HAWKINS, Texas (KETK) – The Hawkins ISD Board of Trustees accepted Superintendent Susan Morton’s retirement on Monday following her recent arrest for driving while intoxicated.  Hawkins ISD superintendent arrested for driving while intoxicated  Morton was arrested after a minor accident in La Marque, Texas on Aug. 23. by the La Marque Police Department. Morton was then booked into the Galveston County Jail for charges of driving while intoxicated and collision involving damage to a vehicle less than $200. view article

HAWKINS, Texas (KETK) – The Hawkins ISD Board of Trustees accepted Superintendent Susan Morton’s retirement on Monday following her recent arrest for driving while intoxicated.  Hawkins ISD superintendent arrested for driving while intoxicated  Morton was arrested after a minor accident in La Marque, Texas on Aug. 23. by the La Marque Police Department. Morton was then booked into the Galveston County Jail for charges of driving while intoxicated and collision involving damage to a vehicle less than $200. view article

Crowley ISD Superintendent Michael McFarland lifted his arms in the air and pointed around the foyer of Tarleton State University Fort Worth as he chatted with two high school students. “You’ve probably already seen yourself in college, but now you’re actually here, in college, and you’re doing well,” McFarland told Crowley High senior Leah Mullens and North Crowley High senior Mekenzie Livingston. view article

Grand Prairie ISD’s newly hired superintendent, Jorge Arredondo, has been suspended after less than three months on the job. The district’s board of trustees voted 5-2 to place Arredondo on paid administrative leave during a special board meeting on September 4. The district did not provide any details about why Arredondo was placed on leave other than to say that the decision was made “in order to protect the District and Dr. Arredondo.” view article

BIG SPRING - Lloyd Wayne Mitchell, Jr., 89, passed away surrounded by his family Aug. 30, 2024, in Big Spring. He was born on Dec. 3, 1934, to Lloyd Wayne and Madge (McBrayer) Mitchell in Lorena. He was a proud member and served as a Deacon at the First Baptist Church of Stanton. He earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science from Baylor University. He retired as Superintendent of Stanton ISD in 1992, after his retirement he served as the interim Superintendent in 16 school districts until 2007. He also served on the Martin County Hospital Board and the Martin County Appraisal District Board. Wayne enjoyed ranching in Howard and Jones Counties. He served as the Director of Academy of Western Artists. view article

Monte Alto Independent School District are in talks about the future of their superintendent. A special meeting is scheduled for Thursday at the Monte Alto Early College High School library. The district said leaders will discuss legal issues regarding the superintendent's performance and contract. These talks will be behind closed doors. view article

A North Texas superintendent has been placed on administrative leave just three months into the job. Wednesday, the Grand Prairie ISD Board of Trustees announced that Superintendent Jorge L. Arredondo had been placed on paid administrative leave, effective immediately. Arredondo was named lone finalist for GPISD superintendent on May 28, and has been on the district's payroll since July 8. view article

The newly hired superintendent of the Grand Prairie school system was placed on paid administrative leave Tuesday three months after being chosen to lead the district. The 5-2 vote came during a special school board meeting called Tuesday evening. Dr. Jorge Arredondo was named the lone finalist for the district on May 28. His first official day was Monday, July 8. view article

Huntington ISD superintendent David Flowers describes it as a 30/60/40 start as he is beginning his 30th year in education while turning 60 and just celebrating his 40th anniversary with his wife Sandy. His own landmark year will also be his last as superintendent for Huntington ISD as he announced his retirement, which will go into effect Aug. 31. view article

The search continues for the next Waco Independent School District superintendent, as Dr. Susan Kincannon is expected to retire at the end of September. The district’s Board of Trustees unanimously voted to have the Texas Association of School Boards help them in the search. Waco ISD Board President Stephanie Korteweg says the Trustees chose this association because of its integrity in the field of education. view article

uring a special meeting on Wednesday, the Mission CISD Board of Trustees named Cris Valdez as the finalist for superintendent. view article

Humble ISD Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen’s employment status with the district is still in limbo with the 2024-25 school year already underway. Trustees voted 4-3 to propose the termination of Fagen’s contract at their July 23 meeting. The proposed termination came more than two months after trustees voted to place Fagen on paid administrative leave and three months after the board voted to release the findings of a Title IX investigation into her husband, former HISD Athletic Director Troy Kite. view article

The Sherman ISD board of trustees announces a finalist in the search for superintendent. Interim superintendent Dr. Thomas O’Neal is the board’s lone finalist for superintendent of schools and the district’s next leader. Once a finalist is chosen, Texas state law requires districts to wait 21 days after naming a finalist before offering a contract. Dr. O’Neal has roots in the Sherman community and is able to foster positive relationships with students, parents, staff and community members. view article

The Carroll Independent School District in Southlake on Monday night announced a lone finalist for its superintendent position. Jeremy Glenn, who will replace retiring superintendent Lane Ledbetter, is joining the embattled Carroll district from the Granbury Independent School District, where he's been superintendent for six years. view article

The Cleveland ISD special-called board meeting on July 30 was marked by intense debate as four trustees sought to terminate Superintendent Stephen McCanless. Opting to have the discussion in open session rather than executive session, as was his right, McCanless, who has been with the District for 11 years, the last three as superintendent, allowed the large crowd in attendance to hear the complaints against him directly from the four board members. view article

Superintendent Fagen can file an appeal with the Texas Education Agency, a motion that could take months to review. In a 4-3 vote, the Humble ISD Board of Trustees voted to oust Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen Tuesday night, potentially ending her eight-year reign as head of the district.  The Humble ISD board hired independent attorney Giana Ortiz, who suggested the district fire Kite, citing comments he made about coworkers' clothing and bodies. Kite later stepped down following the report's release and filed a lawsuit in June against trustee Robert Scarfo, where he alleges Scarfo sexually harassed him while he worked for the district, according to the Houston Landing. Additionally, Kite's suit argues other trustees on the school board corroborated his exit from Humble ISD. view article

Sherman ISD is a step closer in its search for a new superintendent. In a special meeting Monday, the board of trustees reviewed applications and selected candidates to interview. The interviews will begin next Monday. Once a finalist is chosen, Texas state law requires districts to wait 21 days after naming a finalist before offering a contract. view article

At their Special Meeting on June 21st the Brock ISD Board of Trustees named Dr. Shannon Luis as the lone finalist for the district’s Superintendent position. By state law, the Board must wait 21 days before a contract can be offered and the hiring is official. “We are very excited to announce Dr. Shannon Luis as the lone finalist,” said Board President Cody Lane. “We listened to our staff and community stakeholders on the qualities they wanted to see in our next leader, and she checked every box. Her leadership experience in both small communities and fast growth districts will be a huge asset for Brock as we move forward.” view article

Superintendent Jim Chadwell is retiring as the leader of Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD after 14 years. In a July 24 announcement, Chadwell detailed his plans to remain with the district through the fall semester as the school board launches a search for his successor. view article

In a narrow 4-3 vote, Humble ISD trustees fired Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen Tuesday night for failing to maintain a good relationship with the board. The close vote follows months of mounting leadership divisions and controversy in the 48,000-student districts, during which trustees have described the leadership’s relationship as “broken” and many community members have aired their distrust in the outgoing superintendent and board members. Fagen was placed on paid leave in mid-May without a stated reason. view article

The decision to remove Fagen is coming more than two months after trustees voted to place her on paid administrative leave. She will now have an opportunity to appeal the board’s decision to the Texas Education Agency, which district officials said could take months to conclude. Fagen was not present for the July 23 meeting. view article

Dr. Bill Chapman said he is wishing London ISD students a happy first day of school. The new superintendent is happy to be home for his first year at the district. view article

Those interested have approximately one month left to submit their applications. view article

The Denton Independent School District Board of Trustees named Susannah O’ Bara, who has a doctorate of education, sole finalist for superintendent. The Trustees are expected to officially appoint her after waiting the state-required 21 days, making O’Bara the first female superintendent in Denton ISD’s 142-year history. If O’Bara is officially named superintendent, she will oversee operations of the entire district, according to Reece Waddell, communications coordinator of Denton ISD and former Editor-in-Chief of the North Texas Daily. view article

At a specially called meeting on Thursday, July 11th, the Richards ISD Board of Trustees unanimously selected Mr. Michael Smith, currently the Chief Operations Officer in West Hardin ISD, as the lone finalist for Superintendent. Mr. Smith’s wide experience in all facets of education set him apart from the many applicants vying for the position. He began his career in education as a special education instructional aide, taught at the secondary level, served as assistant principal and principal at the secondary level. He is married and has two sons in college. Mr. Smith is currently working on his Doctorate through Stephen F. Austin University. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Lamar University. Texas state law requires school districts to implement a 21-day waiting period before an official contract is offered. The board is expected to vote on Mr. Smith’s contract at a meeting scheduled for August 1st. The Richards ISD board was assisted in the search by the law firm of Leon | Alcala. view article

On Thursday, the Sulphur Springs ISD Board of Trustees voted to raise staff pay, and take a new pay scale for all employees, during a special called board meeting. Nacogdoches ISD announces new high school principal According to a release from Sulphur Springs ISD, teachers’ and librarians’ new pay plan is based on an increase of 5% from their previous pay scale, resulting in an increase of $2,625 for all teachers and librarians. view article

As Rockwall ISD continues with its financial planning for the future, district leaders are considering calling a voter approval tax ratification election to increase the district's property tax rate. With a current rate that’s lower than several comparable districts in the area, RISD is wanting to ask voters for approval on the tax increase due to inflationary pressures and having to serve a growing student population. “With additional funding, the district would be able to address the needs of the growing district to maintain the high level of academic and programmatic excellence the community expects,” a statement from Rockwall ISD said. If the property tax increase is approved by voters, priorities listed by the district for the additional funds include more competitive pay for teachers and staff, hiring more staff to meet the needs of Rockwall ISD’s growing population, and increased funding to pay for required safety upgrades. view article

RICHARDS — Richards Independent School District named the lone finalist for superintendent during a special called meeting July 11. The board of trustees unanimously selected Michael Smith to take over as superintendent. Smith, the current chief operations officer for West Hardin ISD, replaces William Boyce who resigned May 16. Richards ISD board ... view article

Jim Dunlap has been named the interim superintendent by the Henderson ISD school board. Dunlap, has a extensive career in public education and has served in a variety of educational roles including teacher, principal, and district administrator. Dunlap also served as superintendent in Diboll, Beckville, and Hallsville ISDs. view article

Gladewater ISD Superintendent Dr. Sedric Clark resigned Monday night, effective Dec. 31. Few details were immediately available following trustees’ regularly-scheduled monthly meeting July 15. There was no public discussion by the board members and little comment after the group’s unanimous approval of Clark’s voluntary resignation agreement. The development did not come as a surprise to the trustees this week. Clark’s intent was included on the meeting agenda posted Friday afternoon – as a topic for a closed door discussion, as an action item on a resignation agreement and as a related vote on the process and selection of an interim superintendent. view article

At the first of two meetings on Tuesday, a group of around 20 parents gathered in the G.W. Carver cafeteria to discuss the state of the Waco Independent School District following Dr. Susan Kincannon's retirement announcement and what they would like to see done under upcoming new leadership. view article

Parents, school employees and community leaders at a Monday listening session said they hope Waco ISD’s next superintendent can build bridges between families and schools that grow parental involvement, pay attention to student mental health issues and continue teacher support without forgetting school staff. At the same time, participants called for someone with a proven track record at school districts with demographic and economic profiles similar to Waco Independent School District’s, who would be sympathetic to economic and social issues facing Waco parents and families and personally invested in the district’s improvement. view article

The Del Valle Independent School District announced it is searching for a new superintendent, the district said in a news release Friday. Del Valle ISD serves a total of 11,293 students and is located southeast of Austin, the release said. view article

United ISD is one step closer to naming the next superintendent. The district told KGNS they are down to a handful of candidates. The search for a new superintendent began after the former superintendent was terminated following allegations of ongoing sexual harassment and retaliation against a district employee. From 16 candidates, the pool is now down to four, according to the district’s board members. view article

Dr. Marla Sheppard's official contract with Longview ISD includes an annual salary of $275,000 and is effective from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2027.  Terms of the contract include providing professional development and other benefits, including reimbursement for moving expenses and the requirement that Dr. Sheppard reside within the district. More information about Dr. Sheppard's contract is available on the district website: w3.LISD.org/leadership July 8, 2024 also marks Dr. Sheppard's first official workday as Superintendent and the new chief is not wasting any time! Her First 100-Day Plan outlines some of the immediate goals of her administration toward developing a long-term strategic vision for the entire district.  The plan emphasizes building transparent relationships with the board, fostering community engagement, and enhancing academic excellence, as well as fostering trust and buy-in within the greater Longview community.  Community members are encouraged to review the plan on the district website: w3.LISD.org/leadership For more information please contact LISD Communications at ask@lisd.org or call 903-381-2235.   read more