Harlingen seeks new superintendent
School district wants community involvement in the search
HARLINGEN - The Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District hopes that the community will be involved in its search for a new superintendent.
The school district will host a community meeting Thursday where parents, teachers and staff can develop a profile of leadership qualities that the next school superintendent should have, a news release states.
The meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. in the board room of the HCISD administration building, 407 N. Sunshine Strip.
Superintendent Linda Wade announced in January that she would retire in June. Wade has been with the school district for 21 years, seven of those as superintendent.
Consultants Felipe Alanis and Jess Butler of Waterford School Services will lead the meeting. The school district hired this company for $12,000 to help with the nationwide search for Wade's replacement.
Wade said Monday that the meeting will give people an opportunity to express their opinions that will then help the school board of trustees make an informed decision on the candidate that is hired.
"The superintendent is the leader of the school and (he or she) impacts every school and every child in our school district," Wade said.
The new superintendent should also have common goals with parents and community members, Wade added.
A questionnaire will be available at the meeting, Wade said.
Butler said Friday that WSS will accept applications for the superintendent and some have already been submitted.
"We're really excited about the search," Butler said. "We're confident that we're going to find the best candidate for this."
Wade said the Waterford will narrow the superintendent search by selecting the best applicants who will be interviewed by the school board.
The application deadline is May 5 and the anticipated start date for the new superintendent is June 16, Butler said.
In a previous interview, Wade said she hopes the board hires a superintendent that will be a strong communicator, good listener and someone willing to work with the community.
