San Antonio ISD superintendent to step aside once incoming leader is named
May 13-Outgoing San Antonio Independent School District Superintendent Jaime Aquino will move into a role with diminished responsibilities once the board names his successor this summer.
Trustees and attorneys updated Aquino's contract Monday after the superintendent and board president signed a retirement agreement.
Under the agreement, Aquino will become superintendent emeritus when the board names a new leader July 1, the date by which trustees have said they plan to announce a lone finalist. The new role strips Aquino of the responsibilities and authority that come with the district's top job, according to the newly signed document. Aquino will still retire from SAISD effective January 2027.
San Antonio ISD, which is facing a $46 million shortfall and plans to cut 220 jobs, will pay both a salary for Aquino and his successor for half a year. Aquino makes $340,000 annually. The base salary for the district's top job is $315,000.
Aquino announced his planned retirement in March and in the two months since, trustees have fast tracked the process to find a new leader. They hired an Austin-based search firm, held a community town hall to solicit feedback on Aquino's successor and opened the application for the position last week.
Because Aquino will step aside at least six months before his retirement takes effect, the new superintendent will have full authority over district decisions heading into the new school year.
In his emeritus new role, Aquino will be around to offer support to the incoming district leader in hopes of making the leadership transition smooth.
The district's next superintendent will face difficult decisions on school closures, staffing and budget constraints as enrollment continues to fall. Those decisions will come amid a looming state takeover threat, accelerated by campuses that have repeatedly scored poor state grades.
SAISD officials project that a third of the district's campuses will receive an academically unacceptable rating from the state this school year. Five consecutive years of those scores can trigger a campus closure or a Texas Education Agency takeover of the district.
In that scenario, the state would replace the elected board with appointed managers. TEA often replaces the district superintendent with its own pick when it intervenes.
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