Texas Border Business
PHARR – The Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD School Board approved two firms to assist them in the search for a new Superintendent. During a Board meeting held July 1, 2019, the Board decided to direct O’Hanlon, Demerath & Castillo, the school district’s legal counsel, to work in conjunction with Waterford School Services, Inc., a Superintendent search firm, to start the search for Dr. Daniel King’s successor. Dr. King recently announced his plans to retire after 12 years at the helm of the school district.
During the meeting, a timeline was also approved to start the search process immediately. The deadline for all interested candidates to apply is August 14, 2019. Candidates are expected to have at least 5 years of successful experience as a Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent in districts of at least 15,000 students with multiple high schools. The search will be conducted nationwide. The School Board plans to name a finalist by September 3, 2019 to ensure the new Superintendent is on board prior to Dr. King’s departure, which is set for September 30, 2019. Texas law requires the Board to publicize the name of the candidate it intends to hire at least 21 days prior to entering into a contract.
According to School Board President Jesse Zambrano, the goal is to hire the most qualified candidate to ensure continuity of the programs, initiatives, and vision that have made PSJA ISD a local, state, and national trendsetter in public education.
“Selecting the search firms is critical to ensure we get the most qualified candidates to replace a great Superintendent,” Zambrano said.
“The Board’s priority is to select a leader that will be able to manage and direct the 41st largest public school district in the State of Texas. We want to hire the best,” Zambrano continued. “That is why we combined the services of our legal counsel with the expertise of Dr. Felipe Alanis, a former Texas Commissioner of Education and Superintendent, and his partner Dr. Jess Butler, a public school finance expert and former Superintendent, to ensure the Board gets the best and most reliable advice as we embark on the Superintendent search.”
Candidates and other interested parties may find information related to the search on the district website (www.psjaisd.us). Applicants are not to contact the PSJA Board of Trustees or the Human Resource Services Office. All communications must be kept between the applicants and the search firms. All applicant names and related information is confidential as per state law. Only the name of the finalist will be released.
Interested applicants may contact O’Hanlon, Demerath & Castillo at lohrstrom@808west.com, or Waterford School Services at felipealanis@att.net or waterfordschoolservices@gmail.com.
