Maxwell and Jennifer Cozad chose Mansfield as their new home in 2023 for one large reason: the schools.<\/p>\n
Now, Mansfield ISD trustees are selecting the next leader of the 35,000-student district as Superintendent Kimberley Cantu retires following 26 years as an educator and seven years as the chief of schools.<\/p>\n
A leader\u2019s retirement isn\u2019t a worry for them when thinking of the district\u2019s trajectory, Jennifer Cozad said. She just wants someone ready to adapt to Mansfield ISD and its community.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy concern is picking the right person, instead of things changing,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mansfield ISD is on the road to new beginnings as the board of trustees continues its search for its next superintendent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With Cantu\u2019s retirement looming in February, school board members and an outside consulting firm are deciding who will shape Mansfield ISD in the future.<\/p>\n
A destination district<\/p>\n
Pat Linares paced back and forth at the front of the dimly lit auditorium at Mansfield High School. As community members slowly shuffled into the auditorium\u2019s seats, she introduced herself to each one.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The former interim superintendent<\/a> of Fort Worth ISD from 2014-2017 now works with a nationwide consulting firm that helps school districts find their next superintendent, including Mansfield.<\/p>\n JG Consulting hosted five in-person town hall meetings in November to hear from the community about what residents want from the district\u2019s next superintendent.<\/p>\n Former board president Beth Light and former trustee Terry Moore attended a Nov. 13 town hall meeting in the Mansfield High School auditorium.\u00a0<\/p>\n Moore said that public education has changed a lot over the past 20 years. He said enrollment has risen from about 18,000 students when he first arrived in Mansfield to nearly 37,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n While the growth has been tremendous, the district cannot get complacent with marketing tactics growing across the education landscape, Moore said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe new superintendent has to be a visionary,\u201d Moore told the audience. \u201cIt\u2019s a new game.\u201d<\/p>\n The Cozads also attended the meeting. Both are on the PTA board at Brenda Norwood Elementary where their child goes to school.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jennifer Cozad said she wanted someone who was not looking out for their career ambitions.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey need to understand what things the district is doing right, identifying where the opportunities are, and be methodical about those improvements,\u201d she said after the town hall meeting.\u00a0<\/p>\n Maxwell Cozad said the new superintendent should also not have preconceptions about what can make the district better.<\/p>\n \u201cWe really need somebody who\u2019s going to look at the facts of what is here, what has worked, what needs to be better instead of jumping in with a preconceived notion,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Over the past two years and into the next year, a lot has changed for the district. Last year\u2019s school board election saw plenty of political debate<\/a> that ended with three incumbents unseated<\/a>.<\/p>\n Jennifer Cozad said she was less concerned by the changing board and more worried about the district hiring the correct candidate.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t say, \u2018You can\u2019t retire because we need the forever stability.\u2019 It just is what it is,\u201d she said. \u201cIf they don\u2019t find the right candidate, I don\u2019t want them to hire somebody to have somebody in that chair in February.\u201d<\/p>\n Mansfield wants a superintendent with experience<\/p>\n Using testimonies collected by parents, teachers, community members and trustees across 30 meetings, the firm created a profile of qualities to look for in candidates for the open superintendent seat.<\/p>\n James Guerra, JG Consulting\u2019s chief executive officer, told board members Dec. 12 that an estimated 164 stakeholders attended in-person and virtual meetings to discuss what they wanted in the next superintendent.\u00a0<\/p>\n The firm also sent out anonymous surveys to gather information.<\/p>\n JG Consulting received 733 responses to its anonymous survey. These are the qualities parents, staff, students and community members said they most valued for the next superintendent.<\/p>\n While much of the feedback from the community made it into the final profile that will be used to parse through candidates, trustees did change sections they said were nonnegotiable.<\/p>\n Key takeaways from Mansfield ISD leadership profile<\/strong><\/p>\n Some board members debated whether or not to require that candidates come from Texas and have a doctoral degree.\u00a0<\/p>\n Board member Michelle Newsom said she preferred the candidates currently working as a superintendent in the state so they already have an understanding of the Texas public school system and finances.<\/p>\n She also proposed that all candidates must already have a doctoral degree, with which the majority of trustees agreed.<\/p>\n Board member Jason Thomas said the district has had a long line of superintendents with doctorates, and that the degree would align with what the community wants from the future head of Mansfield ISD.<\/p>\n \u201cFor our district, the precedent has already been set for the superintendent having a doctoral degree, and it\u2019s on brand for us,\u201d Thomas told Guerra.<\/p>\n Guerra suggested trustees ask the new superintendent to go on a 90-day or 120-day entry plan so the board can monitor the new hire\u2019s alignment with their goals.\u00a0<\/p>\n He also added that the district should host town hall meetings so the new superintendent builds a connection with the community.<\/p>\n Applications for the role closed on Jan. 9, according to a timeline from JG Consulting.\u00a0<\/p>\n The final round of interviews will be Jan. 30-31 during closed session meetings, trustees said. They will consider announcing the lone finalist for superintendent Jan. 31, according to a meeting agenda<\/a>.<\/p>\n Chris Moss is a reporting fellow for the Arlington Report. Contact him at chris.moss@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
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