The resignation was announced and accepted at a special called Nov. 13 board of trustees meeting. Flores’ resignation and the attached separation agreement was the only action item on the board’s agenda.
“I can tell you, I am leaving the finest school district in Texas. I am grateful and honored to have the chance to make a difference for kids,” Flores said after the board accepted his resignation. “With a new board coming in, I feel the time is right for new leadership and a fresh perspective.”
Jenny LaCoste-Caputo, public information officer for RRISD, told Community Impact Newspaper that Flores will officially step down as superintendent effective Dec. 1. However, Flores will remain with the district to help with the transition to new leadership and his last official day working with RRISD will be March 31.
Flores has led RRISD’s administrative team for the better part of the last decade, first joining the district in October 2013, according to RRISD’s website.
During his tenure in Round Rock, Flores has garnered multiple state education awards. According to his biography, Flores was most recently named the 2020 Texas Parent-Teacher Association Superintendent of the Year.
Flores’ resignation comes one year after the RRISD board declined to extend the outgoing superintendent’s contract beyond 2022. Last year, trustees approved an annual compensation increase for Flores to approximately $311,00 with an additional performance payment of $4,200 for meeting board targets, though the board did not vote to extend his contract.
More than a dozen members of the RRISD community, including former trustees, teachers, students and community leaders, spoke ahead of the board’s vote in unanimous support of Flores.
“It speaks volumes that students idolize Dr. Flores,” said Madison Lesmeister, a 2018 RRISD graduate. “It goes without saying there will be tremendous shoes that have to be filled.”
Some members of the public asked the board to reject Flores’ resignation letter until at least the end of the school year so the district could have consistent leadership throughout the spring semester.
Ultimately, the board of trustees rejected that notion and accepted Flores’ resignation.
“I support Dr. Flores and his agreement to leave because I respect him too much to go against his wishes,” said trustee Nikki Gonzales Nov. 13. “Your passion, your heart and your guts to do what is best for all students are not just words, but your mission statement. It’s been an honor to serve ... with you.”
LaCoste-Caputo said the board of trustees will take future action to begin the search for Flores’ replacement. The incoming superintendent will take over a district serving more than 50,000 students, according to RRISD’s website, spread out over dozens of elementary, middle and high school campuses.
