By Melissa B. Taboada
Austin American-Statesman
Originally published July 17, 2020
Days before the Austin school board is slated to select a new superintendent, several parents and community groups are making a final push to convince the school district to allow them to help vet the candidates in a selection process often shrouded in mystery. …
But the board has no plan to list the contenders, their answers to trustees’ interview questions or to slow down the process.
Austin superintendent searches have widely varied, with some more transparent than others. Unlike the process for city managers and police chiefs, Texas law protects the identities of district superintendent candidates. School boards only have to reveal the name of their final choice, so searches across the state are often a more secretive process. This go-round, it’s unlikely that Austin families will know anything about the superintendent hopeful until trustees announce their finalist for the job.