Lemond Dixon said she was “furious” that the superintendent’s team had been attacked by the public. “This is truly unacceptable,” Dixon said. “In my opinion we have the best superintendent by far.” IN HISD: Mike Miles says HISD may backtrack on plan to add English-only track at two popular immersion schools Fagen makes $338,756 at her post in Humble ISD, which began after she was appointed in July 2016. She worked as superintendent in Arizona’s Tucson Unified School District and Colorado’s Douglas County School District for eight years combined. "I recused myself from this matter on May 4, 2023, and therefore, have made no decisions regarding any of the pending Title IX complaints, including spending," Humble ISD Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Fagen said in a statement after the meeting. Trustee Robert Sitton publicly thanked her for everything she had done as superintendent of the district. The divided board has become problematic for the district, according to some speakers at the meeting. "Humble ISD Board of Trustees and Superintendent may be rained upon like Houston ISD if TEA Commissioner Mike Morath sees the incompetence that this board has displayed this past year," said Yavonne Martinez, referring to the recent Texas Education Agency takeover of the district. Stakeholders asked the board to return its focus on students. Many in the audience reacted with frustration during ongoing board discussion. One audience member even brought popcorn to the meeting in a red-striped plastic popcorn box. “What’s going on with this board is unacceptable,” trustee Marques Holmes said at the start of the meeting. “We’re not a team of eight anymore," Sitton echoed. "It’s dysfunctional at best." view article

On Monday, the Socorro ISD Board of Trustees appointed Deputy Superintendent James Vasquez as Interim Superintendent. It comes at a time the district faces an over $30-million-dollar deficit, conservatorship by the Texas Education Agency and Superintendent Nate Carman was placed on paid administrative leave. view article

LUFKIN, Texas (KETK) – The Lufkin Board of Trustees announced on Monday that they have named Dr. James Hockenberry as their lone finalist to become the new superintendent. 2024 Solar Eclipse in East Texas Hockenberry has been the Longview ISD Assistant Superintendent for District Services since 2020 and spent 14 years as a superintendent in Center ISD and Chireno ISD. “The board considered 43 applications, community input, two layers of interviews and reference and background checks in our extensive search for our next superintendent,” Kristi Gay, Lufkin ISD board president, said. “Dr. James Hockenberry is the Board’s unanimous choice to fill this position. He has extensive experience and knowledge in all aspects of leading school districts, as well as good communication skills. We look forward to working with Dr. Hockenberry.” view article

The Abilene ISD School Board announced Dr. John Kuhn as the lone finalist for the position of superintendent. Kuhn brings extensive knowledge of public education and 27 years of experience as he transitions into the superintendent position, according to an AISD media release. view article

The Pflugerville ISD board of trustees unanimously named Dr. Quintin Shepherd as the lone finalist for the district’s superintendent search during its board workshop meeting April 4. Shepherd has served as superintendent of Victoria ISD since 2018. Per Texas law, the board will observe a 21-day waiting period before officially hiring Shepherd. view article

The Pflugerville Independent School District Board of Trustees named a lone finalist for the role of superintendent during its Thursday night meeting. Dr. Quintin Shepherd was named as PfISD’s superintendent finalist. He has served as the superintendent for Victoria ISD since 2018, with previous leadership roles in Iowa and Illinois, according to PfISD’s announcement. view article

Dr. Malinda Golden has played many roles in public education. “And I have loved every second of it,” she says. Her love for teaching began as a classroom science teacher–inspired by her mom who was also an educator.

A group of pastors, parents, and community leaders concerned about explicit books in kids’ libraries confronted the Fort Bend Independent School District Board of Trustees this week. The citizens took issue with several titles available for children to check out in school libraries across the district, many of which Texas Scorecard reviewed earlier this month. Pastor John K. Amanchukwu, who addressed Midland ISD’s board last week regarding its inappropriate book problem, specifically questioned the Fort Bend ISD board about the title House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas in district libraries. view article

Austin is currently the deputy superintendent at Trinity Basin Preparatory in Dallas. view article

For more than a decade, T. Lamar Goree has been the leader of public schools in north Louisiana's Caddo Parish. That changes at the end of the current academic school year. Goree is the lone finalist for superintendent of the Duncanville Independent School District in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area of Texas. view article

The Archer City ISD school board officially hired Hico Superintendent Jon Hartgraves as the district’s next superintendent during its board meeting Tuesday, March 26. Hartgraves has served as superintendent of Hico ISD since 2012 and served as superintendent of Gordon ISD before that. He grew up in Hamilton and attended Tarleton State University. His first job was at Waco Connally as a math… view article

Socorro Superintendent Nate Carman took several steps shortly after arriving in the district in 2022 that led to the award of contracts to a company he had previously done business with in South Texas, an external auditor hired by the district told the school board Monday. After a presentation from the auditor and a lengthy closed-door discussion, the board voted 6-0 to place Carman on administrative leave with pay. Board Chair Michael Najera abstained from the vote without explanation. view article

The Archer City ISD school board officially hired Hico Superintendent Jon Hartgraves as the district’s next superintendent during its board meeting Tuesday, March 26. Hartgraves has served as superintendent of Hico ISD since 2012 and served as superintendent of Gordon ISD before that. He grew up in Hamilton and attended Tarleton State University. view article

The Sharyland ISD school board named Elaine Howard, deputy superintendent of Boerne ISD, as the finalist for superintendent position with current superintendent Maria Vidaurri retiring. After three days of conducting interviews in special board meetings, the school district announced Howard as the lone finalist at a board meeting on Monday. view article

During a special board meeting Monday to discuss audit findings, the Socorro ISD board of trustees voted unanimously to place outgoing superintendent Dr. Nate Carman on paid administrative leave. The vote came toward the end of the meeting after board members went into a lengthy executive session. view article

In a unanimous vote the Socorro ISD board of trustees placed Superintendent Nate Carman on paid administrative leave late Monday night. The decision comes weeks after the board decided to accept an Texas Education Agency or TEA conservatorship. President of the Board Michael Najera previously told ABC-7 that the decision to accept the conservatorship was not a result of the $33 million dollar budget deficit the school district is experiencing. view article

The Sharyland Independent School District Board of Trustees has named its finalist for superintendent. Elaine Howard, current Deputy Superintendent of Boerne Independent School District, was named a finalist for superintendent during their regular board meeting on Monday, according to a release. view article