GISD posts superintendent position online

Gonzales ISD has posted its advertisement on the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) website for the position of superintendent and will accept applications up until 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 3.

According to the posting, the district would prefer to have a candidate with a doctorate and will be requiring candidates to have a Texas superintendent certificate, campus principal experience and central office experience.

This would appear to rule out officially rule out hiring acting superintendent and chief financial officer Amanda Smith as the full-time superintendent.

While Smith, a GISD alumna, has central office experience and is well thought of by district staff and community members alike, she has no experience as a campus principal and does not have a Texas superintendent certificate, though she is a registered Texas school business administrator with the Texas Association of School Business Officials and has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from The University of Texas at San Antonio.

In November, GISD trustees unanimously accepted the resignation of former superintendent Dr. Elmer Avellaneda, citing family medical reasons as the reason for his departure after just two years at the district’s helm. Smith was named acting superintendent for the remainder of the school year and was given a stipend agreement.

Last month, the district hired Walsh Gallegos Kyle Robinson & Roalson, P.C., one of the largest law firms in the state dedicated to educational issues, as the district’s superintendent search firm. Walsh Gallegos has been involved in more than 90 superintendent searches in the past 11 years. In the past, the firm has used community surveys and town hall meetings to gather input on what district staff and parents want in a new superintendent.

The district has been represented for several years by Walsh Gallegos in other areas, including to the Texas Attorney General’s Office in requests made to the district under the Texas Public Information Act and the Texas Open Meetings Act.

Applicants for the superintendent position are being directed to request an application packet from Amy Sorendo electronically at suptsearches@wabsa.com or by phone at 512-454-6864. Completed packets must be returned with required documents via email to suptsearches@wabsa.com; or by mail or hand-delivered to: Amy Sorendo, Walsh Gallegos Kyle Robinson & Roalson P.C., 505 E. Huntland Drive, Suite 600, Austin, TX 78752.

Avellaneda resigned nine months after signing a new five-year contract with the district in February that had him receiving a salary of $185,000 per year plus benefits.

He was also eligible for one-time lump sum supplemental payments every August of $5,000 for each district campus that received an “A” rating in the Texas Education Agency Accountability Rating System and $2,500 for each district campus that received a “B” rating, meaning he could earn up to an additional $25,000 in compensation. However, this was also contingent on no campus receiving a rating of “F.”