AUSTIN– Thursday evening, the Austin ISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved changes to the Superintendent profile and voted to proceed with posting the position for the long-term superintendent.

Board President Singh explained that the board had several options to name a permanent superintendent. One of them was to do a national search, which would take several months to complete. The other option would be to post the position immediately if they felt a national search was not necessary. When school boards do this, it’s typically because a strong candidate has been identified already.

The board voted to post the position from November 17, 2023 until 5 p.m., December 7, 2023.

“There was an overwhelming message of wanting stability, focusing on strengthening systems to improve student’s outcomes and wanting someone with a demonstrating commitment to Austin ISD,” President Arati Singh said. “Although we have a strong internal candidate we are committed to considering every application that is received.”

On March 30, the Board of Trustees paused the current superintendent search and extended the contract of the Interim Superintendent through June 30, 2024. Their decision was to ensure that the most urgent issues were addressed and that the 2023-24 school year was strong and successful. 

“We’ve been progressing, we see an improvement in climate and culture, increase in retention and staffing,” said Matias Segura, Interim Superintendent of Austin ISD. “I think Austin ISD is well positioned to do great things and I’d love to continue to be a part of it.”

At the end of October, the Board of Trustees resumed their community and staff conversations to seek input on the profile and hiring process. These conversations helped shape the board’s revision to the superintendent profile as well as their decision to forego a national search. 

The board will review the applicants during their Dec. 7 executive session.