Over 40 applicants seeking GISD superintendent position

The search is underway for Graham ISD’s new superintendent with over 40 applicants currently pursuing the position. The GISD Board of Trustees will meet next week to narrow the candidates as they look to name a lone finalist by the end of October.

Impact Education Specialists (IES), who were hired as a superintendent search firm by the GISD Board of Trustees in June, provided an update Tuesday, Sept. 10. IES Managing Partner Doug Williams said as of Tuesday the firm had 43 applicants for the position which has a submission deadline of 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12.

The GISD board will meet in executive session Monday, Sept. 16 to narrow the list of candidates. Interviews are scheduled for the second week in October, with a goal of naming a lone finalist around Wednesday, Oct. 23 and having a new superintendent in place shortly after Thanksgiving.

The resignation of Superintendent Sonny Cruse was accepted by the board during a special-called meeting Tuesday, May 28, and will be effective at the end of December.

The superintendent search firm met with the school board Thursday, Aug. 1 to establish a profile of what they are looking for from potential candidates. During that meeting, Board President Chris Blanton and the other board members said they want a superintendent that can connect with teaching and instruction staff.

“I think that’s really important,” Blanton said. “Our teachers are our largest advocate group, and I think we really need a superintendent that connects with them in some way or another.”

The board members also talked about wanting strong leadership qualities, a classroom focus, good communication and a long-term plan for the district.

The superintendent search firm returned to the district Monday, Aug. 26 for community input sessions with members chosen by the district.

The community input sessions consisted of central office personnel, campus principals, teachers from every campus, parents and community members. The sessions from the report will be used by IES to develop questions for the board interview process.

Members in the sessions were first asked three questions: What are the strengths of GISD? What are areas that could be improved? What characteristics and skills do they believe the new superintendent should possess? Responses were split into categories and grouped according to similar themes.

“Attendees selected the strengths and areas to improve they believed to be the most important by sticking a red dot next to the response,” the report states.

All the members worked together to identify personal characteristics and skills required to enhance the district's strengths and push for improvement.

Listed below are the common responses during the community input sessions for the strengths, areas for improvement and future focus and qualification and skills for the next superintendent.

District strengths
    • The district is in strong financial condition with the capacity to continue to fund programs and provide competitive salaries.
    • The faculty and staff care about students with a strong work ethic to promote student success.
    • Parents and community members support the school district and value the educational quality of GISD.
    • There are high expectations for success and pride in accomplishments in the district.
    • The district provides a wide variety of programs and experiences for students, including a robust advanced academic program at Graham High School.

Areas of improvement and future focus
    • Address district facility needs, especially in the primary grades.
    • Prioritize staff, teacher and administration salaries.
    • Building relationships and trust within the district, and extending those positive relationships to the community.
    • Establish clear and consistent communication to improve transparency throughout the district.
    • Ensure that all campuses and programs have equitable financial support and emphasis.

Qualifications and skills required
    • An educator that considers themselves to be the lead learner.
    • A servant leader that will work with the staff “in the trenches.”
    • Someone with the ability to convey the mission and vision of the district while inspiring stakeholders.
    • A visionary who leads the district forward with skills as a creative problem solver.
    • A collaborative leader that seeks input from staff, parents and community to formulate plans for district improvement and growth.