Superintendent Search 2020

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New Superintendent: Dr. Stephanie S. Elizalde

On Aug. 11, 2020, the AISD Board of Trustees officially welcomed Dr. Stephanie S. Elizalde as the new superintendent. Dr. Elizalde most recently served as Chief of Schools for Dallas ISD and is a third-generation public school educator. Read more about Dr. Elizalde. >

Austin ISD Board of Trustees Names Lone Finalist

Superintendent Search

Austin ISD Superintendent Paul Cruz announced Feb. 19 that he had accepted a position at UT Austin and that he intends to resign. "Serving as superintendent of schools for six years alongside each and every one of you, in one of the best urban school districts in the nation, has been the most exciting, inspiring and rewarding experience for me," Cruz told staff and families.

Read Cruz's full letter to the community. 

As trustees move forward with the work to find the district's next leaders, AISD is committed to a transparent, open process that will include ample opportunities to hear from families, staff and the community. The first step in this process will be to secure a search firm that can support the board.

As Board President Geronimo Rodriguez told the community this week, that process can take six to eight weeks. 

AISD will update this page regularly with messages from the board, information about the request for proposals to find the search firm, community meetings and more. 

Messages from Board President Geronimo Rodriguez

AISD Board President Geronimo Rodriguez will share frequent updates and messages with the community on behalf of the entire board of trustees.

Executive Search Firm

During the April 6, 2020, Special Board Meeting, trustees selected Austin-based JG Consulting to serve as the firm to lead the process in selecting the next Austin ISD superintendent.

JG Consulting has posted the job advertisement, which can be found here: Austin ISD - Superintendent

The Leadership Profile can be found here: Leadership Profile

Interview Questions

The Board of Trustees held two rounds of interviews with superintendent candidates. The interview questions for each round can be found below:

Timeline

An overview of important dates is below. Download the detailed Superintendent Search Timeline (PDF)

  • April 20–24: Planning discussion to initiate the superintendent search with each trustee 
  • April 28–July 2: Internal and external community-related meetings
  • May 18: Present formal scope of work and preliminary job profile to the trustees during executive session for approval and/or necessary modifications, research recruiting channels within PreK-12 and external networks; define marketing and recruiting strategies.
  • May 19–June 18: Candidate application portal is open
  • Present–June 18: JG Consulting candidate screening; includes online interviews
  • June 18: Application due date
  • June 29: Prepare and present pre-screened applicants in a reporting format and with access to the online interview videos
  • July 13–18: Candidate Interviews: Round I
  • July 20–25: Candidate Interviews: Round II
  • July 27: Name lone finalist
  • Aug. 17: Superintendent begins service

Community Input

AISD and the board of trustees are committed to a transparent process that encourages feedback from everyone in the community. The district has sought input on qualities the community would like to see in the next superintendent. JG Consulting has created a summary report of this work: AISD Superintendent Search Summary Report

Online Survey

AISD and the board of trustees are committed to a transparent process that encourages feedback from everyone in the community. The district is currently seeking input on qualities the community would like to see in the next superintendent. An anonymous survey was available in English and Spanish and closed on Friday 6/19 at 4pm.

Virtual Listening Sessions

Austin ISD students, staff and community members are invited to participate in one of two virtual listening sessions:

  • Wednesday, May 27, 6 p.m. (Spanish with English interpretation) 
  • Thursday, May 28, 7 p.m. (English with Spanish interpretation)

Individuals interested in providing comments can participate in two ways. Please note that anyone wishing to participate must follow the instructions below prior to the event. Both sessions will be streamed live via AISD.TV and Facebook Live. 

Virtual Listening Session Slides

Two Ways to Participate

1. Call the public comment line to pre-record your message

Please call 512-414-0130 to record your one-minute remarks before 3 p.m. Wednesday, May 27.

Please note, Comments recorded in English will air during the May 27 meeting and comments recorded in Spanish will air during the May 28 meeting.

Before placing your call, please review the guidelines below.

  • Please prepare your comment to be no more than one minute.
  • After the phone greeting, you will hear a beep indicating that the recording has started. State your name and share your comments regarding the qualities you would like to see in the next superintendent.
  • If you are providing your comments in Spanish, your comments will be aired in the original language followed by a reading of your comments translated into English.

2. Register in advance to participate live

If you would like to participate live during the Listening Session, please complete the registration form linked below and you will receive further instructions via email to join the virtual meeting. Only those who wish to speak need to register. Those who want to view the session and not speak can tune in via AISD.TV or Facebook Live.