The 2017-18 school year marks Thad Roher’s first as the new superintendent of Friendswood ISD. Roher was unanimously appointed in June by FISD trustees to succeed Trish Hanks, who led the district for 15 years.

Roher served as deputy superintendent for more than three years prior to his promotion. He has worked as an FISD administrator for 18 years, starting as an assistant principal at Friendswood High School.

How did you get your start as an educator?

I went off to college in Kansas to Barclay College. There, I got into education. I come from a family of educators, so it’s kind of always been a part of my background. I was employed as a junior high [school] teacher in Kansas and was promoted to principal there. My wife and I returned home in 1999 and have been in district ever since. In 1999, I was assistant principal in Friendswood High [School]. Then, I moved to central office.

What did you accomplish as deputy superintendent?

Part of my time there was really focused on our operations and to reduce our expenditures. What I am proud of is to have worked with electricity. We instituted a program that in a six-year period saved over $2.5 million. We reduced spending by 28 percent and have cut usage by 25.5 percent. Those savings were used for things like paying teachers. I also worked with Mrs. Hanks on the Mustang Clinic for our employees. Putting together those kind of programs is something I am really proud of.

What are your priorities this year as the new FISD superintendent?

One of my priorities is to engage the community of Friendswood through a lot of different mediums—social media, open session with parents, back-to-school night. So that’s going to be a goal for me: organically maintaining and advancing our high level of academics for all of our students and to reach out.

How does FISD plan to manage potential growth as the city grows?

Right now in Friendswood, growth has been stagnant. We work closely with our demographers and have room for growth there [in elementary schools] and to create a long-term plan based on our growth based on what the future holds for us. However, we want to educate the citizens of Friendswood in the best way possible, which often means building facilities that will accommodate the students that come to Friendswood in the future.

Does the district have a strategy to keep or add staff?

We completed an increase to the teacher salary bands that has placed us very close to or at a starting range beyond our surrounding school districts. That’s something our board has worked toward to get us competitive.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.