Valley districts looking for new leaders
At least three Rio Grande Valley public school districts could have new leaders by the time their students return to classes in the fall.
McAllen, Edinburg and Mercedes school districts are in the process of looking for new superintendents and officials from those systems said they hope to have new chief administrators hired by the end of the school year.
The Edcouch-Elsa school district recently fired its superintendent after officials learned the district was more than $10 million in debt. The Texas Education Agency sent a conservator to review that district's finances. In the meantime, Assistant Superintendent Frank Perez is at the helm.
Calls made to district officials about its search for a new superintendent were not returned.
As for the districts that have begun their searches, each is taking its own approach in looking for its next chief executive officer.
McAllen hired an executive search firm from Austin to collect applications throughout the country, whereas Edinburg and Mercedes opted to conduct searches on their own.
How a district goes about finding a new leader all depends on what the community and school board prefer, said Barbara Williams, spokeswoman for the Texas Association of School Boards. The association, which also offers its services to conduct executive searches, is a voluntary, nonprofit organization that represents school districts throughout the state.
But boards and their respective communities should develop a clear understanding in what they want in an ideal superintendent early in the process. It not only helps them determine which candidates would be better than others, it also helps potential candidates know better what the districts are looking for, Williams said.
"Everyone wants a good fit," she said.
McAllen school district's Board of Trustees is farther along in its search for a new superintendent than the other two districts and hopes to come up with a lone finalist in coming weeks, board members said earlier.
The board promptly met a few times after then-superintendent Yolanda Chapa announced her retirement last August to determine how it would proceed finding a replacement.
After debating whether to conduct a search on their own or hire a firm, the board hired Waterford School Services in October for $21,000 - in which it paid the firm $10,500 at the start and will pay the remainder when a superintendent is hired, according to the district. Waterford has been conducting a nationwide search on the board's behalf.
The board also hosted community meetings the first week in December to receive feedback from parents and other residents on what they're looking for in their new schools' leader.
Like McAllen, Edinburg's school district wasted no time after its superintendent Gilberto Garza announced his retirement last month. The district's attorney, Jacques Treviño, is handling the search for a new chief administrator.
Treviño said the district is placing advertisements in local and statewide newspapers, as well as on state and national education-associated Web sites.
Mercedes' school board, which is conducting its own search, also plans to advertise statewide and nationally, said board President Daniel Salinas.
Meanwhile, the Edinburg board has been meeting to determine what it is looking for in an ideal candidate and how it will involve the community in the search. Treviño, who has conducted five other searches for the district, said the board has included a committee composed of community members, teachers, students, parents and principals.
One desirable trait candidates should have is a strong ability to handle finances. That will be important for the new schools' chief, since voters passed the district's $112 million bond project last year.
"A superintendent today needs to be more of a businessman than an educator," Treviño said. "He or she has (his or her) work cut out for them."
The deadline for candidates to apply for the Edinburg superintendent position is April 10.
