Tag Archives: national search

local news

Taking the path of least resistance

This clearly is a minority view in this part of Texas, but I’ll offer it anyway.

The Amarillo Independent School District is taking the easy route in selecting its next superintendent. Why? It’s looking only at internal candidates, individuals already employed by the school district. The neighboring Canyon ISD, though, also is searching for a superintendent. CISD’s strategy is more comprehensive; it is looking nationally.

Of the two, CISD is challenging its board of trustees to work harder to look for the right man or woman to lead the school district.

AISD Superintendent Rod Schroder is retiring this summer, as is CISD Superintendent Mike Wartes. Both of them served their respective school districts well before climbing to the top spots.

But why is AISD choosing to look only in-house? I guess the school board believes it has a sufficient pool of potential candidates already on the payroll. I also presume the school board likes the direction the district is taking. It doesn’t particularly welcome new perspective, new outlook, a fresh set of administrative principles.

That’s their call.

I believe it is fair to ask whether a national search could introduce some new ideas to the district. Moreover, why not encourage such an influx of new thoughts and direction?

The best candidate to succeed Schroder well might already be on board at AISD. Why not, then, subject that candidate to a rigorous competition, making that individual work even harder to win the endorsement of the trustees who’ll make the hiring decision?

CISD is taking that route. Good for the Canyon trustees.

As for AISD, choose well.

local news

Look far and wide for new superintendent, AISD

I’ll have more to say later about Rod Schroder, who today announced his retirement as Amarillo Independent School District superintendent.

Today, though, I want to say that AISD’s loss is huge. Schroder devoted 40 years to public education and served the school district with utmost distinction and honor. He’ll be missed greatly.

Now, about his successor.

I’ve long been a fan of nationwide searches for a job this important, this critical. A lot of public institutions in Amarillo and the Panhandle seem to flinch at the notion of looking outside the region — or even outside existing staff — to find chief executive officers.

Schroder was promoted from within AISD when he took the helm. Yes, he’s done a great job.

What’s more, there might be a capable assistant superintendent already waiting in the wings. The board of trustees will make a key decision in fairly short order on how to proceed.

My own recommendation is that it put the word out through professional journals, websites and other outlets to let the U.S. education network know that this job is about to become vacant.

A national search gives the school board a wide range of options, giving trustees a healthy list of candidates from which to choose. They’ll bring new ideas, fresh perspectives and perhaps an innovation or two that no one here has considered.

Good luck, AISD trustees. You’ve got a big void to fill.

Let’s get busy.