Interim superintendent named as Grapevine-Colleyville ISD faces school closings
Retired Celina superintendent and long-time educator Rick DeMasters was named Grapevine-Colleyville’s interim superintendent Monday night.
The school board voted 7-0 to name DeMasters as the interim superintendent who will lead the district while the search begins to replace Brad Schnautz, who resigned last month to become executive director at the Region XI Education Service Center.
DeMasters, who begins work on Wednesday in Grapevine-Colleyville is coming on board less than a week after trustees voted 5-2 to close Dove Elementary in Grapevine and Bransford Elementary in Colleyville, despite protests and pleas from residents in the district.
DeMasters told trustees Monday that “first and foremost, he wants to do what’s best for the students.
“We want to offer stability and want to offer strong leadership, especially as we move through this transition time,” DeMasters said.
Board president Shannon Braun said that what stood out to her about DeMasters was that after spending years in education, he wanted to give back to the profession.
“And that was very endearing, especially at a time when education really isn’t spoken of in a positive way,” Braun said.
Braun did not provide details on how many candidates were interviewed for interim superintendent .
Meanwhile, DeMasters brings over 30 years of experience to Grapevine-Colleyville.
According to a statement on the Grapevine-Colleyville website, before DeMasters retired, he was assistant superintendent both in Celina and Van Alstyne.
He also served as principal in Celina, Dumas, and Shallowwater school districts.
DeMasters was also a teacher and coach in Karnack and Vega school districts.
Under DeMasters’ leadership, he raised academic performance, increased the fund balance and passed bond propositions.
DeMasters has a Bachelor of Science in Education from McMurry University in Abilene and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from West Texas A&M University in Canyon.