The search for Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD’s next superintendent reaches its final stages.

A clearer picture is emerging about the next leader of Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD.

The school board is interviewing candidates for the position of Superintendent Jim Chadwell, whose last day is set for January 31, 2025. Trustees plan to identify a single finalist for the position as early as November and no later than January, school board President Marilyn Tolbert said during the Oct. 28 meeting.

The search has intensified in recent weeks. Trustees held special meetings seven times in October regarding the search for a superintendent.

The school board is seeking a candidate who meets the community needs identified in the survey. Third-party trustee search firm Thompson & Horton conducted an online survey in early October.

Residents said key priorities for Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD’s next leader include:

• Ability to manage a rapidly growing school district.
• Student-focused and advocate for teachers and public education.
• Someone who will communicate and engage with the community while remaining transparent, visible and accessible.
• Experience in the field of education, including as a teacher and administrator.
• Have a sense of financial responsibility, know how to manage a budget and understand school finances.
• Set high expectations through accountability while doing so in a way that is fair, fair, inclusive and compassionate.

Mike Moses, the former Texas education commissioner and former Dallas ISD superintendent who is leading the district’s search, spoke with trustees in early October about the district’s challenges and strengths, gleaned from several focus group interviews.

Residents assigned to focus groups by the school board told Thompson & Horton that student discipline, attacks on teachers and public education, and static state school funding are among Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD’s problems, Moses said.

Another concern community members pointed out to Moses regarding the next superintendent is the need to balance the construction of new buildings and maintenance of existing ones between the east and west sides of the school district.

“They appreciated the bond issue, they appreciated the effort, but still some people feel there are some problems here,” Moses said.

David Thompson, a partner at Thompson & Horton who is also leading the superintendent search, said residents are concerned about potential differences in growth between the northern and southern parts of the district, which stretches from northwest parts of Fort Worth and includes Saginaw, Blue Mound. and portions of unincorporated Tarrant County.

Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD cannot support its growth on its own and must work with multiple cities and the Tarrant County government to ensure the infrastructure is in place to support its growing schools, Thompson said.

“This was recognized as a problem that the new superintendent would have to prepare to address and then work with a variety of other local organizations,” he said.

Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD has been working on the final drafts of its $524.7 million bond since 2017 and the first installments of $561.1 million in 2023.

Thompson said residents cited Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD’s small community as an advantage, as well as its potential for growth.

“People have kind of expanded on that by saying that it means people still know each other. There are still interpersonal connections that give this community the feel of a smaller community even as you deal with growth,” Thompson said.

Residents also consider the district’s strong and good governance system, from the school board and superintendent to the teachers, to be a strength, the attorney said.

“The reason I want to point this out is because we don’t always hear it,” Thompson said.

Jacob Sanchez is senior education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at [email protected] or @_jacob_sanchez. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of board members and financial sponsors. Learn more about our editorial independence policy Here.

This article first appeared in the Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.