Second Fort Worth superintendent search moves forward

Several Fort Worth school board members said they hope to avoid the mistakes that torpedoed a search for a new superintendent earlier this year — and they are relying on a new board president’s leadership for a successful hire.

“We know what went wrong,” board member Judy Needham said. “We’re going to fix it.”

The board has been looking for a permanent superintendent for more than a year. Interim Superintendent Pat Linares replaced Superintendent Walter Dansby after his departure last summer.

An effort in February to hire a new superintendent was derailed when the nine-member board couldn’t agree on hiring the man they selected as finalist, Joel Boyd, superintendent in Santa Fe, N.M.

Four trustees withdrew support during the 21-day public-scrutiny period required by law before a hiring is official. As a result, Boyd, who has been superintendent of the 13,100-student Santa Fe district since 2012, withdrew.

Months of bickering and tension among trustees ensued. Seven of them — Needham, Jacinto Ramos, Ann Sutherland, Tobi Jackson, T.A. Sims, Matthew Avila and Norman Robbins — blamed a breakdown in board communications for the failure.

This summer, the nine-member board unanimously selected Ramos as board president. Trustees, including those who opposed hiring Boyd, said recently that they believe he may be able to restore calm.

Although it is common for school boards to designate the president as a spokesman, Ramos said he has told his colleagues that he will not speak for the board without the consent of each member.

“He has vowed to run comments by the whole board before he makes them,” Needham said.

Robbins, who was board president during the search, caught flak for making general statements in favor of Boyd when Needham, Jackson, Sims and Sutherland did not support the hire.

Ramos also has agreed to hear out individual board members when they bring up information that could be seen as critical of a candidate.

Jackson said some board members were reluctant to accept information that could be critical of Boyd. She and board members including Sims and Sutherland were concerned about test scores from the Santa Fe school district showing that some schools had dropped in state accountability rankings.

A Star-Telegram review of state grades for Santa Fe schools, the equivalent of accountability ratings in Texas, showed mixed results. In 2013-14, of the 29 schools in the 13,101-student district, most stayed the same, seven improved and four dropped, according to the data. The district’s two traditional high schools fell to D’s from B’s, according to state data.

“We need to be very clear when we discuss things,’’ Jackson said. “When a trustee asks a question, we need to thoughtfully make sure we get answers.”

Ramos said he aims to create “an environment that is safe enough to allow my colleagues to express true opinions and feelings.

“I believe that when we have clear communication, we have less assumptions in the room,” he said.

Trustees Ashley Paz and Christene Moss could not be reached for comment.

A second search

July 13 is now the deadline for prospective candidates to apply, said Gary L. Ray, president of the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, firm that conducted the initial search and is conducting the second.

“We’re going to hopefully have things wrapped up right around August,” Ray said.

Whether the board can make a successful hire depends on many factors, said Cathy Mincberg. She is CEO of the Center for Reform of School Systems, a Houston-based organization that promotes leadership and effectiveness training for school boards in the U.S.

Primarily, trustees need to “have some frank discussions with each other about what went right and what went wrong.”

Board members had agreed that it was best to wait until after the May 9 board elections to begin a new search, in case a new trustee was elected. As it turned out, Trustees Sutherland, Jackson and Needham defeated their challengers.

The second search began around May 13, Robbins said.

Ray & Associates was paid $60,000 for the first search. The company is not charging the district for the second, according to the contract.

Ramos said he wants to find a leader everyone can support.

“I’m willing to put in every ounce of energy in,” he said. “I really do believe in my colleagues’ goodwill and good intentions and that’s what I’m going to focus on.”

This story was originally published June 29, 2015 at 12:54 PM with the headline "Second Fort Worth superintendent search moves forward."