As Fort Worth ISD’s superintendent search approaches, here’s what attorneys say to expect
As the Fort Worth Independent School District’s school board soon determines how it will conduct its search for a new superintendent, North Texas school attorneys say the opening could be well sought-after even in the midst of the school year.
Superintendent Angélica Ramsey’s last day with Fort Worth ISD was Monday after she resigned from her post amid scrutiny of the district’s academic performance. Her resignation agreement states that she’ll receive more than $500,000 in severance and will remain employed by the district until next August as its “ambassador for public relations.”
An interim superintendent could be appointed Oct. 8, and in the meantime, “the district’s leadership team will continue to manage day-to-day operations in accordance with established procedures,” district officials said in a statement earlier this week.
“We are in the process of finalizing next steps for the district’s leadership transition,” officials said.
How long could the search last?
Two attorneys with the Texas Council of School Attorneys told the Star-Telegram that a superintendent search process can have an unpredictable timeline, ranging from as quickly as 21 days to as long as two years. Stephen Dubner and Dennis Eichelbaum, whose law firms have respective locations in Lewisville and Plano, said the opening for Fort Worth ISD’s next leader could draw superintendents from smaller districts who are interested in receiving a pay increase while taking on the challenge of running a larger urban district.
“Fort Worth is not going to have trouble getting applicants due to the timing of the opening,” Eichelbaum said, acknowledging that applicants will most likely be in other superintendent positions currently. “Depending on what size district they’re at, most likely Fort Worth is going to be a huge increase in salary. That’s not going to slow anyone down from applying to Fort Worth, as much as possibly the politics of, ‘Why did the last superintendent leave, and am I going to be treated similarly?’ That can cause, sometimes, people to shy away from applying.”
Dubner said it’s not difficult to find a new leader in the middle of the school year but it’s not “necessarily common.”
“If they wanted to go that fast, I don’t think they would have a problem hiring somebody that quick. I’m sure there’s a lot of people who would like to be in that position that are open to that challenge,” Dubner said. “I think most search firms will tell you that a good search takes three to six months.”
State law requires the name or names of finalists for a public school district’s superintendent job to be publicized at least 21 days before a final vote or action can be taken for their potential hiring. This is the only task required by the school board in terms of state law. Dubner said this period allows for negotiations, in addition to the board and the public “doing their due diligence.”
“That’s the only barrier,” Dubner said. “The board’s going to have to decide: Do they want to do the search themselves? Do they want to hire a search firm to do it for them? Or do they decide, ‘We already have somebody internally that we’re ready to promote?’”
‘A very confidential process’
Eichelbaum also noted that the 21-day notice protects candidates who didn’t make it to the final round. If their names were publicized early on in the interview process, it could create tension between them and their current school board. As a result, the early stages of an external search are confidential.
“No superintendent, who’s currently a superintendent in another district, wants their name out there that they’re out looking. So it’s a very confidential process,” Eichelbaum said. “What happens is people can apply for the position with that (search) company, and the board looks at the list and then says, ‘These are the ones we want to interview, maybe.’ It’s all closed, up until the point where they decide to name either a lone finalist or multiple finalists.”
State law does not require school boards to seek public input during a superintendent search, but Fort Worth ISD District 6 Trustee Anne Darr said the process must include community feedback when the Star-Telegram asked each trustee about their priorities for the upcoming search.
“The process of finding a new superintendent for FWISD must include the community, and the process to solicit the community’s feedback has not begun,” she said. “It hasn’t even had time to begin.”
Interim leadership
Eichelbaum and Dubner offered differing insights when asked about a limbo period between a superintendent leaving and the school board appointing an interim, which appears to be the case in Fort Worth ISD. When district officials said its “leadership team” would be covering superintendent duties this week until an interim was appointed, they did not provide specifics of who would be in charge and how duties would be split when asked by the Star-Telegram.
The district’s cabinet is made up of seven staff members, including Deputy Superintendent of Administrative Services Karen Molinar, who took over the district as interim superintendent in 2022 after previous Superintendent Kent Scribner left.
Dubner said in his experience the outgoing superintendent typically stays in their position until another person is appointed for the interim, as there are certain tasks that only a superintendent can do.
“If they’re still going to be an employee, or they’re still employed (and) the contract’s not ended, so they still technically have a job, they’d be reassigned upon the naming of either a permanent or interim. That’s how I’ve always done it,” Dubner said. “You’re talking about a short period of time, it might not be that problematic, but typically you want to have an interim… if somebody is going to step up, it’s usually at the direction of the board.”
Eichelbaum said there’s many circumstances such as medical emergencies when a superintendent is unexpectedly unavailable or unable to perform their responsibilities, and there is a gap between the event itself and the board appointing someone into the position. Dubner acknowledged that some districts have an internal procedure they follow when their superintendent is on vacation or unavailable.
“I would be shocked if no one is actually in charge of Fort Worth. I just can’t believe that would be true,” Eichelbaum said.
In general, the duties of what’s known as a district CEO can depend on the size of the district, according to Dubner. Superintendents in smaller districts might be more hands-on, but another leader in a larger district like Fort Worth typically delegates certain duties while handling “big-ticket items.” Eichelbaum says “no one can even imagine the responsibilities of a superintendent if they haven’t experienced it.”
“The superintendent is not only the CEO of the district but is responsible for all aspects and all employees. Everything from making sure the curriculum is in place to making sure the district is following purchasing requirements and is supplied with all the supplies they need. Following (Texas Education Agency) guidelines, following (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) and (Office for Civil Rights) guidelines,” Eichelbaum said. “No one superintendent can do it all. They have people in place, and hopefully those people are doing a good job handling everything.”
This story was originally published October 3, 2024 at 5:30 AM.
