Austin ISD seeks community input in search for permanent superintendent

Superintendent candidates will have until Sept. 22 to submit applications, which the board and search firm will review and pick candidates to interview.

Torres said the board decided to conduct what it calls a "closed/open" search process.

He explained that the board defines a completely open process as making candidates' names available to the public from the moment they apply for the position, and a completely closed process would keep all information from the public until a sole finalist is named.

AISD plans to name between two and four candidates as finalists, whose names will be presented to the public for another round of community feedback sometime in October or November, he said.

"The community is most interested in who are the people that we're really seriously considering," he said. " [Our process will be] closed up until we make those last candidates known, and then that's where we will open it up to the public," he said.

As of July 16, about 1,100 community members had submitted completed surveys on the superintendent search to AISD, according to the district. Aug. 15 is the deadline for surveys and input from community members, stakeholders and board members, according to AISD.

"We know everyone isn't going to be accessible through the Internet or everyone isn't going to be able to come to a board meeting, so whether they phone or fax or drop by or talk to us in person, we want all of that information to make a decision as a board," Torres said.

More information is available at www.austinisd.org/superintendent-search.org