By Alex Nicoll

editor-in-chief

@NicollMac

They work with the school board to enforce the policies the school board approves, they set the goals of the district, lead every decision, help with long range planning and are the face of the district.

There is a plethora of responsibilities associated with being the superintendent of a school district and even more for being the new superintendent in a district like Coppell. However, after a four month long process, Coppell Independent School District found its new leader in Dr. Mike Waldrip.

Waldrip, who has served as the Deputy Superintendent of Administrative Operations for Frisco Independent School District since 2002, assumed the superintendent position on Aug. 18 and is eager to get to work.

“I was very excited. The culmination of a lot of work, preparation and goals were achieved, so I’ve never been happier,” Waldrip said.

Coppell is a high visibility district, which means it is recognized for its academic excellence, extracurriculars and athletics. Because of this, it is considered one of the top districts to work for in the state.

“When you go anywhere in the state of Texas and you sayyou are from Coppell, people are going to want to sit down and have a conversation with you about what you are doing,” Coppell ISD Board of Trustees President Anthony Hill said.

The district’s performance was a key part in Waldrip’s decision as one more important factor.

“The district has a reputation of being a very good district and it has been my goal for quite some time to become a superintendent, so there were several things that were attractive about the job,” Waldrip said. “Plus, my wife encouraged me to take the job.”

His wife, Lisa, was an integral part in coercing Waldrip in pursuing the position.

“She had a big impact on my decision,” Waldrip said. “This district is a quality district and there were many quality candidates that applied for the job and the thought of that was weighed into my decision, but my wife’s comment was ‘If you don’t apply, you definitely will not get the job’ and to that I said ‘Good point’.”

This gives new meaning to, “a happy wife equals a happy life.”

The application process began soon after former superintendent Dr. Jeff Turner announced his retirement in March.

The job position was open for applicants for several weeks. At the end of this period, 39 candidates had sent in applications. A screening process and two levels of interviews, an initial one with Texas Association of School Boards and a first interview with the board, followed. From here the pool of candidates was cut to only six and then ultimately to three before Waldrip was named the lone finalist in July.

During the screening process, the Board of Trustees went through the executive search firm from TASB, to facilitate the search process. Two individuals with the firm were sent by request of the board to assist them in its hunt.

Dr. Robert Duron, a former superintendent in San Antonio Independent School District and Dr. Marian Strauss, another former superintendent in Somerville, River Road, Wimberley and Pine Tree ISDs, helped organize the open-forum sessions that were held throughout the interview process.

Mr. William Smith and Mr. Mike Rains also assisted in the search.

Ranging from the Coppell YMCA to the Chamber of Commerce, 72 organizations located in Coppell and the surrounding area attended Focus Group sessions that were organized by the district. These 45 sessions that lasted 50 minutes each provided a platform for members of the community to voice their opinions of what they wanted in a new superintendent.

“It’s not stressful but it was just a prolonged experience,” Waldrip said.

Before he was officially under contract, Waldrip had to go under a state required 21 day wait period. During this time, he had minimal interaction with the community except for Hill, as this served as a chance for the school board to work out a contract and provided an opportunity for either to walk away from the deal if need be.

“When you go through the interview process that’s what you want to look for in a candidate, those features that will allow them to be successful based on what the community wants,” Hill said. “In addition to that you look for the right fit. We had a lot of candidates that had qualities and characteristics that looked good but then you have to look for those intangibles: personality, ability to understand the community, where it is, how it got here and where it will like to go and the ability to understand the pieces you need to put in place that may be missing when you come on board. We believe that Dr. Waldrip fits those.”

But there was one factor that was as important, if not more, that worked in Waldrip’s favor.

“He’s a Texan,” Hill said.

One challenge for a new superintendent coming into a new district is adjusting to the changes and expectations of the district. For Waldrip, the challenge is not a significant undertaking.

There are many similarities between Coppell ISD and Frisco ISD. For instance, both have similar demographics and are both Chapter 41 schools. Chapter 41 schools, also referred to as “Robin Hood” districts, are districts that are property wealthy to share its wealth with districts who are property poor. Both also are experiencing growth, but Frisco, being one of the fastest growing cities in the country, has a more rapid growth with approximately 3,000 kids coming into the district each year.

Waldrip will have a few challenges and is still “learning” about the district. According to him, Frisco is not as technology dependent as Coppell is, with its new 1:1 initiative and specialty schools like New Tech High@Coppell and the new Richard J. Lee Elementary.

For those worried about the change of leadership, Waldrip has no set plans for any significant changes to the district as of right now.

“What I want to do is see Coppell move forward like it has; to stay on the leading edge with instructional practice and education for its students, offering the same opportunities to students that have traditionally taken place in [Coppell],” Waldrip said. “We do not know what the future holds, we can only look forward but we can continue to move the district forward.”

Even those at the administrative level have professed their confidence in the direction Waldrip is leading the district so far.

“Everything I hear about him is very positive,” Assistant Superintendent for Administration Brad Hunt said. “He comes with great references from Frisco [ISD].  I feel like the board feels that he has the skill set to help our district continue to move forward.”

That sentiment is reflected at all levels in the school district.

“He’s very in-tune and focused on what’s best for others,” Coppell High School Principal Mike Jasso said.

While Waldrip is leaving his impression on the Coppell community, students are having the same effect on him.

“I have been very impressed with the adolescents here,” Waldrip said. “I came up to the school one day and adolescents said ‘excuse me’ and ‘thank you’ and ‘you’re welcome’ and that’s nice.”