North East ISD trustees officially hire Anthony Jarrett as next superintendent
A new era of leadership for the North East Independent School District has officially begun: Anthony Jarrett will be the district's next permanent superintendent.
District trustees voted unanimously Monday to hire Jarrett, who has led the district as interim superintendent since January following the unexpected departure of former Superintendent Sean Maika.
Jarrett said that no matter the rank he has held in education, he reminds himself he was a classroom teacher first. Grounding himself in why he became an educator allows him to feel hopeful while navigating a changing field, he said.
"You become an assistant principal or principal, and you still have that teacher quality that you just can't shake. I think that's something that has served me well and that's something I'll never want to lose: that you have to be a teacher first before you can be a leader," he said.
Before assuming the top job with North East ISD, Jarrett served as the district's chief instructional officer. He is the first Black man to lead North East ISD in the district's nearly 80-year history.
He joined NEISD in 2019 as the assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction from San Antonio's largest district, Northside ISD, where he began his career in public education in 2000. There, he served as a teacher and principal before being elevated to an assistant superintendent role.
"I want to thank the families in our community for allowing us to serve their children," Jarrett said at the end of the board meeting Monday. "I know how important their children are to them every single day, and (when) they send them to our schools, they're saying, 'I just want the best for them.' And I think parents should have the right to dream for them, and we should have the responsibility to deliver on that dream."
'Propelling' the district forward
Board President David Beyer said Jarrett has already "worked tirelessly" to propel the district forward. Trustees announced Jarrett as the lone finalist for the permanent position in mid-May. Texas law requires school boards to wait at least 21 days between naming a superintendent finalist and officially hiring the person.
Beyer said Jarrett had been interviewing for the position throughout his entire tenure as interim superintendent this spring, and the board was impressed with his performance.
Jarrett "has helped us put the scorecard back in the forefront of our discussions, and he's really helping us look at navigating the uncertain educational landscape and seeking out opportunities where others might see some roadblocks," Beyer said as he made the motion to hire Jarrett. "So we thank him for what he's done, and we really look forward to the things he has yet to accomplish."
This was not the first time North East ISD trustees went with an internal hire for the district's top job. In 2019, the board hired Maika after he, like Jarrett, first served as interim superintendent for several months.
Earlier this year, the district opened the superintendent job application for just a week. Beyer previously said the district did not hire any superintendent search firms to keep costs low.
The interim contract between Jarrett and the district began Jan. 13 and would have expired June 30. Had trustees not selected Jarrett to stay on permanently, he would have returned to his role as chief instructional officer or a comparable position, according to the interim contract posted on NEISD's website.
The district paid Jarrett $149,350.34 for nearly six months of service. This is on par with Maika's annual base salary of $309,186.
After Monday's meeting, NEISD spokesperson Aubrey Chancellor said she could not share any information about Jarrett's new contract before it was signed by all parties.
Jarrett's tenure in NEISD
Jarrett's time leading NEISD thus far has included work to address a $19 million deficit. This spring, trustees voted to open NEISD's boundaries to non-district students and approved a plan to consider campus closures. A district's funding is largely determined by how many students attend class each day.
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As the interim superintendent, Jarrett also led the district through a months-long standoff with the Texas Education Agency over the district's student cellphone ban. NEISD allowed students to use cellphones in passing periods and during lunch, while TEA insisted the district had to enforce a bell-to-ban prohibition to fully comply with state law.
When TEA threatened in April to appoint a conservator to supervise the district over the dispute, North East ISD yielded. Trustees voted to change the district's student device policy with a bell-to-bell ban taking effect in the fall.
In response, TEA announced earlier this month that it would hold off appointing a conservator to oversee the district.
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This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 4:19 AM.