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The Brownsville Independent School District Board of Trustees on Monday named the Austin law firm of O’Hanlon, Demerath & Castillo to conduct the search for a new superintendent of schools.
The board unanimously supported board President Jessica B. Gonzalez’s motion to name the firm. Board attorney Nick Maddox then announced that nominations for interim superintendent will close at noon Thursday in time for the board to review them at 5:30 p.m.
Maddox said whoever is named interim superintendent will not be eligible for the permanent position and promised an open, transparent and robust selection process.
The developments came after former superintendent Rene Gutierrez last week was named the lone finalist for the open superintendency of the McAllen Independent School District, setting in motion a mandatory 21-day waiting period.
Maddox said the interim position would be posted first thing Tuesday morning and that the firm would bring the board a list of applicants for interim from outside Brownsville.
“So community out there if you know anyone who would like to apply for interim, please encourage them to do so, but be advised that whatever interim the board chooses will not be eligible to apply for the permanent position,” Maddox said.
“We as a firm do believe in a holistic approach and including your community in these matters as much as possible, as they are the key stakeholders in our students’ education. We do involve town hall meetings in person and on Zoom,” he said.
“The community will have opportunity to speak to board members about the type of superintendent and the type of qualifications they’d like. We will be doing surveys electronically for both staff and community members.”
“We will present every applicant before the board without pre-selecting anyone, and then we’ll work with you every step of the way to whittle that list down to the individual that’s going to serve Brownsville ISD,” Maddox said.
“It’s a lengthy process. It will take several months to complete. It’ll involve several rounds of interviews. It could even potentially involve some community members depending on how you want to structure that. I think it’s going to be a good process. It’s going to be a robust process, and we’re looking forward to serving you.” Maddox said.
The meeting took place in the cafeteria at the Central Administration Building, 708 Palm Blvd. because early voting is taking place for the next two weeks at BISD’s main administration building at 1900 Price Road.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct which law firm is conducting the search and the identity of the attorney.
