Arlington ISD still searching for new superintendent
TARRANT COUNTY (CBSNewsTexas) - Arlington ISD will now have to resume its search for a new superintendent after the district's first choice backed out.
The AISD Board of Trustees was just days away from voting to officially hire Dr. Michelle Cavazos for the position.
At the beginning of the month, trustees had unanimously named her as the lone finalist for superintendent. Texas law then requires a 21-day waiting period before the candidate can formally be hired.
During that time period, the board thought things were moving along as expected.
"We had talked with her, she said that contract negotiations were going fine and then she was excited about taking the leadership role in AISD," said Melody Fowler, the AISD board president.
However, the board learned late Monday night Dr. Cavazos wouldn't be moving to Arlington after all.
"We didn't get any phone calls or any notification, and then there it was on social media," Fowler said. "So it was it was disappointing. It was disappointing and surprising."
Cavazos decided to sign a new, five-year contract to stay on as superintendent in her current district, which is near Corpus Christi.
In a statement, Gregory-Portland ISD said the action came after contract negotiations broke down between Cavazos and the AISD School Board.
"This was an incredibly difficult decision to make," Cavazos said, in that statement. "As I have previously stated, I was not looking for the opportunity when called to interview with Arlington ISD – yet the chance to positively impact more than 55,000 students is one worth considering for any educational leader. Furthermore, I am grateful that they expressed confidence in my abilities and extended an incredibly generous offer that I have thoughtfully and carefully considered. In the end, I made the decision to accept a five-year commitment from G-PISD."
Now it's back to the drawing board for AISD to find someone to lead the 13th largest school district in the state.
"It is our desire to get the ball rolling again and to see who we can interview, what candidates are out there, or what steps we need to do," Fowler said. "But in the meantime, we want everyone to be assured this is as important to us as it is to them, that we are all going to work together, and we will get through this, and we will find the right superintendent for AISD."
Current superintendent, Dr. Marcelo Cavazos, no relation to Michelle, announced he was stepping down from the position earlier this year. He has served as superintendent for more than a decade and will continue in the role until the end of August.
"We're going to make this priority number one on the board, and we're going to do everything we can to get new leadership and to make sure that AISD continues to move forward and is still successful," said Fowler.
The board plans to meet Wednesday afternoon to discuss what's next for the search.