On April 15, Vincent Torres, president of the AISD Board of Trustees, provided the following update to AISD employees, families and the community:

Dear AISD Community,

Tonight, the Board of Trustees approved the appointment of Dr. Paul Cruz as interim superintendent of the Austin Independent School District.

Many of you know and have worked with Dr. Cruz. He joined AISD in 2006, serving as Assistant Superintendent and Associate Superintendent for Middle Schools before being named Chief Schools Officer in 2009. He has served as Superintendent of the Laredo Independent School District and as a Deputy Commissioner for Dropout Prevention and Initiatives at the Texas Education Agency.

In his role as Chief Schools Officer, Dr. Cruz worked closely with district and campus leaders to plan and implement many of the new programs currently in place, including Social and Emotional Learning, one- and two-way dual language, Early College High Schools, Graduation Pathways and fine arts integration initiatives. He has been instrumental in strengthening our leadership teams at the campus level, working with principals, parents and community members to strengthen academic programs at each of our schools and creating the supports our students and families need to be successful.

Dr. Cruz has worked with other members of the senior leadership team on budget development, human resources, facilities and other areas of operations. He has led the transition from TAKS to STAAR, as well as the implementation of the district’s new programs to meet new state graduation requirements mandated by HB 5, which culminated in the board’s unanimous vote on Dec. 16 establishing  the Distinguished Level of Achievement graduation plan as the prescribed graduation plan for the Class of 2018 and thereafter.

Our board is confident that Dr. Cruz possesses the knowledge and leadership skills to maintain our momentum and progress through the end of this school year and during the time it takes for the board to select a permanent superintendent.

We will keep you informed of our progress and involved in the selection of our permanent leader for the district. You can continue to visit the superintendent search website for up-to-date information about the process.

Sincerely,

Vincent Torres
President
AISD Board of Trustees