Photo by Kelli WeldonAustin ISD interim superintendent Paul Cruz speaks with community members and AISD staff at a Dec. 13 candidate forum held as part of the school district's superintendent search.
Board votes unanimously to hire Cruz for role after months-long search
The Austin ISD board of trustees named Paul Cruz superintendent at its Jan. 26 meeting with a formal vote to offer him the position and another to approve his contract. Cruz said he is humbled by the opportunity.
"Everyone has to feel that theyre part of a family, that somebody cares about them, and if [students are] going to learn and excel, that is so important," he said.
Cruz is the first Latino superintendent of AISD, trustee Paul Saldaa said. The district is offering Cruz a base salary of $286,000, which will come out to $323,100 including benefits, Saldaa said. For comparison, the median base salary for other large Texas districts including Houston ISD, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD and San Antonio ISD is $285,722, Saldaa said.
As part of a search that began nine months ago, Cruz beat out 98 other applicants and was named the board's sole finalist following a unanimous vote Dec. 15. In December and January he answered questions at community forums at local schools but was not officially hired, as state law required the board to wait at least 21 days before offering him the contract.
Trustee Amber Elenz said Cruz is the best candidate to lead AISD. She noted the district paid about $50,000 to hire executive search firm Ray & Associates to narrow down potential candidates.
"As it turns out, we paid a consultant to help us find someone right here at home," Elenz said. "However, without the work of that consultant we would never have known for sure that Dr. Cruz was truly the best candidate, and many would always wonder what could have been."
Ken Zarifis, president of local employees union Education Austin, spoke during the meeting in support of Cruz and advocated for implementing 5 percent pay raises for classified employees.
"I believe firmly that we have the right superintendent, that we have the right board [and] that we have the right people in place to make not just rhetoric about pay raises and respecting people but [to take] action and show them that we actually believe in it," Zarifis said.
During the search process some community members expressed concerns with the way the board changed its process to include Cruz without first seeking public input about that decision. Trustees argued the district built its profile for a new superintendent based on extensive community input. AISD board President Gina Hinojosa said Cruz, who has been in AISD for nine years, has knowledge of both the unique culture of Austin and the Texas Legislature that will help the board as it makes decisions about issues such as budget planning and staff compensation.
