RISD has been in need of a permanent superintendent since December, when its board of trustees accepted the resignation of former Superintendent Jeannie Stone. The board named Tabitha Branum as the interim superintendent for the remainder of the school year after accepting Stone's resignation. The RISD board hired law firm O’Hanlon, Demerath & Castillo to assist with the search during its April 19 meeting. The board finalized a timeline for the search with the firm during its May 3 meeting.
The application for the position is available through the search firm’s website.
For the application, RISD compiled a list of 13 qualities ideal for the role of superintendent as part of its candidate profile. The profile is based on feedback collected from surveys and open houses held throughout May. According to the candidate profile, ideal superintendent qualities include being able to relate to RISD, having "well-rounded experience," having a "familiarity with Texas," possessing "strong academic conviction," having "an ability to create world-class students," "recognizing the importance of well-being" and "being a strong, accessible communicator."
The application process is expected to be open until June 28, at which point RISD trustees and the search firm will identify candidates to interview. District officials said candidates will be selected for an interview based on qualifications, experience and how well they fit into the superintendent profile.
Interviews are scheduled to be held into mid-July with a lone finalist expected to be announced by the board’s July 18 meeting.
The lone finalist will not be able to be officially hired by the district until 21 days later, according to Texas state law.
The board plans to introduce RISD’s next superintendent during its Aug. 9 meet, in advance of the 2022-23 school year that begins Aug. 16.
