Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD will ring in 2025 with a new superintendent.
Trustees unanimously approved Dec. 2 the hiring of longtime educator Jerry Hollingsworth as the northwest Fort Worth and Tarrant County school district’s next superintendent. He officially starts leading the district Jan. 1. He was given a two-year contract.
“My family and I are honored to have the opportunity to serve the students, staff and families of Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD and get involved in the community,” Hollingsworth said in a statement. “We have already received such a warm welcome and we look forward to calling EMS ISD our home.”
Hollingsworth’s hiring came after a state mandated 21-day waiting period that ended Nov. 25. The school board named Hollingsworth as lone finalist for superintendent on Nov. 4.
Hollingsworth will earn an annual salary of $315,000, according to his contract.
Hollingsworth will succeed retiring Superintendent Jim Chadwell, who is leaving education after more than 30 years, nearly half of which he spent leading Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD. The two leaders will work together during a transition period.
“Dr. Hollingsworth has a proven track record as a collaborative leader focused on building culture that supports student growth and achievement, staff resources and well-being, and opportunities for family engagement,” school board President Marilyn Tolbert said in November.
Chadwell will become superintendent emeritus Jan. 1 and assist Hollingsworth during the first month of his superintendency. Chadwell will retire Jan. 31.
Hollingsworth has led Waxahachie ISD, about an hour south of Fort Worth, since 2021. He previously was superintendent of Bandera ISD near San Antonio for three years.
The incoming superintendent started his more than three-decades-long career in education as a U.S. government and Spanish teacher in Tarrant County’s Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD. He later moved into campus and district administrator positions in Grapevine-Colleyville ISD.
Hollingsworth earned his bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian University and later received his master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of North Texas.
Jacob Sanchez is a senior education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or @_jacob_sanchez. 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.
