New superintendent starts July 1

HARLINGEN - Steve Flores will take the role as the new superintendent of the Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District, effective July 1.

The HCISD board of trustees hired Flores on Thursday, as present Superintendent Linda Wade prepares to retire.

Wade announced her retirement in January and the search for a new superintendent began shortly thereafter.

School board president George McShan would not disclose Flores' salary because his contract with the district will not be signed and finalized until Flores arrives in Harlingen next week.

Wade's yearly salary was $160,000 with other benefits, allowances for a cell phone, car and travel.

Flores, originally from San Angelo, was the chief of staff for the Dallas Independent School District before accepting the HCISD superintendent position.

He has been working in the field of education for about 25 years and has worked at several school districts including San Angelo ISD, Pflugerville ISD and Round Rock ISD.

In a statement released Friday, Flores said, "I am honored and humbled to be selected by the board of trustees to serve as the superintendent in Harlingen CISD. This school district and this community have an enormously rich tradition of excellence and it is indeed a tremendous source of pride to now be part of it.

"I pledge to work diligently with the board to strengthen our schools and to provide a safe and welcoming learning environment for every single student who walks through our doors."

McShan said Friday that Flores will be a wonderful fit for the school district and the community.

"I think he'll bring the kind of leadership and management that will allow this school district to move into a direction of continuing excellence," McShan said. "We're a good school district but we want to be the best in Texas and the best in the country."

McShan said the board's goal is to motivate students to be successful in their education because education drives economic development in a city and develops people of high character, morals and ideas.

"(Flores) can actually be a leader and help be a catalyst to bring the entire community together," McShan said.