The Pearland ISD board of trustees in a March 22 special meeting named Larry Berger as the district’s lone finalist for the superintendent position.

Berger served as the district’s assistant superintendent for support service prior to being named the lone finalist for PISD superintendent and has been with the district for over a decade, according to PISD officials. He also spent nine years at Pearland High School under roles as principal and assistant principal.

“I am humbled by this opportunity and by this challenge that is before us,” Berger said. “But I know that the support standing behind me, the team that I have [and] the community that I have, that we are Pearland ISD, and we are going to face the challenges in front of us. We are going to make great things happen for our students and for our community and for the state of Texas.”

According to state law, the district is required to have a 21-day waiting period from the naming of a lone finalist for the position before the board can officially vote on naming Berger the superintendent.

The board is aiming to vote on officially naming Berger the new superintendent at the April 12 regular meeting, Board President Sean Murphy said.

The PISD board of trustees began the process of searching for a new superintendent following the announcement by previous Superintendent John Kelly that he intended to retire in the summer.

PISD’s board of trustees then granted Kelly a leave of absence he had requested in a March 1 special meeting, Community Impact Newspaper previously reported.

The board of trustees felt it needed to name a lone finalist for the position sooner rather than later because of various factors, including the district facing a budget deficit and there being close to 70 superintendent positions open across the state, Murphy said. Additionally, the board only looked at internal candidates for the position, he added.

“What the board felt was that we had the strongest candidate and the strongest people here within the district,” Murphy said.

Trustee Crystal Carbone said the board feels that Berger will help the district continue academic success, provide more open transparency and bolster teacher morale.

“Larry is a charismatic servant leader,” Carbone said. “He is going to be the biggest cheerleader for our district that we have seen kind of at the front of the helm in a long time. He brings with him just a passion for Pearland ISD that will be tangible and palpable for everyone.”