Superintendent of the Year (SOTY)

Purpose

Since 1984, the Superintendent of the Year (SOTY) award program has honored outstanding Texas administrators for achievement and excellence in public school administration.

Candidates are chosen for their strong leadership skills, dedication to improving the quality of education in their school districts, commitment to public support and involvement in education, and ability to build good employee relations among teachers and staff members.

Award and Sponsor

The Superintendent of the Year receives a $5,000 award, which will be presented at the 2012 Texas Association of School Administrators/Texas Association of School Boards (TASA/TASB) Annual Convention. The award program is underwritten by Balfour and coordinated by TASB.

Performance Criteria

The Superintendent of the Year will be selected for exhibiting leadership in his or her school district in the following areas:

Student Performance
Administration and School Climate
School Board-Superintendent Relations
School Improvement
Fiscal Management
Facilities Management
Instructional Management
Student Management
Personnel Management
School-Community Relations

Selection Procedure

Regional Screening Committees. Screening will be conducted through school board associations, TASB directors, and school board members from the region working with the 20 education service centers (ESCs). Nominations will be sent to regional ESCs.

The ESC will coordinate the regional screening process. Members of the regional screening committee should not represent districts that have superintendents who have been nominated for the award or be members of the state selection committee.

Each regional screening committee will submit one nomination to the TASB state selection committee. A list of regional service centers and addresses to which nominations may be submitted is posted with the SOTY nomination information at tasb.org.

TASB State Selection Committee. The state selection committee is typically composed of TASB directors appointed by the TASB president to serve on the Member Services Committee. A director may not serve if the superintendent from his or her district is being considered.

Eligibility and Nominations

Any local school board holding membership in TASB may nominate its superintendent for the award. Nominations must be made by the board preparing the required documentation and submitting it to the designated regional ESC by May 15, 2012. Entries must be either postmarked by May 15 or delivered to the ESC by close of business that day.

Nominees must have served as superintendent of the district for at least three consecutive school years, be a TASA member, meet the State Board for Educator Certification continuing professional education requirement, and be an active superintendent at the time of the 2012 TASA/TASB Convention.

Superintendents who receive the top state award cannot be nominated again during the following five-year period. This rule does not apply to superintendents who were named regional winners or state finalists.

Required Documentation

Each candidate shall submit an entry form completed by the school board and signed by the board president, along with a resolution indicating the board’s decision to nominate the superintendent. A basic resume (no more than three pages) with a photo of the superintendent on a separate page should be attached with the completed entry. Please do not submit a spiral-bound entry or include additional documentation or photos. Response to each major heading should be limited to one page (front only).

To save space on the final entry sent to the ESC, questions can be deleted under each major category. Please retain headings and page numbers for clarity. Use a 12-point Times New Roman font, 1.5 spacing, and 1-inch margins. Please note that board action is required for the resolution. Participating districts should place an item to cover this on their next board meeting agendas.

Schedule

May 15: Nomination submissions due to the designated ESC
June 29: Regional screening completed and nominations submitted to TASB
August 24–25: All regional winners interviewed and five finalists chosen by the TASB state selection committee
September at Convention: Finalists interviewed and Superintendent of the Year chosen by TASB state selection committee
September 28: Presentation of the award at 2012 TASA/TASB Convention

Past Winners

2011 John Folks, Northside ISD
2010 Arturo Almendarez, Calallen ISD
2009 Oscar Rodriguez, Jr., Mission CISD
2008 Dan Troxell, Kerrville ISD
2007 Joseph Burns, Kirbyville CISD
2006 Daniel King, Hidalgo ISD
2005 Susan Simpson, White Settlement ISD
2004 Mike Harris, Slaton ISD
2003 Shirley Neeley, Galena Park ISD
2002 Michael Hinojosa, Hays CISD
2001 Charles Hart, Canutillo ISD
2000 Annette Griffin, Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD
1999 Carrol Thomas, Jr., Beaumont ISD
1998 Gerald Anderson, Brazosport ISD
1997 Barbara Erwin, Allen ISD
1996 John Harrell, Uvalde CISD
1995 Charles Patterson, Killeen ISD
1994 Rafael Cantu, Mission CISD
1993 James Smith, Harlingen CISD
1992 Joe Tison, Weatherford ISD
1991 Charles Matthews, Wilmer-Hutchins ISD
1990 Patricia Shell, Brazosport ISD
1989 Harold Guthrie, Spring Branch ISD
1988 Charles Bradberry, New Braunfels ISD
1987 Co-winners Donald Collins, Klein ISD, and Ronald McLeod, El Paso ISD
1986 Fred Hopson, Leander ISD
1985 Lee Williamson, Wichita Falls ISD
1984 Tony Rico, Weslaco ISD

Important Note

Cover letter (pdf)
SOTY brochure (pdf)
List of ESCs (pdf)
Mission Statement/Explanation page for entry (doc)
Resolution (doc)
Official entry form (doc)
Read about the 2011 winner, John Folks of Northside ISD