With Coppell ISD Superintendent Dr. Brad Hunt’s eight-year tenure coming to an end, the district has begun its search for a new leader.
Following the resignation of former superintendent Dr. Mike Waldrip in 2017, the Board of Trustees, the sole body responsible for the hiring process, is once again tasked with selecting a new superintendent.
At a special board meeting on April 16 and a regular board meeting on April 28, the board began gathering information to determine the best course of action.
According to board president David Caviness, the board has decided to hire a private search firm and is working to establish a clear timeline for the appointment of the new superintendent.
“Our initial steps were to determine the direction we wanted to go,” Caviness said. “We had that April 16 meeting, and as a board, we decided as a group, since the superintendent is really our only employee, that it’s our responsibility to make sure we have the best superintendent possible.”
The board’s initial steps include selecting a search firm and addressing the gap between Dr. Hunt’s resignation and the appointment of an interim superintendent through a board interview process.
“Once we can identify a search firm, then the search firm will be the guiding light to give us a realistic perspective on the various benchmarks through the process,” trustee Anthony Hill said.
Potential search firms under consideration include the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), which has a dedicated superintendent search department. TASB was previously used in 2014 to hire Dr. Waldrip. Additionally, some DFW area school districts or education attorneys could be considered for the process.
Hill, the longest-standing board member who was involved in the hiring of both Dr. Waldrip and Dr. Hunt, emphasized that a search firm serves as a valuable external resource in laying the groundwork for the process.
“Individually, board members may have different ideas,” Hill said. “But at the end of the day, when you have a discussion and come together, having a search firm, a seasoned organization that has done this and can explain what the process is and how it works, gets us to identify the right candidates in this process.”
A search firm encourages community and district engagement in the decision-making process.
“In the past, a search firm would get input from stakeholders: community members, staff and the full gamut of individuals impacted by the decision of having a new superintendent in place,” Hill said. “Each firm has its own process for gathering and assessing that information, but ultimately, they synthesize it to give the board a more concise perspective on the desires of the community at large.”
Caviness said while most search firms and processes are open to a nationwide search, the board will most likely search locally.
“As we are going through the process, if we want to narrow down to only the state or certain geographical areas, we have the ability to do that,” Caviness said. “My guess is that’s the direction we go. We haven’t gotten into the fine details yet, but that certainly will be an option that we have to decide upon.”
The search firm will work with the board to define the ideal qualities for the next superintendent.
“I can’t speak for the board on this one because that is a step we work through with the search firm, identifying what our ideal candidate would look like,” Caviness said. “But for me personally, Dr. Hunt’s shoes are going to be hard to fill, and making sure we have someone assuming this role who is a strong leader is important.”
Amidst a district budget crisis, Caviness says a candidate who understands the Texas public education climate and the Texas Education Agency is ideal.
“It’s important that you’ve got someone who has Texas experience,” Caviness said. “In this day and time with all of the budget challenges of public education, somebody that stays informed with all of that and is advocating with our legislators for what’s best for public education would really be important.”
Coppell High School Principal Laura Springer emphasized the importance of the next superintendent being resilient in the face of campus challenges.
“They have to be a tough decision maker because they’re going to have to make some tough decisions pretty quick when they get here,” Springer said. “It doesn’t look like we’re going to get money like we need to support our campuses the way we need to, so it’s going to need to be somebody that’s willing to look at things quickly and listen to important people who know more about what’s going on.”
From his own experience, Dr. Hunt talks about the superintendent’s role of relationship-building within the community.
“You need to be able to engage with the community,” Dr. Hunt said. “You are a public figure, and so you’ve got to be able to talk to people, interact with people and be a good communicator. You can’t just stay in your office all day and expect the experience to be successful. You have to be on the campuses, you have to see the kids, the teachers and get to know the parents. Those things are critical, and those are expectations of this community.”
Caviness said the board plans to maintain transparency throughout the superintendent search process by providing updates via the communications department, press releases, public statements and regular board meetings.
“Aside from a new name and a new face, we’re aiming for a seamless transition,” Caviness said. “The district is in good hands while we go through this search. For the board, it’s our top priority to bring in someone who is of the same high caliber and quality as Dr. Hunt, someone who can take us to the next level.”
