At a meeting May 23, Hays CISD Superintendent Eric Wright announced Kristina Salazar will be taking over as Hays High School principal for the upcoming 2022-23 school year.

This comes about a month after Wright announced Hays High School Principal David Pierce was promoted to academic officer after 13 years of service in his role, as previously reported by Community Impact Newspaper.

Salazar has served as the principal of W. Charles Atkins Early College High School in Austin ISD, according to a press release from HCISD, and has served at various school districts throughout the state. She has worked in education for more than 20 years, and her roles have progressed in leadership from instructional coach and department chair to assistant principal, academy director and principal.

"My vision is that every student should be known, valued and inspired to be college, career and life ready through the utilization of strong relationships and partnerships with students, teachers, parents and the community,” Salazar said in the release. “As a leader, I aspire to create an educational culture of collaborative learning and teamwork. As a Hays CISD community member, I am honored and blessed to be able to serve this distinguished community in this capacity."