As an alternative of naming a substitute for Superintendent Jaime Aquino at San Antonio Impartial College District, the board selected a well-recognized face as interim superintendent.
After hours of closed-door deliberation on Monday, the board introduced Toni Thompson, SAISD’s chief of employees, would function interim superintendent whereas the board retains the search open.
The board has been interviewing candidates for weeks, following Aquino’s retirement announcement in March, and beforehand stated they’d hoped to have a brand new superintendent by July.
However now they’re extending the deadline, and Thompson will formally take over as interim on July 1.
Thompson is a longtime worker of SAISD. Earlier than turning into chief of employees in 2022, she served as affiliate superintendent for human assets for 22 years.
She’s been working in human assets since 1985 and was inducted into the San Antonio Girls’s Corridor of Fame in 2023 for her work in managing SAISD’s COVID-19 response.
“We’re actually excited to have Toni serve on this capability. She has been an amazing asset to this district for a variety of years. What higher option to honor one in every of our personal,” stated Board President Alicia Sebastian.
Monday’s assembly was additionally a ship off for Aquino, who’s retiring after greater than 40 years of working in schooling.
All board members, some who’ve served on the board since earlier than Aquino joined SAISD, and a few which have been elected simply final yr, publicly wished him properly and thanked him for a number of years of service, noting his efforts to rightsize the district, make SAISD extra inclusive and the way he included the phrase “familia” within the district’s mission assertion.
State Sen. Jose Menendez (D-San Antonio) additionally attended the assembly to ship off Aquino. He wrote a decision as a proper remembrance of Aquino’s time at SAISD’s helm.
“I’ve noticed you in instances of celebration, and I’ve noticed you in among the darkest moments,” Menendez advised Aquino. “It has been a pleasure to see somebody who really leads with service of their coronary heart and never simply with the title.”
Whereas Monday marked his final board assembly as superintendent, Aquino doesn’t plan to go away immediately. He’ll keep on as superintendent emeritus, easing the transition between his tenure and his successor.
Thompson would briefly step into SAISD’s prime function because the district faces declining enrollment, growing old infrastructure, a $45.9 million deficit, a number of failing colleges and elevated competitors from the state’s new schooling financial savings accounts, which give households public {dollars} to cowl non-public tuition and schooling providers.
San Antonio’s third-largest district, SAISD serves round 42,000 college students and operates greater than 80 campuses.
The district is presently present process a “New Manner Ahead,” a modernization course of that entails tearing down small, previous buildings to construct new state-of-the-art studying hubs utilizing unspent bond {dollars} and probably going out for one more bond election. The board can be anticipated to name for a voter-approval tax charge election to generate further income that would towards chopping the funds deficit.
Neighboring faculty districts are additionally present process management adjustments of their very own.
Earlier this month, Northside ISD’s superintendent introduced his plans to retire by January of subsequent yr, although no search or transition plan has been publicly mentioned. North East ISD simply employed a brand new superintendent after Sean Maika left for one more function, and Judson ISD is presently working underneath an interim superintendent after the board pushed out Milton Fields.
