At a Feb. 26 special meeting, the board of trustees voted to appoint Flores as LTISD’s interim superintendent beginning Feb. 28 following the resignation of former Superintendent Paul Norton in early February. The board placed Norton on a paid administrative leave and launched an investigation in December after reviewing a report containing allegations of misconduct.
Executive search firm JG Consulting will now begin the district's superintendent search by garnering feedback from staff and students.
“I think we're all excited to move forward in that hopeful direction of bringing excellence in this position to Lake Travis,” Place 7 board member Keely Cano said.
What you need to know
Flores was the superintendent of Round Rock ISD and Harlingen CISD for 13 years and served as the interim superintendent for Pflugerville and Taylor ISDs in the 2023-24 school year.
With nearly four decades of public education experience, Flores was the chief of staff for Dallas ISD and worked as a teacher, paraprofessional, principal, deputy superintendent and assistant superintendent, according to LTISD information.
Flores was named superintendent of the year by the Austin Chamber of Commerce in 2019 and the Texas Parent-Teacher Association in 2020.
"I want to assure the staff that while I'm here that, the change, you won't even notice it," Flores said at the Feb. 26 meeting. "I know that there's a lot of great things happening here already. I recognize and I respect this destination district."
What else?
The board approved a $30,000 contract with JG Consulting to perform an executive search for a new superintendent at a February 19 meeting.
Over the next two weeks, the firm will meet with the district’s executive leadership team, administrators, campus principals, staff members and student groups to solicit feedback through in-person and virtual meetings, JG Consulting President and CEO James Guerra said.
JG Consulting plans to ask staff and students the following questions:
- What’re your hopes and aspirations for LTISD?
- What’re some of the points of pride? What can we celebrate?
- What are the things we must overcome in order to reach our hopes and aspirations?
- What’re the characteristics and traits you’re looking for?
The firm will also create a webpage dedicated to the superintendent search on the district’s website, including frequently-asked questions, milestones, timeline and survey links.
Guerra said he recommended the district name a lone superintendent finalist by the end of the school year in May.
A closer look
JG Consulting will make reference calls to verify applicants' employment experiences and complete criminal, credit and background checks on applicants through a third party, according to district documents.
The firm will provide comprehensive written profiles on each finalist to the board after interviewing candidates. Information about the candidates will be confidential throughout the search process, Guerra said.
If the selected candidate steps down within two years of being hired, the firm will conduct a new superintendent search at no additional cost to the district, the contract states.
Notable quote
“This is a very coveted position,” Guerra said. “Already we have genuine authentic interest from exceptional talent, not just here in the state, but from across the U.S.”
In case you missed it
Norton submitted his resignation Feb. 1, which was accepted by the board at a Feb. 7 meeting.
The move came two months after the board voted to place Norton on a paid administrative leave and launch an investigation following allegations of misconduct. At the Feb. 7 meeting, school board President Erin Archer said the complaint against Norton “did not relate to students or district finances” and that the third-party investigation had closed.
Community Impact filed multiple public information requests with LTISD concerning the allegations against Norton and is waiting to receive a response.
The district will continue to pay his salary through the end of the 2024-25 school year, including $158,098 in severance and $60,255 for earned but unused personal leave and vacation days, according to district documents.
With a salary of $418,284, Norton was the highest paid superintendent in Central Texas, according to the Texas Education Agency.
Next steps
JG Consulting will present a report summarizing community feedback and survey data at an open board meeting near the end of March, Guerra said.
