Arlington ISD is one step closer to finding its new superintendent.
At its Monday meeting, the district’s board of trustees approved, 6-1, education law firm Walsh Gallegos as the legal counsel to draft and negotiate the contract with the final candidate for the superintendent position. Board Vice President Justin Chapa abstained from voting.
Chapa abstained because he’s an attorney and knows employees at Walsh Gallegos, he told the Fort Worth Report. Because he has two family members working at the district, Chapa said he would also abstain from voting on teacher contracts.
The board will name the finalist for the superintendent position Dec. 12 and vote to hire Jan. 8. Board members interviewed three candidates Monday, Chapa said.
Arlington ISD board of trustees works with Texas Association of School Boards Executive Search Services for the superintendent search.
The new hire will succeed Marcelo Cavazos, who retired Aug. 31, 2023, after 11 years as the district’s superintendent and a total of 23 years with Arlington ISD. Steven Wurtz has worked as interim superintendent since Cavazos stepped down.
Wurtz announced in October that he wasn’t pursuing the full-time position.
“But I’m fully committed to embracing our new superintendent and bringing them to the team,” he said.
In May, Arlington ISD unanimously named Michelle Cavazos as the lone finalist for the district’s superintendent position. But she signed a new five-year contract with Gregory-Portland ISD, where she serves as superintendent. Michelle Cavazos has no relation to Marcelo Cavazos, the district said.
Marcelo Cavazos was the second-highest-paid public school leader in Tarrant County in the 2022-23 academic year, behind only Crowley ISD Superintendent Michael McFarland.
Dang Le is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at dang.le@fortworthreport.org or via Twitter. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.