Board of trustees will interview five candidates in August

Round Rock ISD will see a change in leadership for the 2013–14 school year as the board of trustees will select the district's next superintendent this summer.

Trustees will interview five candidates in early August for the superintendent position, board President Catherine Hanna said. The nationwide search began shortly after Jess Chvez announced his retirement Jan. 30 when the board selected leadership recruitment firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates of the Educational Consultants and Research Associates Group to facilitate the process.

"[HYAA] have inspired a lot of confidence and their enthusiasm is infectious, so I really look forward to seeing who they are going to bring," Hanna said.

During the interview process, the board will narrow the number of candidates to two or three before making a decision. The board could also attend site visits to the candidates' districts at some point during the interview process.

The search for a new leader

Chvez became superintendent in February 2006. He has served in the public school system for 35 years and said there are several reasons for his early retirement, which is effective Dec. 31.

"I had promised them, the family, that around 34, 35 years I would be ready to retire," he said Jan 30. "One of the other things that is in the back of my mind is, life is short. The decision to retire is not any one thing; it's a combination of things."

After Chvez's resignation, the superintendent search firm held community engagement meetings, which revealed the public's concerns and opinions about the district's strengths. Attendees said they liked RRISD's success in student achievement and graduation rates, the diversity of the district and its fast growth. Their concerns included how RRISD will continue to serve more socio-economically diverse students and how it will handle limited finances during a time of uncertain state funding.

"Everybody may not agree on everything, but they like this school district," Rick Berry of HYAA said during a May 1 board meeting. "They are passionate about this school district. Staff members, community members, business people—everybody feels like it's their school district. They feel like they've got a real stake in it."

HYAA is also using board input for the search. On May 1, the board agreed on a leadership profile of characteristics that it would like to see in the district's next leader. Those characteristics include someone who has integrity, maintains positive and collaborative working relationships with the board and its members and successfully collaborates with people and organizations in the community.

Trustees said they prefer a candidate with a doctorate degree in a related educational field.

Hanna said the board will discuss the interview process with the search firm at the July 22 meeting when the firm will recommend the final five candidates. Once the new superintendent is chosen, the future of the district will be discussed.

"One of the earliest things we will do with the new superintendent is sit down and address formative goals and vision, and I expect that to be somewhat collaborative," she said.

Although Round Rock ISD is changing leadership, Hanna said she is confident in maintaining stability within the district. Having fundamental policies for students and staff will allow the board to keep RRISD stable during times of change, she said. Those procedures are also important for the board when something new happens in the district, she said.

"Every time there is a change, we don't have to reinvent the wheel," Hanna said.

Every year, trustees attend Texas Association of School Boards training, which also helps them prepare for changes in their district.

Newly elected trustee Paul Tisch attended the training in June to fulfill his state requirement and get acclimated to his new position.

This year, Hanna took a seminar that entailed working with a new superintendent, and the seminar focused on coming up with a three- to six-month transition plan. The search firm will be able to help the board develop the plan.

Additional reporting by Amy Denney and Korri Kezar