Ex-principal says district leaked his name during GCISD superintendent search

Former Colleyville Heritage High School principal James Whitfield told the Star-Telegram that he submitted materials to the search firm conducting the superintendent search and that someone in the district leaked his name as an applicant.

Whitfield was first hired by GCISD in 2020, and was placed on leave a year later after he was accused at board meeting of promoting Critical Race Theory by former board candidate Stetson Clark.

After Whitfield and the district parted ways in 2023, he became the superintendent Treetops School International, a charter school in Euless.

Whitfield told the Star-Telegram he believes someone in the district violated Section 552.126 of the Texas Government Code, which protects the names of superintendent applicants from being shared before the announcement of a finalist by the board even through open records requests.

He said a resident posted an email exchange between Whitfield and a district administrator that the resident received through an open records request.

Whitfield posted online about the issue and the request that was made for his email.

“I did so with serious reservations about how this board would handle confidential matters,” Whitfield said. “Now, those reservations have turned out to be true.”

He said that while he is happy in his role as superintendent of Treetops, anyone who wishes to apply for a position they are qualified for should be able to do so without having their name shared.

“Qualified leaders, they need to be able to have faith in a system that is going to protect them to explore other opportunities without fear that a board member or anyone else in the district will share their name with any private citizens even through a public information request,” he said.

Whitfield said the process was designed to protect applicants, and that in his case that didn’t happen.

“It’s really odd that they haven’t named a superintendent to initiate that 21-day waiting period to formally hire them but yet my name and my name alone is the only one out there,” Whitfield told the Star-Telegram.

Jeff Hall, a GCISD resident who filed the open records request and posted the email on Facebook, declined a request for comment.

“We’ve got to hold our elected officials responsible for representing the districts, and the students, and the greater community in a just, transparent way,” Whitfield said. “And when things happen, those people need to be held accountable.”

Whitfield said he made it “clear” that even if he was selected he would not return to the district and “that can be put in writing.”

“This is about whether school board can be trusted to follow the law and protect the people who engage with their process in good faith,” Whitfield said. “And so, the students and families GCISD deserve that standard of governance, and right now there’s a question as to whether that is what they’ve got.”

In February, the board hired the Austin based firm Walsh and Gallegos to help with the search after former superintendent Brad Schnautz resigned in November 2025 to become the executive director of the Region XI Education Service Center.

During an April 23 board meeting to discuss the search, three residents spoke out against Whitfield’s name being released, though they did not name him.

“If you wanted the applicant’s name out so badly, why didn’t you just share it with your own name?” Rachel Wall said. “You didn’t because not only is it unethical, it’s also against the law.”

Wall said she has “eight years left” in the district and is concerned about its next leader.

“At this stage I cannot imagine why anyone who’s applied for this position would want to remain in the search knowing you guys are leaking the applicants’ names for an advantage in an election,” Wall said.

Becky St. John blamed some of the trustees for Whitfield’s name being leaked.

“This break was not only with protocol, but state law poses on enormous risk to the district as well as the individual trustees,” she said. “The failure to keep superintendent applicants names confidential further erodes the reputation of this district, as well as impacts the reputation of the search firm.”

Interim Superintendent Rick DeMasters will continue to lead the district until a finalist is named, according to the district.

In response to an inquiry about the search, the district directed the Star-Telegram to its superintendent search page that was updated on April 9.

“Selecting a leader is the most significant responsibility of the Board,” Board President Shannon Braun said in the posted update. “We believe it is more important to be thorough than to be fast. Our students, staff and community deserve a leader who aligns perfectly with our district’s long-term vision.”