Fort Worth ISD superintendent search appears delayed

Students return to school Aug. 15, but the next Fort Worth ISD superintendent’s first day will not be until after the start of September. The nine trustees are weighing the pros and cons of the six candidates they interviewed in person Aug. 4-6 at Cantey Hanger Plaza. This group may contain their next leader — or not. The school board is looking to replace departing Superintendent Kent Scribner, who is exiting the job after seven years. Lawyer Brian Newby is consulting trustees on their search. The school board is in a sort of holding period as each trustee considers who should lead the district of about 73,000 students and build a consensus behind one candidate.

“They may narrow that down, or they may ask for six more,” Newby told the Fort Worth Report. “There’s just no telling until they finish their evaluation. There’s no deadline for how long they’re going to take.” Newby did not disclose the total number of applicants for the job nor provide a breakdown of the candidates’ genders or whether they are from Texas or out of the state. He cited a law that does not require school districts to disclose superintendent candidate information. School board President Tobi Jackson pointed questions about the search to Newby, who, she said, the board agreed would handle public comments on the process. Illinois-based Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates is conducting the superintendent search. In its bid to get the search, the firm told trustees it could have a new superintendent in place by Aug. 15, the first day of school. Trustees hoped to have a new district leader sometime in September, Newby said. “That may or may not be the case,” he said. “It just depends on the board’s evaluation of the candidates they have, and whether or not they need to interview additional candidates. or are ready to narrow down from the six.”