The board of trustees April 12 officially approved Larry Berger’s three-year superintendent contract with an annual salary of $260,000. He follows former Superintendent John Kelly, who announced his retirement in January.
“I’m honored the board has the trust in me to take this seat, but it is [humbling] because it is a service seat,” Berger said. “I want to serve the district. I want to serve the people. I want to serve the team.”
Berger enters the position with 15 years of experience with the district, which includes being principal at Pearland High School and transitioning to administration with roles such as PISD’s director of maintenance. At PHS, he supervised 3,000 students and had a front-row look at academics, discipline, mental health and athletic programs, he said.
Once he moved to the maintenance side, he was able to see different departments, which Berger believes will make him well rounded when making decisions. Still, he said he knows there is much to learn.
“Although I have been in the district for 15 years, I don’t know everyone, and everyone doesn’t know me,” Berger said. “So I don’t know everyone’s experiences. ... My reality might not be their reality.”
Berger sees himself as an ambassador for the district. He said he wants to go out and meet with students, parents, teachers and Pearland City Council members in the community and build partnerships.
“I want to hear and empower voices to speak their truth about Pearland ISD because unless we know the truth, we can’t fix the obstacles in front of us,” Berger said.
As he went through the interview process with the board, the trustees focused on different aspects, such as academics and mental health, and were looking for a leader to guide the district into the future, he said. Berger was that leader, trustees said.
“His proposed vision to us as a board and where he wants to take us as a leader, the next steps, were really great, and that’s where the board kind of aligned with his vision of where we wanted to be and where we saw him as our next leader,” board President Sean Murphy said.
Berger has seen plenty of support around his hire. His goal is to build on the optimism, he said.
With the district dealing with several concerns, including decreasing attendance numbers since the pandemic, increased burdens on teachers and financial responsibilities, Berger’s goal is for PISD to get back to the basics, he said.
“We are the Educational Support Center,” Berger said. “Support is our key term. We have to make sure that we are supporting the classroom.”
