Argyle ISD board President Sam Slaton said trustees have narrowed the search for a new district superintendent to three candidates. The board is expected to announce the lone finalist next week.
AISD Superintendent Telena Wright has announced her retirement.
How we got here
Argyle ISD announced in May that Wright will leave the district after June 30. She’s served as superintendent since 2000, having first joined AISD as the Argyle High School principal in 2000, according to a district news release. She became the AISD assistant superintendent in 2003, interim superintendent in 2008 and then superintendent in January 2009. The district will have a new superintendent on board in July.
Current situation
Slaton said the board narrowed the number of candidates from 15 to six and then interviewed the six people individually in person over three special meetings last week. On June 9, at a special meeting, the board decided on the three candidates for second interviews. Those interviews will occur June 19-21 during scheduled special meetings. Then, at the regular scheduled meeting June 22, trustees will name the lone finalist.
What they’re saying
“Our search firm, Leasor Crass, did an excellent job in providing us with quality candidates from across the state of Texas,” Slaton said. “There are no external, out-of-state candidates. That was one of our prerequisites as a board that we wanted someone from Texas.”
He said the board was confident that when it received the list of prospective candidates from the search firm that trustees would be able to find the right individual to be the next superintendent for the district.
Board members invested “dozens of hours” going through material provided on candidates, and “getting that down to six candidates wasn’t easy,” Slaton said.
“And then from the six candidates that we interviewed face to face, we’re very confident in our three finalists that we have that any one of them could be the new superintendent of Argyle ISD,” he said.
A closer look
Slaton discussed what trustees wanted in a new superintendent, pointing out how trustees wanted someone with experience in dealing with a rapid-growth district and a high-academic performing district who would be involved and a presence in the community. Having active experience in bond proposals was important, as is working with the community in “being a visionary in their experience in a rapid-growth district,” Slaton said.
Focusing on curriculum is important for the new district leader, but inclusion also rates high for the district’s students and is a district value, Slaton said. Having students belong to something, such as a UIL event, an extracurricular or a club, is important to the board.
Quote of note
“We’re looking for that well-rounded individual that’s got experience in all of those [desired] areas that not only understands the mission and vision of Argyle ISD, but can help lead us into the future of this district,” he said.
