New Arlington ISD superintendent shares his vision for the future of the district
ARLINGTON – Arlington ISD's new Superintendent Dr. Matt Smith begins his new role next week on Jan. 30.
Smith takes over for Dr. Marcelo Cavazos who led the district since 2012, but stepped down last year.
He comes from Belton ISD, in Central Texas, where he spent the last four years as superintendent.
Smith tells CBS News Texas this was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.
What sparked his interest in this job? He says he's seen the great work that's been done at Arlington ISD and its possibilities for the future.
Smith said he's impressed with AISD's specialized programs for the students the district serves.
When this position came up, he said he was excited and intrigued.
Smith spoke about what parents and students can expect from his leadership style,"I think one of the important things to me is to be able to be connected in our communities. I want to create connections with our parents, with our students with our teachers and staff and so they'll see me out and about and be visible in the community. I want to hear their perspective, I want to shake their hands and i want to see our students in action."
There's been over a dozen school district leadership changes over the past couple years, from Dallas to Fort Worth to Plano. Smith gave his thoughts on why there's been such a massive turnover.
"It's been a tough few years and it started around that COVID time and it's been a tough few years for districts around the state and the nation and I think a lot of that has to do with the politics that are in place. We want to make sure that we celebrate the good, there's a lot of good that is happening on a day-to-day basis in our classrooms," said Smith.
Several districts have faced staff shortages and Smith added that he wants to create an environment where staff want to go to school, "We really want to focus in on creating culture that makes people want to show up to work everyday. So there's pay and benefits and things that happen for people regarding the jobs that they take but there's also culture that matters a lot when they join a job or join the school district."
Smith said he's about kids and feels AISD is about doing what's best for kids and here's here because of that.