Updated June 13 at 5:05 p.m. to reflect the announcement of the new deputy superintendent


Jeff Arnett has been named the new Eanes ISD deputy superintendent for curriculum, Jeff Arnett has been named the new Eanes ISD deputy superintendent for curriculum, instruction and assessment.[/caption]

The Eanes ISD board of trustees voted June 13 to hire Jeff Arnett as the new deputy superintendent of curriculum, instruction and assessment, or CIA.

The announcement comes following the current deputy superintendent's move to Barton Creek Elementary School, where he will serve as principal for the 2016-17 school year before retiring.

Arnett currently works as assistant superintendent of operations and outreach at Barrington 220 School District, in the Chicago area, where Superintendent Tom Leonard previously worked.

The board voted unanimously to approve the hiring of Arnett.

"[Arnett] is delightful and talented and I think he would be a huge addition to our community," said trustee Ellen Balthazar.

"I think he's going to make a great addition to our administrative staff," said president Colleen Jones. "I'm really excited to see him come on board."

"He is incredibly insightful, a quick study and he will make an immediate impact on our district," said Leonard in an email announcing the hire.

Updated June 9 at 11:50 a.m. to reflect changes in Eanes ISD staffing 


Bryan Shippey will become Westlake High School newest assistant principal. Bryan Shippey will become Westlake High School newest assistant principal.[/caption]

More changes have been announced for Eanes ISD staff positions.

Superintendent Tom Leonard said in a news release Barton Creek Elementary School principal Bryan Shippey is moving to Westlake High School as assistant principal, joining newly named interim principal Steve Ramsey, who is replacing departing principal John Carter.

Meanwhile, Bill Bechtol, the district's deputy superintendent for curriculum, instruction and assessment, or CIA, told Leonard he was thinking about retiring, Leonard said.

"With the opening at Barton Creek, I approached Bill [Bechtol] with an idea—have him serve as interim principal, and also help transition the CIA leadership," Leonard said in the release. "He was thrilled with the idea, as it returns him to his elementary school roots and can help the district in several ways."

Bechtol previously served as Valley View Elementary School principal before moving to his current position in 2004. Prior to coming to EISD, he worked as an elementary school principal in San Antonio ISD.

Bill Bechtol's Eanes ISD's current deputy superintendent for curriculum, instruction and assessment, will become the new interim Barton Creek Elementary School principal. Bill Bechtol, Eanes ISD's current deputy superintendent for curriculum, instruction and assessment, will become the new interim Barton Creek Elementary School principal.[/caption]

Leonard said Bechtol would only serve as interim principal for the 2016-17 school year, and the district will begin interviewing for a permanent position next spring.

"This will not only put a proven leader at Barton Creek, but will ensure we will have Bill's institutional knowledge close by," he said.

Posted June 8


The Eanes ISD Board of Trustees approved contracts for Bridge Point Elementary School and Forest Trail Elementary School principals June 7, naming Heather Meek as principal of BPES, and Cody Spraberry as principal of FTES.

The board also named John Burdett as the school district’s assistant superintendent of human resources.

The announcements follow a vetting process that included collecting stakeholder surveys and conducting candidate interviews with students, staff and parents, said Claudia McWhorter, EISD executive director of communication and community engagement. In total, more than 80 people were involved in the interviews and selection process for the principals,  she said.

Both principals received standing ovations from the crowd—which included members of the interview committee—at the Board of Trustees meeting.

Meek, who most recently served as principal of McSpedden Elementary School in Frisco ISD, said she was humbled by the board’s decision to hire her.

“I know I’m following a legacy,” she said, referring to retiring principal Brad Wirht, who joined the district in 1993. “I can’t wait to get started and meet everybody.”

Spraberry, who recently served as assistant principal of Austin ISD’s Hill Elementary School, previously worked in EISD as a fourth grade teacher at FTES and a summer school principal at Cedar Creek Elementary School.

“I’m so happy to come home,” he said at the board meeting.

Spraberry will replace retiring FTES principal Charles McCasland, who joined the district in 1994.

Both principals will start in July, and meet-and-greet events will take place in August.

Burdett will replace Lester Wolff, who is retiring after nine years at EISD. Burdett currently serves as director of employee recruitment and retention at Plano ISD.

[g-slider gid="157172" width="100%" height="55%"]