Austin ISD Superintendent Transition (CURRENTLY ON HOLD)

On March 30, 2023, the Board of Trustees voted to extend the contract of the Interim Superintendent and pause the Superintendent Search. Additional information can be found here.

Superintendent Search Firm

On January 26, 2023, the Board of Trustees named GR Recruiting as the superintendent search firm. The final contract and proposal can be viewed here.

Learn more about the search firm, GR Recruiting, here: https://www.grrecruiting.com/

Superintendent Profile

The Final Superintendent profile (updated 3/27/23) was informed by the results of our Superintendent Search Profile Survey as well as what we heard during community conversations and meetings with students, families, staff and community members.

View the Final Superintendent profile in Spanish (updated 3/27/23). 

Superintendent Search Timeline

• Thursday, February 9, 2023: Board of Trustees Information Session including the introduction of GR Recruiting. Watch the video here.
• Monday, February 20, 2023: Board Work Session with GR Recruiting. Watch the video here.
• March 1-15, 2023: GR Recruiting is administering a survey. The survey will be available in multiple languages and will provide important feedback on a future superintendent. The information received will be used to help build a leadership/superintendent profile for advertising the position and provide feedback for the Board when evaluating candidates. You can complete the here Superintendent Profile Survey by Wednesday, March 15. 
• March 4 - 13, 2023: The search firm will hold stakeholder meetings with staff, students, families, and community organizations. For Town Hall meetings, including information for registering for meetings and locations, see below.
• Wednesday, March 22, 2023: Board Work Session with GR Recruiting to build the Superintendent profile.
• Thursday, March 23, 2023: Regular Voting Meeting to continue to discuss the Superintendent profile and receive community feedback through a special Public Hearing. The DRAFT Superintendent profile can be viewed here. Learn more about signing up for comments at a Public Hearing here.
• Saturday, March 25, 2023: Special Board Meeting and Retreat to receive public comment and approve a final Superintendent profile. Learn more about signing up for Public Comment here.
• Thursday, March 30, 2023: Special Board Meeting to extend the contract of the Interim Superintendent and pause the Superintendent Search.

New dates and an updated timeline will be added when the Superintendent Search Resumes.

Superintendent Town Halls

You can view the presentation provided during community and town hall meetings here: English / Spanish

Request for Proposal

The Austin ISD Board of Trustees released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for an executive search firm to assist in the search for the next superintendent. The RFP closed on January 10, 2023. Five firms provided responses: Alma Advisory Group, Eugene Associates PC, McPherson Jacobson LLC, GR Recruiting, and Ray and Associates Inc. The Board of Trustees has developed a small group of trustees to review and evaluate proposals.

The review committee consists of trustees Boswell, Gonzalez, Hunter and Lugo. Some of the questions they have asked have been:

OPENNESS & TRANSPARENCY OF SEARCH

Can you please share examples of searches you have conducted with transparency and community involvement beyond what is typical in Texas? The baseline expectation is transparency, community input, clear communication with the board and the community. Please share specifics about any searches in Texas or elsewhere that have gone beyond that to connect candidates and the community ahead of a hiring decision.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Please share your firm's beliefs about the goals and purpose of community engagement, and please share examples of how you have worked to connect with communities similar to the Austin ISD and City of Austin communities in the past.

EXPERIENCE

Some firms bring experience conducting dozens or hundreds of superintendent searches. Some bring experience with very few searches. What do we need to know about your experience and how that impacts your capacity to conduct a strong and successful search for our community at this moment?

The full Board discussed the proposals during the January 12, 2023, Board Information meeting and approved a firm at the January 26, 2023, Regular Voting meeting.

Interim Superintendent

The Austin ISD Board of Trustees named an Interim Superintendent on December 15, 2022. The Board named Matias Segura, current Chief Operations Officer of Austin ISD, and the Interim Superintendent, effective January 3, 2023. Portions of the December 15, 2022 Board meeting discussing the Interim Superintendent may be found below.

Board President Arati Singh remarks on the interim process and current next superintendent search: https://youtu.be/ZosgYX6tWbc?t=4958

Comments by trustees on the selection of Interim Superintendent: https://youtu.be/ZosgYX6tWbc?t=17373

Comments by newly named Interim-in-waiting Matias Segura: https://youtu.be/ZosgYX6tWbc?t=18175

Virtual listening sessions for an Interim Superintendent were held Friday, December 2nd and Monday, December 5th. An in-person meeting was held on Saturday, December 3rd at 11:00 am in the Austin ISD Boardroom.

Superintendent Transition 

Austin ISD Interim Superintendent Anthony Mays has been named the sole finalist for the superintendent at Alief ISD. Dr. Mays expects to start at Alief ISD on Jan. 3, 2023. 

Read Mays's full letter to the community.

Messages from the Austin ISD Board of Trustees

Austin ISD Board of Trustees will share frequent updates and messages with the community on behalf of the entire board of trustees.

• Dec. 7 / el 7 de diciembre: Statement from Austin ISD Board of Trustees / Declaración del presidente de la mesa directiva del Austin ISD en nombre de la mesa directiva
• Nov. 16 / el 16 de noviembre: Statement from Board President Geronimo Rodriguez, representing current and incoming trustees / Declaración del presidente de la mesa directiva, Gerónimo Rodríguez, en representación de los miembros actuales y entrantes de la mesa directiva
• Nov. 10 / el 10 de noviembre: Statement from Board President Geronimo Rodriguez / Declaración del presidente de la mesa directiva Gerónimo Rodríguez
• June 14 / el 14 de junio: Statement from Austin ISD Board of Trustees / Declaración de la mesa directiva del Austin ISD
• May 26 / el 26 de mayo: Statement from the Austin ISD Board of Trustees / Declaración de la mesa directiva del Austin ISD