Nixon-Smiley superintendent wins regional award

AUSTIN — Nixon-Smiley CISD Superintendent Cathy Lauer took home Superintendent of the Year (SOTY) honors for Region 13, officials announced Tuesday.

Sponsored by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), the SOTY program has recognized exemplary superintendents for excellence and achievement in educational leadership since 1984.

TASB noted that candidates are chosen for their strong leadership skills, dedication to improving educational quality, ability to build effective employee relations, student performance, and commitment to public involvement in education. Superintendents from any of Texas’ 1,029 local school districts are eligible for nomination by their school boards. Local nominees are submitted to a regional selection committee, which chooses one nominee to send to the state selection committee.

TASB said the state committee will interview regional winners in Austin on Aug. 26–27 and select five state finalists. The Superintendent of the Year will be announced September 23 at the 2016 Texas Association of School Administrators/TASB Convention in Houston.

“I am very honored by this recognition, but my success did not happen in a vacuum,” Lauer said. “Support from the community, teachers, staff and Nixon-Smiley CISD Board Trustees made this achievement possible. It has truly been my privilege to live and work in such an amazing place.”