Leading a small, rural Texas school district with fewer than 200 students requires a unique blend of strategic transformation and hands-on operational leadership. In this setting, the superintendent often acts as the human resources director, compliance officer, and instructional leader all at once.

 

Because the district faces a critical state intervention following four consecutive years of an F rating, the superintendent must operate under the direct oversight of a Texas Education Agency (TEA) Appointed Conservator. The absolute mandate is to rapidly raise student outcomes, avert a complete state takeover (the appointment of a Board of Managers), and maintain the viability of this rural school system.

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Details

•   Position Title: Superintendent of Schools
•   Location: Runge, Texas (Region 3 Education Service Center)
•   Reports To: Elected Board of Trustees, with final review and directive authority held by the TEA Appointed Conservator.
•   Job Goal: To foster a culture of urgency, execute hyper-focused academic interventions, manage resources, and     successfully exit TEA conservatorship through verified, multi-year state accountability improvements.

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Key Responsibilities

 

    Academic Turnaround & TEKS Alignment

 

• Direct Instructional Coaching: Personally oversee instruction across the campus(es), providing micro-level coaching    to the leadership and teaching staff due to limited administrative layers.

•  Curriculum Overhaul: Enforce immediate adoption of Bluebonnet, a high-quality, evidence-based instructional     material aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).

•  Performance Management: Establish weekly and monthly progress monitoring utilizing curriculum-aligned     assessments to track every individual student's growth.

•  Targeted Interventions: Design and mandate daily, individualized tutoring and interventions for struggling students,   maximizing the low teacher-to-student ratio.

 

    State Intervention & Governance Collaboration

 

• Conservator Relations: Collaborate intensely with the TEA Conservator, submitting all required operational, fiscal, and academic decisions for review and approval as mandated under Texas Education Code § 39A.003.

• Board Alignment: Partner with the Board of Trustees and the Conservator to implement Lone Star Governance practices, focusing 50% or more of board meeting agendas strictly on student outcomes.

• Compliance Reporting: Author transparent, high-frequency progress reports for the TEA to document compliance with the state's turnaround plan and avert escalation to a Board of Managers.

 

    Rural Talent Management & Culture

 

• Creative Recruitment: Drive teacher recruitment and retention using creative strategies to combat the challenges of geographic isolation and lower comparative salaries.

• Under-Performance Accountability: Deal decisively with staff under-performance, utilizing data-informed evaluations and clear documentation.

• Culture of High Expectations: Overturn a climate of historic under-performance, establishing a localized culture of intense academic urgency among staff, students, and Parents.

 

    Fiscal & Multi-Role Operations

 

• Budget Management: Maximize every dollar of a lean rural budget, aggressively reallocating resources out of non-essential operations and directly into the classroom.

• Grant Leveraging: Fully capture and ethically manage state and federal small-school grants, Title funds, and turnaround subsidies.

• Wear Multiple Hats: Oversee or directly manage auxiliary logistics—such as transportation, food services, facilities, and PEIMS data reporting—due to a highly streamlined central office staff.

 

    Community Preservation & Public Relations

 

• Community Engagement: Serve as the visible, accessible face of the district, restoring trust among rural families, alumni, and local business owners.

• Stakeholder Transparency: Demystify the TEA intervention process for the community, turning the academic turnaround effort into a collective, town-wide mission.

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Qualifications & Requirements

 

    Education & Certification

 

• Master’s degree in Educational Leadership or a related field.
• Valid Texas Superintendent Certificate issued by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) (or eligibility for an expedited TEA certification waiver under specific state conditions).

    Experience & Competencies

 

• Minimum of 5 years of successful school leadership experience; background as a turnaround principal or central office leader in a rural or small-district setting is highly preferred.

• Proven track record of moving a campus or district out of an "Improvement Required" or F-rated state accountability status.

• Deep operational knowledge of the Texas state accountability system, rural school finance, and Texas Education Code.

• Exceptional resilience, high emotional intelligence, and the professional agility required to lead under intense regulatory scrutiny.