Dallas ISD hires two search firms to find its next schools superintendent

The search for a successor to outgoing Dallas schools Superintendent Michael Hinojosa is off to an interesting start. Three weeks after DISD trustees delayed picking a superintendent search firm from a handful of established candidates — in order to receive additional informal bids — they decided Thursday that one firm wasn’t enough. Instead, the board selected two search firms to find Hinojosa’s replacement: JG Consulting and the law firm Walsh Gallegos, both based out of Austin. Trustees weren’t clear on how — or whether — the firms would work together to find a new leader for the state’s second-largest school district. They also weren’t clear on how much it would cost. The agenda item for one firm was listed “not to exceed $150,000.” The unusual setup was prompted by objections from two trustees, Joyce Foreman and Maxie Johnson.

On both Jan. 27 — the date of the board’s first special called meeting on the issue — and Thursday, Foreman railed against what she perceived as an improper process. The initial group of four firms — which included JG Consulting — was picked after board president Ben Mackey asked the board’s legal counsel at Dallas law firm Thompson and Horton to come up with a short list of some of the state’s and nation’s best search firms. JG Consulting, started by James Guerra in 2014, has handled searches for some of the state’s largest school districts in recent years, including Austin in 2020 and Houston in 2021. “The breadth and depth of experience of this firm trounces some of the others,” trustee Dustin Marshall said. Foreman, however, wanted proposals to go through a more formal bidding process, like DISD has used in previous superintendent searches.