This is the third superintendent search in five years for the district. This announcement comes a week after the district passed a historic $2.44 billion bond.
Jacob Reach, AISD chief of governmental relations and board services, told Community Impact in a previous interview the four-month search to hire Elizalde cost the district $45,000. It is unclear at this stage how much the cost will be for this search, he said at the Nov. 15 meeting.
At the meeting, AISD board President Geronimo Rodriguez said he recognizes “this is a unique time.”
“The district does not yet have a certified vote in order to canvass the new board of trustees, who will be responsible for making these important decisions on an interim superintendent and new superintendent search,” Rodriguez said. “In order to allow a discussion to occur, we have invited all trustee-elects to join us as guests to help us discuss these next steps.”
Rodriguez said he thinks it is important for the board to “model the kind of behavior that [the board expects]” during this transition, and he plans to make the search as transparent as possible. To achieve this, Rodriguez said the transition will be an open process in which the board and trustee-elects will hear from the parents of students, staff members and the AISD community to make an informed decision.
"We are inviting applicants both internal and external to Austin ISD, and we are seeking applicants to serve solely in the role of interim—not people who might wish to fill the permanent superintendent role," Rodriguez said in a statement released Nov. 16.
Rodriguez said the board is seeking to name a new interim superintendent Dec. 15 and a new superintendent by July 1.
"The new board will create and share the process for recruiting, selecting and hiring a permanent superintendent after new members are seated Dec. 1," Rodriguez said. "At that meeting, we will begin the process by discussing the hiring of a search firm. We will be holding a short series of listening sessions ahead of the interim superintendent hire. We are committed to robust and inclusive community engagement as part of the process of hiring a permanent superintendent. "
Mays will continue to serve as interim superintendent through the end of December.
