Getting to know the new district superintendents in North Texas

TEXAS, USA — There has been a lot of change in educational leadership recently, and North Texas is a prime example of such. From November 2021 through February 2022, 11 superintendents from 10 local school districts announced they would be leaving, resigning or retiring from their leadership positions. While some of these positions in the area are still open, the majority of these leadership positions have been filled.

Here’s a closer look at each district’s new superintendent. RELATED: Superintendent openings: Which ones are open or filled in North Texas? During a closed session on May 18, 2022, board members named Dr. Stephanie Elizalde as the lone finalist to become the district’s next superintendent.

A native Texan, Elizalde was previously the superintendent of Austin ISD. She served as Chief of School Leadership for Dallas ISD before moving onto Austin ISD. Elizalde first joined Dallas ISD in 2011 as Director of Mathematics in the division of Teaching and Learning.

Throughout her education career, Elizalde has served students as a teacher, a principal, an assistant superintendent and other roles. Along with Dallas ISD and Austin ISD, she has also worked in Southwest ISD and San Antonio ISD. Elizalde was named one of four Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Hispanics in Education in 2014.

The Dallas Morning News also named her a “Point Person” for her work in the community in 2016. Elizalde has been awarded the UT-Austin Dr. Nolan Estes Leadership Ascension Award four times, most recently in 2017.

Elizalde is a third-generation public school educator, following in her grandmother’s and father’s footsteps. On Feb. 16, 2022, the Denison Board of Trustees unanimously approved to name David Kirkbride as the lone finalist as the district’s superintendent.

Kirkbride had spent 16 years with Denison ISD, which included nine years as the principal of Terrell Elementary School and then seven years as the district’s Assistant Superintendent for Administration. Before moving to Denison, Kirkbride taught in Memphis, Tenn. On April 21, 2022, the district’s Board of Trustees named Dr.

Usamah Rodgers as the lone finalist for the superintendent position. Trustees voted to approve the decision at a special called meeting held on April 20, 2022. Rodgers started in the education industry as a teacher before becoming Dean of Instruction, Assistant Principal and Campus Principal.

She later transitioned to executive leadership roles as an executive director and, most recently, as the Deputy Chief of Strategic Initiatives in Dallas ISD, according to Desoto ISD. RELATED: Yes, at least 94% of teachers report paying for school supplies out of pocket On Sept. 20, 2022, Members of the Fort Worth ISD school board voted unanimously to name Dr.

Angélica Ramsey as its superintendent. Ramsey signed a three-year contract with the district, making her the district’s 21st superintendent. Coming to Fort Worth from Midland, Ramsey served as superintendent of Midland ISD.

Prior to that, she spent nearly five years as superintendent at the Pleasant Valley School District in California. Ramsey describes herself as an inclusive and deliberative CEO who places students first and is results oriented. Ramsey’s goal is to elevate Fort Worth ISD from a B-rated district to an A-rated one.

Ramsey’s three-year contract ends Aug. 31, 2025. She’ll earn an annual base salary of $335,000.

Ramsey told WFAA her immediate top priorities are: On Oct. 24, 2022, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD announced deputy superintendent Dr. Brad Schnautz would become the interim superintendent.

The district’s school board unanimously approved Schnautz during a meeting. “It’s a time for us to serve, it’s a time for us to support,” Schnautz said at the meeting. “More importantly, I want to provide stability.

” In August 2022, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD faced both backlash and praise after its board banned the teaching of critical race theory, implementing a review of library books and not requiring or encouraging the use of pronouns that are not aligned with the gender assigned at birth. The school district also cut ties with the Scholastic Book Fair because the company didn’t provide a full list of every book it would sell at the fair. In March 2022, the district released an announcement saying that the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent Board of Trustees named Joseph Harrington as the lone finalist for the district’s superintendent position.

Harrington has spent 35 years in education. He previously served as the district’s Deputy Superintendent for Educational Operations and previously served as the school district’s Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Administration. Before he joined Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD in 2013, Harrington taught science and high school biology, and coached students for 16 years in three states.

He eventually became an assistant principal and principal in Northwest ISD and Grapevine-Colleyville ISD. Harrington completed his doctorate in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University in 2011. Harrington and Jenny, his wife of 33 years, live in Euless and attend Ash Lane Methodist Church.

RELATED: ‘Power Up Academy’: Lancaster ISD launches innovative strategy to retain, recruit teachers On Jan. 25, 2022, the Lewisville ISD Board of Trustees announced it had voted unanimously to name Lori Rapp as the lone finalist for superintendent. Rapp most recently served as Deputy Superintendent for Lewisville ISD.

She also worked for the district in the roles of Chief Learning and Teaching officer, Executive Director of Learning Design and Support, Director of PreK-12 Curriculum, and classroom teacher. All of Rapp’s 26-year career in education has been in Lewisville ISD. During her tenure in Lewisville ISD administration, Rapp helped establish the district’s Programs of Choice, which includes the LISD STEM Academy at the elementary and middle school levels, the Collegiate Academy at TCHS, world language programs, the tuition-based Discovery Academy.

On Feb. 15, 2022, the Mesquite Independent School District announced deputy superintendent Ángel Rivera as the lone finalist for the district’s top job. His first official day as superintendent was March 8, 2022.

Rivera, an Army veteran, grew up in Boston and Puerto Rico before joining the military in 1992. After seven years of service, he moved to the Houston area, where he taught middle school science in the Pasadena Independent School District. Rivera later moved into administration, as a principal and then as an area director for the Garland Independent School District.

In 2018, he came to Mesquite as the district’s Chief of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships. Rivera has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston-Clear Lake, a master’s degree from the University of St. Thomas and a doctorate of education from Stephen F.

Austin State University. On March 29, 2022, the Northwest ISD’s board said it had unanimously approved Dr. David Hicks as the lone finalist to become the district’s next superintendent.

Hicks previously worked for Sherman Independent School District, which he led for the last six years. Prior to that role, he served as the area superintendent overseeing all secondary schools at Denton ISD. However, on Sept.

9, 2022, Northwest ISD leaders announced that Hicks had died following a medical emergency. As of the announcement in September, not much is known about the circumstances surrounding Hicks’ death beyond what the district said. On Sept.

15, 2022, Northwest ISD named Michael Griffin the new acting superintendent following Hicks’ unexpected death. Griffin was the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction and was named the new acting superintendent by the district’s board of trustees during a special meeting. On Dec.

14, 2022, Northwest ISD named Mark Foust as the lone finalist for superintendent. Foust comes to Northwest ISD after serving as Kerrville ISD’s superintendent for the past six years. Northwest ISD officials said in a press release that in Foust’s tenure as Kerrville ISD superintendent, the district implemented new STEM instructional programs, expanded career and technical education opportunities, and passed a significant bond program to revitalize schools.

The release also said Kerrville ISD earned distinction as an HEB Excellence in Education Small District State Finalist and a top-10 UIL Lone Star Cup finisher during Foust’s tenure. On July 18, 2022, the district announced that current interim superintendent Tabitha Branum was the lone finalist for the open position. According to the district, Branum began her classroom teaching career at Coppell ISD in 1997 and served as an assistant principal during her career.

The district said she joined Richardson ISD as an assistant superintendent of secondary instruction and operations in 2014. She then became deputy superintendent and was named interim superintendent in December 2021 after Stone’s resignation. .